I like how the sponsor PR people always say "it's a difficult decision"...

It's the easiest decision a company can make.


Cycling at the top of the sport is a horrible investment for lots of companies... It's generally a cycling enthusiast top man in a big company that pulls the strings in getting into this sport.

No Major, non_cycling related company PR man would be caught dead staking his carreer on taking a "hey we should be in cycling" idea to a borad of directors or senior staff...

This sport is in such a bad way that even great fans like squinzi at Mapei, the guys from Liberty Insurance, hell the list is as long as your arm... Even company big bosses that love the sport have given up on cycling as run by the UCI.


While the athletes are partially to blame, there is such a rotten culture that I don't put most of the blame with the riders...

This has been an abusive, horrible sport for most of it's participants.

That gets no play from the Ulrichs, Basso's and Armstrongs of the world because they leave the sport set for life +++. But for every Lance there is a thousand chewed up and spit out people (riders, mechanics, support staff...) that were simply put through hell and had their bodies rung out and have less than nothing to show for it.

And that's down to team management and the UCI.



Bravo and Thank you T mobile!

You stuck around longer than you should have and, despite the UCI doing a piss poor job of using "financial guaranties to do anything more than make sure their asses stay fat, have not left riders and staff high and dry like so many others crap companies have

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charles@pezcyclingnews.com

^^^

An excellent post by PezTech, bravo !

Just its reputation died with Mr. 60%. Too bad, but I feel for T-mobile.
Ask any cycling spectators what Festina represents -few know they even sell watches.
I hoped the phoenix would rise from the flames, but with Riis back and Bruyneel back, it looks like the same old same old.

Well said. I think that's the same for most "minority" sports and things will get tougher. Where once upon a time the director of a family company could say "I used to race bikes/motorcycles/bmx/cross/karts, so we're going to sponsor Team XYZ", now he would have to justify it in marketing terms to the board. And the board will probably tell him to stick it and invest in football, or just more TV ads.

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Graham

He is still a cheater. He was on a clean team with no pressure and still cheated. The guys that dont talk to him are the ones that almost lost there jobs. Sorry, but we dont feel sorry for him. He talked only to reduce his sentance. Not to help the sport. If he wanted to help the sport he could have raced clean to add another one on our side. But 7 years dirty and gets 1 year....... bit of a joke. I bet if he wasnt caught, he would not have talked and would countine to race dirty.

so dude whats happening for you? hope you and the team are ok. some of the boys on here should sponser the team think theres enough money flying about!!
tikka

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Adam hope everything works out for you. Looks like you may have to change your web site somewhat and take down that T-mobil stuff.

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"Really fast people are frustrating, but they make you faster. When you get faster, you might frustrate someone else."

2009 Trek Madone 5.5 Project One SRAM Force 16.4 lbs w/pedals and cages.
2007 Bianchi 928 Carbon Lugged- SRAM Rival-17 lbs.

Hope things are well for you too- keep the rubber side down. Good luck with High Road!

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This forum would be a better place if you had to know what you were talking about prior to posting. And if you took yourself less seriously.

This is what bothers me most about dopers and pro cycling. If you get caught, it affects many, many people's livelihood and careers. But the dopers prevail, they right books, they start foundations, start bike companies, they even get people to pay their legal bills. Cheaters get regarded as highly as anyone historically, even more so. Look at the cult of Pantani or Landis. Facts don't matter, hero worship prevails. And they are more than willing to use people.

What message does this send to younger riders? The current message is lie, cheat and retire when the heat is on.

The real heroes worthy of worship in the peloton are unknown. But I think there is a bigger fan base for these riders than people think. Cycling is like football, the beauty in the sport may not be in numbers of goals or wins.