End of the Highroad for HTC?

spezial
spezial Posts: 142
edited August 2011 in Pro race
Rumours surfacing that HTC have told their riders to look for new teams next season, source is apparently Eurosport's Jacky Durand.

Amazing that a team with such a winning pedigree can't attract a sponsor. Will someone step in at the 11th hour or will this be the end of the Highroad team?
"what's it pertaining?"
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Comments

  • spezial
    spezial Posts: 142
    See 'Cav... done deal thread'...

    Peeps discussing this on there.
    "what's it pertaining?"
  • Neil McC
    Neil McC Posts: 625
    Hmmmm.... JV tweets on it

    http://twitter.com/Vaughters/status/99139967049154561

    In what other sport does the top ranked team in the World go belly up because of a shortfall in sponsorship revenue?


    http://twitter.com/Vaughters/status/99140669888675840

    To be clear, I have no inside info on HTC-Highroad, I'm just very upset by the fact that the way the sport is structured could allow this.
  • spezial
    spezial Posts: 142
    If I may be so bold as to quote myself from the other thread,

    "Do you think HTC's international flavour made them a difficult proposition for sponsors? They're a strange kind of US/German/British, etc. patchwork which might make it hard for any potential backers to know what they're aiming at.

    Most other teams seem to have a particular nation or territory they are associated with, and a main sponsor to match."
    "what's it pertaining?"
  • derbygrimpeur
    derbygrimpeur Posts: 822
    I guess HTC was an multinational brand and would need to be replaced by an mutlinational brand?
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,697
    Spezial wrote:
    "Do you think HTC's international flavour made them a difficult proposition for sponsors? They're a strange kind of US/German/British, etc. patchwork which might make it hard for any potential backers to know what they're aiming at.

    Most other teams seem to have a particular nation or territory they are associated with, and a main sponsor to match."

    I agree totally, see Omega Pharma/Quickstep, sky, green edge for other examples...
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • spezial
    spezial Posts: 142
    Couldn't they even get Red Bull to sponsor them? I mean, they will sponsor ANYTHING!
    "what's it pertaining?"
  • MrTapir
    MrTapir Posts: 1,206
    Spezial wrote:
    If I may be so bold as to quote myself from the other thread,

    "Do you think HTC's international flavour made them a difficult proposition for sponsors? They're a strange kind of US/German/British, etc. patchwork which might make it hard for any potential backers to know what they're aiming at.

    Most other teams seem to have a particular nation or territory they are associated with, and a main sponsor to match."

    But would that matter to a sponsor whose main aim is get exposure for the brand? HTC had a very well structured approach - get Cav across the line first and it was incredibly successful. That photo of him winning on the champs elysees this year and holding out his jersey for the HTC logo was advertising gold.

    I suppose there are internal wranglings though of which none of us mere mortals are aware
  • pat1cp
    pat1cp Posts: 766
    Spezial wrote:
    Couldn't they even get Red Bull to sponsor them? I mean, they will sponsor ANYTHING!

    If a pro rider sniffed a tin of Red Bull he wouldn't be riding for long.
    http://tinyurl.com/332edp
    http://tinyurl.com/2nu7r3
  • Neil McC
    Neil McC Posts: 625
    Announcement by Stapleton on Highroad's future is imminent apparently...
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Is Ian on holiday?
    _
  • pat1cp
    pat1cp Posts: 766
    Must be, he's not posted for a few days now.
    http://tinyurl.com/332edp
    http://tinyurl.com/2nu7r3
  • davelakers
    davelakers Posts: 762
    http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/htc-hig ... sor-search

    Its official.

    A sad end to a great team.
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,697
    sucks! :(
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • seven7faces
    seven7faces Posts: 360
    so how many follow cav to a new team? renshaw and eisel? zabel?
  • Doobz
    Doobz Posts: 2,800
    Cav had decided his team before the tour hadn't he? I presume he was probably one of the riders that new sponsors would have wanted to have on board to seal the deal. With him not part of the future team probably made it harder for HTC to find new sponsors.
    cartoon.jpg
  • cogidubnus
    cogidubnus Posts: 860
    Its a sad day. HTC were a slick and very successful team. I think we will miss them in the peleton.

