Radio Shack & Leopard Trek – The Merger

After two weeks of rumors, the merger of Team Radio Shack and Leopard Trek was confirmed yesterday evening. As a result, two World Tour squads jammed with talent, egos, and (unfulfilled) expectations will now have to find a way to co-exist as one.

Here are my initial thoughts on the situation:

1. Shouldn’t this have happened a year ago? With Lance Armstrong and Andy Schleck’s long-professed mutual admiration (and shared disdain for Alberto Contador), many of us thought this merger was to take place last season. Had that been the case, jobs might have been spared, races would have been won, and...Continue Reading

FYI – Leopard Press Release

For your information, here’s the text of this afternoon’s press release regarding Leopard, Radio Shack, Trek, and Nissan. We’ll post  some of our own thoughts on the announcement soon.

“Luxembourg-based team Leopard-Trek is proud to welcome RadioShack and Nissan as new main sponsors.

Leopard announces that RadioShack and Nissan are joining the Leopard-Trek World Tour Team as sponsors for the 2012 and 2013 seasons. Leopard will continue to hold its existing UCI World Tour License. The team will be rebranded as RadioShack-Nissan- Trek Professional Cycling Team as of next year.

Team Leopard owner Flavio Becca comments: “As we stated in January, 2011 would...Continue Reading

Discuss: Gilbert to BMC – Is It Getting Crowded?

Is it getting a bit crowded at BMC? Evans reminded the media that BMC’s 2012 Tour team would be built around him, not around split aims. Hushovd obviously wants to be a leader for Paris-Roubaix, and Gilbert will want to win every race he enters - and just might try. 

BMC is shaping up to be a powerhouse, but are they sowing the seeds of their own demise? Are they too crowded at the top?

Share your thoughts below.

2011 Vuelta a Espana – On the Hot Seat

Garmin-Cervélo: Huh? Given how successful their season has been, how can Garmin-Cervélo possibly be on the hot seat? For one thing, their high-profile omission of reigning world champ Thor Hushovd has generated murmurs all across the cycling world. Given that he is moving to BMC next season, and the team prefers to deploy riders whose points are staying with them for next season – this makes sense from G-C’s perspective. Further in G-C’s defense, manager Jonathan Vaughters has cited the need to give other riders room to perform, namely Dan Martin and Johan Van Summeren. However, though the Vuelta may not matter much to...Continue Reading

Thor Hushovd to BMC – My (Quick) Two Cents

It has just been announced that Thor Hushovd has signed with BMC for the next three years, an interesting move that has several possible implications. Here are two quick thoughts:

1. How does Thor’s signing affect BMC’s long-rumored acquisition of Philippe Gilbert? While not as expensive as Gilbert, Thor likely didn’t come cheap; one has to wonder if there’s money left to sign the Belgian superstar as well. And while Thor and Phil’s goals are largely mutually exclusive (with one or two key exceptions including the Ronde van Vlaanderen) might their egos clash? And how does Cuddles feel about all this...Continue Reading