Back to racing, that is.
Excellent news this afternoon, Velonation report that Andy is going to be racing again an a week or so, at the GP de Wallonie.
Fingers crossed that Eurosport give us some coverage of it!
Yay, welcome back Andy, wecome back.
Friday 31 August 2012
Thursday 30 August 2012
Frankie's on his way at last.
They say that "no news is good news" but I really can't agree.
We've been on tenterhooks, wondering how long it's going to take Frankie to sort out the problem with his Adverse Finding during the Tour - and today, there is news that things are progressing a little.
Thanks to Brisbane Gal for pointing out this report in cycling news, telling us that Frankie has appeared in front of LADA, or whatever the Lux Anti-Doping Agency call themselves, late yesterday, Wednesday.
The article is headed, somewhat misleadingly, "Frank Schleck Fronts Disciplinary Committee" but we think they mean "appears in front of", don't we. Or maybe not, perhaps he has formed his own Disciplinary Committee?
Somewhere in Lux:
Frankie: "Right! Stand to attention! You are hereby called before this Disciplinary Committee to answer to the accusations made about you recently. Please state your name and country of affiliation."
Leea: "A booo booo fffff." (dribbles slightly)
Frankie: "Are you, in fact, Leea Schleck, guilty of not eating all your greens?"
Leea: (laughs up at Frankie) "Dah-deeee!"
Frankie: (trying to remain stern) "And is it not a fact that you have repeatedly failed to put away your toys?"
Leea: "Pffffff," (blows bubbles) "Dah-deee, Dah-dee!"
The hearing crumbles in disarray, and Martine enters the room, suggesting that it's time the pair of them went out to the playpark and had a go on the swings.
Where were we? Oh yes, Frankie has appeared in front of the Committee, and they have said that a decision will be announced within a few weeks.
Now we all know what that decision is going to be: accidental ingestion, no sanction. Or possibly a small fine. And then WADA are going to trample all over it with their big boots, and possibly the UCI will also stick their noses in... so let's hope that LADA will take the precaution of discussing the matter with WADA and the UCI before making their announcement.
Frankie, this is a hard time for you, but we are all with you. And even if WADA/UCI "do a Contador" on you, and hand you a (hopefully very short) ban, please, please, take it like a man, don't appeal, just continue to tell everyone that you are innocent, and continue with the analysis that you mention, and find out where this contaminant came from.
Meanwhile the saga of Will Shack Continue Next Year? rumbles on. They announced that two riders, Nizzolo and Popovytch, had signed up again, which is clearly a sign that they are continuing next year.
We also heard the news, a week ago, that Kiserlovski has left Astana to sign for two years with Shack.
And of course Jensi has signed for another year: in my view, the firmest possible indication that Andy and Frankie will indeed be honouring their contracts and staying there until 2013.
(I am skipping over the outraged raised-eyebrows and "have they not read about the non-payment, constant sniping, bad management etc" comments.)
So, all these are good signs that Shack will continue.
But today another crack appears: Shack have announced that they are considering suing Sep Vanmarcke of Garmin, because back at the Classics earlier this year, he agreed to join the Shack, and (they say) confirmed it in writing. Now, however, he's apparently negotiating with other teams, and the rumour is that he's going to Rabobank.
Shack are clearly very cross about this.
So why did Vanmarcke change his mind? Does make you wonder, doesn't it?!
We've been on tenterhooks, wondering how long it's going to take Frankie to sort out the problem with his Adverse Finding during the Tour - and today, there is news that things are progressing a little.
Thanks to Brisbane Gal for pointing out this report in cycling news, telling us that Frankie has appeared in front of LADA, or whatever the Lux Anti-Doping Agency call themselves, late yesterday, Wednesday.
The article is headed, somewhat misleadingly, "Frank Schleck Fronts Disciplinary Committee" but we think they mean "appears in front of", don't we. Or maybe not, perhaps he has formed his own Disciplinary Committee?
Somewhere in Lux:
Frankie: "Right! Stand to attention! You are hereby called before this Disciplinary Committee to answer to the accusations made about you recently. Please state your name and country of affiliation."
Leea: "A booo booo fffff." (dribbles slightly)
Frankie: "Are you, in fact, Leea Schleck, guilty of not eating all your greens?"
Leea: (laughs up at Frankie) "Dah-deeee!"
Frankie: (trying to remain stern) "And is it not a fact that you have repeatedly failed to put away your toys?"
Leea: "Pffffff," (blows bubbles) "Dah-deee, Dah-dee!"
The hearing crumbles in disarray, and Martine enters the room, suggesting that it's time the pair of them went out to the playpark and had a go on the swings.
Where were we? Oh yes, Frankie has appeared in front of the Committee, and they have said that a decision will be announced within a few weeks.
Now we all know what that decision is going to be: accidental ingestion, no sanction. Or possibly a small fine. And then WADA are going to trample all over it with their big boots, and possibly the UCI will also stick their noses in... so let's hope that LADA will take the precaution of discussing the matter with WADA and the UCI before making their announcement.
Frankie, this is a hard time for you, but we are all with you. And even if WADA/UCI "do a Contador" on you, and hand you a (hopefully very short) ban, please, please, take it like a man, don't appeal, just continue to tell everyone that you are innocent, and continue with the analysis that you mention, and find out where this contaminant came from.
Meanwhile the saga of Will Shack Continue Next Year? rumbles on. They announced that two riders, Nizzolo and Popovytch, had signed up again, which is clearly a sign that they are continuing next year.
We also heard the news, a week ago, that Kiserlovski has left Astana to sign for two years with Shack.
And of course Jensi has signed for another year: in my view, the firmest possible indication that Andy and Frankie will indeed be honouring their contracts and staying there until 2013.
(I am skipping over the outraged raised-eyebrows and "have they not read about the non-payment, constant sniping, bad management etc" comments.)
So, all these are good signs that Shack will continue.
But today another crack appears: Shack have announced that they are considering suing Sep Vanmarcke of Garmin, because back at the Classics earlier this year, he agreed to join the Shack, and (they say) confirmed it in writing. Now, however, he's apparently negotiating with other teams, and the rumour is that he's going to Rabobank.
Shack are clearly very cross about this.
So why did Vanmarcke change his mind? Does make you wonder, doesn't it?!
Wednesday 29 August 2012
Oh good, second China tour is cancelled.
Those of us who watched the Tour of Beijing last year, and who coughed and spluttered in sympathy with the athletes ruining their lungs out there will be happy indeed to hear that the UCI have cancelled the second China tour, the tour of Hangzhou (catchy name, huh?).
Cycling News reported on the cancellation of Hangzhou, saying that there just wasn't enough time to get it ready for this year, which is the good news.
The bad news is, Pat McQuaid commented "the decision to postpone the organisation of this event will have no negative consequences on the project."
Drat.
That means it will be back next year.
Why do we have to have China-based races in the World Tour? Yes, I know, the word "world" is a bit of a hint, but is it really necessary, bearing in mind the tiny, tiny number of Chinese pro-cyclists?
