First of all, sorry if this doesn't deserve its own thread. Please close if it doesn't.
Now that Alberto Contador can't ride the Tour, what should Bjarne Riis do with his Tour team?
Personally, I am looking forward to seeing a more aggressive Saxo team. Chris Anker Sørensen for the polkadot perhaps. Paulinho to ride his own chance?
Normally we see a very defensive team, but with no pressure, they could go exclusively for stage wins which should be quite entertaining.
Bring lots of vodka and enjoy his last Tour as a team manager.
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"I love him, I think he's great. He's transformed the sport in so many ways. Every person in cycling has benefitted from Lance Armstrong, perhaps not financially but in some sense" - Bradley Wiggins on Lance Armstrong
They should all turn vegan. Might not help cycling that much, but that'd at least do more good than bad on a global scale and could be sold as a lesson learnt from a marketing viewpoint.
Bjarne Riis is a tough guy so I think he can make something good out if it - he has to! He can't be defensive now in this situation because he doesn't have a Tour de France-candidate. I think his sponsors expect Team Saxobank to be aggressive so that they can get just something out of their money.
So, Riis says that the team will stand by Contador.
The word is now on to Contador who is likely to not say anything important.
The preceding post is ISSO 9001 certified
"I love him, I think he's great. He's transformed the sport in so many ways. Every person in cycling has benefitted from Lance Armstrong, perhaps not financially but in some sense" - Bradley Wiggins on Lance Armstrong
It's actually funny to see Contador saying all these things about not doping and being innocent simply because his entire body language says "I don't believe a word I'm saying"
The preceding post is ISSO 9001 certified
"I love him, I think he's great. He's transformed the sport in so many ways. Every person in cycling has benefitted from Lance Armstrong, perhaps not financially but in some sense" - Bradley Wiggins on Lance Armstrong
There was one part where his body language was completely different though. The part where he very convincingly begged "If there's anything else I can do to prove my innocence please tell me what it is"
The preceding post is ISSO 9001 certified
"I love him, I think he's great. He's transformed the sport in so many ways. Every person in cycling has benefitted from Lance Armstrong, perhaps not financially but in some sense" - Bradley Wiggins on Lance Armstrong
It spoke volumes to me this past Christmas when a temporary staff member where I work was caught stealing from the tills. Once caught, and faced with stealing, he defended himself, and proclaimed "if you think I stole, take it from my wages", thus condemning himself.
The guilty man tries to plea to the "good" side of other men, with asking what they can do to be perceived as innocent.
The innocent man, on the other hand, is absolutely livid. Disgusted about being tainted with the brush of being called a cheat, or druggy, he is much more likely to swear a lot, and threaten to sue, not to mention get his urine sample tested thousands of times, and to trace the "cow that caused it". Or at least that's what I'd do as an innocent man. (Mainly the suing bit).
The thread title suggested an interesting discussion - the post iself not so much.
What I mean is that it's more relevant to discuss Saxo Bank's possibilities on a longer term.
Fact #1: There's a major risk that Saxo Bank loses its World Tour-license.
Fact #2: Contador's points won't matter in the rankings for the next two seasons.
Fact #3: Saxo Bank's sponsorship deal with the team runs out by the end of this season.
Fact #4: Had it not been for Contador's presence, Saxo Bank (the company) would have pulled the plug in 2010.
So that leaves us with:
Even if Saxo Bank manages to hold on to its World Tour license this season, it's going to be very, very difficult to score enough points to secure a license for next year, because the only rider capable of delivering huge results is Contador who can't score any points.
If you can't win points, you can always buy riders who won races in 2012 - but as it's been proved in 2011 and 2012, Riis doesn't have the budget to sign riders because of Contador. On the other hand, they can't fire / not extend with Contador, because Saxo Bank wants him on the team (they were prepared to leave when the team had the Schlecks and Cancellara...) - and the same goes for the other major backer, Specialized.
That being said, I believe Riis will find a way out, like he always does. But it looks extremely difficult this time, to be honest. He needs another major backer who's willing to pay big bucks and commit long-term.
"I love him, I think he's great. He's transformed the sport in so many ways. Every person in cycling has benefitted from Lance Armstrong, perhaps not financially but in some sense" - Bradley Wiggins on Lance Armstrong
"We will continue to support Alberto like we always have.......by the way, he's fired"
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"I love him, I think he's great. He's transformed the sport in so many ways. Every person in cycling has benefitted from Lance Armstrong, perhaps not financially but in some sense" - Bradley Wiggins on Lance Armstrong
I don't think he's fired. His contract has been terminated because Bertie has lost his license. Of course, whether he'll come back to Saxo is another matter.
kumazan wrote:
I don't think he's fired. His contract has been terminated because Bertie has lost his license. Of course, whether he'll come back to Saxo is another matter.
Get. The. Hint.
The preceding post is ISSO 9001 certified
"I love him, I think he's great. He's transformed the sport in so many ways. Every person in cycling has benefitted from Lance Armstrong, perhaps not financially but in some sense" - Bradley Wiggins on Lance Armstrong
With the ban of Contador there will be lots of pressure under the current SaxoBank riders to score some points.
The problem is that SaxoBank only had one leader, the other were his lieutenants. It will be interesting to see what the Sorensens, Paulinho and Navarro can do in the Grand Tours. And lets not forget about JJ Haedo, Nuyens and Kroon.
