No more Rabobank

buffalo

http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/13096/Rabobank-stuns-cycling-with-sudden-withdrawal-from-the-sport.aspx

In what is a major shock for the world of cycling, one of the sport’s longest-running sponsors Rabobank has abruptly announced that it will quit its backing of both its men’s and women’s teams in just over two month’s time.

Hopefully not the first of many, although maybe this is a lesson pro-cycling as a whole needs to learn.

Shocking loss for women's racing especially.

Junior

The Women's team is terrible news, the world's best female cyclist is now without a team. Follow @tourdejose on Twitter for live updates of the press conference at 10.30

iregk

buffalo wrote: »

http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/13096/Rabobank-stuns-cycling-with-sudden-withdrawal-from-the-sport.aspx



Hopefully not the first of many, although maybe this is a lesson pro-cycling as a whole needs to learn.

Shocking loss for women's racing especially.

To be honest I hope this is the first of a few. This needs to happen I feel. McQuaid nor anyone at the UCI will do anything unless it hurts them financially. What is required is TV companies, sponsors etc... all pulling the plug. Jaimie from skins is a class act, shame we didn't have many more presidents like him.

What we need is for the likes of Skoda and some other big ones like Garmin and Saxo to say good bye or for even Shimmano to say they are no longer supplying the sport. Although that last one will never happen.

Diarmuid

Have to agree. Based on the response of lots of the pro peleton and the governing body to the USADA report, the sport needs to be torn down to the ground. It's just too rotten in its current state.

buffalo

I hope they make some pretty specific statements at the press conference, e.g. we are pulling out due to McQuainbruggen still ruling the UCI. Rabobank need to send a clear message, not one that can be mistaken for just "doping is bad so we're leaving".

fat bloke

*frantic searching for heavily discounted end of year rabobank paint scheme Giant TCR stock*

An ill wind, and all that...

joker77

buffalo wrote: »

I hope they make some pretty specific statements at the press conference, e.g. we are pulling out due to McQuainbruggen still ruling the UCI. Rabobank need to send a clear message, not one that can be mistaken for just "doping is bad so we're leaving".

There's a statement in the article:

Bert Bruggink, member of the Managing Board, was scathing about his view of cycling. “It is with pain in our heart, but for the bank this is an inevitable decision. We are no longer convinced that the international professional world of cycling can make this a clean and fair sport,” he said. “We are not confident that this will change for the better in the foreseeable future."

Pretty damning

joker77

Some strong words from David Millar

https://twitter.com/millarmind/status/259202667941875713

Dear Rabobank, you were part of the problem. How dare you walk away from your young clean guys who are part of the solution. Sickening.

topcat77

Massive, Massive, Massive, holy holy **** Massive. Brave step and sad to say i think it's the only thing that can save cycling at this moment.

Flandria

Junior wrote: »

The Women's team is terrible news, the world's best cyclist is now without a team. Follow @tourdejose on Twitter for live updates of the press conference at 10.30

Fixed that;)

Shocking news, don't forget Liquigas pulled out as main sponsor a couple of weeks ago, too.

David Millar had this to say:

Dear Rabobank, you were part of the problem. How dare you walk away from your young clean guys who are part of the solution. Sickening.

Joker beat me to it...

Junior

Flandria wrote: »

Fixed that;)

Shocking news, don't forget Liquigas pulled out as main sponsor a couple of weeks ago, too.

David Millar had this to say:



Joker beat me to it...

Liquigas were pulling out anyways it was the end of their contract. David Millar, is really really starting to get on my tits, he *IS* part of the problem himself, and he's now proclaiming everyone else to be the bad guy.

topcat77

Millar was part of the problem. now part of the solution? don't think he's still part of the problem but he hasn't got a leg to stand on regarding preaching ethics to people in public.

ThisRegard

iregk wrote: »

McQuaid nor anyone at the UCI will do anything unless it hurts them financially.

One of the board members agrees

“We are not confident that this will change for the better in the foreseeable future."

