Great ride for Meier and Canada!!!

Uboat

What a great ride for the young Christian Meier--second in the Vuelta a Chihuahua, behind Mancebo! Looking at the reports it looked like he was same time as Mancebo, who was/is one of the great climbers now at the Tour before he was banned for the Puerto thing.

Maybe Meier is Protour bound next year?

holli

Could be ProTour in near future. I think he might need some results against ProTour guys and/or in european races before getting into ProTour team as it's getting more difficult to get a spot in a team.

__________________
Pain is just weakness leaving the body.

Uboat

Holli, Saunier Duval, Liberty Seguros, Slipstream were there, as well as some "former" ProTour guys (thanks to Operaction Puerto) but as the artile I posted in thread below it looks like he is definitely getting some interest!!

holli

It's just that guys who have been on a podium in 2.2 and 1.2 races in Europe have very hard time finding a spot next year in ProTour or Pro-continental teams. There are so many teams quitting now that there are lots of riders looking for a spot in fewer teams than before and many teams are already done signing riders for next year.

EDIT: Wonder what Ed has to say about this. Is this Bill Kinash's "fault" as well as everything else what is going on in canadian cycling?

__________________
Pain is just weakness leaving the body.

Uboat

Well....I don't think he'd lie about teams asking to sign him, would he? Lots of euro teams like having American and Canadians too as it makes them "exotic" especially if the sponsor has holdings in North America. I read Tuft had two ProTour offers but turned them down because of the drug scene etc in europe, I guess.

holli

Tuft is little bit different case IMO. I don't say that he would lie, but I just read the article after posting. I might be wrong but the main reason might be the fact that neither of these two guys want to go to Europe to become bottle carriers when they can stay with Symmetrics, maybe make more money and race for themselves.

That whole drug stuff hitting the fan in europe shouldn't be an issue as it will be better for clean riders.

EDIT: Turning down ProTour offers is stupid...especially if you're an older guy like Tuft.

__________________
Pain is just weakness leaving the body.

Uboat

I've read a lot of good stuff about Tuft. Remember, he rode for Mercury and has done the Euro thing. he just has a different outlook on life. REad all the articles on him, he is happy where he is, doing what he does, and he signed, what, a 3-4 year contract with symmetrics, with apparently cash upwards to 80-90k!!!!!

holli

I've read couple of those articles. When he rode for Mercury he wasn't nearly as good as he is now. I didn't know about those contract stipulations but those certainly keep him with Symmetrics. He couldn't get that kind of contract in Europe anyway. I think I would choose ProTour anyway in his situation...or maybe not as winning races, getting paid well for doing that and staying at home might outweigh carrying bottles, abandoning or finishing races in grupetto, working your ass off, living away from home, high stress due to tight schedule and long season and lower salary. Well I come from a country where it's clear that you need to move abroad in order to do something in cycling.

__________________
Pain is just weakness leaving the body.

Uboat

So you're saying Svein isn't doing someting in cycling?

Fausto Coppied

Are you looking just to get a rise out of me?

I won't defend the UCI.

Look around here and Pedal Magazine and Canadian Cyclsits forums, I have often said they UCI will screw CDN cycling. I have also said repeatedly, I do not care about Euro racing until we get the domestic scene fixed.

That is Bil Kinash's fault.

I have also pointed out the most publicized race in Canadain cycling history is Les Mardis Cycliste de Lachine in Montreal, a weekly 40km crit!!!

If you were to ask the general Montreal public that read mainstream newspapers and watch mainstream TV, they actually knows (or knew) who was leading in Lachine they will tell you they think the best guys in country are the guys that ride those races.

It is all about the show.

Kinash, Lafreniere and most others at the CCA don't have a clue how to market the sport.

holli

What? Sorry...english isn't clearly my first language so I can't express myself very well.

__________________
Pain is just weakness leaving the body.

holli

Well UCI screws cycling in general. Thanks to one Irish gentleman.

I think there are not very many who want to fix the domestic scene. And as far as I know there are too much tensions between provincial associations to make collaboration possible.

__________________
Pain is just weakness leaving the body.

Fausto Coppied

Too much tension between provinces to make collaboration possible?

Hardly.

Let's face it, in many provinces now the cycling federations are almost non-existent and not strong enough to do anything worthwhile.

They need help.

If help is offered they'd take it.

Uboat

He hit the nail on the head with this line, ""To be a part of Symmetrics at this point is unbelievable," said Meier. "Symmetrics is rewriting Canadian cycling history."

http://www.canada.com/theprovince/n...b7-7a29a8f713af