It's a long way to go, the smog is appalling, some teams can't afford to ship a full set of equipment out there, and judging by last year's tour, the general public in China are not the tiniest bit interested in it.
From memory, there were about a dozen people watching it, last year. I can't find a post referring to it, mostly because I can't remember what time of year it occurred (other than Smog Season) and frankly I can't be bothered to look it up. But I rather think that if I did a race report on the event, it would have been pretty scathing about the disinterest from the public, the fact that spectators were apparently excluded from the finish line on at least one day, and don't get me started on the podium girls.
So here's a question: if I, as a cycling viewer, don't want to watch a China tour: if the Chinese public aren't interested in attending: if the organisers of the first one - Beijing - got so much wrong, and the organisers of the second have had to admit that they just aren't ready, then why are we bothering?
In fact, the real question has to be: has anyone asked the riders if they even want to go to China to race?
Cycling News reported on the cancellation of Hangzhou, saying that there just wasn't enough time to get it ready for this year, which is the good news.
The bad news is, Pat McQuaid commented "the decision to postpone the organisation of this event will have no negative consequences on the project."
Drat.
That means it will be back next year.
Why do we have to have China-based races in the World Tour? Yes, I know, the word "world" is a bit of a hint, but is it really necessary, bearing in mind the tiny, tiny number of Chinese pro-cyclists?
It's a long way to go, the smog is appalling, some teams can't afford to ship a full set of equipment out there, and judging by last year's tour, the general public in China are not the tiniest bit interested in it.
From memory, there were about a dozen people watching it, last year. I can't find a post referring to it, mostly because I can't remember what time of year it occurred (other than Smog Season) and frankly I can't be bothered to look it up. But I rather think that if I did a race report on the event, it would have been pretty scathing about the disinterest from the public, the fact that spectators were apparently excluded from the finish line on at least one day, and don't get me started on the podium girls.
So here's a question: if I, as a cycling viewer, don't want to watch a China tour: if the Chinese public aren't interested in attending: if the organisers of the first one - Beijing - got so much wrong, and the organisers of the second have had to admit that they just aren't ready, then why are we bothering?
In fact, the real question has to be: has anyone asked the riders if they even want to go to China to race?
Monday 20 August 2012
Oh, poor Stuey!
What a day Sunday was: we had the second day of the Vuelta, ie the first "proper" road racing day, along with news that one of the Astana riders, Gasparotto, had broken his collarbone in yesterday's TTT.
We also had the one-day Vattenfall classic out in Hamburg, where Orica did not have a good day, with two of their riders down in a late crash, and another down in a very, very late crash.
The first crash occurred 40k out, leaving Keukeleire with bruises and stitches in his thigh ("ouch!") but poor Stuey has bust his collarbone, and fractured "several" ribs.
The late crash was just before the finish line, and Darryl Impey went down very hard indeed, leaving him with fractured ribs as well.
Not a good day for Orica, but they've done really well overall this season, currently sitting 7th in the UCI rankings. (Yes, Stinkoff are still bottom, with just 155 points: Shack are 10th with 529 and predictably *waves Union Jack, now somewhat battered* Sky are top with 1,321 points)
Bizarrely, their website doesn't seem to have been updated since the Tour: I went to it for news of Stuey, but there is nothing more recent that the round-up of the Tour. Weird! So all we have are the news reports.
Poor Stuey, eh? Perhaps he'll go and stay with Andy in Mondorf for a while.
Somewhere in Mondorf:
Andy, Frankie and Jakob are slumped on the sofa. Andy has his eyes fixed on the tv, Frankie is texting, and Jakob is experimenting with holding different coloured sweetie wrappers over the torch that he is holding.
The TV is showing an incomprehensible children's tv programme involving a stuffed lion, two sticks of what appear to be celery, with eyes and mouths, and a woman with her hand inside a sock, which also has eyes and a mouth, and which appears to be talking to her. Luckily, the sound is muted. Andy is watching it anyway, seemingly hypnotised.
The doorbell rings, there is knocking and scuffling, then the sound of the door opening and something heavy being dropped on the floor, along with muffled curses in a strong Australian accent.
Andy, slumped on the sofa with a cushion under his backside, nudges Jakob with his elbow, without taking his eyes from the screen.
"Go give Stuey a hand, mate," he says.
Jakob returns, supporting an ashen-faced Stuey, who drops heavily down onto the sofa, but then instantly leaps to his feet again, howling with pain.
"What &&**%^$^&* left this &*%$$$£**&^ torch on the &&^%£^** sofa?" he yells.
"Whoops!" says Jakob, looking guilty. "Sorry, mate!"
The torch is removed, Stuey is swiftly re-settled on the sofa, and Frankie goes to the fridge, returning with an armful of sealed beakers of "Clean'n'Pure" fruit drink.
He offers Stuey first choice. Stuey groans. "Oh blimey, not this stuff again, can't we have some beer?"
Frankie: "No, mate, not while you are on antibiotics. And even though none of us are racing, we are still subject to doping controls, so we still have to be very, very careful."
Andy and Jakob exchange a glance behind Frankie's back.
Stuey takes the nearest beaker, and pops the seal. "What flavour is this one, then?"
Andy grins. "Close your eyes and taste it," he says, "then tell us what flavour you think it is."
This is clearly a standing joke, as they all take a beaker, pop the seal, close their eyes, and take a swig.
"Orange."
"Orange."
"Orange."
"Blue."
"Blue? What sort of flavour is blue?"
"Well, it's not orange, it tastes, well, sort of blue."
"Pass it over here, let's have a taste."
There is a confused moment of scuffling, swearing, and clashing of beakers.
"Perhaps we should open our eyes first?"
We also had the one-day Vattenfall classic out in Hamburg, where Orica did not have a good day, with two of their riders down in a late crash, and another down in a very, very late crash.
The first crash occurred 40k out, leaving Keukeleire with bruises and stitches in his thigh ("ouch!") but poor Stuey has bust his collarbone, and fractured "several" ribs.
The late crash was just before the finish line, and Darryl Impey went down very hard indeed, leaving him with fractured ribs as well.
Not a good day for Orica, but they've done really well overall this season, currently sitting 7th in the UCI rankings. (Yes, Stinkoff are still bottom, with just 155 points: Shack are 10th with 529 and predictably *waves Union Jack, now somewhat battered* Sky are top with 1,321 points)
Bizarrely, their website doesn't seem to have been updated since the Tour: I went to it for news of Stuey, but there is nothing more recent that the round-up of the Tour. Weird! So all we have are the news reports.
Poor Stuey, eh? Perhaps he'll go and stay with Andy in Mondorf for a while.
Somewhere in Mondorf:
Andy, Frankie and Jakob are slumped on the sofa. Andy has his eyes fixed on the tv, Frankie is texting, and Jakob is experimenting with holding different coloured sweetie wrappers over the torch that he is holding.