Pretty obvious that Rabobank have made this decision not just based on what has happened in the past, but don't think the UCI as is are doing, or going to do, anything better in the future.

edit: snap with Joker.

joker77 wrote: »

Some strong words from David Millar



https://twitter.com/millarmind/status/259202667941875713

But not many agreeing with him.


https://en.twitter.com/TourDeJose is tweeting updates at the moment.

Harrybelafonte

I don't know, I'm not sure they're really being up front about it. They're punishing their women's and youth teams, dropping a respected U23 programme after 17 years in which, maybe in my naivete, I thought they were one of the cleaner (cleanest) teams.

Did they just want out anyway, same as Euskaltel Euskadi, considering that no-one seemed happy with their results this year.

They are a bank after all and must have taken some kind of hit over the last few years. How many members of Rabobank have been caught/suspected of doping.

Personally I think it's a bad thing, really bad. But as someone else said, maybe we can expect a change of attitude at the UCI.

Harrybelafonte

Marianne Vos to supported by them on an individual level until 2016. Nothing about the other 12 ladies so far.

ThisRegard

But it looks like they're honouring existing contracts though doesn't it and will continue to pay their salaries, the mens team that is ? They're withdrawing their name from December and the team will ride white label if I understand José Beens tweets.

Flandria

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

I don't know, I'm not sure they're really being up front about it. They're punishing their women's and youth teams, dropping a respected U23 programme after 17 years in which, maybe in my naivete, I thought they were one of the cleaner (cleanest) teams.

Did they just want out anyway, same as Euskaltel Euskadi, considering that no-one seemed happy with their results this year.

They are a bank after all and must have taken some kind of hit over the last few years.

How many members of Rabobank have been caught/suspected of doping.

Personally I think it's a bad thing, really bad. But as someone else said, maybe we can expect a change of attitude at the UCI.

Well... Boogie, Rasmussen, Dekker, Menchov, Leinders and the Humanplasma thing don't make for pretty reading...

Harrybelafonte

Flandria wrote: »

Well... Boogie, Rasmussen, Dekker, Menchov, Leinders and the Humanplasma thing don't make for pretty reading...

Sorry, yeah, I suddenly remembered Rasmussen and Menchov and then the whole thing fell apart in my head. I came quickly back to hide my stupidity... Thnks for highlighting it LOL.

ThisRegard

Details here

This morning at 9am the press release that Rabobank will end its sponsorship for the men’s proteam and the women’s team. There are 28 riders with a 2013 contract and 12 women.

The Rabobank will continue to sponsor the Dutch Cycling Union, including the youth cycling project.

The U23 team will continue but the exact shape and form will be revealed.

There are currently negociations for the cross and offroad teams to ride under the flag of the KNWU.

Bruggink: “We think cycling and its associate organizations are sick and beyond repair. Rabobank lost faith that the sport will be able to cleanse itself. We read USADA’s report and yesterday the Barredo case came out. It is too much and we’ll end our sponsorship per December 31, 2012.”

The riders received the exact same press release as the press did, only 30 minutes prior.

There are still a lot of Legal ramifications that are currently investigated.

Men

Bruggink: “The men’s proteam riders will move to an foundation. That foundation will keep the WorldTour license. Rabobank will honour its financial obligations and will pay for the team in 2013. The name will not be on the jerseys anymore.”

Women

“Our sympathy for Marianne Vos and her team is very big. We will continue to support her Olympic ambitions untill 2016.”

ednwireland

i think pat mcquaid's more ambitous events i.e tour of bejiing might be on the rocks unless the organisers start paying travel costs, cant see too many pro teams on tightening (or non-existant) budgets sending teams to the far flung corners of the world, i can see a smaller retrenched in europe world tour.

as far as rabobank, honestly i'm not suprised but it seems like a good excuse for doing something they probably wanted to do but daren't, can you imagine the outcry (from the dutch public) if they had just pulled out without this excuse.

to anyone criticising millar, have you read his biography ? well worth reading for how someone ends up taking drugs.

paddyh117

re Millar - I haven't read his, but I will, I’ve read Kimmage’s and I’ve read Hamilton's and neither of those two have the patronising attitude that he has - and neither of those two have ever said, "it's a different sport now than 5 years ago"

Morrisseeee

I see it as purely a political move, put the pressure on UCI (with fans, media & the general public puting pressure on them also), and when the UCI is cleaned up (hopefully :rolleyes:) then Rabobank will come back on board (unless they really are looking for a way out of cycling).

