RadioShack-Nissan-Trek Confirmed

[pennstater]

There have been rumors flying around about a Leopard Trek/RadioShack merger over the past few weeks. Monday, these rumors were confirmed and the two teams will create RadioShack-Nissan-Trek. This is a huge merger and I'm sure Bruyneel is excited to have young GT contenders after some poor results in GTs over the past couple of years with RadioShack.

So far, some of the riders that will be on the team will include Cancellara, the Schlecks, Kloden, Horner, Brajkovic, Zubeldia, Fuglsang and Bennati. It seems like this will be a strong all-around team in short stage races, one day classics and grand tours, but it might have the potential to create a situation with too many chiefs (may need to wait and see which other riders sign).

Thoughts?

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/leopard-trek-confirms-merger-with-radioshack

 

[Andrija]

I'm not impressed with this merger at all.

It was obvious that something's going on in that direction since 2010 and rumors about Schlecks joining RadioShack.
Trek's involvement in Leopard project was first signal, and enthusiasm of Schleck brothers for racing in the States was almost confirmation.

Bruyneel and Armstrong were already interested in Andy, how they could beat Contador and retrieve the Tour supremacy.
After they've tried to hijack Astana and failed to make their own Tour-winning team, it looks like they're finally on the right path. Only problem could be conflict of interest between current Leopard management and prepotent Bruyneel... He's already behaving like it's his team.

Work with Bruyneel will help Andy to win the Yellow jersey, but by what price?

He will certainly lose some support in Europe (France especially), his image will change to worse, but he'll become new American cycling idol. Cycling fans in the States already like him. It was notable during the race in Colorado, and he is Contador's biggest rival what makes him good guy.

And there won't be too many chiefs in the new team. Who could be Andy's rival in the team?
Things will function just like in Postal - Discovery days... Andy will target the Tour and only the Tour. Other capable of GT achievements will go for Giro and Vuelta, which aren't exactly the races which produce big affairs regarding the leader. Only difference is that they'll have serious Classics contenders.

I was hoping that Leopard will succeed without this kind of arrangements.
It would have been good for the cycling too, to force Bruyneel to make a Tour contender from his own team.

I'm disappointed a bit.

 

[slovakguy]

strangely enough, given my distaste for the hog, i'm actually hoping a. c. skates on the clenbuterol charge just so andy doesn't just get his first tdf. it would suit me just fine if bjarne riis, the bmc's add to their rosters and purposely negate any moves by radioshack nissan leopard trek (seems i've overdrawn my hyphen account) or liquigas actually target the tour with their premier triumvirate in what will, no doubt, be the hog's focus for next year.

to paraphrase an old american football saying, "i'm rooting for x and whoever is beating leopard trek."

 

[swampy1970]

Team RadioSchleck.

Watch for Prudhomme to throw in two 80km time trials in the Tour on flat coastal roads to completely nullify either of the Schlecks chances in the Tour for 2012.

 

[Chavez]

Not sure I agree with some of the points here. Not that this isn't big news...HUGE news, the 2nd-best grand tour contender joining forces with Boss Hogg...but:

- to start, I really think the people who maintain that "the Schlecks can't time trial" are doing a MAJOR disservice to Cadel Evans. In the final TT in this year's Tour, both Andy and Frank turned in super-solid times. Cadel earned the yellow by absolutely tearing the doors off in the TT.

- Radio Shack had no shortage of contenders; the problem is last year Leipheimer/Horner/Brajkovic/Kloden had to subsume their goals for Lance; this year, they were utterly snakebit. Even if you (justifiably) contend that Horner, Kloden, and Leipheimer are past their sell-by date, Brajkovic looks promising and Matt Busche might turn into something special as well. So RS wasn't exactly bereft of GT talent prior to the merger.


- good to see Nissan getting into the cycling game. We need more a-list sponsors.

 

[swampy1970]

Originally Posted by Chavez .

Not sure I agree with some of the points here. Not that this isn't big news...HUGE news, the 2nd-best grand tour contender joining forces with Boss Hogg...but:

- to start, I really think the people who maintain that "the Schlecks can't time trial" are doing a MAJOR disservice to Cadel Evans. In the final TT in this year's Tour, both Andy and Frank turned in super-solid times. Cadel earned the yellow by absolutely tearing the doors off in the TT.

