Today we write 2010 in the calender, and we say goodbye to a decade worth remembering in cycling. But just as we thought this decade had given us it all, the world of cycling was turned upside down this winter.
It all started in the beginning of November, when good old QuickStep suddenly folded. It sent shock waves through the world of cycling, because QuickStep was a "sure" team, nobody thought it would just fold like that.
In the same week Caisse d'Epargne pulled out of the team of the same name, leaving another team close to folding, and the professional cycling was already doomed by some medias.
But then this headline hit the papers:
Former Caisse team presents strong new sponsors
Spoiler
The team, now formerly known as Caisse d'Epargne has managed to sign contracts with two new big name sponsors. Just two days after Caisse d'Epargne pulled out of the contract due to financial problems, the team management has signed with two new sponsors, both old names in the world of cycling.
Next year the team will be known as Banesto - Eroski Cycling, and will focus on some of the best Spanish riders.
At the press conference the team also presented their new captains for next season; Samuel Sanchez who are coming from financial troubled Euskatel - Euskadi, and Juan Antonio Flecha, coming from Rabobank.
Flecha was close to signing with Sky, when he was approached by the management of the Spanish team.
"On Banesto - Eroski I'm pretty much my own king. I can ride the races I want to ride, which I like very much. I look foward to my first season on a Spanish team in many years." said the ex-Rabobank rider to a reporter.
In the middle of November UCI sent out a press release containing the names of 5 teams who would not be a part of the Pro Tour in the 2010 season due to different reasons. The teams were: AG2R, Astana, Euskatel, Lampre and Milram. This meant that the Milram team immediately folded.
In the final week of November, two big headlines hit the papers:
Team Saxo Bank without sponsors - riders are free to leave says Riis
Spoiler
The Danish Team Saxo Bank has due to criminal investigations ended their contract with the scandal hit bank Saxo Bank. After several rumors about the Danish company about illegal business taking place in the bank have turned out to be true, the former Tour de France winner Bjarne Riis, terminated the contract with Saxo Bank. This leaves the Danish team without sponsors for the next season.
"I've said to the riders that they can leave if they want to, but that we will work on getting a new sponsor as soon as possible" said the team boss Bjarne Riis.
New Luxembourgian-Dutch team takes QuickStep's Pro Tour licence
Spoiler
A big new team has come out of the ashes of the folded QuickStep team. Heinekin and Luxair is the new sponsors of a new Luxembourg based Pro Tour team. Their main riders is coming from the troubled Riis Cycling Team, who recently lost their sponsors. Kim Andersen will be the team manager, while the two Schleck brothers will share the captaincy.
"We want to win the 2010 TdF; that's how simple our goals are" said Kim Andersen, while team star Andy Schleck was somewhat more mysterious in his comments: "We have to see how it will go this year, but I think we can do good".
In the first week of December, it was clear that the teams who hadn't had their Pro Tour licenses renewed were going to lose a lot of their best riders.
The team to take most advantage of this was newly started Danish team, Royal Unibrew. With strong sponsors such as Royal Unibrew, Maersk, Q8 and Telstra, the team managed to sign with the hottest rider on the market; Alberto Contador. But not only did Alberto Contador sign with the team, so did riders as Kolobnev, Tiralongo, Voigt, R. Feillu, and a lot of the old Saxo Bank riders.
At the end of the first week of December, two surprising events more had taken place.
Air France to sponsor major French team
Spoiler
Air France is the new main sponsor of Air France - Bbox Team, formerly known as Bbox Bouygues Telecom. The team will take part in the Pro Tour.
At a press conference yesterday the team presented three new captains; Joaquim Rodriguez, Carlos Sastre and Roman Kreuziger. "It will be the strongest French team in many years" said the CEO of Air France.