Maybe Millar's tweet is a bit hasty, as most controversial tweets are.

What's that famous 'old' saying: think before you tweet :pac:

Hermy

This sort of thing has got to happen if the USADA report is to have a lasting affect on professional cycling. Teams and riders need to know that doping and PED's will not be tolerated any more - not by fans, not by the governing body and not by the sponsors. Otherwise when the dust settles is back to the same old same old as happened after the Festina affair and Operation Puerto.

Beasty

Hermy wrote: »

This sort of thing has got to happen if the USADA report is to have a lasting affect on professional cycling. Teams and riders need to know that doping and PED's will not be tolerated any more - not by fans, not by the governing body and not by the sponsors. Otherwise when the dust settles is back to the same old same old as happened after the Festina affair and Operation Puerto.

Absolutely - these are the sort of headlines the sport needs at this time.

Yes a few riders and staff will suffer over the short term, but it's no-where near the scale of suffering brought on many others as a result of doping within the sport. Short term pain will hopefully help rid the sport of this "cancer" (and I know there will always be someone trying to beat the system, but hopefully never again on anything like this scale)

Harrybelafonte

But at the same time, of all the teams to pull out, where Rabobank the one's who would create the most change? Would we prefer to see other more tainted teams disappear before Rabobank? Astana,maybe? Saxo?

buffalo

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

But at the same time, of all the teams to pull out, where Rabobank the one's who would create the most change? Would we prefer to see other more tainted teams disappear before Rabobank? Astana,maybe? Saxo?

Astana will be pushed before they jump.

Junior

buffalo wrote: »

Astana will be pushed before they jump.

Not with so many Russian Powerhouses sitting at the UCI Top table..

morana

"Doping is everywhere at professional races and moreover it is supported even within the highest institutions of the cycling world."

from the press conference this morning.

Diarmuid

morana wrote: »

"Doping is everywhere at professional races and moreover it is supported even within the highest institutions of the cycling world."

from the press conference this morning.

It's like everything is building up for the perfect Paul Kimmage "trial" :pac:

joker77

Will this be a watershed moment in the sport's history?

Will real change happen?

The cynic in me is wondering why all this is happening in the off-season.

fixie fox

joker77 wrote: »

Some strong words from David Millar

https://twitter.com/millarmind/status/259202667941875713

Maybe Rabobank have decided on a Zero Tolerance policy.
Perhaps that's what we need.
If so, David Millar would be out of the sport and maybe ex-dopers shouldn't be so judgmental of others

DirkVoodoo

Disappointed by Millar's response. Cycling needs to be saved and if that means that there is a "lost generation" of cyclists, then so be it.

The problem isn't just riders, it's the UCI. If they were committed to weeding out dopers, guys like Bruyneel and Riis wouldn't be allowed near a team. The pressure to dope, isn't just from a few crazy riders who want to win, it's from the guys handing out the contracts.

I'm a little sad that David can't see that, his own experiences at Cofidis pointed the finger at management.

mcgratheoin

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Disappointed by Millar's response. Cycling needs to be saved and if that means that there is a "lost generation" of cyclists, then so be it.

Agree with this completely, but let's not forget the "lost generation" of cyclists who refused to dope at the height of the sport's corruption as well. The anger of present cyclists should be directed at those people (many still involved in the sport) who have brought this situation about.

Why don't they all come out with quotes like Spartacus?
"Lance has ensured that the early years of my career are wasted years."

CardinalJ

I really doubt rabobank would have done this if they hadn't already been looking for an out.

