Contador leaving Astana

kcphoto

Just heard on the radio news.

http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/cycling/news/story?id=5416265

Hungrycol

Wow and he was offered €5m per year to stay with them!!!

It's be very funny if he joined Radioshack or even funnier if he joined Saxo Bank

TinyExplosions

Aren't the rumours that he's joining the Luxembourg team, along with the Schlecks?

ednwireland

TinyExplosions wrote: »

Aren't the rumours that he's joining the Luxembourg team, along with the Schlecks?

and saxobank (or sunguard or whatever it will be called)

i guess it wont be bruyneel at radioshack though

SACH Central

[QUOTE=Hungrycol;It's be very funny if he joined Radioshack or even funnier if he joined Saxo Bank [/QUOTE]

Rumour has it that he's joining Saxo Bank for next year. I think Riis probably sees it as a two fingered 'goodbye' to the Schleks.

You'd have to wonder why he'd leave Astana though. They had a great TdF and gave him great support, the best of any team it could be said, in the mountains.

snollup

wasnt there talk a new spanish team being set up by fernando alanso.

ednwireland

snollup wrote: »

wasnt there talk a new spanish team being set up by fernando alanso.

that wa sth eother rumour caisse d'erpagne are losing their sponsor and rumours of santander and alonso sponsoring that were around

quickstep was also rumoured

Chips Lovell

Riis is losing Saxo Bank as a sponsor next year. Rumour has it that Sunguard and Specialized are stepping in. Contador has a personal deal with Specialized as a bike sponsor, which is prompting the speculation that they could bring him to Riis's team.

Lumen

el tonto wrote: »

Riis is losing Saxo Bank as a sponsor next year. Rumour has it that Sunguard and Specialized are stepping in. Contador has a personal deal with Specialized as a bike sponsor, which is prompting the speculation that they could bring him to Riis's team.

Do sponsors really not give a damn about Riis's background?

Maybe Saxo Bank figured that dopers and bankers were made of the same stuff.

Chips Lovell

Lumen wrote: »

Do sponsors really not give a damn about Riis's background?

Maybe Saxo Bank figured that dopers and bankers were made of the same stuff.

We'll they're already his bike sponsor.

It's one thing trying to sponsor clean riders. It's quite another trying to find DS's with a clean history.

mloc123

Lumen wrote: »

Do sponsors really not give a damn about Riis's background?

Maybe Saxo Bank figured that dopers and bankers were made of the same stuff.

Thats what I was wondering about sponsors a while back... Whenever I hear Discovery, Rabobank etc.. I think of the doping scandals, I know there is no such thing as bad publicity but..

RobFowl

el tonto wrote: »

We'll they're already his bike sponsor.

It's one thing trying to sponsor clean riders. It's quite another trying to find DS's with a clean history.

+1

Even Garmin don't claim to be squeaky clean on that one.

Riis is about the most notorious though.....

funkyjebus

saxo bank, eh? i hope andy jumps ship, how crap would nest year be if they were team mates, which is the rumour i heard during this years tdf.

ednwireland

el tonto wrote: »

Riis is losing Saxo Bank as a sponsor next year. Rumour has it that Sunguard and Specialized are stepping in. Contador has a personal deal with Specialized as a bike sponsor, which is prompting the speculation that they could bring him to Riis's team.

shame they cant make him a TT bike that fits

mcgratheoin

funkyjebus wrote: »

saxo bank, eh? i hope andy jumps ship, how crap would nest year be if they were team mates, which is the rumour i heard during this years tdf.

Both Shlecks already said they're leacing SaxoBank for a Luxembourg team. The rumour about them on the same team was if Contador went to the new team as well.

Chips Lovell

Announced this morning. Contador is going to Saxo Bank, with Saxo staying changing its mind and staying on board as a sponsor.

ednwireland

el tonto wrote: »

Announced this morning. Contador is going to Saxo Bank, with Saxo staying changing its mind and staying on board as a sponsor.

wow didnt expect saxobank to stay on

cancellara stays as well

Chips Lovell

Yeah, a real coup for Riis. The best stage racer and best classics rider on the one team. Plus he has one of the best up and coming riders in the form of Richie Porte

RobFowl

Quite a coup for Riis all right.

