Pro Transfers for 2014

[raindog]

Is it usual to announce these things half way thro a GT?!

I thought it was forbidden to make transfer announcements until the 1st of august or something?

 

[User169]

I thought it was forbidden to make transfer announcements until the 1st of august or something?

Mollema says he hasn't signed anything, but he's not exactly denying it!

 

[The Couch]

Talk about Sagan would be joining Nibbles at Astana (and his reaction when asked by Sporza does not really counter-dict it)
If he would be going, he will also bump into LL Sanchez who will re-joins the WorldTour level riding for Astana next year.

Tony Martin would remain for a couple of years with OPQS (good move imo)

 

[Crackle]

Mollema to Trek is not a good deal for either in my view. Trek still don't get a genuine contender for GC in a major race and Mollema gets to join a team which is often anonymous apart from Cancellara. maybe that's the appeal, big fish, small pond.

 

[smutchin]

Mollema to Trek is not a good deal for either in my view.

Probably a better bet for him than staying at Belkin though.

Not sure where exactly he'd be a good fit. He's probably never going to be an A-list GC contender, but would he be happy to settle for being a superdomestique for one of the big boys like Froome or Contador? Maybe being leader of a small team with more modest ambitions is the best bet.

 

[User169]

Reports here today that Lotto may take over as sponsor for Belkin, possibly together with the ice skating team Brand Loyalty.

 

[smutchin]

Reports here today that Lotto may take over as sponsor for Belkin

So what will happen to Lotto-Belisol? Or is the Belgian Lotto different to the Dutch Lotto? And if so, won't that get a bit confusing having two teams called Lotto?

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

So what will happen to Lotto-Belisol? Or is the Belgian Lotto different to the Dutch Lotto? And if so, won't that get a bit confusing having two teams called Lotto?

Liggett will have a better chance of being right tho when trying to identify a team.

 

[jarlrmai]

Last thing we need is more confusion on the ITV commentary.

 

[smutchin]

Even better when Sky pull out and the British team also gets taken over by Lotto.

And when the EU passes its Pan European Lottery Naming Standardisation directive so FdJ has to change its name to Lotto too.

 

[jarlrmai]

Team Euro Millions - Health Lottery - Gala Bingo

 

[Dogtrousers]

Off topic a bit, but I've often thought, on seeing these lottery sponsored teams, that if the UK lottery decided to sponsor a cycle team there would be a huge outcry about wasting money that should be going to Good Causes on feckless cyclists who never stop at red lights and go the wrong way round roundabouts.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

Off topic a bit, but I've often thought, on seeing these lottery sponsored teams, that if the UK lottery decided to sponsor a cycle team there would be a huge outcry about wasting money that should be going to Good Causes on feckless cyclists who never stop at red lights and go the wrong way round roundabouts.

The lottery have been funding British Cycling since the late 90s

 

[Dogtrousers]

Is that as a "good cause"? Alongside paying grants to penniless athletes to enable them to train?

I just imagine that branding a pro-cycling team with lottery money would cause a bit of a kerfuffle. (I'm completely ignorant of this area, as you might guess)

 

[smutchin]

Is that as a "good cause"? Alongside paying grants to penniless athletes to enable them to train?

I don't think the pros get lottery money. It's mainly dilettantes like Chris Hoy who need funding. (Hoy has said in the past that he wouldn't have been able to compete in the Olympics without that financial help.)