New American team in the Pro Tour - steals Armstrong helper
Spoiler
Microsoft and Gazprom has come together to take over the sponsorship of BMC Racing, and that has elevated them into the Pro Tour. At a press conference yesterday, the team presented no less than 4 star riders, who will form the core of the team. Surprisingly, one of these riders turned out to be British phenomenon Mark Cavendish, the others were Damiano Cunego from relegated Lampre, Allan Davis from relegated Astana and Alessandro Ballan, also from Lampre. As a surprise, also Chris Horner, who were rumored to Armstrongs RadioShack was presented at the press conference
Two days later, UCI announced the teams for the 2010 Pro Tour, which had a few surprises.
2010 Pro Tour Teams
AIF
Air France - Bbox Team
BAE
Banesto - Eroski Cycling
CSC
CSC - Cervélo
Small surprise
FDJ
Francaise des Jeux
GRM
Garmin - Transitions
THR
HTC - Columbia
Now on German license
HEI
Team Heineken - Luxair
KAT
Team Katusha
LAN
Landbouwkrediet
Huge surprise at the time
LIQ
Liquigas - Doimo
MIG
Team Microsoft - Gazprom
OML
Omega Pharma - Lotto
RAB
Rabobank
RUB
Royal Unibrew Pro Cycling
SKY
Sky Professional Cycling Team
TBA
Unsponsored team - Riis Cycling
Huge surprise due to lack of public sponsor at the time
RSH
Team RadioShack
VAC
Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team
Surprise at the time
Just before Christmas, all the last details and reasons for the new Pro Tour was revealed. Bjarne Riis presented Specialized and Sungard as his new sponsors, and managed to get some pretty good riders to the team before today, Vacansoleil was able to present Nibali as their new captain and Landbouwkrediet is the new home of Tom Boonen and Filippo Pozzato
I will soon present you for the captains of each team, and reveal where I fit into the story.
Edited by tehMalone on 05-08-2010 11:21
That's the presentation of all the Pro Tour teams. Sorry for the lack of depth in the description of each team, but it was a lot of riders and teams to write.
Next time I'll tell you how I fit into the story and the official presentation of the team I'm associated with
"Hello and welcome to the official presentation of the 2010 Specialized - Sungard team.
As you may know, we have had some financial troubles over the winter, leading to a very different team this year than we saw last year. We welcome a new Danish Pro Tour team, and we're looking forward to the competition. This has of course affected us, and we have less than 50 % Danish riders this year, and a lot of them are new.
But let me first introduce the new team shirt.
This is the jersey that you'll all see the Specialized - Sungard rider in for the next 10 months. They will be available in our webshop soon as well.
We are very happy that Specialized has chosen to sponsor us above the other pro teams using Specialized bikes, and we're hoping that we will both be happy with the agreement. Also, we would like to thank Sungard for the last minute save, and we are sure that we will both be very happy with our cooperation.
But on to the presentation of our team.
Nat
Name
Role
Description
Cadel Evans
Captain
Cadel will be our captain in this year's Tour de France. He is a very experienced rider, who I know can win the tour, but he has always been a bit unlucky when riding. I'm sure that this year will be his year.
Heinrich Haussler
Captain
Heinrich is that kind of rider, who are good in almost any terrain. He is co-captain with Matti Breschel in the cobblestone classics, he'll be our captain in smaller hilly races, as well as our sprinter in some races.
Matti Breschel
Captain
Matti is much the same type of rider as Heinrich. He'll focus more on the cobblestone classics, and less on winning the sprints this year. And when needed, he's extremely fit as a helper when he's not going for the victory himself.
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-
-
-
Marcus Burghardt
Lieutenant
Marcus is the lieutenant for Heinrich and Matti on the cobblestones. He's a really fit rider, who's really good on the flat, and is able to do a huge effort when we need a motor on the flat. He is also extremely well built for long breakaways, where he is almost always the strongest rider when the finish nears.
Simon Gerrans
Lieutenant
Like Marcus, Simon is an excellent helper, but also a rider who can ride his own chance. Especially in the hilly terrain, he is really good. He's that type of rider who can win a stage if he goes in an early breakaway on a mountain stage.
Matthew Goss
Lieutenant
Matthew Goss is a sprinter for our team. He is still young, and can improve himself, but as it is at the moment, he might be the lead-out man for Haussler in some races, while riding his own chance in some smaller ones.
