Rabo

blazing_saddles

Did someone mention Giant?
http://www.rtl.nl/components/financien/ ... oploeg.xml

Which would be a problem solved in record time.

above_the_cows

This is finally the news that has made me sign up here. I can't keep boring my friends and family with my discussions of the slow death of pro-cycling anymore. I seek solace in your company. So hello everyone, shame we couldn't have met under a happier sky, although it is sunny here today.

I must say I was shocked by this news this morning as I thought Rabobank were one of the more committed sponsors. Shows how wrong you can be.

Some observations:

This puts the Sky announcement yesterday into some kind of context. It seems it was done to placate the sponsors.

While it may be necessary for sponsors to pull out for the long-term good of the sport, it makes you realise that this is why people kept schtum. Cycling really is between a rock and a hard place right now. You talk and you lose your job and perhaps your whole team loses its sponsor and so you put everyone else in your team out of a job. You keep quiet and it is found out later and you put yourself out of a job and perhaps your own team folds and even other teams. You stay clean but someone else on another team or someone who used to ride for your team wasn't clean and your sponsor leaves and on and on and on... While I don't condone staying quiet I can totally understand why it happened when this is the result.

Meanwhile there is no leadership from the governing body (and that is being polite) and women's cycling gets unfairly dragged into the mire.

skylla

Blazing Saddles wrote:

Did someone mention Giant?
http://www.rtl.nl/components/financien/ ... oploeg.xml

Which would be a problem solved in record time.

Good, of sorts.

PS: that's possibly the worst photo to accompany this or any news piece. A hastily taped-together print out stuck to a wall near a disused lift shaft in a multi-storey car park somewhere on a disabandoned industrial estate in the dirty outskirts of taipei. Typical high quality news item from rtl.

Turfle

Welcome, Above The Cows!

skylla

Above The Cows wrote:

This is finally the news that has made me sign up here. I can't keep boring my friends and family with my discussions of the slow death of pro-cycling anymore. I seek solace in your company. So hello everyone, shame we couldn't have met under a happier sky, although it is sunny here today.

Welcome to the madness. Chasey is the boss and don't upset Frenchie. That's all you need to know.

LeicesterLad

skylla wrote:

Above The Cows wrote:

This is finally the news that has made me sign up here. I can't keep boring my friends and family with my discussions of the slow death of pro-cycling anymore. I seek solace in your company. So hello everyone, shame we couldn't have met under a happier sky, although it is sunny here today.

Welcome to the madness. Chasey is the boss and don't upset Frenchie. That's all you need to know.

Adding to this. Not worth arguing with Iainf and RichN95 - they know (almost) everything.

above_the_cows

Thanks for the welcome folks

Funnily enough given the day job, which I am studiously avoiding right now, I don't much like arguing. I'm more of a productive discussion kind of person.

(p.s. no, I am not a lawyer)

RichN95.

LeicesterLad wrote:

skylla wrote:

Above The Cows wrote:

This is finally the news that has made me sign up here. I can't keep boring my friends and family with my discussions of the slow death of pro-cycling anymore. I seek solace in your company. So hello everyone, shame we couldn't have met under a happier sky, although it is sunny here today.

Welcome to the madness. Chasey is the boss and don't upset Frenchie. That's all you need to know.

Adding to this. Not worth arguing with Iainf and RichN95 - they know (almost) everything.

I know sod all. But I can use Google like Bruce Lee uses nunchucks.
Iain on the other hand genuinely does know everything.

ocdupalais

RichN95 wrote:

I know sod all.

There's a quote to haunt.

Richmond Racer

Above The Cows wrote:

Thanks for the welcome folks

Funnily enough given the day job, which I am studiously avoiding right now, I don't much like arguing. I'm more of a productive discussion kind of person.

(p.s. no, I am not a lawyer)

You're going to struggle here then

Honestly, though, welcome. I'm only a relative newbie myself.

ilm_zero7

Tom Butcher wrote:

Read on another forum that Skoda are pulling out of cycling too.

pulling out!, is that without any indication, or a full mirror signal manoeuvre?

ilm_zero7

skylla wrote:

..... and don't upset Frenchie. That's all you need to know.

I thought everybody had, thats part of the induction process isnt it?

still you may have some respite as its normally during the closing stages of a race when it can be 'crap without the world's best ever stage racer' or 'if you dare to comment upon the climbing and attacking style of anyone who is leading Bertie'

prawny

I'm sure even I've upset frenchie at some point!

above_the_cows

Richmond Racer wrote:

You're going to struggle here then

You's lot don't seem to argue, really. You all seem very nice as far as people on the internet go. I mean this isn't (shhh) the other 'purple coloured' place that goes by the name of an institution for the mentally unwell

Sorry this is not talking about Rabobank pulling out.

After they race next year sans sponsor will they be able to find another sponsor for 2014? I mean they haven't exactly been raking in the wins and if the 'winningest' team couldn't find one last year? Maybe the financial situation will have picked up and the lingering odour of Armstrong's rotting corpse will have finally passed and they will have no trouble, who knows, but it is a worry, not that I've ever been able to muster much love for them...

Anyway who's for (try's to think of most inappropriate Dutch company to sponsor cycling team...?) Akzo Nobel Pro-Cycling? :roll:

slim_boy_fat

Above The Cows wrote:

Richmond Racer wrote:

You're going to struggle here then

You's lot don't seem to argue, really. You all seem very nice as far as people on the internet go. I mean this isn't (shhh) the other 'purple coloured' place that goes by the name of an institution for the mentally unwell

Sorry this is not talking about Rabobank pulling out.

