Sponsor Trouble in the Astana Camp?



Crankyfeet

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Jun 5, 2007
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I was reading this story on Cycling News... and I couldn't help but notice the continued emphasis Contador and Bruyneel meted out on how the win is good for Kazakhstan, the city of Astana, etc. With some experience in endorsement situations... theses type of OTT plugs usually occur when the relationship needs some maintenance work, or a significant boost. Do you think the sponsors are starting to ask questions about Astana's pariah status with ASO and their ommission from the world's biggest race... and WTF Astana's success and performance has to do with Kazakhstan?
 
Crankyfeet said:
I was reading this story on Cycling News... and I couldn't help but notice the continued emphasis Contador and Bruyneel meted out on how the win is good for Kazakhstan, the city of Astana, etc. With some experience in endorsement situations... theses type of OTT plugs usually occur when the relationship needs some maintenance work, or a significant boost. Do you think the sponsors are starting to ask questions about Astana's pariah status with ASO and their ommission from the world's biggest race... and WTF Astana's success and performance has to do with Kazakhstan?

Vino and Kash are on the way back and will need a team to ride for - why would the great and glorious nation of Khazakstan continue to sponsor Astana without the two star Khazak riders being part of it? Not difficult to foresee a scenario where the Astana money pulls out to back a team centred around Vino & Kash - riders Bruyneel has publicly said will not be welcome in the team. So it's quite easy to imagine why Bruyneel would be on a charm offensive with the Astana money men.

Fact is, Kazakhstan is one of the most oppressive regimes in the world, and the Astana team should be boycotted for that reason alone
 
Crankyfeet said:
I was reading this story on Cycling News... and I couldn't help but notice the continued emphasis Contador and Bruyneel meted out on how the win is good for Kazakhstan, the city of Astana, etc. With some experience in endorsement situations... theses type of OTT plugs usually occur when the relationship needs some maintenance work, or a significant boost. Do you think the sponsors are starting to ask questions about Astana's pariah status with ASO and their ommission from the world's biggest race... and WTF Astana's success and performance has to do with Kazakhstan?
Kloden kept name dropping the great country of Kazakhstan when he joined the team in 2007. It sounded very much like listening to (or reading about) a NASCAR driver, who have to cue the sponsors within about 5 seconds of an interview.

I had read that Johan did face some battles with them on trying to form a team that did not have so many Kazak nationals on it. Perhaps that is why they have to endorse the daylights out of it. It's a national pride thing for them, as opposed to other teams.
 
micron said:
Vino and Kash are on the way back and will need a team to ride for - why would the great and glorious nation of Khazakstan continue to sponsor Astana without the two star Khazak riders being part of it? Not difficult to foresee a scenario where the Astana money pulls out to back a team centred around Vino & Kash - riders Bruyneel has publicly said will not be welcome in the team. So it's quite easy to imagine why Bruyneel would be on a charm offensive with the Astana money men.
Yeah, I was actually wondering if Bruyneel was trying to play nice with the Astana sponsors, so that then he could beg not to have to include Kash on the team (if the Kazahk Cycling Federation allows him to race again right away as has been rumoured...)
 
I'm probably reading too much into it. With energy prices where they are... Astana could probably fund the team'a annual expenses out of their petty cash drawer. The guys are definitely aware of promoting Astana and Kazakhstan though... when they get the opportunity.

Just the fact that they both did it together makes me suspect that they had had a recent team meeting about doing this.
 
earth_dweller said:
Vino is so coming back. Wonder what the official line on this one will be.
We brought this up recently in another thread... it will be interesting to see what happens... to say the least.
 
Crankyfeet said:
We brought this up recently in another thread... it will be interesting to see what happens... to say the least.
you expect me to remember what was said in another thread?
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