I'd really prefer to see him out of the sport though TBH.

Also after Once, Liberty Seguros, Discovery and then Astana I'd really have prefered to see Contador go to a team with out a reputation or a doper in charge.

mike12

[mod note: threads merged]

See Contador is schlecks replacment
http://www.rte.ie/sport/cycling/2010/0803/contadora.html

Thanks

Boden08

Wonder where Andy is going to go - Radioshack?

high heels

they say theres going to be a team Luxemburg..

NickDrake

Riis the dodgy dodgy Director gets his hands on the the top cylist of the last few years.

This cannot be good for cycling

Chips Lovell

NickDrake wrote: »

Riis the dodgy dodgy Director gets his hands on the the top cylist of the last few years.

This cannot be good for cycling

I don't see why Saxo Bank should be seen as any different from his previous teams.

NickDrake

el tonto wrote: »

I don't see why Saxo Bank should be seen as any different from his previous teams.

Riis who based his whole career on doping? Everything about cycling with him involved doping. The man is a fraud.

Teaming up with Contador is not good news.

Look what happend Basso, Hamilton, Frank Schlek when they were/are with him

Chips Lovell

NickDrake wrote: »

Riis who based his whole career on doping? Everything about cycling with him involved doping. The man is a fraud.

Teaming up with Contador is not good news.

Look what happend Basso, Hamilton, Frank Schlek when they were/are with him

And you think that every other DS Contador has worked with has a spotless history?

NickDrake

el tonto wrote: »

And you think that every other DS Contador has worked with has a spotless history?

No I don't but Riis won a Tour and he was one of the worst dopers. Why are you standing up for Riis. Don't get it at all

Chips Lovell

NickDrake wrote: »

No I don't but Riis won a Tour and he was one of the worst dopers. Why are you standing up for Riis. Don't get it at all

I'm not standing up for Riis at all. I'm just wondering why you're singling him out when Contador has already worked with Manolo Saiz, Johan Bruyneel, Giuseppe Martinelli and Guido Bontempi to name a few?

In short, Contador is working with a director that has a chequered past. What's new?

tunney

NickDrake wrote: »

Riis who based his whole career on doping? Everything about cycling with him involved doping. The man is a fraud.

Teaming up with Contador is not good news.

Look what happend Basso, Hamilton, Frank Schlek when they were/are with him

Name one team that doesn't have proven dopers involved?

Chips Lovell

I see Riis has set quite modest targets for his new signing.

ROK ON

Velonation reports that Riis maybe interested in bringing the chicken back.

Chips Lovell

ROK ON wrote: »

Velonation reports that Riis maybe interested in bringing the chicken back.

Sure why not!

He hasn't done that much at Miche though, has he? And he'll be 37 come next year's Tour.

RobFowl

el tonto wrote: »

Sure why not!

He hasn't done that much at Miche though, has he? And he'll be 37 come next year's Tour.

But at Team Riis they do team bonding and stuff......

Makes all the has beens good again :rolleyes:

ROK ON

AC will now not try to win 3 grand tours in one season. Impossible says brother and agent Fran - claims it was a ttanslation error.
Opps.
From Velonation.

Chips Lovell

Awww. Boring!

IM0

ROK ON wrote: »

AC will now not try to win 3 grand tours in one season. Impossible says brother and agent Fran - claims it was a ttanslation error.
Opps.
From Velonation.

or he was going to but then remembered he doesn't dope anymore :rolleyes:

blorg

NickDrake wrote: »

Riis who based his whole career on doping? Everything about cycling with him involved doping. The man is a fraud.

Riis never tested positive during his career as a rider. Neither has any rider while riding on one of his teams.

RobFowl

blorg wrote: »

Riis never tested positive during his career as a rider. Neither has any rider while riding on one of his teams.

He never tested positive because the first EPO test arrived in 1999 after he had retired.....

And re his teams try Marc Streel and Ivan Basso for size .....