Arguments Rage at Boeing-Vivacom

The season is in its very earliest stages of planning, yet all is not well at Boeing-Vivacom. Manager TMM and main sponsor Boeing cannot agree to the race schedule the other proposes. Boeing want the team to participate in as many US and Canadian races as possible, whereas TMM wants a more global focus.
The point of contention comes down to the number of race days. Boeing's proposals equal 149 race days, TMM's equal 150. While 1 day may not seem important but as any existing team will say, every point counts.
There is still plenty of time to solve the issue, but right now things are not looking good at Boeing-Vivacom. Between this and the forced move away from 100% B-PNW orientation neither TM nor the sponsors are happy.

Ready for the Transfer Period

TMM and Boeing-Vivacom are now fully prepared for the transfer season! It is believed the team has 5 possible different squads lined up. Its been a busy few days at the HQ running through possible permutations and negotiations.
It does look like the team will be primarily made up of Bulgarians, regardless of what happens. Exactly which ones will remain to be seen, but TMM has made it clear many people may be surprised by the names.
There will be a strong US contingent to back them up. There is one big name on the list, and it may be that Boeing will be ready to splash the cash to land him. Also it is confirmed the only 2 Washington born riders are on the list, and will be hotly fought for if necessary.
Next are the Canadians. With Seattle bordering British Colombia two big BC names are on the list, and again TMM is eager to land both signatures.
Beyond that there is then a selection of riders from across the world. All remaining wage cap will be used up landing one of these names. They will be a start, and crucial to the teams success in their opening season.

The race calendar has also been decided. Boeing have conceded to the judgement of General Manager TMM. 150 race days, the full allocation, will be targeted, ranging across the world. The motto 'Every Point Counts' will be key to the teams first season success.
But still no-one is happy that the 100% B-PNW orientation has to be cut, but the result could be one hell of a season!

HC Wildcard Applications

Beoing-Vivacom have applied for 2 HC wildcards. It should be fairly obvious which 2 those are. If we are successful there will be shift in transfer targets. There will also be a large re-working of the race calendar to accommodate the new races.

Transfer Period - Day #3

The transfer season began on Saturday, its now Monday, and Boeing-Vivacom can announce 16 new riders! But first a quick summary of how the first days unfolded.

Day 1:
It was a tense start to the transfer period, as we could not get the proper paperwork submitted to allow us to participate. After several frustrating and angry hours, in which 4 laptops and 3 windows were lost, we finally got it all sorted and dived straight in.
Instantly our well planned strategy vanished in a flurry of inexperience, excitement and naivety.
20 bids went down in a few hours, and gradually a few of the riders salary's went out of reach. First to go was Warbasse, followed by Eisel and Trentin. We kept strong interest in Keough and Ben Nasser through the day and went into the night leading both riders, and feeling good.

Day 2:
We got back to work in high spirits. Sundays are always nice and relaxed here in Seattle, and for a while things stayed that way. All our leading bids survived the night so we waited patiently, keeping busy watching the NFL action.
Things did go downhill through through the late morning. Ben Nasser edged out of reach firsrt. Then Keough became nonviable at the demanded salary. But still we had a lot of leading bids on the riders we wanted to form the teams core.
Early afternoon we were at a moral low. We couldnt bid on any potential leaders, and still had to wait to secure our domestiques. Then we noticed rumblings in the Trades market.
We spotted 2 Colombian climbers on special and pounced. Quickly a deal was agreed that satisfied both teams. This was swiftly followed by a move on an Italian sprinter and Irish lead-out. The Irishman was taken away from us, but the Italian we had nailed, for a good deal.
As we moved into evening some german team tried to poach one of the Bulgarians, but they were rapidly warned off. We followed this up by netting a deal for a British domestique with a nice personality.
The day closed out on a high as we were hunting for a cobbles leader and leading all the important riders to us.

Day 3:
A simple day in truth. The morning began as 8 Bulgarians were sealed into the team. 3 Canadians followed shortly after. This will keep Boeing and Vivacom happy for now. We also sealed on a massive gamble, which you'll find out about in a moment.
In the afternoon and evening we sealed the deals for the Italian, Colombians and Brit.
So we close an easy day with 16 confirmed riders and a hopeful bid on a desperately needed cobbles leader.

