Andreau leaves Rock & Republic

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Rock's team kit is not too bad.huh ? Black guys don't ride bikes.......... its a white mans sport..... geez that Ball bloke is making the changes........

Rock's team kit is not too bad.
Maybe his true goal is to sell those jerseys.....

huh ? Black guys don't ride bikes.......... its a white mans sport..... geez that Ball bloke is making the changes........Bahati is the goods. Elite national crit champ at 19.

Bahati is the goods. Elite national crit champ at 19.
Yep, that guy can fly. I wish he raced for someone else.

Yep, that guy can fly. I wish he raced for someone else.Probably everyone on that team wished they raced for someone else.

Probably everyone on that team wished they raced for someone else.
I would not be surprised if the whole team implodes. It sounds like Ball has rigged all the contracts with not only the riders but also the equipment suppliers so that he can tear the contracts up at will. It is like he is intentionally leaving open the possibility of shutting down the operation.

I would not be surprised if the whole team implodes. It sounds like Ball has rigged all the contracts with not only the riders but also the equipment suppliers so that he can tear the contracts up at will. It is like he is intentionally leaving open the possibility of shutting down the operation.It is my understanding that the riders are on day-to-day contracts which means they can be fired at any time.

It's going to be interesting this season in N. America, especially since they're opening up OP again. All those Rock Racing OP guys could be banned.

Ball is being sued for sexual harrassment.

http://www.tmz.com/2007/08/27/jeans-designer-accused-of-trying-to-get-in-pants/

From VeloNews' O'Grady's Foaming Rant:

There's probably no truth to the rumor that Rock Racing has signed Frank Vandenbroucke, Roger Clemens, Mike Tyson, Britney Spears, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Amy Winehouse, Dr. Evil, Keith Richards, Dick Cheney, Rodan the Flying Monster, the Hound of the Baskervilles, the ghosts of Charles Bukowski, Hunter S. Thompson and Norman Mailer, and all the bad guys from the WWE.

Still, man, I love this f--king Michael Ball guy. It's refreshing for a change to suspect that management may be on drugs... (more (http://velonews.com/news/fea/13886.0.html)

And this: click her (http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/)

Pics from where Rock is staying for their training camp.

http://bahatiracing.com/rbgroup/photos/team_camp_casa/default.aspx

From VeloNews' O'Grady's Foaming Rant:

There's probably no truth to the rumor that Rock Racing has signed Frank Vandenbroucke, Roger Clemens, Mike Tyson, Britney Spears, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Amy Winehouse, Dr. Evil, Keith Richards, Dick Cheney, Rodan the Flying Monster, the Hound of the Baskervilles, the ghosts of Charles Bukowski, Hunter S. Thompson and Norman Mailer, and all the bad guys from the WWE.

Still, man, I love this f--king Michael Ball guy. It's refreshing for a change to suspect that management may be on drugs... (more (http://velonews.com/news/fea/13886.0.html):D :D Love the Darth Vader photoshop on that website!

Well whatever happens...they are going to have the coolest team bus and the best groupie chicks...:D

Rock Racing signs Cipo

By Andrew Hood
VeloNews European correspondent
Filed: January 18, 2008

Former world champion Mario Cipollini could be back in the saddle as a professional at next month's Tour of California as the long-rumored comeback with Rock Racing looks closer to being a done deal.


Is the tax man pushing Cipollini back on his bike?

photo: Agence France Presse (file photo)

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the 40-year-old colorful Italian has signed a contract to join the U.S. domestic team in a dual role of manager and racer. A formal announcement could come as soon as today at the opening day of the team's training camp in Malibu, California.

The pairing of Cipollini, who retired in 2005, and outspoken team owner Michael Ball has quietly been in the works for months since the pair met at Interbike in Las Vegas last fall.

Cipollini, who will turn 41 in March, traveled to California this week to hammer out a deal after a five-hour meeting late Wednesday, La Gazzetta reported.

Details were sketchy, but it appears the deal includes some race time as well as a managerial role for the upstart American team. The departure of Frankie Andreu in early January left the team without a sport director going into its second season.

The pairing of the flamboyant Cipollini and the iconoclastic Ball, who founded the Rock & Republic jeans company in 2002, almost seemed inevitable. The unlikely scenario of a Cipollini comeback gained traction last fall after Ball said there would be room for the sprinter on his team.


Come on, the guy's already a Rock star.

photo: Casey B. Gibson

Just last week, Ball told VeloNews' Neal Rogers that while nothing had been confirmed, he was a big fan of Cipollini.

"He's a good friend, he gives me great advice, and our relationship will continue into the future whether it's in business, or racing, or just as friendship. We will be friends forever," Ball said. "This guy is a true rock star. Man, I have my moments, but this guy puts me to shame, let me tell you. He is fantastic, a lot of fun."

Ball, the fashion mogul who has ambitious plans for his second-year team, has also penned deals with Tyler Hamilton, Oscar Sevilla and Santiago Botero, three riders with alleged links to the Operación Puerto doping scandal.

As one of cycling's most charismatic stars, Cipollini won a record 42 stages at the Giro d'Italia and the world title in 2002. Since retiring in 2005, "Super Mario" has stayed in the public eye by appearing on such programs as "Dancing with the Stars" and as a TV commentator.

Cipollini is expected to train with the team and formally return to competition at next month's Tour of California, though it's unknown how much racing he might actually commit to.

Earlier this week, it was reported that Cipollini owed more than $1 million in back taxes to Italian authorities, perhaps giving him an extra incentive to earn a paycheck again as a professional racer. There were no details of how much the Italian sprinter would be paid.

I don't get it. Must need the money. :rolleyes:

I don't get it. Must need the money. :rolleyes:
Its actually very simple. Mario starts his own fashion line and will use a few crits to promote his fashion in the US. Thats about it.

Its actually very simple. Mario starts his own fashion line and will use a few crits to promote his fashion in the US. Thats about it.

Yep. Mario has always been quite the "fashion" guy, so it seems like a perfect fit. Plus, it's one more chance to get the attention from the media and a whole new group of American women that he hasn't a chance to hit on before.

Yep. Mario has always been quite the "fashion" guy, so it seems like a perfect fit. Plus, it's one more chance to get the attention from the media and a whole new group of American women that he hasn't a chance to hit on before.And a chance for him to spend more time out of Italy for tax reasons.

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/Is_Cipollinis_comeback_already_over_article_174817.html

Could Mario Cipollini's comeback be over before it even began?

On Friday morning the Italian Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper claimed that Cipollini would come out of retirement and ride the Tour of California for the US Rock Racing team before becoming manager of a Monaco-based part of the team.

However by the end of the day it seems that Cipollini and charismatic Rock Racing owner Micheal Ball had already fallen out, contracts may never be signed and Cipollini might have to put his bike back in the garage.

Cipollini admitted there were problems with the new team on Italian radio.

“It's going to be a difficult birth, let's see what happens,” Cipollini said via phone from Santa Monica.

“We're discussing things and sifting through things but compared to two days ago things have become more difficult. Something has happened. We'll see if we manage to save the baby but it's going to be a difficult birth.”

The Rock Racing team has already cancelled a press conference planned for Monday January 21 and Cipollini has apparently decided to return to Italy on Sunday rather than stay, as planned, until the end of the month.

More later