Bad news today, it seems that Mr "Froth at the Mouth on Twitter" "Slightly Insane" Tinkov has actually bought out Uncle Bjarne, and will be taking over team Saxo Bank.
It's been rumoured for a couple of days, and there's going to be an announcement on Monday, apparently.
This is utterly unwelcome news - as we all know, Tinkov is one of those Becca-style rich blokes, who knows something, but not quite enough, about how cycling works, and who knows nothing about the difference between Investment (put money in, get money out, preferably more than you put in) and Sponsorship (put money in, never see it again, but get kudos and publicity).
He's already spoiled the end of this season for Saxo, by throwing his toys out of the pram at Contador's "failure" to beat Frome at the Tour, and announcing that he - and his money - would be leaving the team. This threw them into a panicky search for another sponsor, at a time when sponsors are disappearing into the dust, and at a time when Uncle Bjarne himself is coming under scrutiny for his doping past.
Tinkov tried to buy into a couple of other teams, but failed: then he announced that he would build his own team, so there, nar nar nar nar: and now he's decided to buy Saxo for himself.
I can't imagine that this is going to end well.
Can you?
Saturday 30 November 2013
Tuesday 12 November 2013
Lots of baby Schlecks!
As mentioned this morning, I can't answer any comments - wah! What on earth are google up to, I wonder?
Anyway, in answer to the comments on A New Schleck on the way, I have this to say:
Frankie's own Twitter, huh, Brisbane Gal? Yes, I think that would count as a "good source" for the information!
I haven't so much as looked at Twitter in weeks, err, possibly months: I just haven't had the time. Work, work, work... and I finally had to buy a new pc, as the old one's operating system was no longer supported, plus I was finding it a bit tiring to have to keep turning the big handle on the side to get it to go. And it's taking me forever to get it up and running properly, as every single thing I want to do is now a different version, many years improved from the versions I've been using, and therefore completely different. *sigh* So I haven't had much time for "playing" about on Twitter etc.
Midge! Hey! *big Schlecklander hug* Wow, thanks for that link, what a super interview. Wish Andy would give one that long, ha ha! As my French is pretty rusty, I ran it through google translate and some of it was hilarious, if not quite what was intended...
And yes, more amusement, the new baby is due on Leea's birthday, which could be interpreted to say that they only get together once a year, on the same day... no! Only joking! Also, I note the confirmation that Jil is indeed expecting, so yay! for them as well - and for older brother Steve. My goodness, the average number of Schlecks in Luxembourg is suddenly going to rise steeply, isn't it?
We'd better all start knitting baby clothes - if only we knew what the new team's colours are going to be...
Anyway, in answer to the comments on A New Schleck on the way, I have this to say:
Frankie's own Twitter, huh, Brisbane Gal? Yes, I think that would count as a "good source" for the information!
I haven't so much as looked at Twitter in weeks, err, possibly months: I just haven't had the time. Work, work, work... and I finally had to buy a new pc, as the old one's operating system was no longer supported, plus I was finding it a bit tiring to have to keep turning the big handle on the side to get it to go. And it's taking me forever to get it up and running properly, as every single thing I want to do is now a different version, many years improved from the versions I've been using, and therefore completely different. *sigh* So I haven't had much time for "playing" about on Twitter etc.
Midge! Hey! *big Schlecklander hug* Wow, thanks for that link, what a super interview. Wish Andy would give one that long, ha ha! As my French is pretty rusty, I ran it through google translate and some of it was hilarious, if not quite what was intended...
And yes, more amusement, the new baby is due on Leea's birthday, which could be interpreted to say that they only get together once a year, on the same day... no! Only joking! Also, I note the confirmation that Jil is indeed expecting, so yay! for them as well - and for older brother Steve. My goodness, the average number of Schlecks in Luxembourg is suddenly going to rise steeply, isn't it?
We'd better all start knitting baby clothes - if only we knew what the new team's colours are going to be...
A new Schleck on the way?
Great news! And thanks to Brisbane Gal for mentioning it on the last post, as I hadn't heard it myself - so, is it true that Frankie and Martine are having a second baby?