    The mind boggles that they couldn't secure sponsorship- its definitely an argument for the teams to get more money from the TV deals etc.
  • rebs
    rebs Posts: 891
    Shame they are gone. One of my Fav teams.

    Seems like they possibly priced themself out of the market. They were sucessfull but they needed to fuel that sucess with cash. If it's true that the deal fell apart because it didnt include cav seems a shame. You just get the impression HTC were the one team who could produce someone to compete against Cav.

    Will be interesting to see where the riders end up. Alot of young talent in the ranks.
  • mouth
    mouth Posts: 1,195
    who gonna do all the pace setting now? seems like they did about 75% of it in france this year.
    The only disability in life is a poor attitude.
  • Cumulonimbus
    Cumulonimbus Posts: 1,730
    Doobz wrote:
    Cav had decided his team before the tour hadn't he? I presume he was probably one of the riders that new sponsors would have wanted to have on board to seal the deal. With him not part of the future team probably made it harder for HTC to find new sponsors.

    No, not before the tour - he decided last saturday. Potential deal collapsed on Sunday night.
  • SLX01
    SLX01 Posts: 338
    I would suspect any sponsorship deal fell through when it was made clear Cav and associates would be working elsewhere.
  • andyrac
    andyrac Posts: 1,197
    edited August 2011
    As somebody else has said, can you imagine any other leading team in another sport losing their sponsor and folding?
    It would be like Vettel leaving Red Bull, then Red Bull pulling the plug.....madness. All i'll say, it doesn't relect too well on pro cycling when the most successful team, in terms of wins has to wind up because of a lack of a sponsor.
    Might be a bit dramatic, but it's the end of an era.
    All Road/ Gravel: tbcWinter: tbcMTB: tbcRoad: tbc"Look at the time...." "he's fallen like an old lady on a cruise ship..."
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,652
    Cav now tweeting about anything and everything but his team's demise. Strange.
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  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    Cogidubnus wrote:
    Its a sad day. HTC were a slick and very successful team. I think we will miss them in the peloton.

    I agree, could make PTP interesting in next years tour though...2012 - the year of the breakaways?
  • Tusher
    Tusher Posts: 2,762
    This is a disaster for women's cycling.
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,652
    Tusher wrote:
    This is a disaster for women's cycling.

    They're hoping to keep the women's team going.
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format
  • OffTheBackAdam
    OffTheBackAdam Posts: 1,869
    Very disappointing from HTC. Leaving it so long before making a decision.
    I doubt if it'll be the end of Cav's lead-out train, even if he does ride in Sky colours next season. He's a proven winner, Wiggins is still a gamble.
    Remember that you are an Englishman and thus have won first prize in the lottery of life.
  • Cleat Eastwood
    Cleat Eastwood Posts: 7,508
    No tA Doctor wrote:
    Tusher wrote:
    This is a disaster for women's cycling.

    They're hoping to keep the women's team going.

    I think that's what she meant. :wink:
    The dissenter is every human being at those moments of his life when he resigns
    momentarily from the herd and thinks for himself.
  • mr_poll
    mr_poll Posts: 1,547
    SLX01 wrote:
    I would suspect any sponsorship deal fell through when it was made clear Cav and associates would be working elsewhere.

    Think they were looking elsewhere when there was no guarantee of a sponsor.

    Cuddly Bob has been quoted as saying that sponsors were reluctant to get involved due to the upcoming issues with Lance, Contador and the UCI being crap at putting their house in order. Finger of blame points their way not to riders who decided to look after their own livelihoods.
  • littleking02
    littleking02 Posts: 132
    SLX01 wrote:
    I would suspect any sponsorship deal fell through when it was made clear Cav and associates would be working elsewhere.

    All that c****p about the team is this and the team is that from Cav was all b****ks. It was all about one man and one man only!
    ITS BY DOING WHAT EVER, THAT YOU BECOME WHOEVER!
  • dave_1
    dave_1 Posts: 9,512
    was the highorse comment fair...copyright iainf 2007? I think Highroad did the blood volume test first, before Riis and Argyle. Has the HTC team had a + test or been implicated in doping in 5 years. From what I read...they were right to speak as they did from 07
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKBacb2V ... ata_player

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