The TV is showing an incomprehensible children's tv programme involving a stuffed lion, two sticks of what appear to be celery, with eyes and mouths, and a woman with her hand inside a sock, which also has eyes and a mouth, and which appears to be talking to her. Luckily, the sound is muted. Andy is watching it anyway, seemingly hypnotised.
The doorbell rings, there is knocking and scuffling, then the sound of the door opening and something heavy being dropped on the floor, along with muffled curses in a strong Australian accent.
Andy, slumped on the sofa with a cushion under his backside, nudges Jakob with his elbow, without taking his eyes from the screen.
"Go give Stuey a hand, mate," he says.
Jakob returns, supporting an ashen-faced Stuey, who drops heavily down onto the sofa, but then instantly leaps to his feet again, howling with pain.
"What &&**%^$^&* left this &*%$$$£**&^ torch on the &&^%£^** sofa?" he yells.
"Whoops!" says Jakob, looking guilty. "Sorry, mate!"
The torch is removed, Stuey is swiftly re-settled on the sofa, and Frankie goes to the fridge, returning with an armful of sealed beakers of "Clean'n'Pure" fruit drink.
He offers Stuey first choice. Stuey groans. "Oh blimey, not this stuff again, can't we have some beer?"
Frankie: "No, mate, not while you are on antibiotics. And even though none of us are racing, we are still subject to doping controls, so we still have to be very, very careful."
Andy and Jakob exchange a glance behind Frankie's back.
Stuey takes the nearest beaker, and pops the seal. "What flavour is this one, then?"
Andy grins. "Close your eyes and taste it," he says, "then tell us what flavour you think it is."
This is clearly a standing joke, as they all take a beaker, pop the seal, close their eyes, and take a swig.
"Orange."
"Orange."
"Orange."
"Blue."
"Blue? What sort of flavour is blue?"
"Well, it's not orange, it tastes, well, sort of blue."
"Pass it over here, let's have a taste."
There is a confused moment of scuffling, swearing, and clashing of beakers.
"Perhaps we should open our eyes first?"
Sunday 19 August 2012
Vuelta - TTT
At last! La Vuelta has started, we had the TTT yesterday evening, and it looked like a hot start to the race, with temperatures of 32c, which is 89 degrees in old money. "Phew, what a scorcher", as they say.
Luckily, this year the whole of the race is taking place in the northern half of the country, so it should be less baking hot, and hopefully we'll get less of the barren plains of central Spain - you remember, mile after mile of brown, brown, brown, dotted with the occasional zombie town.
The first time I saw a zombie town, I asked LLB what the zombies ate. "Each other," he replied, "or passing cyclists."
No wonder the organisers have chosen to move the route away from the central zombie region.
So, TTT: our coverage started with shots of Contador, predictably, and it was nice to see that as Stinkoff walked up the steps to the presentation podium, Sky were walking down, and Chris Frome slapped Contador (in a friendly way) on the shoulder as they passed.
The start ramp has to be the biggest ramp I have ever seen: it was massively wide, massively long, and very strongly red in colour. BMC were completely invisible as they lined up for their start...
I hate to say this again, having said it at the Giro earlier this year, but it does rather look as though most of the teams have sent their z-teams to the race. There were hardly any "big" names, apart from Contador of course.
Possibly that is always going to be a problem with an end-of-season race: riders are tired, or injured, or have announced that they are transferring and therefore aren't being allowed to race by their mean-minded teams... it seems that it's more a case of "can we scrape up a team" than "we'll send X to target the GC/stages/points".
As we all know, Andy and Frankie Schleck aren't there, nor is Jakob, nor Fabian, nor Jensie: so who am I going to be following for this race? Who have the teams scraped up, then? Here's a quick gallop through the teams:
Movistar: Cobo, unlikely winner of last year, even more unlikely to win this year, plus a load of blokes with unpronounceable names, that I've never heard of.
AG2R - John "No you can't have my bike" Gadret, well-known selfish rider, appears to have been rewarded by being number 1 in his team. interestingly, bearing in mind the Jakob issue, Nico Roche is there, even though he has already announced that he's leaving the team to go to Stinkoff. (See, Mr Bruyneel, other teams are happy to send departing riders to UCI races, nyah nyah nyah)
Andaluthia - nope, don't know any of them, but then I wouldn't expect to.
Astana - nope, no pets there. No Vino either, perhaps he really, really, REALLY has retired this time?
BMC - well, Gilbert is the only big rider, and he's been in terrible form all year, poor guy: all that fuss last year, winning practically everything he started, big transfer, big money, and this year? Not a thing. He must be sweating buckets. At least he's not the only one, Cadel Evans hasn't exactly shone this year, either. Interesting to see that Gilbert, although not the Belgian TT champion, was still wearing the "special" helmet in the Belgian colours. Wonder if he sleeps with it, as well?
Caja Rural - plucky wild-card entry, not a hope in hell of winning anything but I confidently predict that they will be in every break of every day.
Cofidis - very odd to see their name all over the finish line, as their sponsor is obviously sponsoring the race as well! Most of their riders are completely unknown to me, so we won't worry too much about them.
Euskaltel - ah, my dear little carrots. I'm so pleased to hear that their main sponsor has signed up for another three years, and that they are not changing their team kit. They are such a funny little team, they hardly ever win anything, their bike handling skills are so legendarily bad that they are now famous for always crashing, hence the phrase "the bleeding carrots" which you might hear the English-speaking commentators using. Igor Anton is my "pet" carrot, and I'm pleased to see that he's leading the team this year. Let's hope they don't fall off too much.
FDJ - nope, don't know any of them.
Garmin - yay! Good to see that Honorary Schlecklander JVS (Johan Van Summeren) is still on form, he's there at number 99, lanky as ever. I don't think I know any of the others.
Katusha - ah, the Dark Lords of Katusha, cloned and ready to ride.
Lampre - nope, no pets there.
Liquigas - I'm amazed they had enough riders left to fill a team, so many of them seem to have jumped ship already. Seven are already confirmed as going to other teams, and so far the only person joining them is a solitary neo. Does make you wonder if they will be around next year. Of their Vuelta team, I don't think I've heard of a single one of them.
Lotto - Ah, they have a Schlecklander pet, Gianni Meerkat (Meersman)
and at least I have heard of some of their riders.
Omega Pharma have Tony Martin back on form (we hope) after a really bad early part of the year. And he's supported by Cataldo, who is a bit of a dark horse and might surprise us all.
Orica - lots of Meyers, no Gerranses.
Rabobank: well, at least I've heard of most of them. We know Ten Damme, the Wolf Man, with his hairy, scary face.
RadioShack - oh dear, I am supposed to say nice things at this point. Err, Go, Linus, Go! Go on, lad, show them all! Give 'em hell!
