Cipo splits from CRock Racing

Bro Deal

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"You are like the wind and I like the lion. You form the tempest. The sand stings my eyes and the ground is parched. I roar in defiance but you do not hear. But between us there is a difference. I, like the lion, must remain in my place. While you like the wind will never know yours." -- Mulay Hamid El Raisuli, Lord of the Riff, Sultan to the Berbers, Last of the Barbary Pirates

snood

Rock has bad week. Not invited for Tour of Georgia.

http://www.velonews.com/article/734...tour-de-georgia

helmutRoole2

Ball is writing the "How Not To Run A Cycling Team" text book.

I'm glad ToG invited Symmetrics. Great Canadian team.

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"Bait in 08" --nns1400

vitamin s

^^^^^^^ LOL! that team is so hillarious.

Bro Deal

Fifteen teams for Georgia and they could not fit Rock in. There go the hotties Rock would have brought with them.

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"You are like the wind and I like the lion. You form the tempest. The sand stings my eyes and the ground is parched. I roar in defiance but you do not hear. But between us there is a difference. I, like the lion, must remain in my place. While you like the wind will never know yours." -- Mulay Hamid El Raisuli, Lord of the Riff, Sultan to the Berbers, Last of the Barbary Pirates

earth_dweller

And now they're courting Axel Merckx: cnews

Don't do it Axel.

padawan

I really hope he's smarter than that.

kennf

You have to wonder at what point Ball will cut and run. His day-to-day contracts are made for that.

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"Don't sweat the petty things, and don't pet the sweaty things"

-- Some dude

earth_dweller

I'm thinking he'll call a press conference the day before Georgia starts, rant his head and announce his team is folding because of the 'the man' was not ready for people like him...

jimmypop

And the Rock brand got plenty of ink, air time and page refreshes. For Ball, a success.

tonyzackery

Pro cycling should be thanking Michael Ball. He's afforded 15+ professional cyclists jobs in this era of sponsors pulling out left and right; he's still in the game...for the time being anyway...

He's unconventional - yes, but look where convention has taken pro cycling nowadays - things can't get any worse with Michael Ball involved...there should be more unconventional types coming to the fore to turnover the old guard in pro cycling...sure he makes many of you uncomfortable, but this is exactly what is needed in pro cycling - getting folks out of their comfort zone and to start looking at pro cycling from a different and fresher perspective...

padawan

That's exactly the problem. It's "for the time being." As soon as he gets bored with trying to be a big name in the pro cycling circuit or feels he's gotten enough press out of this gig, he'll fold the team, put those 15+ cyclists out of a job. (I'm certain there wouldn't be any "here's a little severance pay to get you by until you get hired onto another team.")

So then has he truly done those pros any favours? I would say the risk of being identified with a team that doesn't seem to have any problem hiring tainted riders might just be worse than having a temporary pay cheque for a while and not getting to race much.

I don't like Ball because I don't think he's in it to help cycling at all. He's only interested in his own gain. Which is why he gets rid of everyone who doesn't want to do things exactly as he does. Sound like anyone else we know? If we put Ball and Lance on the same team - now that would make for some fireworks!

kennf

There's nothing wrong with "new money" and being unconventional. But there's a difference between being unconventional, and being obnoxious. Andre Agassi was unconventional in tennis, but you didn't want to slap him when you heard him interviewed. In another vein, Slipstream is a very unconventional team, and people love them (well, most). Driving around in Escalades for your teams' car? That's just stupid. Surprised he didn't use Hummers.

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"Don't sweat the petty things, and don't pet the sweaty things"

-- Some dude

Powerful Pete

A bit OT, but I continue to not see what is special about Slipstream. Their statements about being clean?

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