Mark Renshaw
Lieutenant
Mark Renshaw is our main lead-out man for Haussler in the sprints, if they participate together. He is four years older than Matt, and thus he is more experienced. He will have his own chance in some races.
Richie Porte
Lieutenant
Richie is a young time trialist. He is very talented on the time trial, but also in the more hilly terrain, he can do some damage. He will lead the team in some of the smaller races, and be a valuable helper in the bigger.
Rein Taaramäe
Lieutenant
Rein Taaramäe is a huge talent for the future. He is already very well fit for the mountains, and in a couple of years time, he might be the future winner of the TdF.
-
-
-
-
Lars Bak
Luxury helper
Lars is a very experienced helper. He's 29 and he have been a helper for most of his carrier. He's an excellent all-rounder, and he has the ability to win some minor races.
Simon Clarke
Luxury helper
Simon C. is a young Puncheur, who might evolve into a good lieutenant for the best riders in the hilly classics. He is a rider we'll try to get in a lot of breakaways.
Jakob Fuglsang
Luxury helper
Jakob is one of the most talented climbers/time trialists in Denmark. He crossed over from MTB, just like Michael Rasmussen, and he is a strong rider, who will provide invaluable help in the mountains.
Christian Knees
Luxury helper
Christian is a good all-rounder who doesn't care if it's a small steep hill, or a long tiring mountain. And he is also good on the time trial.
Martin Pedersen
Luxury helper
Martin is one of the very talented Danish riders, who'll blossom late in his carrier. He's good in the hills, and he can sprint very well. If he gets into the right breakaway, he'll have a big chance of winning.
Chris Anker Sørensen
Luxury helper
Chris is probably the biggest Danish climber talent since Michael Rasmussen and Bjarne Riis. He shares his voice and home town with legendary Bobby Olsen of Team Easy On, but when it comes to the steep mountains, he is in a class that no other Danish rider is at the moment.
Nicki Sørensen
Luxury helper
Nicki is the oldest on the team, but it seems that he's only getting better with age. He is a well fit helper in almost any terrain, as long as it's not the highest mountains. And if given the chance, he might take a stage or two. He regenerates really well, and we hope for a late victory in one of the 3 big ones, maybe even on Champs Elysees.
-
-
-
-
Rasmus Guldhammer
Talent
Rasmus is a talent, who might win smaller stage races in the future. His ability lies primarily in the hilly terrain.
Thomas Guldhammer
Talent
Thomas is not as talented as his little brother, and he is more of a fighter, not as good in the hilly terrain. He might be a good helper in the cobblestones in a few years.
-
-
-
-
Martin Mortensen
Team mate
Martin Mortensen is a pretty good all-rounder. He'll be of value in some of the smaller races, but if he gets in the biggest, he might be the first man we'll use.
Wesley Sulzberger
Team mate
Welsey is best in the hills, and he's a really good fighter. He'll go in a lot of breakaways.
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-
-
-
Lasse Bøchman
Water carrier
Lasse is best on the TT and in the hills. He'll function as a water carrier for us this year.
Jonathan Cantwell
Water carrier
Jonathan is best on the flat road. He'll function as water carrier.
Richard England
Water carrier
Richard is much like Jonathan, but he can be used as a lead-out man in small races.
Brian Vandborg
Water carrier
Brian is a good TT'er, we've seen that in the world championships once. But his carrier stalled after that, and now we use him as a water carrier.
That's the team as it looks now, but we're still in talks with a few riders.
Our main goals of the year is:
Win
Tour de France
Top 3
Ronde van Vlaanderen
Top 5
Paris - Roubaix
Top 10
Giro d'Italia
Top 10
GP Ouest France - Plouay
Top 10
Liége - Bastogne - Liége
Our first challenge of the year will be the Australian Championships, where we, with our 10 Aussies, is the favorites.
Oh, and bu the way, my name is Simon Malone, and I'm the new Team Manager of the team. Bjarne has decided to take a slow year, where he's mostly in charge of what goes on behind the scene, and instead I'll be the outwards face, and the leader when the race strategies will be laid.