So, onto the riders we have sealed. We will begin with the Bulgarians.

Ahmed Ahmed
€50.000
26 years old
Time-Trialist
Not a guaranteed leader, but anything can happen in a TT. Will be good support on the flat.

Stefan Hristov
€50.000
28 years old
Cobbles
Good cobbles supporter and might be able to steal a few breaks through the season.

Nikolay Mihaylov
€50.000
25 years old
Time-Trialist
Solid Time Trialer, and an early lead-out man. Not going to improve but a solid reliable team member

Valentin Stoenchev
€50.000
22 years old
Time-Trialist
Youth prospect. He will never be a world beater, but he will be a valuable team member in the future

Aleksander Aleksiev
€50.000
21 years old
Puncher
Youth prospect. Again never going to be special, but will certainly score points over the coming years.

Georgi Petrov Georgiev
€50.000
28 years old
Climber
Solid climbing support rider. Will be very helpful to other riders in reaching good results.

Pavlin Balinski
€50.000
24 years old
Sprinter
Decent part of a lead-out. Will improve a bit, and will be a key squad member for the future.

Spas Gyurov
€50.000
27 years old
Time-Trialist
Solid Time Trialist, and can aid over cobbles. Very important domestique for the seasons ahead.

Will Routley
€50.000
30 years old
Puncher
A decent puncher by the teams standards. Can score points this year, but is starting to age now.

Jamie Sparling
€50.000
29 years old
Cobbles
A solid classics rider. Will be important support on rough roads and a strong break specialist

Rob Britton
€50.000
29 years old
Climber
A climber and time trialist. Will be good support for the leaders. Plus he could get into a few breaks

Amadou Bakari
€50.000
26 years old
Classics
This is the gamble. Excellent over cobbles, but lacks any other ability completely, even flat.

Francisco Colorado
€65.000
33 years old
Climber
A strong climber who should bring in points in our first season. But hes aging and might not be around for long

Edwin Parra Bustamente
€70.000
29 years old
Climber
A strong climber with some time trial. Will score points, and be part of the team for at least a season or two.

Francesco Chicchi
€60.000
33 years old
Sprinter
A good sprinter, cheap wage, bargin! Cant go over a bump well, but should still score well. However, aging.

Jonathon Tiernan-Loceke
€50.000
29 years old
Puncher
Good hilly supporter who will be helpful to the team all-round. Great personality will lift the team.

Transfer Period - Day #6

We are now almost halfway through the transfer period. Its getting towards the end of day 6 and things have been happening all over the place. Here at BVP we have been keeping a close eye on who our CT competitors have been maneuvering for, and signing.
We have not been entirely inactive over the last 3 days ourselves, despite only sealing 1 rider in. We have agreed to other deals, and we feel confident the other managements will not back out of negotiations in favor of another deal. So here our run-down of the last few days.

Day4:
We came into the day on a high, having achieved a fully eligible squad the day before, and one that could compete. Day 4 began by re-opening speculation around a Bulgarian. A German team had been back in action and we had to start processes to scare them off. We took our time and made our move, upping our offer and gaining the FA's attention. We were now sitting on a large number of unused "active bids" and had to decide how to use them. We got in touch with our scouts who started looking for new potential leaders to pursue. A few names were put forward in the FA market, but at inflated prices, and they would be sure to attract unwanted attention.
Then quietly we heard news of cobbled leader looking for a new home. For us as a CT team this rider would be a perfect leader, and put us in with a great shout at a few of our goals. We tentative made an offer, making sure not to raise out hopes, as the competition would be fierce from PT teams.

Day 5:
Our suspicions were confirmed when we awoke. The rider would be contested by PT teams. This smashed our morale, and we had to go looking for a new potential leader or two. Our foraging brought us 3 good offers from teams looking to offload sprinters. Two of these offers were unbelievable. Yet we turned them down, hoping to secure the cobbler.
Wednesday was a quiet day for us, mostly just checking up on the CT competitions moves and dealings. Oh, and we still lead the final Bulgarian.