- Radio Shack had no shortage of contenders; the problem is last year Leipheimer/Horner/Brajkovic/Kloden had to subsume their goals for Lance; this year, they were utterly snakebit. Even if you (justifiably) contend that Horner, Kloden, and Leipheimer are past their sell-by date, Brajkovic looks promising and Matt Busche might turn into something special as well. So RS wasn't exactly bereft of GT talent prior to the merger.


- good to see Nissan getting into the cycling game. We need more a-list sponsors.

Andy Schleck finished that time trial 30 seconds behind Tommy Danielson. Yes, Tommy f**king D beat him in the time trial by 1/2 a minute, a minute behind Sammy Sanchez and over 2 minutes behind Contador. Evans did do a great ride but to give that kind of time to those other guys does not bode well in a Tour that was the last of the "anniversaries" for a French mountain chain in the Tour. Expect less in the way on monster climbs next year. That last two Tours have featured less in the time trial department. Will that trend continue.

Lance has somewhat of a history in doing "fairly well" *cough* in the Tour. I wonder why others had to 'submit' to their team leaders desire to win?


Brajkovic did fantastic ride as the underdog in the Dauphine last year but as many other before him, when handed a leading role he's crumbled. He has massive talent but could the pressure be his undoing? He's currently 17+ minutes down in the Vuelta.

Horner will do great in US events. Kloden... done for. Leipheimer, the same as Horner but if he leave for a European based team that'll be it.

This isn't Nissan's first venture into cycling - they've been hanging out with Lance the past few year but a decade or two ago they sponsored races like the Nissan Classic in Ireland.

 

[pennstater]

Quote: Originally Posted by swampy1970 .

Andy Schleck finished that time trial 30 seconds behind Tommy Danielson. Yes, Tommy f**king D beat him in the time trial by 1/2 a minute, a minute behind Sammy Sanchez and over 2 minutes behind Contador. Evans did do a great ride but to give that kind of time to those other guys does not bode well in a Tour that was the last of the "anniversaries" for a French mountain chain in the Tour. Expect less in the way on monster climbs next year. That last two Tours have featured less in the time trial department. Will that trend continue.



Good point. I wouldn't be surprised to see two ITT's in the 2012 tour (one short 8-15, one long 40K+).

Riders with Bruyneel seem to improve their individual time trialing performances. Maybe that is just how it appears, but perhaps the Schlecks will enhance their performances against the clock. Just a thought...

 

[limerickman]

Far too many personalities in this proposed merger for this to work, I think.

The Schlecks, Canc, Leipy, Horner, Voigt, Kloden...............not to mention the management amalgamation.

 

[sitzmark]

Far too many personalities in this proposed merger for this to work, I think.
The Schlecks, Canc, Leipy, Horner, Voigt, Kloden...............not to mention the management amalgamation.

Agree - although Levi hasn't been mentioned in anything I've read. The silence is deafening. He more than Horner probably wants a chance to "fly" at this point in his career - sink or swim time. Pre merger gossip was that Omega Pharma was courting him so he could keep them in the game with his points stash from this year.

 

[slovakguy]

by the bye, wasn't cav supposed to have announced his plans on the first?

 

[pearl-drum-man]

The rumor mill keeps linking Levi to Omega Pharma-Quick Step for 2012. Haven't seen it confirmed yet though.

 

[pearl-drum-man]

Originally Posted by slovakguy .

by the bye, wasn't cav supposed to have announced his plans on the first?

I believe so, haven't seen a peep out of him about it. Maybe he is too distracted by the girlfriend.

Google- Peta Todd

 

[pearl-drum-man]

BMC definitely beefed up their already successful team (on paper at least). The Radioshack-Nissan-Trek team will mean another "super team" (again, on paper). The moves by both of these teams does not bode well for Contador, even though I think he may still prove to be the best single rider in the field come TDF time, his team might cost him.

I hope they do enhance the time trialing for next years TDF. It is my favorite discipline and while I count myself as a fan of Andy Schleck, he needs to be able to at least be respectable in the ITT to win the TDF.