Lusk Doyle

CardinalJ wrote: »

I really doubt rabobank would have done this if they hadn't already been looking for an out.

They have had a fairly dire time of late, results wise:

"And here comes Mark Renshaw to the front with one other team mate with 15kms to go......And there they go back the way they came with 12kms to go (nowhere to be seen for the rest of the stage!)"

ashleey

Maybe I'm reading this situation wrongly but, behind closed doors, then could not the UCI power brokers be saying 'see, I told you that keeping our tacit support of Armstrong secret was right. Now we are losing sponsors that it is out in the open'.
Unfortunately, cycling needs a full clean out.

ROK ON

Sad, hamfisted but probably necessary to get the message across.
Hamfisted in that Rabo could have said we will cease to be a sponsor to mRNA pro-cycling but could have continued with U23 & ladies.

Jonathan Vaughters of Garmin can be hugely annoying, but if ever there was merit in a breakaway league for pro cycling then no better time than now.

TV companies, race organisers and a few selected teams are what it would take. A closed structure with some people simply not invited to play.

Macy0161

I don't see it as the positive some here suggest. It seems the organisation will continue, it's the sponsor going. So even as a grand gesture it rings hollow to me. Plus, if they really wanted to clean up the team, they've had enough "issues" of their own without piggy backing on the USADA report.

For me it's either getting out while the going is relatively good (i.e. anything that breaks in the future will at least be about "the team formerly known as Rabobank") or it's handy excuse to cut a large sponsorship when the bank isn't doing as well as it used to.

velo.2010

A reminder of Rabobank's history. Translated.

http://www.microsofttranslator.com/BV.aspx?ref=IE8Activity&a=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.volkskrant.nl%2Fvk%2Fnl%2F2698%2FSport%2Farticle%2Fdetail%2F3251189%2F2012%2F05%2F05%2FDoping-werd-getolereerd-in-Raboploeg.dhtml%3Futm_source%3Ddailynewsletter%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_campaign%3D20120505%26utm_content%3Dweekend

So beginning in 1996, doping was tolerated in the team until very recently. What about the board of Rabobank? This was a huge investment on their part yet only now are they throwing their hands up! Were there not questions about Rasmussen and Boogerd? Does the board not have to look at themselves like the board of the UCI?

Anyway, the only way to go (if the method could be perfected) is daily blood samples taken from riders during stage or one day racing. A pin-prick and a few drops wouldn't affect performance as opposed to a daily vein-drain. That still leaves the problem of out of competition testing. Why not more training camps with all the riders together? How many times do we read about grand tours riders spending a 'quiet week' in the Alps training on their own or with a teamate? I'm sure we all think the same thing like 'they're up there now doping away' in peace far away from testers and genuine team doctors.

Keep them together for as long as possible and keep an eye on them!

Anyway, I'll miss the jerseys. They hardly changed for years and were so easy to spot.

ednwireland

just saw this

Rabobank came into the sport in 1996, replacing Word Perfect as Jan Raas title sponsor.

so forgotten about this

Junior

ROK ON wrote: »

Sad, hamfisted but probably necessary to get the message across.
Hamfisted in that Rabo could have said we will cease to be a sponsor to mRNA pro-cycling but could have continued with U23 & ladies.

Jonathan Vaughters of Garmin can be hugely annoying, but if ever there was merit in a breakaway league for pro cycling then no better time than now.

TV companies, race organisers and a few selected teams are what it would take. A closed structure with some people simply not invited to play.

Why bother breaking away when you can put forward your team co-owner for president of the governing body ?

Flandria

Looks like Giant might step in to the breach (as hoped)...

http://www.rtl.nl/components/financien/rtlz/nieuws/2012/42/giant-overweegt-sponsorschap-raboploeg.xml

el tel

ednwireland wrote: »

just saw this





so forgotten about this

I have one of those jerseys. I got it when I was 16. It's tight as fook but I still wear it sometimes :cool:

manwithaplan

velo.2010 wrote: »

Anyway, I'll miss the jerseys. They hardly changed for years and were so easy to spot.