Sky: not an "A" team, but they've sent Chris Frome, who now has the weight of expectation on his shoulders, and it will be interesting to see how he copes with it. There's also Flecha, who, along with Johnny Hoogerland, is a special pet, after that disgraceful incident with the tv car in the Tour of 2011. Also Rigoberto "So good they named him twice" Uran Uran, with his hair flowing freely (and un-aerodynamically) in the breeze.
Argos Shimano - nope, no pets.
Stinkoff: interesting gossip, Navarro is leaving the team, yet he was one of Contador's lieutenants. Hmmm. Other than that, nothing of interest: of course we will be watching Contador, I don't think we can avoid it, and maybe it's a good thing we don't have Andy here, otherwise the commentators would spend their whole time drawing comparisons between Conti's situation and that of Frankie. Which would be unfair on several counts.
Finally, Vacansoleil, nothing of interest there.
So, on to the TTT itself: there was an awful lot of really bad riding going on! Orica were shattered in no time, riders all over the place: Garmin had a bad crash, with three riders down, which must have been heartstopping for the rider who had just dropped off the back and was thankfully pedalling gently for home: suddenly he had to accelerate like mad in order to catch up, as he might well be needed at the end. They were leading by one second at the half-way stage, but that crash really ruined their chances.
Shack made a reasonable start, they were a bit ragged but not as much as some of the other teams. BMC made a surprising good finish, Gilbert was leading them in strongly, perhaps he is coming back into form, after all?
As an aside, it was lovely to see the big green banners for local sponsor Fertiberia again: or, "Fartibottom" as LLB and I call them, having found out that it's a fertiliser.
We also spot a lone Lux ensign, could it be for Didier? Or was it a pair of staunch Frandy fans, determined to show their support even though neither Andy nor Frankie is in the race? Either way, go Lux ensign wavers, go!
The current leaders, rather than being allowed to get changed, do a cool down, sit in the shade etc are forced to sit in a row on canvas chairs on the podium, which I think is particularly cruel as we get close-ups of their worried little faces as each team approaches the line. Will they be beaten? Will they have to stay sitting in the sun?
BMC are currently sweltering on the chairs, then Rabobank come in and have beaten them by a second. They start to get up, pick up their scattered kit, wipe their faces, cry quietly etc, but no! The time has been changed, they are still winning. Oh, hang on, they have been given the same time. Oh dear, more confusion, will they have to sit on each other's laps?
Luckily our coverage goes back to the race, we see Omega arrive, just one second down. No! Their time is also being adjusted, now they are all on the same time! This is ridiculous, are we supposed to stack the riders three high? Those canvas chairs will collapse, I tell you.
Two minutes later and it's all been sorted out, Rabobank have taken over the chairs, and they are all wearing freezer-pack cool vests, what a brilliant idea.
Euskaltel arrive at the finish, and what do I see? One of them already has a bandage on his arm. See, they just can't help falling off!
Sky come towards the line, and Rabobank start to get to their feet, ready to depart from the podium chairs. But Sky don't win! Rabobank are visibly disbelieving - then jubilant - they have beaten Sky at a TT!!!
But more is to come - Movistar, last off the ramp, come in 10 seconds faster!! LLB and I look at each other in disbelief, and one of us (all right, I admit it, it was me) wonders out loud if the organisers could have "fixed" the timer clock.
Rabobank clutch their heads in disbelief - they have lost to Movistar.
Luckily, this year the whole of the race is taking place in the northern half of the country, so it should be less baking hot, and hopefully we'll get less of the barren plains of central Spain - you remember, mile after mile of brown, brown, brown, dotted with the occasional zombie town.
The first time I saw a zombie town, I asked LLB what the zombies ate. "Each other," he replied, "or passing cyclists."
No wonder the organisers have chosen to move the route away from the central zombie region.
So, TTT: our coverage started with shots of Contador, predictably, and it was nice to see that as Stinkoff walked up the steps to the presentation podium, Sky were walking down, and Chris Frome slapped Contador (in a friendly way) on the shoulder as they passed.
The start ramp has to be the biggest ramp I have ever seen: it was massively wide, massively long, and very strongly red in colour. BMC were completely invisible as they lined up for their start...
I hate to say this again, having said it at the Giro earlier this year, but it does rather look as though most of the teams have sent their z-teams to the race. There were hardly any "big" names, apart from Contador of course.
Possibly that is always going to be a problem with an end-of-season race: riders are tired, or injured, or have announced that they are transferring and therefore aren't being allowed to race by their mean-minded teams... it seems that it's more a case of "can we scrape up a team" than "we'll send X to target the GC/stages/points".
As we all know, Andy and Frankie Schleck aren't there, nor is Jakob, nor Fabian, nor Jensie: so who am I going to be following for this race? Who have the teams scraped up, then? Here's a quick gallop through the teams:
Movistar: Cobo, unlikely winner of last year, even more unlikely to win this year, plus a load of blokes with unpronounceable names, that I've never heard of.
AG2R - John "No you can't have my bike" Gadret, well-known selfish rider, appears to have been rewarded by being number 1 in his team. interestingly, bearing in mind the Jakob issue, Nico Roche is there, even though he has already announced that he's leaving the team to go to Stinkoff. (See, Mr Bruyneel, other teams are happy to send departing riders to UCI races, nyah nyah nyah)
Andaluthia - nope, don't know any of them, but then I wouldn't expect to.
Astana - nope, no pets there. No Vino either, perhaps he really, really, REALLY has retired this time?
BMC - well, Gilbert is the only big rider, and he's been in terrible form all year, poor guy: all that fuss last year, winning practically everything he started, big transfer, big money, and this year? Not a thing. He must be sweating buckets. At least he's not the only one, Cadel Evans hasn't exactly shone this year, either. Interesting to see that Gilbert, although not the Belgian TT champion, was still wearing the "special" helmet in the Belgian colours. Wonder if he sleeps with it, as well?
Caja Rural - plucky wild-card entry, not a hope in hell of winning anything but I confidently predict that they will be in every break of every day.
Cofidis - very odd to see their name all over the finish line, as their sponsor is obviously sponsoring the race as well! Most of their riders are completely unknown to me, so we won't worry too much about them.
Euskaltel - ah, my dear little carrots. I'm so pleased to hear that their main sponsor has signed up for another three years, and that they are not changing their team kit. They are such a funny little team, they hardly ever win anything, their bike handling skills are so legendarily bad that they are now famous for always crashing, hence the phrase "the bleeding carrots" which you might hear the English-speaking commentators using. Igor Anton is my "pet" carrot, and I'm pleased to see that he's leading the team this year. Let's hope they don't fall off too much.
FDJ - nope, don't know any of them.
Garmin - yay! Good to see that Honorary Schlecklander JVS (Johan Van Summeren) is still on form, he's there at number 99, lanky as ever. I don't think I know any of the others.
Katusha - ah, the Dark Lords of Katusha, cloned and ready to ride.
Lampre - nope, no pets there.
