Random marketing reflections du comeback: Schleck-Contador-Riis, Riccò and more

To the joy of everyone except me, I'm back in the cold and rainy Bergamo after 2 weeks spent at sea with my best friends. It was probably the best holiday of my life so far,especially because my friends and I behaved in a totally stupid way half of the time.

Many remarkable things happened over the last 2 weeks.I discovered that I can stand Lady Gaga's 'Alejandro' (it's hard,but I can make it),Waka Waka (I actually start to sing and dance every time I hear it) and that horrible 'tamarrata' called 'Panico Paura' (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSERMhD_VFw&feature=player_embedded ); I lost 3 kgs (*a big smile appears on her face*); I once went to bed at 4 am and woke up spontaneously at 8 am (at 1 pm I had to run to the bar and drink a coffee,but it doesn't matter); we ate pizza at 1.30 am; two of my friends received promises of marriage (a few minutes later,one of the future husbands was discovered behind a tent,kissing another girl); I 'learnt' to dance merengue; after a long night in the disco I was woken up at 7.30 am by the terrified screams of my best friend ("There is a frog in the bathroom!!) and went to save her; I thanked God for making a thunderstorm begin 2 minutes after the end of the party beach of Ferragosto; I discovered I can dance 'liscio' even if I'm wearing high heels; and then,obviously,I fell in love with the usual 'good-looking but impossible (for job reasons)' boy and had the feeling of being in a film when,on the eve of my departure,he came up to me and asked me for a last dance together.I don't fall in love very often,but when I do, well, I do it seriously.

Anyway,now I hear you ask: how did you manage to keep up with cycling while you were on holiday,distracted by blue-eyed boys,frogs and so on?

Well,let's say that in the first days I bought La Gazzetta everyday.Then I had to stop because my friends didn't want to lose their precious time in queues inside the supermarket when there was a free Gazzetta available in the bar.Therefore,from the 5th day I began to read La Gazzetta in the bar,although sometimes it wasn't available. As far as races in tv are concerned, I managed to watch just GP Carnago (Basso won) and then, on a rainy day, I bought BiciSport of August (I was going to burn it after reading Beppe Conti's article, but my friends stopped me).

Talking about cycling, while I was away some marketing news came. For example, Contador will officially go to Saxo Bank (who remains as main sponsor of Riis' team), Breschel will go to Rabobank, Riccò to Vacansoleil, Kreuziger to Astana (together with Kiserlovski), Greipel to Omega-Pharma Lotto, and O'Grady, Fuglsang and Voigt are close to the Schleck's new team.

Let's now try to use my little brain and write some opinions of mine about the 'Schlecks-Contador-Riis' affaire. I've read some theories about Contador going to Saxo and the Schlecks going away, but I totally refuse the one known as 'They sabotated Andy's bike!". Come on, it's obvious that Riis, the mechanics, whoever else would have gained much more money if Andy had kept the yellow jersey in Bagneres De Luchon and won the Tour! And then,it was Andy who made a mistake by changing gear and no one could have planned that he would have had a problem with his chain at that moment!

As far as his teammates are concerned,then,it's true that the team wasn't as good as it seemed on paper. Nevertheless, I'm sure that they did everything they could to help Andy. They gave Andy their support,but it simply wasn't enough. I'm sure that they would have loved to see Andy winning the Tour, because in that case they would have entered cycling history together with their captain (and more money would have entered their wallets...).

I've read also some observations about Riis' comments after the infamous 'Chain stage'. Ok,Riis didn't look particularly pissed off that day,but I believe that, even if he had gone to the journalists screaming "That fucking bastard has stolen the Tour from my boy!!",things wouldn't have changed at all.Perhaps,they would have got worse since,imo,such behaviour would have been a sign of weakness.

So,I don't share the sabotage theory at all.

As far as Contador's employment is concerned,then,I think it's obvious that,without the Schlecks, Riis wanted to have a new strong Grand Tour rider inside his team. Knowing that Specialized would have helped him, he decided to try to have Contador. That's life,that's cycling, that's what every intelligent ds would have done. Fangirl obviously doesn't approve this fact ('Bjarne will reveal Andy's secrets to Contador!!!'), but Logic does.