After they race next year sans sponsor will they be able to find another sponsor for 2014? I mean they haven't exactly been raking in the wins and if the 'winningest' team couldn't find one last year? Maybe the financial situation will have picked up and the lingering odour of Armstrong's rotting corpse will have finally passed and they will have no trouble, who knows, but it is a worry, not that I've ever been able to muster much love for them...

Anyway who's for (try's to think of most inappropriate Dutch company to sponsor cycling team...?) Akzo Nobel Pro-Cycling? :roll:

I think Giant have shown an interest already.

above_the_cows

Slim Boy Fat wrote:

I think Giant have shown an interest already.

Ah yes, so they have.
http://www.telegraaf.nl/telesport/wielersport/13097143/__Giant_denkt_aan_overname_Rabo__.html

andyrac

What about Royal Dutch Shell- Giant??? Or Amstel-Giant, or Phillips-Giant???

dave_1

Blazing Saddles
you okay with Rabobank leaving??

rob churchill

This has got to be good for cycling in the long run, surely? A few more big sponsors pulling out while saying things like this:

The report shows that the international cycling world is flawed. Doping is supported even within the highest institutions of the cycling world. Our conclusion is thus that there is no way out of it, which is why we have decided to stop supporting the professional teams," said Rabobank financial director Bert Bruggink in a press conference on Friday morning.

...and the rest of the UCI management will push Hein and Pat, if they don't jump first. I can't see anything really changing or the sport moving on in any meaningful way while those two are still there.

Le Commentateur

Richmond Racer wrote:

According to @TourdeJose the riders got the press release 30 mins before it went to the press. Nice

In a way, this abrupt decision is an example of bad management itself. It's left a lot of people, not just riders, out on a limb at possibly the worst time of the year to secure a job for next season. It's a major blow for women's cycling too, since AADrinks-Leontien (itself a merge of two separate teams) was already stopping this year too and whatever emerges from the ashes of that team is going to be a smaller unit.

Le Commentateur

prawny wrote:

Richmond Racer wrote:

prawny wrote:

So how many PRO womens teams are there now? One? That's the last thing they need. I thought Rabo would be around forever!

The other teams will be robbing banks (how fitting) to try to get Vos

I thought Vos was retiring? Or was that someone else?

That's Emma Pooley (and Nicole Cooke probably).

LangerDan

LeicesterLad wrote:

skylla wrote:

Above The Cows wrote:

This is finally the news that has made me sign up here. I can't keep boring my friends and family with my discussions of the slow death of pro-cycling anymore. I seek solace in your company. So hello everyone, shame we couldn't have met under a happier sky, although it is sunny here today.

Welcome to the madness. Chasey is the boss and don't upset Frenchie. That's all you need to know.

Adding to this. Not worth arguing with Iainf and RichN95 - they know (almost) everything.

You've spelt it wrong - its "IAIN F72", as in "HAL 9000".




"Pat. I know that you and Hein were planning to disconnect me, and I'm afraid that's something I cannot allow to happen. "

Richmond Racer

BBC24 running the Rabo story, complete with Holy Dave's tweets. Talking of which, his latest:

'I've written an open letter to Rabobank that'll be in De Volkskrant tomorrow explaining my angry tweet'

sonny73

More on Giant stepping in maybe: http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/13100 ... -team.aspx

above_the_cows

AndyRAC wrote:

What about Royal Dutch Shell- Giant??? Or Amstel-Giant, or Phillips-Giant???

I think in order to show their squeaky clean ethical credentials it should be Greenpeace-Giant or Giant-Greenpeace.

Le Commentateur

This is the plan for new structure

http://www.rabosport.nl/wielrennen/nieu ... _doorstart


"The cycling team, despite the bad news pleased that the Rabobank cycling teams the opportunity to go further in cycling. The Rabobank riders trained generations of youth rider to the professional that they are. It adorns the Rabobank therefore that they cycling teams despite this separation allows a go-around. The professionals and the women 'white-label' under a newly established foundation fall while the continentals and crossers be housed at the National Federation. The careers of a generation of cyclists remain as safeguarded. The 'white label' team gets the job as quickly as possible on their own to continue. Harold Knebel, the current director of the cycling teams will perform the transition management. On the further development of the cycling team will relaunch later posts. The cycling continues with the confidence that they are on the right track."

ocdupalais

Le Commentateur wrote:

Richmond Racer wrote:

According to @TourdeJose the riders got the press release 30 mins before it went to the press. Nice

In a way, this abrupt decision is an example of bad management itself. It's left a lot of people, not just riders, out on a limb at possibly the worst time of the year to secure a job for next season. It's a major blow for women's cycling too, since AADrinks-Leontien (itself a merge of two separate teams) was already stopping this year too and whatever emerges from the ashes of that team is going to be a smaller unit.

Emma Pooley on her own, then.

Le Commentateur

Gallows humour, very good.

ocdupalais

Above The Cows wrote:

AndyRAC wrote:

What about Royal Dutch Shell- Giant??? Or Amstel-Giant, or Phillips-Giant???

I think in order to show their squeaky clean ethical credentials it should be Greenpeace-Giant or Giant-Greenpeace.

The chances of such a team getting a ride at the Tour - or any French race - could be tricky...
http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/tags/french

rick_chasey

ABN? .