Liquigas - I'm amazed they had enough riders left to fill a team, so many of them seem to have jumped ship already. Seven are already confirmed as going to other teams, and so far the only person joining them is a solitary neo. Does make you wonder if they will be around next year. Of their Vuelta team, I don't think I've heard of a single one of them.
Lotto - Ah, they have a Schlecklander pet, Gianni Meerkat (Meersman)
and at least I have heard of some of their riders.
Omega Pharma have Tony Martin back on form (we hope) after a really bad early part of the year. And he's supported by Cataldo, who is a bit of a dark horse and might surprise us all.
Orica - lots of Meyers, no Gerranses.
Rabobank: well, at least I've heard of most of them. We know Ten Damme, the Wolf Man, with his hairy, scary face.
RadioShack - oh dear, I am supposed to say nice things at this point. Err, Go, Linus, Go! Go on, lad, show them all! Give 'em hell!
Sky: not an "A" team, but they've sent Chris Frome, who now has the weight of expectation on his shoulders, and it will be interesting to see how he copes with it. There's also Flecha, who, along with Johnny Hoogerland, is a special pet, after that disgraceful incident with the tv car in the Tour of 2011. Also Rigoberto "So good they named him twice" Uran Uran, with his hair flowing freely (and un-aerodynamically) in the breeze.
Argos Shimano - nope, no pets.
Stinkoff: interesting gossip, Navarro is leaving the team, yet he was one of Contador's lieutenants. Hmmm. Other than that, nothing of interest: of course we will be watching Contador, I don't think we can avoid it, and maybe it's a good thing we don't have Andy here, otherwise the commentators would spend their whole time drawing comparisons between Conti's situation and that of Frankie. Which would be unfair on several counts.
Finally, Vacansoleil, nothing of interest there.
So, on to the TTT itself: there was an awful lot of really bad riding going on! Orica were shattered in no time, riders all over the place: Garmin had a bad crash, with three riders down, which must have been heartstopping for the rider who had just dropped off the back and was thankfully pedalling gently for home: suddenly he had to accelerate like mad in order to catch up, as he might well be needed at the end. They were leading by one second at the half-way stage, but that crash really ruined their chances.
Shack made a reasonable start, they were a bit ragged but not as much as some of the other teams. BMC made a surprising good finish, Gilbert was leading them in strongly, perhaps he is coming back into form, after all?
As an aside, it was lovely to see the big green banners for local sponsor Fertiberia again: or, "Fartibottom" as LLB and I call them, having found out that it's a fertiliser.
We also spot a lone Lux ensign, could it be for Didier? Or was it a pair of staunch Frandy fans, determined to show their support even though neither Andy nor Frankie is in the race? Either way, go Lux ensign wavers, go!
The current leaders, rather than being allowed to get changed, do a cool down, sit in the shade etc are forced to sit in a row on canvas chairs on the podium, which I think is particularly cruel as we get close-ups of their worried little faces as each team approaches the line. Will they be beaten? Will they have to stay sitting in the sun?
BMC are currently sweltering on the chairs, then Rabobank come in and have beaten them by a second. They start to get up, pick up their scattered kit, wipe their faces, cry quietly etc, but no! The time has been changed, they are still winning. Oh, hang on, they have been given the same time. Oh dear, more confusion, will they have to sit on each other's laps?
Luckily our coverage goes back to the race, we see Omega arrive, just one second down. No! Their time is also being adjusted, now they are all on the same time! This is ridiculous, are we supposed to stack the riders three high? Those canvas chairs will collapse, I tell you.
Two minutes later and it's all been sorted out, Rabobank have taken over the chairs, and they are all wearing freezer-pack cool vests, what a brilliant idea.
Euskaltel arrive at the finish, and what do I see? One of them already has a bandage on his arm. See, they just can't help falling off!
Sky come towards the line, and Rabobank start to get to their feet, ready to depart from the podium chairs. But Sky don't win! Rabobank are visibly disbelieving - then jubilant - they have beaten Sky at a TT!!!
But more is to come - Movistar, last off the ramp, come in 10 seconds faster!! LLB and I look at each other in disbelief, and one of us (all right, I admit it, it was me) wonders out loud if the organisers could have "fixed" the timer clock.
Rabobank clutch their heads in disbelief - they have lost to Movistar.
Saturday 18 August 2012
Meanwhile, somewhere in Mondorf...
Andy and Frankie are slumped on the sofa, Andy with an extra cushion tucked under his backside, both listlessly watching an unfathomable children's TV show about a family of blueberries (played by actors in fat squidgy costumes) who are dancing round in circles and holding cardboard flowers to their noses.
The door is flung open, and a Greek God enters the room, surrounded by a rich golden glow.
Andy glances wearily over his shoulder.
Frankie, without turning round, says "Jakob, mate, turn off the torch, that joke is getting a bit old."
Jakob, walking round the sofa, picks up the remote and mutes the TV: "Aww, come on guys, I have to make the most of it, I certainly won't be winning any more UCI points this year."
Andy, making an effort to perk up, smiles at Jakob. "For sure," he says, "but at least you are going out racing again. I'm stuck indoors with this damned cracked pelvis, and Frankie's still suspended."
Jakob, sympathetically, "Aww, I know. Sorry guys. How's that crack going?"
Andy, glumly: "Still bloody sore. I can only manage two hours on the bike, then it's just too painful to continue. At this rate I won't be riding at all for the rest of the year. By the time it's healed, the season will be over."
Frankie: "But there's Beijing yet, and that other China race?"
Andy: "Pfff, all that smog, what with not being on top form, I'd be coughing my lungs up. No thanks. You can do those, if you want to."
Frankie gives Andy a Look.
Andy, repentant: "Oops, sorry mate, you know what I mean."
Frankie: "Yeah, I know."
Jakob: "Come on Frankie, we all know you did nothing wrong, LADA will exonerate you, I bet they will."
Andy: "Yes, but that's where Alberto's problems started: the Spanish board cleared him, and then everyone screamed 'favouritism!' and look where that ended? And it's not LADA, as you well know."
Jakob: "At least Frankie pulled out of racing straight away. Come on, there is a good side to this, (looking slyly at Frankie) at least you aren't earning any more points for the Shack, are you?"
The ghost of a grin flits across Frankie's face.
Frankie: "Mate, don't ever say that out loud. I know we've had our differences with Mr B, but not even to spite him would I deliberately put myself in this position, trust me."
Jakob: "Yeah, I know, sorry mate, just joking."
Andy: "So what's all this about you going to Astana?"
Jakob: "All signed. 3 years, and I get a chance to ride the Tour. Maybe even the Vuelta as well. Should be good. Pity about the colour of the kit, but you can't have everything."
Frankie, sighing: "Well, we're gonna miss you."
Andy, turning to Frankie: "Mind you, there is a good side to this: (looking slyly at Jakob) we will save a fortune, without him coming round and eating us out of house and home."
Frankie (looking slyly at Jakob): "Oh yes. Not to mention all that beer he drinks."
