Cipo splits from CRock Racing

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

velonews.comno rock racing for tour de georgiaOpen ↗

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

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

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

snood said:

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

velonews.comno rock racing for tour de georgiaOpen ↗

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

And now they're courting Axel Merckx: cnews

Don't do it Axel.

earth_dweller said:

Don't do it Axel.

I really hope he's smarter than that.

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

kennf said:

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

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...

earth_dweller said:

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...

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

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...

tonyzackery said:

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...

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!

tonyzackery said:

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...

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.

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

tonyzackery said:

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...

Ball needs to stop for a moment and engage his brain. Aside from the questionability of hiring three riders with a cloud hanging over them, he has now [censored] up several times. He applied for the wrong racing license, preventing him from getting invites to important races in europe. He thought the organizers of the ToC were bluffing, and as a result he had to race California three men down; he screwed three of this own out of their chance of making good in front of a national audience. And now he has somehow not been invited to Georgia even though Rock should be counted as one of the strongest U.S. teams.

Powerful Pete said:

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

Well, yes. Their anti-doping stand/program is what gives them their primary publicity.

TheDarkLord said:

Well, yes. Their anti-doping stand/program is what gives them their primary publicity.

That's what I meant. Along with the argyle of course.

TheDarkLord said:

Well, yes. Their anti-doping stand/program is what gives them their primary publicity.

Meh. So as long as you go telling everyone you are anti-doping and all that you are the new face of cycling? Pardon me if I, as a suspicious southern European, I am not completely swept off my feet by the charade. If their riders are holding their own in European races (as they appear to be doing), something tells me they are taking a bit more than bread and water, whatever they may be telling us.

Powerful Pete said:

Meh. So as long as you go telling everyone you are anti-doping and all that you are the new face of cycling? Pardon me if I, as a suspicious southern European, I am not completely swept off my feet by the charade. If their riders are holding their own in European races (as they appear to be doing), something tells me they are taking a bit more than bread and water, whatever they may be telling us.

Yes, it is possible that they are still doping; but my point is that their publicity comes from their anti-doping stand. I guess the question is how the teams with a biological passport program are managing to dope (if they are doing it). The program is managed by an outside agency, right?

Now, the fact that they are holding their own in European races is interpreted by some that it is possible to race clean. Whether that is true or not depends on how clean the rest of the peloton is, or to turn the scales the other way around, whether the "clean" teams are also doped up.

TheDarkLord said:

Yes, it is possible that they are still doping; but my point is that their publicity comes from their anti-doping stand. I guess the question is how the teams with a biological passport program are managing to dope (if they are doing it). The program is managed by an outside agency, right?

Outside doesn't mean impartial or unbiased or even honest. The fact that they are paid big bucks to test does not negate the possibility that they aren't paid extra to hide certain results or at least report them quietly to the team management first. After all, the UCI which was directly responsible for keeping the sport clean has certainly been willing to turn a blind eye in the past. And I'm quite certain it went farther than that.

I'm not convinced that a certain amount of doping can't be caught by any biological passport. But I'm hopeful that it will help to weed out the major offenders (EPO, homologous/autologous blood doping).

But I do think Slipstream is trying hard to be one of those teams that cut out the major offenders.