End of the Highroad for HTC?

2»

Comments

  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,652
    Dave_1 wrote:
    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

    Not a sniff of a +ve since 2007.
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format
  • Happiness1982
    Happiness1982 Posts: 51
    Cleat Eastwood wrote:
    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:

    I laughed
  • gabriel959
    gabriel959 Posts: 4,227
    to be honest, neither did Postal or Discovery...

    It doesn't mean anything...
    x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
    Commuting / Winter rides - Jamis Renegade Expert
    Pootling / Offroad - All-City Macho Man Disc
    Fast rides Cannondale SuperSix Ultegra
  • usedtobefast
    usedtobefast Posts: 145
    The various storys about Cav going to another team and taking the lead out train with him I suspect is the biggest nail in the Highroad coffin regarding a new sponsor. Yes you can say they've been very successfully over the past 3/4 years and probably gave a great return for HTC's investment but a new sponsor doesn't care about the past only the future and with Cav not there what is that future ?

    Still a very sad day for cycling, this years TdF shows what a great advertising and marketing platform it can be.
    Trainee BC level 2 coach ... and that's offical (30th June 2013)

    Scott Addict R4 (2008)
    Scott Genius MC30 (2006)
    Quest carbon circa 1994 - winter bike
    Fuji Track Comp 2010
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Cycling's a risky sport because your name could become synonymous with doping.

    With football, if a team gets caught, it's the club's name that gets tarnished. In cycling, since the sponsor IS the team, it's different.

    You try suggesting sponsoring a sport which is at its most popular in Belgium, which hasn't had a government for over 400 days, Italy, which is tanking, Spain, tanking, France? OK, but they only really have eyes for the Tour which is 3 weeks in the year when most people are on holiday.

    Elsewhere it's niche.

    Who's gonna fork out €10-15 million for that kind of exposure?

    Pfft, I wouldn't, even with Cavendish in my team.
    _
  • andyrac
    andyrac Posts: 1,197
    Slightly off thread, shouldn't team names be as in F1, e;g Vodafone McLaren-Mercedes, as opposed to Vodafone-Mercedes?
    So it would be (or would have been) HTC HighRoad-Specialized, SaxoBank Riis-Specialized, Garmin Slipstream-Cervelo, etc
    I just think it's can be confusing when last years BBoxBougyes Telecom is the same team as Europcar, or Caisse D'Epargne is now Movistar.
    All Road/ Gravel: tbcWinter: tbcMTB: tbcRoad: tbc"Look at the time...." "he's fallen like an old lady on a cruise ship..."
  • spezial
    spezial Posts: 142
    A year or so ago I posted on here that a break away from trade teams, and a return to 1960's style national teams might be a reasonable business model.

    Of course a complete World Championships type national team scenario wouldn't' be practical on the Pro Tour, but some sort of structure where teams are tied to national associations might be good for finances, stability and ethical responsibility.

    Smaller nations could buddy up with larger national associations where they couldn't field a full team themselves, and larger nations could field B squads in the Pro-Conti tour.

    We're already half way there with some teams, Rabobank and Sky sponsor their national teams, and Katusha, Astana, etc are de facto national teams.

    There's a lot of flaws to the idea, and it got shot own last time I posted it, but in light of recent events it might not be such a bad idea.
    "what's it pertaining?"
  • rickyrider
    rickyrider Posts: 294
    Cavendish has put up a statement re the end of the team on his website

    http://www.markcavendish.co.uk/news/
  • dave_1
    dave_1 Posts: 9,512
    edited August 2011
    gabriel959 wrote:
    to be honest, neither did Postal or Discovery...

    It doesn't mean anything...

    Garmin too...no +s. Also, no allegations from team or ex-team riders and no associating with dodgy drs like Ferrari and co. USPS/Disco had dodgy links and allegations..
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKBacb2V ... ata_player
  • dougzz
    dougzz Posts: 1,833
    ^^^ Bit now and then. Which teams in the period 2000 to 2005 didn't have dodgy Dr's and suspect links to doping?
  • Neil McC
    Neil McC Posts: 625
    Interesting thoughts & piece from the inner ring.

    http://inrng.com/2011/08/highroad-pro-cycling/
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,908
    just as “Leopard” today is the name of the legal entity behind the eponymous pro team.

    lol
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • Spiny_Norman
    Spiny_Norman Posts: 128
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Cycling's a risky sport because your name could become synonymous with doping.
    True, although I think I remember hearing that Festina ended up doing very well out of that little business in the 90s, with business booming in the wake of the scandal.

    Bizarre, but I suppose they got far more exposure to a far wider audience than would ever have been the case just from cycling, and maybe it's true that no publicity is bad publicity.
    N00b commuter with delusions of competence

    FCN 11 - If you scalp me, do I not bleed?
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Spiny_Norman wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Cycling's a risky sport because your name could become synonymous with doping.
    True, although I think I remember hearing that Festina ended up doing very well out of that little business in the 90s, with business booming in the wake of the scandal.

    Bizarre, but I suppose they got far more exposure to a far wider audience than would ever have been the case just from cycling, and maybe it's true that no publicity is bad publicity.

    Tell that to the News of the World.
    _
  • ju5t1n
    ju5t1n Posts: 2,028
    Feel sorry for this guy...

    http://www.raphacondor.cc/news/dempster ... -htc-trial
  • redddraggon
    redddraggon Posts: 10,862
    ju5t1n wrote:
    Feel sorry for this guy...

    http://www.raphacondor.cc/news/dempster ... -htc-trial

    Being a stagiaire is no guarantee of a contract next season anyway, plenty don't get a contract or even go to another team entirely. He's getting his chance to show what he can do surrounded by the big boys and that's what matters.
    I like bikes...

    Twitter
    Flickr
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,821
    Does this mean I'm not allowed to post anymore?
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    TakeTheHighRoad wrote:
    Does this mean I'm not allowed to post anymore?

    You've got three good months left in you.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • ju5t1n
    ju5t1n Posts: 2,028
    During yesterday’s Tour of Poland Brian Smith and David Harmon discussed a theory sent to them via Twitter that may have some truth to it… That Highroad’s announcement about not being able to find a sponsor was calculated… it allows the riders that wish to leave to do so now and enables Bob to find a new sponsor unencumbered with Cavendish and Co and their spiralling wage demands. After all Highroad still hold the Protour license and they certainly have the experience needed to build a new team from the ground up.
  • ms_tree
    ms_tree Posts: 1,405
    It's not all about Cavendish tho' is it? They've got some other good riders: Tony, Degenkolb to name but 2. Unfortunately all good things come to an end but one feels for all the support people and the comedy double of Aldag and Holm. :)
    'Google can bring back a hundred thousand answers. A librarian can bring you back the right one.'
    Neil Gaiman
  • ms_tree
    ms_tree Posts: 1,405
    Couple of interesting articles:

    http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/9311/ ... ement.aspx

    http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/08/ ... eam_187145
    'Google can bring back a hundred thousand answers. A librarian can bring you back the right one.'
    Neil Gaiman

Categories