Andy (starting to grin): "And the way he takes forever in the shower and uses up all the hot water."
Frankie (also starting to grin): "And the way he leaves his filthy cycling shoes lying around on the floor, dropping mud everywhere."
Andy: "And he expects to use our washing machine, without even scraping his chamois first."
Frankie: "Not to mention -"
At that moment Jakob attacks Frankie with the cushion that he has pulled out from under Andy, leaving Andy howling on the sofa while Frankie yells in mock terror.
The door opens. TinkerJil looks at them. There is nothing to say.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, back in the real world: LLB and I watched the highlights of San Sebastian yesterday, which prompted a few thoughts.
Firstly, are we the only ones to find that commentator really, really, annoying? I think his name is Rob Hatch, and he seems to feel that it's his duty to pronounce every non-English name as "correctly" as possible.
So instead of AG2R being Ay-Gee-Two-Arrr, he says Ah-Dzhjay-Duurs-Airrrrr with lots of rolling of the Rs.
Every rider is pronounced as foreign-ly as possible, leading to quite a lot of confusion amongst his listeners - well, LLB and I, at any rate - and he seems to think that he has to give us the names of the streets and districts that we are passing through, all of which go straight over our heads as we are not familiar with the back streets of the Basque region, thank you very much.
It all seems a little too much like "showing off".
Especially as the only word he doesn't over-pronounce is peloton, which he says as Englishly as anyone - pelly-tonn.
Secondly, there was something very strange about the camera-bike coverage - the pictures were wobbly, and not up to Tour standards, but that is to be expected: no, it was something more, there was an odd feeling that we were watching one of the Police-Stop! documentaries where you watch the criminals trying to out-drive the good guys.
Thirdly, some 25k to go, there was a five-man break off the front, and they didn't have any team cars with them. The Stinkoff rider didn't have any water bottles with him at all, and so, in the wonderful spirit of cycling, they were passing bidons between each other, which was heart-warming to watch.
But it does make you wonder: what if one of those bidons contained a rider's "special" drink? What if one of the non-GC guys, pretty sure that he won't get tested, is taking something that isn't a banned substance, but maybe which needs special permission from the doctor? What if the team car gave the "special" bottle to the wrong rider? What if the rider forgot, and let another rider have a swig from it?
Frankie, while you are compiling your lists of everything you ate and drank leading up to that adverse finding, don't forget bidons, and don't forget that visit to the medical car....
Back to the race - it ended well for Luis Leon Sanchez, he had a great run from about 5k out, and at less than 1k to go, the bunch could see him, but couldn't quite catch him. He came in 8 seconds clear, and deserved the win.
Now, at last, today the Vuelta starts: it's the TTT, this evening, Shack are 7th off the ramp, so good luck to Linus Gerdemann in particular, after all the mean things his team have been saying about him. Go get 'em, Linus!
The door is flung open, and a Greek God enters the room, surrounded by a rich golden glow.
Andy glances wearily over his shoulder.
Frankie, without turning round, says "Jakob, mate, turn off the torch, that joke is getting a bit old."
Jakob, walking round the sofa, picks up the remote and mutes the TV: "Aww, come on guys, I have to make the most of it, I certainly won't be winning any more UCI points this year."
Andy, making an effort to perk up, smiles at Jakob. "For sure," he says, "but at least you are going out racing again. I'm stuck indoors with this damned cracked pelvis, and Frankie's still suspended."
Jakob, sympathetically, "Aww, I know. Sorry guys. How's that crack going?"
Andy, glumly: "Still bloody sore. I can only manage two hours on the bike, then it's just too painful to continue. At this rate I won't be riding at all for the rest of the year. By the time it's healed, the season will be over."
Frankie: "But there's Beijing yet, and that other China race?"
Andy: "Pfff, all that smog, what with not being on top form, I'd be coughing my lungs up. No thanks. You can do those, if you want to."
Frankie gives Andy a Look.
Andy, repentant: "Oops, sorry mate, you know what I mean."
Frankie: "Yeah, I know."
Jakob: "Come on Frankie, we all know you did nothing wrong, LADA will exonerate you, I bet they will."
Andy: "Yes, but that's where Alberto's problems started: the Spanish board cleared him, and then everyone screamed 'favouritism!' and look where that ended? And it's not LADA, as you well know."
Jakob: "At least Frankie pulled out of racing straight away. Come on, there is a good side to this, (looking slyly at Frankie) at least you aren't earning any more points for the Shack, are you?"
The ghost of a grin flits across Frankie's face.
Frankie: "Mate, don't ever say that out loud. I know we've had our differences with Mr B, but not even to spite him would I deliberately put myself in this position, trust me."
Jakob: "Yeah, I know, sorry mate, just joking."
Andy: "So what's all this about you going to Astana?"
Jakob: "All signed. 3 years, and I get a chance to ride the Tour. Maybe even the Vuelta as well. Should be good. Pity about the colour of the kit, but you can't have everything."
Frankie, sighing: "Well, we're gonna miss you."
Andy, turning to Frankie: "Mind you, there is a good side to this: (looking slyly at Jakob) we will save a fortune, without him coming round and eating us out of house and home."
Frankie (looking slyly at Jakob): "Oh yes. Not to mention all that beer he drinks."
Andy (starting to grin): "And the way he takes forever in the shower and uses up all the hot water."
Frankie (also starting to grin): "And the way he leaves his filthy cycling shoes lying around on the floor, dropping mud everywhere."
Andy: "And he expects to use our washing machine, without even scraping his chamois first."
Frankie: "Not to mention -"
At that moment Jakob attacks Frankie with the cushion that he has pulled out from under Andy, leaving Andy howling on the sofa while Frankie yells in mock terror.
The door opens. TinkerJil looks at them. There is nothing to say.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, back in the real world: LLB and I watched the highlights of San Sebastian yesterday, which prompted a few thoughts.
Firstly, are we the only ones to find that commentator really, really, annoying? I think his name is Rob Hatch, and he seems to feel that it's his duty to pronounce every non-English name as "correctly" as possible.
So instead of AG2R being Ay-Gee-Two-Arrr, he says Ah-Dzhjay-Duurs-Airrrrr with lots of rolling of the Rs.
Every rider is pronounced as foreign-ly as possible, leading to quite a lot of confusion amongst his listeners - well, LLB and I, at any rate - and he seems to think that he has to give us the names of the streets and districts that we are passing through, all of which go straight over our heads as we are not familiar with the back streets of the Basque region, thank you very much.
It all seems a little too much like "showing off".
Especially as the only word he doesn't over-pronounce is peloton, which he says as Englishly as anyone - pelly-tonn.
Secondly, there was something very strange about the camera-bike coverage - the pictures were wobbly, and not up to Tour standards, but that is to be expected: no, it was something more, there was an odd feeling that we were watching one of the Police-Stop! documentaries where you watch the criminals trying to out-drive the good guys.
