Great Victory of Chris Horner today at the Vuelta

[steve]

Originally Posted by CAMPYBOB
Man...when's the last time a Grand Tour winner went without a ride the next season?

Juan José Cobo and Lance would be the two most recent, one retired the other couldn't get a ride - both pretty dodgy reputations.

I'm sure someone's written an article about it somewhere, it's not often a rider retires or can't get a contract the same year the win a GT.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

I thought the beefalo rode for Movie Starz in 2012? Hang on...yeah, 67th at the 2012 Vuelta. I did not mean to suggest Horner be offered a team leadership role, just that someone might be interested in capitalizing on his notoriety fame. Even Cobo, in terrible form, made a good domestic and gave Movie some PT points.

Lance is kind of a...er...special case. Horner did get offered a domestic ride, IIRC, but I don't recall any continental teams coming up with his asking price.

 

[Skye4525]

Originally Posted by CAMPYBOB
I thought the beefalo rode for Movie Starz in 2012? Hang on...yeah, 67th at the 2012 Vuelta. I did not mean to suggest Horner be offered a team leadership role, just that someone might be interested in capitalizing on his notoriety fame. Even Cobo, in terrible form, made a good domestic and gave Movie some PT points.

Lance is kind of a...er...special case. Horner did get offered a domestic ride, IIRC, but I don't recall any continental teams coming up with his asking price.

thanks for sharing ...!



http://www.checkerplagiarism.net/

 

[oldbobcat]

Originally Posted by CAMPYBOB
Man...when's the last time a Grand Tour winner went without a ride the next season?

He could be radioactive and some kind soul/billionaire would have given him a fare well team seat in years gone by. What's a geezer got to do to earn a little respect from Russian oligarchs these days?

"Chreees! Chreees! You stay retired dis time, da?!

My money says it's not general radioactivity, but rather a confluence of negatives and risks: he's 42, the doping question, and the price.

But fear not, I hear there's a deal with Lampre-Merida in the offing.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Ballan!

Yeah, I agree Horner's an old fart. But so is Yens Vote. I also agree that the money issue for what is likely his Horner's last year of competition might be hard for team budgets to swallow in the post-Lance boredom.

 

[oldbobcat]

But Jens Voigt is a domestique (all right, a super-domestique), and Horner is a GT winner. That's a big difference in asking price and public profile. That is, if Voigt gets popped, no big deal, he quietly retires early. If Horner does the same, all hell breaks loose. Likewise, if Horner pulls a Cadel Evans and has a bad year, he becomes a bad investment. A very bad investment.

 

[mpre53]

You have to wonder why Trek didn't get more ad mileage out of Horner after the Vuelta. They had a feature on their web site for about a week. Then the face of Trek returned to Jens and Cancellara. Their GT hopes rest on the Dreck brothers. Good luck with that.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

But...but...but, Andy is dreaming of ponies and a Great Tour Victory now that Frank is along side to counsel the headcase provide motivation.

Also, Trek installed triple redundant chain minders on the Madomanones this year.

 

[oldbobcat]

Originally Posted by mpre53

You have to wonder why Trek didn't get more ad mileage out of Horner after the Vuelta. They had a feature on their web site for about a week. Then the face of Trek returned to Jens and Cancellara.

You have a point. Maybe there's another risk I should have added--brings up too many associations with Lance.

We don't know for sure, do we?

 

[limerickman]

Originally Posted by oldbobcat
You have a point. Maybe there's another risk I should have added--brings up too many associations with Lance.

We don't know for sure, do we?

A very astute observation.

I can understand at this point all commercial entities being hesitant endorsing any victory.
Like the financial crisis, the sport is hoping and praying that other scandals don't get to see the light of day

 

[CAMPYBOB]

"Maybe there's another risk I should have added--brings up too many associations with Lance."

Andy is signed after Frank got popped. They SIGNED Frank. Talk about risks...I know, Frank isn't a GT winner, but...

Trek also signed Hondo. And Popovych. A few of their other signings have larger question marks than Horner hanging over their careers. How many of those guys rode with Radio Shack/USPS or Astana or Lampre or...?

Money and age trumps doping risk? Going with Andy's head, as opposed to Chris Horner's old legs, is a risk of good money after bad in my book. But who knows? Maybe it will pay off and Andy will sell as many Madones/Domanes as Lance did.

 

[mpre53]

Originally Posted by limerickman

A very astute observation.

I can understand at this point all commercial entities being hesitant endorsing any victory.
Like the financial crisis, the sport is hoping and praying that other scandals don't get to see the light of day

But Specialized is still riding high---so to speak---with the Clenbuterol Kid. Even have their custom order Contador S-Works Tarmac frame.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Quote:mpre53 "Even have their custom order Contador S-Works Tarmac frame."


I can find the shifter buttons, but where's the beef?

The real risk in signing Horner is his advanced age. Besides the risk of a broken hip in a fall, no team wants their grand tour contender sporting AARP as a sponsor.

 

[6fhscjess]

Quote by mpre53: "[COLOR=181818]Even have their custom order Contador S-Works Tarmac frame."[/COLOR] [COLOR=181818]I can find the shifter buttons, but where's the beef?[/COLOR] [COLOR=181818]The real risk in signing Horner is his advanced age. Besides the risk of a broken hip in a fall, no team wants their grand tour contender sporting AARP as a sponsor.[/COLOR]

:big-smile:I think the team would be okay with it if they win.

 

[swampy1970]

Originally Posted by CAMPYBOB
Quote by mpre53:
"Even have their custom order Contador S-Works Tarmac frame."

I can find the shifter buttons, but where's the beef?

The real risk in signing Horner is his advanced age. Besides the risk of a broken hip in a fall, no team wants their grand tour contender sporting AARP as a sponsor.

There's risk and fact... and I'm not calling on Specialized FACT!

Horner won the Tour of Spain last year. He may/may not fall off and require a zimmer frame this year.

Horner is ace.

[/end of thread]

 

[oldbobcat]

Originally Posted by CAMPYBOB
Money and age trumps doping risk? Going with Andy's head, as opposed to Chris Horner's old legs, is a risk of good money after bad in my book. But who knows? Maybe it will pay off and Andy will sell as many Madones/Domanes as Lance did.

I can't say it all makes sense, and it's probably about different negotiating points with different teams and different times. Trek might be about money and age. Garmin might be about Lance, doping, money (they always were cheap), and chemistry. Who knows for sure?. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall during the negotiations.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Quote by swampy"
"There's risk and fact... and I'm not calling on Specialized FACT!"

Our lawyers will be in touch shortly!

"Horner won the Tour of Spain last year. He may/may not fall off and require a zimmer frame this year."

What you did there...I see it!

There's a Zimmer factory in the area that a friend of mine managed for about a decade. Shortly before major malfunctions with replacement joints were discovered, Zimmer cleaned house at the facility from the top down. Most managers and engineers needed an artificial asshole replacement when corporate was through with the place.

Personally, I'ld hire Horner and make certain he had a season's supply of EPO, HGh, Testosterone and Geritol. The cat might just be the next Levi.

 

[oldbobcat]

Originally Posted by CAMPYBOB
Personally, I'ld hire Horner and make certain he had a season's supply of EPO, HGh, Testosterone and Geritol. The cat might just be the next Levi.

No bags of blood?

 

[swampy1970]

If you have geritol, the world is your oyster! No need for bags of blood!

 

[steve]

Horner signs with Lampre-Merida
The Lampre-Merida team has confirmed the signing of Chris Horner, with the veteran American set to lead the Italian team at the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/horner-signs-with-lampre-merida