Day 6:
We afforded ourselves the morning off to relax. When we got to the office the first matter of business was to check we had secured the final Bulgarian. We had! Taking our total to nine Bulgarians. This latest acquisition could lead some smaller races, and will be key support in some of the larger ones.
Early in the afternoon we spotted a terrific deal on the market. An eastern European team was desperately trying to offload a few of its domestiques for pittence. How could we say no!
After a few minutes we had a deal that will bring another Italian to the team.
Then we settled down to wait. We kept waiting to hear news on the cobbler. Would we get lucky?
YES! An email. The best email we read since our acceptance as a team. A deal was agreed, and now all we have to do is wait 24hrs to confirm it. And confirm it we shall.
Day 6... The perfect day.

Here is the only rider was have sealed;

Martin Grashev
€80,000
26 years old
Classics
A youngish star who will certainly be key to the teams future. He can cobble, and climb, and may be improved with some luck next season.

We will have a special news update tomorrow when we confirm the next, and final two, full riders for the team.

Transfer Period - Day #7

Its only been a day but its all we needed.
We have sealed in riders 18 and 19. We also set up a loan deal for rider 20. Meaning that here at BVP, TMM has managed to put together a full 20 man roster for 2013.

So the final 3 riders;

Antonio Bucciero
€50.000
31 years old
Classics
Aging yes, but useful support on the cobbles. Honestly more of a filler for 2013 but still glad to have him around.

Geraint Thomas
€178,000
27 years old
Classics
Our superstar! Undisputed cobbles leader. Most of the team has been assembled around him. Secured for hefty fee, yet still great value. We hope to have him for the years to come.

Marcos Altur
€37,000
20 years old
Classics
On loan from CSC-Orbea. Our job is to raise his quality. We can do that, and he will be good cobbles support.

20 Riders. Race planning is under way.
We will release a full roster image in the next few days, so the other CT teams can wet themselves in fear!

Transfer Period - Day #9

Things have fallen apart today.
The Altur deal has been undone, as the MG-UCI have deemed to invalid. The new loan rules introduced have hence made it impossible for us the take Altur on loan.
This reduces the squad to 19.
It also means that we will be unlikely to sign any form of replacement to fit into his spot.
So now we are having to re-plan at least half our season, in terms of Calendar and race squads.
We also have to take another look at our finances, which are now very precarious.
Things have fallen apart very quickly this weekend. Our only hope to to sign a Stagiere, but finding one who can be an active member of the team like Altur would have been, we believe, is impossible.
We will keep you updated on how things progress here. Its not looking good.

TheManxMissile wrote:
Can't afford a full rider, or any form of loan, so a stagiare is all thats left available
I need all the race days i can get my hands on!

Busy Busy Busy

Its been a while since any news so its about time to update.
We got over the Altur deal and have moved on. While it was a blow it will allow some of the other riders on the team a larger role and more races.
Speaking of races. We submitted our application for races rather late and as a result missed out on places in 2 of the races we wanted. This was solved quickly and with little knock-on effect. We are still more than happy with the calendar we have for the season. It has the potential to deliver a lot of points as it plays a lot to the teams strengths.
We are currently in the process of deciding our startlists. We split the team into 2 major groups. Then it is a simple matter of deciding which group goes where. So far we think we have made the right choices and hope that bears out.
We now race towards the start of the season with bated breath, although that may be due to the cold here in Seattle.
It is now 2013 as well so Happy New Year and we want to share some great moments from the last 12 months with you. This is from one of our local sporting partners, the Seattle Sounders.
Hope you enjoy.

Drivers! Start your engines!

The season is on the cusp of starting and its time to update on whats been going on with BVP.
Lets start with the seasons Calendar:


We were successful in getting a place at the Tour of Vancouver. This massively pleased the sponsors.
However to counter this we were unable in getting a spot at the Baltic Chain Tour. So already we have failed one of our goals.
We could not have a worse start to the season, losing a key domestique to a transfer irregularity, then missing out on going to one of our goal races.
This season will be an uphill struggle all the way through.

It should be fairly obvious were riders will be heading. Cobblers to the cobbles and climbers to the mountains.

But finally before i go i am happy to confirm that Tiernan-Locke will be riding for Team GB at the Bay Classic Series in Australia. We wish John and the rest of the team good luck.