Rabo downsizing

iainf72
iainf72 Posts: 15,784
edited August 2009 in Pro race
Report on Flecha leavingbut more worrying that Rabo are having their budget cut. Win a grand tour and still can't keep the same dosh.

Ouch.
Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.

Comments

  • GroupOfOne MkII
    GroupOfOne MkII Posts: 1,289
    Bah, I just posted that Rabobank were going from 30 to 26 riders in the Ballan thread. Damn you. I got it via a Norwegian newspaper though :wink:
  • bikerZA
    bikerZA Posts: 314
    And Flecha going to Team Sky as well it seems..
    cyclecomparison.com
  • donrhummy
    donrhummy Posts: 2,329
    Is it a remnant of the trouble they went through with Rasmussen - meaning they're still frightened to put a big investment in and risk having it all torn down - or the economic troubles of banks?
  • drenkrom
    drenkrom Posts: 1,062
    I'd put it down to general economic issues more than anything else. At least, that's my totally uneducated guess. It would be rather late to make a move based on the Rasmussen affair, as I'm sure the sponsorship contract would've permitted "adjustments" in a case like that one.

    I like Flecha, but he must have a pretty small return-on-investment for sponsors. He rides with heart but doesn't win nearly as much as he could. Had I run Rabo and had to downsize, he'd be one of my first picks as well.
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,481
    I'm not sure on Flecha, he's clearly one of the strongest cobbled classics riders, and if he rode with a team that actually had a plan then he might do well. Rabobank always seem to have strength in numbers in the spring classics and semi-classics but never seem prepared to use up a couple of riders in trying to win the race.
  • teagar
    teagar Posts: 2,100
    From all the Dutch coverage I've seen Flecha will be quite a sizeable loss.

    They seemed to suggest that Flecha plays a big role in team moral, as much as what he does on the road.
    Note: the above post is an opinion and not fact. It might be a lie.
  • timoid.
    timoid. Posts: 3,133
    teagar wrote:
    From all the Dutch coverage I've seen Flecha will be quite a sizeable loss.

    They seemed to suggest that Flecha plays a big role in team moral, as much as what he does on the road.


    Well he was one of only two that gave a damn in the Tour, getting in a breakaway despite being banged up.

    I like the guy, but he isn't entirely money when it comes to results.
    It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired.
  • teagar
    teagar Posts: 2,100
    Timoid. wrote:
    teagar wrote:
    From all the Dutch coverage I've seen Flecha will be quite a sizeable loss.

    They seemed to suggest that Flecha plays a big role in team moral, as much as what he does on the road.


    Well he was one of only two that gave a damn in the Tour, getting in a breakaway despite being banged up.

    I like the guy, but he isn't entirely money when it comes to results.

    Exactly.

    He's like a less good, heavier, Boogerd.

    Well, he's nothing like him, but he has similar problems with being good but never winning anything.

    Only worse. Since Boogerd did win some stuff.
    Note: the above post is an opinion and not fact. It might be a lie.
  • skavanagh.bikeradar
    skavanagh.bikeradar Posts: 1,097
    Ha! Made me laugh out loud. You might be right. You ARE right, but there is a chance Brailsford can do something about it. It will be interesting to watch any road up.

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