Thirdly, some 25k to go, there was a five-man break off the front, and they didn't have any team cars with them. The Stinkoff rider didn't have any water bottles with him at all, and so, in the wonderful spirit of cycling, they were passing bidons between each other, which was heart-warming to watch.
But it does make you wonder: what if one of those bidons contained a rider's "special" drink? What if one of the non-GC guys, pretty sure that he won't get tested, is taking something that isn't a banned substance, but maybe which needs special permission from the doctor? What if the team car gave the "special" bottle to the wrong rider? What if the rider forgot, and let another rider have a swig from it?
Frankie, while you are compiling your lists of everything you ate and drank leading up to that adverse finding, don't forget bidons, and don't forget that visit to the medical car....
Back to the race - it ended well for Luis Leon Sanchez, he had a great run from about 5k out, and at less than 1k to go, the bunch could see him, but couldn't quite catch him. He came in 8 seconds clear, and deserved the win.
Now, at last, today the Vuelta starts: it's the TTT, this evening, Shack are 7th off the ramp, so good luck to Linus Gerdemann in particular, after all the mean things his team have been saying about him. Go get 'em, Linus!
Friday 17 August 2012
Oh good grief, do RadioShack pay this guy?
The person who writes their website reports, press releases etc, I mean.
Here we are, rapidly approaching the Vuelta, last big race of the season: all eyes are on it to see how Contador fares, and to see if there is a last-minute miracle involving Andy's pelvis, Frankie's complete exoneration and full apology from WADA, and Jakob's sudden promotion to Road Captain.
(OK those last three are extremely unlikely, but a gal can hope?)
RadioShack announce their team: you just know that every Schleck and Fuglsang fan in the world is going to leap eagerly upon the report, "just in case", and you just know that every cycling press journo is going to leap on it in order to be the first to report the contents.
So, what do RadioShack choose to tell us?
They are sending three GC guys - oh dear, no-one strong enough to be an actual leader? - one of whom is Linus Gerdemann, who is described as having had a very good early career, but who "has failed to live up to earlier expectations."
Nice.
For a start, you don't put derogatory comments about your own riders in your own reports. You just don't.
Secondly, if you really feel you have to make the point that he's not done as well as hoped, you can say "who has not lived up to earlier expectations". You don't have to put the word "failed" in there.
Thirdly, do you really think this will motivate him to do well? Starting the race with the word "failed" around his neck? Knowing that every cycling fan has read that report and is thinking of him as a failure?
Presumably someone somewhere in RadioShack thinks that it will motivate Linus, but I have my doubts.
What a dreadful team to ride for! I can only assume that it's a great deal nicer for the Shack riders otherwise they would all have left the team - and if that is the case, then it's pretty disgraceful to treat half of your guys differently from the other half, don't you think?
Here we are, rapidly approaching the Vuelta, last big race of the season: all eyes are on it to see how Contador fares, and to see if there is a last-minute miracle involving Andy's pelvis, Frankie's complete exoneration and full apology from WADA, and Jakob's sudden promotion to Road Captain.
(OK those last three are extremely unlikely, but a gal can hope?)
RadioShack announce their team: you just know that every Schleck and Fuglsang fan in the world is going to leap eagerly upon the report, "just in case", and you just know that every cycling press journo is going to leap on it in order to be the first to report the contents.
So, what do RadioShack choose to tell us?
They are sending three GC guys - oh dear, no-one strong enough to be an actual leader? - one of whom is Linus Gerdemann, who is described as having had a very good early career, but who "has failed to live up to earlier expectations."
Nice.
For a start, you don't put derogatory comments about your own riders in your own reports. You just don't.
Secondly, if you really feel you have to make the point that he's not done as well as hoped, you can say "who has not lived up to earlier expectations". You don't have to put the word "failed" in there.
Thirdly, do you really think this will motivate him to do well? Starting the race with the word "failed" around his neck? Knowing that every cycling fan has read that report and is thinking of him as a failure?
Presumably someone somewhere in RadioShack thinks that it will motivate Linus, but I have my doubts.
What a dreadful team to ride for! I can only assume that it's a great deal nicer for the Shack riders otherwise they would all have left the team - and if that is the case, then it's pretty disgraceful to treat half of your guys differently from the other half, don't you think?
Wednesday 8 August 2012
Dear UCI: about Mr Frank Schleck....
Dear Mr McQuaid,
I write on behalf of all the Schlecklanders to ask you to expedite the enquiry into Frankie's adverse finding which occurred during the Tour last month.
You will remember that he tested positive for a diuretic: not a banned substance, but a substance that gives cause for concern, and he immediately withdrew from the Tour to save you embarrassment, even though under your rules, he was not compelled to do so.
We are concerned that you are going to keep him dangling on a string for 18 months or more, as you did for Alberto Contador. In fact, we are very concerned, as we know that Mr Contador is one of your pets, whereas Frankie is not, so he might be even worse treated (if you'll excuse the grammar) than Contador.
What was that? Contador is not one of your pets? Of course he is, you found a banned substance in his tests, not once but over four days, and you told him to carry on racing. And when the news was leaked - oh, how cross you must have been about that! - you still didn't ban him until WADA and CAS forced you to, leaving us all to struggle with this ridiculous situation where he lost several months-worth of results, impacting on everyone else who took part in every single one of those races.
At least Frankie has the decency to avoid racing while he is sorting out this matter. And don't forget that by voluntarily avoiding racing, he is losing UCI points (ie devaluing himself for next year) he is losing money in possibly wins and bonuses, he is losing form, he is losing his reputation: it is not a small matter for a rider who is right at his peak. Last year he came 3rd in the Tour, may I remind you, his best result to date, which could be taken to indicate that these are his "best" pro years: and now you are going to spoil what should be his prime racing time, if you don't get off your backside and get this issue sorted out quickly.
Not to mention the fallout in his personal life: his wife, his child, his family, his friends, all now doing their damned best to be supportive and to ignore that tiny, tiny voice saying "but what if...?" Luxembourg is a tiny country, and he is very well-known there, which must be extremely uncomfortable for him on a daily basis. And I hardly need mention the effect this must be having on his younger brother Andy Schleck, three times podium placed on the Tour, and (legally) once the winner.
You know what is going to happen next: Frankie's own federation is of course going to say "accidental ingestion, all charges dropped, cleared to race" and you at the UCI are of course going to say "whoa, hold on, biased, let's have an investigation and a ban" so for heaven's sake, get together with the Lux federation NOW and work it out.
And for god's sake DO SOMETHING about the issue of contamination of food supplements.
Coug
And the Schlecklanders
I write on behalf of all the Schlecklanders to ask you to expedite the enquiry into Frankie's adverse finding which occurred during the Tour last month.
You will remember that he tested positive for a diuretic: not a banned substance, but a substance that gives cause for concern, and he immediately withdrew from the Tour to save you embarrassment, even though under your rules, he was not compelled to do so.