Thank you all for listening to me, and have a very nice evening"
Before I go on with the report of the first race of the season, I'll just present the last recruit of the preseason. He is a well known name, returned after quarantine, and therefore we have taken a lot of cautions before signing him.
Michael Rasmussen
Team mate
Michael was very close to winning the TdF, when he was pulled out, but we all know that scandal. We've had a lot of talks with him, and we're sure that it is all in the past. He is not as strong as he was, but he has the experience to be a valuable member of the team.
And now onto:
My first race as a sports director was the Aussie TT Champs. We were by far the best team at the championship, with no less than 10 Aussie riders on our team, we took them all with us, except Renshaw, who isn’t much of a time trial’er anyways. Wesley Sulzberger was first out on the route, followed by Richie Porte, one of our favorites. Richie Porte out on the beautiful route
After him came Haussler, who had an okay day, but still early in the season, nobody was in their best shape. Sulzberger was the first to finish the race, but he had started too hard, and died out at the end. Wesley Sulzberger finishes the race, with Porte in the background
The same thing happened to Porte, who was close to catching Sulzberger. Haussler learned from it, and he managed to beat Porte on the day, leaving him with the best time, until Bobridge of Garmin came in. But it was clear that the race was to be fought out as a battle between Michael Rogers of Air France – Bbox Team and our own Cadel Evans. Michael Rogers starts the race
They were the two last riders, Cadel having the upper hand; starting right after Rogers. At the first intermediate time, Cadel just beat Rogers, but they were both behind Porte, Haussler, Goss and Sulzberger, who had started out way to aggressive. All through the race, it seemed as though Cadel had it under control. Cadel “controlling” the time trial in the beautiful Aussie terrain
I kept asking him, how he felt, and he felt good, and as the second intermediate came, he was 14 seconds faster than Rogers, at which point I knew he would take the victory. But then Rogers crossed the line, beating Bobridge’s time with 30 seconds, and Haussler, out best, with 43 seconds. I sent this message out to Cadel, who responded by increasing his speed, and crossing the line as the fastest on the day, 26 seconds in front of Rogers. Cadel crossing the line for the national jersey
The final top 10 looked like this:
1.
Cadel Evans
SPS
55m18s
2.
Micahel Rogers
AIF
+26s
3.
Jack Bobridge
GRM
+56s
4.
Cameron Meyer
GRM
+1m03s
5.
Heinrich Haussler
SPS
+1m09s
6.
Richie Porte
SPS
+1m18s
7.
Adam Hansen
THR
+1m20s
8.
Cameron Wurf
AND
+1m25s
9.
Baden Cooke
RUB
+1m36s
10.
Matthew Goss
SPS
+1m39s
Cadel on the podium just before he received the jerseyEdited by tehMalone on 05-08-2010 22:56
We are very happy to announce the teams participating in this year’s Santos Tour Down Under. All the Pro Tour teams will of course participate, and furthermore, we’ve given wild cards to the following teams: Androni Giocattoli, ISD – Neri, Lampre and CarmioOro.
We are also very happy to present big names such as Fränk Schleck of Team Heinekin – Luxair, Tylar Farrar of Garimin and Nicolas Roche of Sky. We also welcome home Heinrich Haussler of Specialized – Sungard, Stuart O’Grady of Royal Unibrew and Robbie McEwen of Katusha. Baden Cooke of Royal Unibrew will also participate, as captain of his Danish based team. The strongest teams will probably be Heineken and HTC – Columbia, but lead by Specialized, who participate with an all Australian team, including, besides Haussler, Matt Goss, Mark Renshaw and new national champion, Simon Gerrans.
The race include 5 quite flat stages with the queens stage as the second to last. All the stages are quite hilly, favoring the sprinters who are better in this kind of terrain. The bookmakers favors Heinrich Haussler as the final winner, seeing him outfit Fränk Schleck due to the later focusing more on bigger stage races, and Haussler being on "kind of" home turf.
I always like to see games into the future were riders have been transfered around, and this seem even better 
I´m really excited about this story..good luck
