Bye Rock Racing

iainf72

According to Rendell, it's all over now.

I wonder if Floyd will retire to his Shack now to write a book

afx237vi

If I was a Rock Racing rider I'd be absolutely furious. This has been on cards for months, so why string it out until February, leaving the staff absolutely no chance of finding a new team? Extremely shoddy.

andyp

That's typical Michael Ball though isn't it?

Good riddance to them as far as I'm concerned. Sponsors who revel in the notoriety of dopers should not be celebrated.

DaveyL

http://www.flickr.com/photos/27719265@N08/2578139769/

Kléber

Good riddance too. Cycling relies on naked commercialism to back teams but there are ethical limits, it might be a component of someone's marketing budget but it's also a sport. Not to mention an activity that is dangerous enough already without seeing riders forced into a pharmaceutical arms race.

Providing a safety net to dopers only signalled that if you cheated and got caught then you could always make living thanks to this sorry outfit.

blazing_saddles

They barely managed to get through last season. What is it with clothing companies and insolvent cycling teams?
Has Floyd publically attempted the blackmail of Armstrong, or is there a very large brown envelope in his mail?
A lot of old, unrepentant dopers head for the dole queue.....

northernneil

iainf72 wrote:

According to Rendell, it's all over now.

I wonder if Floyd will retire to his Shack now to write a book

I misread that that initially and thought that would be a shock signing !!!

wonder if the kit will be sold off cheap ? only good thing about RR was the kit

LangerDan

Hell, yeah. Former dopers should only be able to make a living rejoining other squads, getting roles in management, coaching.......
Rock were a sorry operation but at least they made the squad a target-rich environment for the testers.

Anyhoo, who's going to bring the blow and hookers to the post race parties now?

iainf72

LangerDan wrote:

Anyhoo, who's going to bring the blow and hookers to the post race parties now?

I could think of someone.

iainf72

http://joepapp.blogspot.com/2010/01/did ... l-all.html

RichN95.

LangerDan wrote:

Anyhoo, who's going to bring the blow and hookers to the post race parties now?

"She's 1200 euros for the night and I'll throw in a couple of grammes on the house"

blazing_saddles

iainf72 wrote:

http://joepapp.blogspot.com/2010/01/did-landis-threaten-to-write-tell-all.html

Like I said, Blackmail over the net.........

CakeHag1

Some consider Michael Ball to be true sleeze. In 2007 he made an unfavorable impression with the race organizers of the Tour of Georgia, Medalist Sports. He wanted Rock in the TdG, no matter what. If I recall, I think it was with considerable legal wrangling as well as the last minute pull-out by Saunier Duval that got Rock Racing in.

We had driven down to Savannah for the stage start on Tybee Island. At this point, and with much flourish, Michael Ball had agreed to give a very large donation to Children's Hospital in Atlanta. I think it was either $100,000 or $250,000. There was a lot of speculation that that donation was what finally got his team into the race.

Thing is, I was at a party on New Years this year and ran into one of the people that works with the hospital. They told me Ball never made good on that donation. Here it is, 2 1/2 years later, he got what he wanted, but the Hospital got the shaft. I won't buy their kit, I won't buy his jeans. Sleeze may be too soft a word -

frenchfighter

I couldn't give two apples for this appaling team, the love-child of ego, ugly and trash.

Anyway, they are not gone, bizzarely the Murcia region of Spain will join with the to form RR-Murcia and they are applying for a Mexican Continental licence.

http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/2964/ ... urcia.aspx

blazing_saddles

So, half the team will have to be Mexican. Can Julio Alberto Perez Guapio split his name and be 4? :oops:

pontarlier_pete

I think Ball must have misinterpreted the rules and thought at least half the team have to be on Mexican.

Jez mon

Embarrassingly enough I used to have some what of a soft spot for Rock Racking. I liked the kit and that as a sponsor brought a slight amount of glamour to a sport dominated by boiler makers, cement manufacturers and the suchlike.

However, the longer rock has gone on, the more I've grown to dislike the team. Firstly they hired dodgy riders, which was difficult to overlook, secondly they didn't update their website for months, which just makes you look amateur. Finally, the way they treated riders when they fired them was despicable, of course if the team doesn't have any money, then difficult decisions have to be made, but to not tell the riders and to let them find out from other team mates is low.

Now, the way they keep slowly trundling on is just sad, the whole Rock Racing thing didn't work, they should probably just leave the sport.

TheHelpfulDevil

I am not sad to see them leave. I liked the kits but i could never wear one beause wha th eteam stood for. plus were the kits not over 100 quid a shot?