We are concerned that you are going to keep him dangling on a string for 18 months or more, as you did for Alberto Contador. In fact, we are very concerned, as we know that Mr Contador is one of your pets, whereas Frankie is not, so he might be even worse treated (if you'll excuse the grammar) than Contador.
What was that? Contador is not one of your pets? Of course he is, you found a banned substance in his tests, not once but over four days, and you told him to carry on racing. And when the news was leaked - oh, how cross you must have been about that! - you still didn't ban him until WADA and CAS forced you to, leaving us all to struggle with this ridiculous situation where he lost several months-worth of results, impacting on everyone else who took part in every single one of those races.
At least Frankie has the decency to avoid racing while he is sorting out this matter. And don't forget that by voluntarily avoiding racing, he is losing UCI points (ie devaluing himself for next year) he is losing money in possibly wins and bonuses, he is losing form, he is losing his reputation: it is not a small matter for a rider who is right at his peak. Last year he came 3rd in the Tour, may I remind you, his best result to date, which could be taken to indicate that these are his "best" pro years: and now you are going to spoil what should be his prime racing time, if you don't get off your backside and get this issue sorted out quickly.
Not to mention the fallout in his personal life: his wife, his child, his family, his friends, all now doing their damned best to be supportive and to ignore that tiny, tiny voice saying "but what if...?" Luxembourg is a tiny country, and he is very well-known there, which must be extremely uncomfortable for him on a daily basis. And I hardly need mention the effect this must be having on his younger brother Andy Schleck, three times podium placed on the Tour, and (legally) once the winner.
You know what is going to happen next: Frankie's own federation is of course going to say "accidental ingestion, all charges dropped, cleared to race" and you at the UCI are of course going to say "whoa, hold on, biased, let's have an investigation and a ban" so for heaven's sake, get together with the Lux federation NOW and work it out.
And for god's sake DO SOMETHING about the issue of contamination of food supplements.
Coug
And the Schlecklanders
Monday 6 August 2012
RadioShack: The Caring Team (Not)
Things are still horribly quiet on the Schleck front: no news from Andy about how his backside is repairing itself, and no new from Frankie regarding his efforts to clear his name from the adverse finding at the Tour.
This morning I was idly looking at the Shack site, to see if there were any updates, and I was quite cross to notice this, on Andy's "Team" page:
Why "cross"?
Firstly, check the spelling of Schleck on the lower of the two news items. Yes, they spelled it wrongly. Sheck? You can't even spell his name correctly? Are you seriously telling me that no-one on the team or on the admin side noticed a basic spelling mistake like that?
Secondly, check the Tour results in the Palmares: 2010 Tour, 2nd? No, upgraded to 1st, I believe, after Contador's ban and title-stripping episode.
So RadioShack are so opposite-of-proud of Andy that they haven't even bothered to update his palmares to reflect the fact that officially, he is a Tour winner. Yes, we all know that he doesn't want to win it like that, he wants to win it on the road, and, fingers crossed, in a year or two he will. But for now, first place in 2010 was awarded to him, and his own team's website surely ought to reflect it.
Is it just me, or is it time that our Leopards thought hard about ditching this terrible team?
This morning I was idly looking at the Shack site, to see if there were any updates, and I was quite cross to notice this, on Andy's "Team" page:
Why "cross"?
Firstly, check the spelling of Schleck on the lower of the two news items. Yes, they spelled it wrongly. Sheck? You can't even spell his name correctly? Are you seriously telling me that no-one on the team or on the admin side noticed a basic spelling mistake like that?
Secondly, check the Tour results in the Palmares: 2010 Tour, 2nd? No, upgraded to 1st, I believe, after Contador's ban and title-stripping episode.
So RadioShack are so opposite-of-proud of Andy that they haven't even bothered to update his palmares to reflect the fact that officially, he is a Tour winner. Yes, we all know that he doesn't want to win it like that, he wants to win it on the road, and, fingers crossed, in a year or two he will. But for now, first place in 2010 was awarded to him, and his own team's website surely ought to reflect it.
Is it just me, or is it time that our Leopards thought hard about ditching this terrible team?
Wednesday 1 August 2012
Enovos jump ship
Yes, in another bad-news story for RadioShack, they are losing the Luxembourg energy company, Enovos, as a sponsor.
Cycling News gleefully reported it yesterday morning, and quoted from the website announcement such little gems as "Too many negatives have occurred since the beginning of the year." and "the 2012 season did not bring the desired results" and of course the classic "..being socially responsible, Enovos does not wish to continue this partnership, as the values representing the image of Enovos are not compatible with the developments around RadioShack-Nissan Trek."
Cut and run, guys!
Of course, when Leopard were formed, and were sponsored by rich man Mr Becca, getting Enovos as a sponsor was a huge deal and a lot of money: it made them seem like a proper commercial team, rather than just a rich man's toy.
But compared with the money put in by RadioShack, Nissan and Trek, well, the Enovos contribution is not exactly definitive.
However, it's the shame, the shame...
Better news today is that Jakob is happily talking about the Olympics TT later this week, and about the options for his new contract: he's actually considering teams other than Stinkoff, in order to avoid being trapped again in a team with too many captains.
He's also rather sweet about leaving Saxo: "Do you regret leaving Saxo?" the interviewer asked.
“No, not really. I had my reasons," Jakob replies, " “Of course, I had hoped that things would have gone differently, but I have not regretted it. I think I've learned a lot about myself in these two years. I've become more mature, and I also think I have developed myself as a cyclist.”
Yay, go Jakob!
Well, today is the day, it's the 1st August, and the transfer season has begun.
Can't wait to see what's hit the headlines by the time I get back from work!
Cycling News gleefully reported it yesterday morning, and quoted from the website announcement such little gems as "Too many negatives have occurred since the beginning of the year." and "the 2012 season did not bring the desired results" and of course the classic "..being socially responsible, Enovos does not wish to continue this partnership, as the values representing the image of Enovos are not compatible with the developments around RadioShack-Nissan Trek."
Cut and run, guys!
Of course, when Leopard were formed, and were sponsored by rich man Mr Becca, getting Enovos as a sponsor was a huge deal and a lot of money: it made them seem like a proper commercial team, rather than just a rich man's toy.
But compared with the money put in by RadioShack, Nissan and Trek, well, the Enovos contribution is not exactly definitive.
However, it's the shame, the shame...
Better news today is that Jakob is happily talking about the Olympics TT later this week, and about the options for his new contract: he's actually considering teams other than Stinkoff, in order to avoid being trapped again in a team with too many captains.
He's also rather sweet about leaving Saxo: "Do you regret leaving Saxo?" the interviewer asked.
“No, not really. I had my reasons," Jakob replies, " “Of course, I had hoped that things would have gone differently, but I have not regretted it. I think I've learned a lot about myself in these two years. I've become more mature, and I also think I have developed myself as a cyclist.”
Yay, go Jakob!
Well, today is the day, it's the 1st August, and the transfer season has begun.
Can't wait to see what's hit the headlines by the time I get back from work!
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