Logic also tells me one thing. Seen from outside, many people (especially those who live in the public eye) seem to care just about feelings, friendship, loyalty and all those kind of things. But, after all, they care about money as well. You can't make a living out of friendship, loyalty, love,etc. To survive, you also need money and you also need to be cunny . That's why Bjarne employed Contador and, probably, that's why the Schlecks left Saxo Bank. It's obvious that we don't know everything about what really happened inside the team. We don't know it and, probably, we'll never know it. But still, Logic doesn't see anything bad in Riis in employing Contador. Heart and business don't get on at all, unfortunately.

As far as the new team of the Schleck brothers (apropos,what will its new name be? 'New Luxembourg'? 'Auchan'? 'We're the cutest brothers of the peloton'?) is concerned,then, I think they probably had some problems with Bjarne and took the chance of getting rid of him. They were offered the chance of creating a new team, without Riis, in which they could have decided their teammates, their ds,and so on. They were offered the chance of honouring Luxembourg with a new team. Probably,they were also offered a higher salary.

In these cases,you spend more than one night thinking about what to do.You feel you have the chance of your life and you probably don't want to let it slip away. Eventually, they decided to go away. We can agree or not with that move, but it's not our life we're talking about. It's their lives, so they have the right of taking decisions for themselves.

In a few words, Andy and Frank took an important decision in their lives. Bjarne took another one to compensate the decision the brothers. That's it. We can think that the Schlecks had no reason to leave Riis and we can think that Riis was unloyal in employing Contador, but this won't change anything at all. It's their lives- we're just watching.

On to other marketing moves, anyway, the new team of the Schlecks will probably be formed by guys like Didier,Voigt,O'Grady, Fuglsang and Gerdemann.

Matti Breschel instead is leaving Riis in order to go to Rabobank.I think that was understandable already from April,when he had mechanical problems in Gand-Wevelgem and in Flanders.And then,if Cancellara stays with Riis,Matti would have always been the second choice of the team.

As far as Astana is concerned,so far they've made some interesting marketing moves.Kiserlovski and Kreuziger are both very interesting riders and they may become great Grand Tour riders in the future.Vinokorouv then said he's going to race also next year (if I was Contador,I would be worried),so the team will be strong also in the next season.

Last thing to say for today,Riccò is going to Vacansoleil. 'Can someone explain me this move,please?',I've heard many people ask. Perhaps,I have understood something about it (I can understand why Riccò makes some moves rather than other ones and this worries me...).

So,let's start from the beginning (more or less) of the story. You sign a contract with a team at the beginning of 2010. You say you're outraged because your team wasn't invited to the Giro (although you knew that your chances of racing la corsa rosa for that team weren't actually that good). Quick Step,a Pro Tour team who always gets invited to Grand Tours,wants you to ride for them. With them you could race la Vuelta and all the other big races of the season.You pretend you're going to sign a contract with them,but then,in August, you decide to go to Vacansoleil,a team who wasn't invited to la Vuelta. Why? And why in August?

Now, you're going to read my personal explanation of the matter. It could be right but it could also be a total bullshit. Therefore,fasten your seat belts and follow me.

Perhaps right now the Cobra isn't in good form and prefers to skip la Vuelta (a bad result there would be seen in a very negative way from those who don't like him) in spite of everything he's said over the last months. Going to Vacansoleil now,he could skip la Vuelta,but he could race Lombardy Tour, a race that suits him (his old team, Flaminia, probably won't be invited to that race).

Vacansoleil then has great projects for next year. Leukemans,Hoogerland,Marcato and Carrara are good riders,add Devolder and Riccò (I'm not that blind to deny that the Cobra has talent) and you get a good team.Riccò probably chose this team also because,if compared to Quick Step,its riders are more suitable to Grand Tours rather than to classics.In Quick Step's Grand Tours' squad there are always some 'untouchable' riders: Boonen and his helpers, Chavanel, Barredo... With Riccò they should change some things. Instead,Vacansoleil already has good climbers like Marcato and Carrara and can still buy some interesting riders.And with riders like Riccò, Devolder, Hoogerland, Leukemans and so on, it will surely be invited to some of the best races of the world.

So,that's my explanation of Riccò's decision.As said,it might be true,but it could also be a total bullshit.

After writing my opinions in such a chaotic way (if you've understood them,you're veeeerry clever),here I end this random post.It's time to turn on the radio,put on the cd I bought on holiday and get depressed while thinking about him!