They looked a bit like our club jersey from a distance. That's the last of my TV cycling viewing being interrupted by one of the children saying "Dad, a guy from Swords is in the lead*".

*usually with about 15 km to go!

petethedrummer

velo.2010 wrote: »

A reminder of Rabobank's history. Translated.

http://www.microsofttranslator.com/BV.aspx?ref=IE8Activity&a=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.volkskrant.nl%2Fvk%2Fnl%2F2698%2FSport%2Farticle%2Fdetail%2F3251189%2F2012%2F05%2F05%2FDoping-werd-getolereerd-in-Raboploeg.dhtml%3Futm_source%3Ddailynewsletter%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_campaign%3D20120505%26utm_content%3Dweekend

So beginning in 1996, doping was tolerated in the team until very recently. What about the board of Rabobank? This was a huge investment on their part yet only now are they throwing their hands up! Were there not questions about Rasmussen and Boogerd? Does the board not have to look at themselves like the board of the UCI?

Agreed and for once I agree with Millar. Rabobank can't have been so dumb as to not know this was all going on. Cycling is going to be absolutely poisonous to be associated with now, so they're pretending to be high and mighty. This is PR decision only, not a moral one.

Me sitting at my desk in a factory in Ireland knew all this was going on and I've never met anyone from the pro-cycling game. But Rabobank are shocked and horrified and have no faith in the future of the sport since yesterday.

torturedsoul

A move that will hopfully put pressue on Mc**** to "step down".

Have to pity Rochey, leaving AG2 for a team without a sponsor

petethedrummer

If they were part of the solution they could have stipulated that Pat McQuaid and the board of the UCI resign. But no. They're just high tailing it out of here.

Junior

petethedrummer wrote: »

Agreed and for once I agree with Millar. Rabobank can't have been so dumb as to not know this was all going on. Cycling is going to be absolutely poisonous to be associated with now, so they're pretending to be high and mighty. This is PR decision only, not a moral one.

Me sitting at my desk in a factory in Ireland knew all this was going on and I've never met anyone from the pro-cycling game. But Rabobank are shocked and horrified and have no faith in the future of the sport since yesterday.

They have no faith in the governance of the sport, to be fair to them they've made some strong changes over the past few years, why bother doing that if the same f*cktards are going to preside over the mess, there is no encouragement or reward for being clean just a game of staying one step ahead.

Junior

torturedsoul wrote: »

A move that will hopfully put pressue on Mc**** to "step down".

Have to pity Rochey, leaving AG2 for a team without a sponsor

Roche has gone to Saxobank not Rabobank.

DirkVoodoo

petethedrummer wrote: »

If they were part of the solution they could have stipulated that Pat McQuaid and the board of the UCI resign. But no. They're just high tailing it out of here.

Of course they are, look at the media attention! I can't remember the last time news channels, papers, etc. have devoted so much time to covering a cycling scandal. This isn't about image within the sport anymore, it's bigger than that and they are all getting out.

Can't say I blame them, they are in this for profit and not the good of the sport. That's the UCI's job, and as usual they have completely fudged the entire thing. Couldn't be more deserving either, every minor doping scandal has been a warning shot, this time they got hit square in the balls.

petethedrummer

Junior wrote: »

They have no faith in the governance of the sport, to be fair to them they've made some strong changes over the past few years, why bother doing that if the same f*cktards are going to preside over the mess, there is no encouragement or reward for being clean just a game of staying one step ahead.

They were quite happy to deal with these f*cktards up until this week. They same f*cktards they've always dealt with. And like I said in the previous post they could have said: "We'll stay if McQuaid and the board go. You have one month to decide".

This is exactly what the SKINS guy did...
"As the Chairman of an active performance cycling industry participant, I demand that your response to USADA's comprehensive report on Lance Armstrong's activities includes a transparent and credible reparation programme. You must act as your position demands, or step aside. Tell the world what you intend to do or allow others with energy and fortitude to lead the sport through its current crisis."