katusha not going to the giro

[jifdave]

http://www1.skysports.com/cycling/n...ubts-over-Joaquim-Rodriguez-s-future-increase

feel sorry for rodriquez. astana have a similarly poor drug record......

 

[jdtate101]

Rodriguez needs to find himself a new ticket, and soon otherwise 2013 is going to be a huge bust for him (in fact it's already looking that way), which would be a real shame.

 

[Herzog]

feel sorry for rodriquez. astana have a similarly poor drug record......

I'm sure he'll get out of his contract pretty soon...

 

[johnr]

They've really pi$$ed people off haven't they. If this is partof a power struggle between the UCI bigwigs and Eastern European new money,it looks like 2-0 to Fat Pat and his chums, so far.

 

[Noodley]

Is there something about J-Rod that the UCI know something we don't (even if we may suspect) or smells a bit too good to be true, that as the #1 rider last year he now finds his team excluded from the top flight?

The whole Katusha excluded thing puzzles me, given that other teams with worse/equally bad records and staff/DS seem to have got UCI approval over them. Something tells me that there is more to this than meets the eye...

 

[Herzog]

Is there something about J-Rod that the UCI know something we don't (even if we may suspect) or smells a bit too good to be true, that as the #1 rider last year he now finds his team excluded from the top flight?

The whole Katusha excluded thing puzzles me, given that other teams with worse/equally bad records and staff/DS seem to have got UCI approval over them. Something tells me that there is more to this than meets the eye...

Perhaps another "Festina" style scandal... doubt it though, it would have leaked...

 

[Strathlubnaig]

Whatever the reason for Katusha's loss of the World Tour licence it is likely not doping related since they were invited to apply for the Pro Continental right away, though they have not yet done so. "Ethical reasons" are cited, so this is perhaps financila or funding related somehow. Some folk like to see witches in every village.

 

[oldroadman]

The team is supported by Itera and Gazprom, where one of the big players is also high up in UCI, a certain Mr Vinokourov is heavily involved as general manager, and hheir top rider has already had his difficulties, so there could be a multitude of possibilities as to what is going on behind the scenes.
A lot more than is obvious. As quite a few top ranked riders have made the move to Katusha, maybe there will be a good number of agent driven exits as they look for an opportunity to be seen at the important races. And Katusha don't even have a Pro-Conti licence yet, but the feeder team Rusvelo does - transfers, perhaps?

 

[rich p]

The team is supported by Itera and Gazprom, where one of the big players is also high up in UCI, a certain Mr Vinokourov is heavily involved as general manager, and hheir top rider has already had his difficulties, so there could be a multitude of possibilities as to what is going on behind the scenes.
A lot more than is obvious. As quite a few top ranked riders have made the move to Katusha, maybe there will be a good number of agent driven exits as they look for an opportunity to be seen at the important races. And Katusha don't even have a Pro-Conti licence yet, but the feeder team Rusvelo does - transfers, perhaps?

Vinoukorov is GM at Astana unless I've misunderstood your post.

 

[oldroadman]

Vinoukorov is GM at Astana unless I've misunderstood your post.

Correct - my mistake..which just leaves the Rodriguez matter. Getting all confused with my Russians!

 

[rich p]

Correct - my mistake..which just leaves the Rodriguez matter. Getting all confused with my Russians!

All Reds under the bed!

 

[oldroadman]

Bit of sun now, freezing - time for an old bloke to have a little potter and remind himself why winter training needs to be done mainly in Spain!

 

[oldroadman]

A bit more research shows the boss of Itera, Katusha main sponsor, is also high up in the Russain cycling federation, and a potential candidate for UCI president. ASO don't want them for P-N and Dauphine, so TdF is looking a no-no. Rodriguez' agent must have worked out that they may have a problem, surely. So two things, R needs a new team and a new agent,pronto.Plus of course if the CAS appeal woks and Katusha end up with a division 1 place, someone has to go, and the races have started, etc., etc. Or maybe if that happened 19 teams in div 1, and another look at wild cards for the GT's and classics, or one extra team in them all, which will please organisers loads - not. A glorious mess. The plot thickens!