I do hope so, it's about the right time for Leea to have a little sister or brother - oh, probably a little brother, as Frankie hasn't been racing much in the past year.
Sorry, what was that? Why do I say that?
Well - settle down now, children - a lot of cyclist subscribe to the theory which says that babies conceived during the heavy workload of a major Tour, or the middle of a busy season, are more likely to be girls, as the father is using up all his testosterone on racing.
It certainly worked for Marky Mark (Cav) as his little girl was conceived mid-Tour.
I don't think there has ever been any proper scientific research into the idea, which is odd, as it seems like quite an easy one to check. For as start, we could ask if Jensie would consent to comment on the idea - after all, he has a good number of test subjects to check on!
Anyway, this could be a new little brother then, a new nephew for Andy, and another cousin for Andy and TinkerJil's expected baby.
D'aaw!
I guess the only downside is that both families will be buying new baby clothes, instead of being able to pass them around.. or no, thinking about it, if TinkerJil is due in March, they might be able to economise by using Leea's outgrown clothes, then passing them back to Martine for her new baby a couple of months later... ah, it could all work out very well indeed!
Well, I have trawled the cycling news and not found any mention of it, but that's not surprising as the cycling journos have been very reticent to mention either Our Andy or Frankie (unless they can get the "D" word into the headline, of course) lately.
But we just have to hang on for a new more weeks - soon, we should start seeing leaked examples of the new team kit, and lists of the riders, and so on. So keep your eyes out, Schlecklanders, and do feel free to report back with any news that you spot! I'm having a slightly strange problem with this blog at present, I can't respond to any of your comments directly, other than as "Anonymous" which would be a bit odd. And might lead to certain people (you know who you are) pretending to be me, and getting me in trouble with the Andyhab overseers. So please don't be miffed if I don't respond to your comments!
I do hope so, it's about the right time for Leea to have a little sister or brother - oh, probably a little brother, as Frankie hasn't been racing much in the past year.
Sorry, what was that? Why do I say that?
Well - settle down now, children - a lot of cyclist subscribe to the theory which says that babies conceived during the heavy workload of a major Tour, or the middle of a busy season, are more likely to be girls, as the father is using up all his testosterone on racing.
It certainly worked for Marky Mark (Cav) as his little girl was conceived mid-Tour.
I don't think there has ever been any proper scientific research into the idea, which is odd, as it seems like quite an easy one to check. For as start, we could ask if Jensie would consent to comment on the idea - after all, he has a good number of test subjects to check on!
Anyway, this could be a new little brother then, a new nephew for Andy, and another cousin for Andy and TinkerJil's expected baby.
D'aaw!
I guess the only downside is that both families will be buying new baby clothes, instead of being able to pass them around.. or no, thinking about it, if TinkerJil is due in March, they might be able to economise by using Leea's outgrown clothes, then passing them back to Martine for her new baby a couple of months later... ah, it could all work out very well indeed!
Well, I have trawled the cycling news and not found any mention of it, but that's not surprising as the cycling journos have been very reticent to mention either Our Andy or Frankie (unless they can get the "D" word into the headline, of course) lately.
But we just have to hang on for a new more weeks - soon, we should start seeing leaked examples of the new team kit, and lists of the riders, and so on. So keep your eyes out, Schlecklanders, and do feel free to report back with any news that you spot! I'm having a slightly strange problem with this blog at present, I can't respond to any of your comments directly, other than as "Anonymous" which would be a bit odd. And might lead to certain people (you know who you are) pretending to be me, and getting me in trouble with the Andyhab overseers. So please don't be miffed if I don't respond to your comments!
Monday 11 November 2013
Rasmussen is a nasty little man...
...but I think we already knew that, didn't we?
He's the one they sometimes refer to as "the chicken", not because he is as skinny as a dead plucked chicken, and looks a bit like one, but (according to Wikipedia) because it was a nickname he was given during his early career. Like we cared.
He has a significant doping history, he's been banned, sacked, and sent home in disgrace a few times, and in the last year or two he's been trying to get back into cycling via a Continental team, then by trying to get into management, but he's been thwarted at every turn.
He's just released another book, in which he "outed" Ryder Hesjedal for doping over ten years ago.
What a git!
OK, I'm very disappointed in Hesjedal, and there won't be any more jokes about Mechanic Hesjedal etc, but for heaven's sake, it was ten years ago, Ryder can't be punished for it now, but he can be - and has been - shamed in front of everyone. And what does this Rasmussen person get from it? A smug feeling of having dropped someone else in it, while getting lots of publicity for his book.
I think that's pretty despicable.
Laughably, though, it has backfired horribly, as not many people turned up to Rasmussen's book signing event in Denmark last week. How many, you ask? Have a guess. Couple of hundred? Nope. Couple of dozen? Nope. Just three. Three! Bet the book-shop owner was mortified... and I certainly hope that Rasmussen was humiliated and laughed out of the shop by the crowd of media who turned up to film the event.
And as for Hesjedal.. well, ok it was a long time ago, he's very sorry, won't do it again, blah blah blah, but I would have thought more of him if he'd come clean about it while other members of Garmin-Sharp - Zabriskie, Danielson and Vande Velde - have been admitting it, helping the authorities with info, and taking their 6-month bans.
How can Hesjedal have sat there, watching his team-mates confess and be punished, and say nothing, knowing that he was as guilty as they were? OK, they were specifically being investigated by USADA as part of the Postal scandal, and Hesjedal is neither American (he's Canadian) nor a former Postal rider, but still, don't you think that that would have been the time to speak up, and get it over and done with?
I suppose, going back to the Rasmussen creature, that maybe this round of revelations might scare any other long-time-since dopers into coming out and saying it now, rather than skulking on in fear of exposure. Would it scare you into confessing, if you'd been getting away with it for ten years or more? Is it better to have everyone confess and get it over with, or would another round of mass confession be even worse for cycling?
He's the one they sometimes refer to as "the chicken", not because he is as skinny as a dead plucked chicken, and looks a bit like one, but (according to Wikipedia) because it was a nickname he was given during his early career. Like we cared.
He has a significant doping history, he's been banned, sacked, and sent home in disgrace a few times, and in the last year or two he's been trying to get back into cycling via a Continental team, then by trying to get into management, but he's been thwarted at every turn.
He's just released another book, in which he "outed" Ryder Hesjedal for doping over ten years ago.
What a git!
OK, I'm very disappointed in Hesjedal, and there won't be any more jokes about Mechanic Hesjedal etc, but for heaven's sake, it was ten years ago, Ryder can't be punished for it now, but he can be - and has been - shamed in front of everyone. And what does this Rasmussen person get from it? A smug feeling of having dropped someone else in it, while getting lots of publicity for his book.
I think that's pretty despicable.
Laughably, though, it has backfired horribly, as not many people turned up to Rasmussen's book signing event in Denmark last week. How many, you ask? Have a guess. Couple of hundred? Nope. Couple of dozen? Nope. Just three. Three! Bet the book-shop owner was mortified... and I certainly hope that Rasmussen was humiliated and laughed out of the shop by the crowd of media who turned up to film the event.
And as for Hesjedal.. well, ok it was a long time ago, he's very sorry, won't do it again, blah blah blah, but I would have thought more of him if he'd come clean about it while other members of Garmin-Sharp - Zabriskie, Danielson and Vande Velde - have been admitting it, helping the authorities with info, and taking their 6-month bans.
How can Hesjedal have sat there, watching his team-mates confess and be punished, and say nothing, knowing that he was as guilty as they were? OK, they were specifically being investigated by USADA as part of the Postal scandal, and Hesjedal is neither American (he's Canadian) nor a former Postal rider, but still, don't you think that that would have been the time to speak up, and get it over and done with?
I suppose, going back to the Rasmussen creature, that maybe this round of revelations might scare any other long-time-since dopers into coming out and saying it now, rather than skulking on in fear of exposure. Would it scare you into confessing, if you'd been getting away with it for ten years or more? Is it better to have everyone confess and get it over with, or would another round of mass confession be even worse for cycling?
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