Pro Cycling Thread

[Magrat Garlick]

As well as gas, electricity etc etc.

Thanks for the details Hakon, interesting stuff. Surely there are other companies that could be advertised though (airlines makes sense - someone might actually be inspired to buy into the product; railways less so). Even if they were non-governmental organisations (if they exist much over there?) that would surely be a better marketing ploy?

Anyway, Kazakhstan Railways logo is the first change of avatar since I joined here, replacing the classic zebra look. It will be missed.

As I argued: showing the name of Kazakhstan is important.

Btw, the eight companies that have gone together to sponsor (courtesy of German wikipedia, which has admittedly let me down before):

Air Astana (not Kazakh Air, doesn't exist anymore)
Arcelor Mittal (a Letzeburgesch-Indian steel company; must admit this bemuses me somewhat, no immediate links to Kazakhstan except that steel is a major industry - interesting that they're not on the jersey though)
ENRC (freight forwarder)
Kazakhmys (copper mining company, UK registered and on FTSE 100)
Kazakhstan Railways (duh)
Kaz Mynay Gaz (state owned oil and gas corporation)
Kazzinc (zinc producer)
KUAT (construction company)

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

Classy, but I prefer the chunky, meaty stripes a la Jungle Jumbo, rather than the more pin-striped, ragged look as shown above.

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

As I argued: showing the name of Kazakhstan is important.

Btw, the eight companies that have gone together to sponsor (courtesy of German wikipedia, which has admittedly let me down before):

Air Astana (not Kazakh Air, doesn't exist anymore)
Arcelor Mittal (a Letzeburgesch-Indian steel company; must admit this bemuses me somewhat, no immediate links to Kazakhstan except that steel is a major industry - interesting that they're not on the jersey though)
ENRC (freight forwarder)
Kazakhmys (copper mining company, UK registered and on FTSE 100)
Kazakhstan Railways (duh)
Kaz Mynay Gaz (state owned oil and gas corporation)
Kazzinc (zinc producer)
KUAT (construction company)

So if it was down to Nazarbayev and there were no UCI rules in the way, it would simply say 'Kazakhstan' all over it?

 

[Magrat Garlick]

So if it was down to Nazarbayev and there were no UCI rules in the way, it would simply say 'Kazakhstan' all over it?

I'd imagine so.

Mind, checking whether there are actually such rules. If not, my conspiracy theory falls apart somewhat.

 

[Matteh]

Think there are those rules in place. The Tour de France used to run on national teams but then they scrapped it in the 60s iirc.

 

[Matteh]

Classy, but I prefer the chunky, meaty stripes a la Jungle Jumbo, rather than the more pin-striped, ragged look as shown above.

Personally, i ride around in that.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Having dug into the legalese, it appears that there's no technicalities stopping the state of Kazakhstan from sponsoring a cycling team directly. Sponsors are only required to be persons, firms and bodies (i.e. legally accountable)

Neither is it illegal to advertise even though no money has been transferred (see Disco's green signs).

So...maybe the director of Kazakhstan Railways gets a kick out of seeing the company name on TV. Who knows.

 

[Johnners]

Eek, another minute lost by Cadel, for those of you who follow the sport closely...do you think he can still win it? 4 minutes (possibly more) is a fair amount of time to catch up in a time trial, even if Rasmussen is a ****ty TT rider

 

[Spitfires_Fan]

Don't reckon Evans can win it anymore - infact, I think he'll lose more time tomorrow. Would like to see Contador win it, I love his style of riding. Plus I think Rasmussen's on shaky ground, being implicated with this doping scandal. No smoke without fire etc.

Great ride by Vino yesterday - he's another rider that I love watching. It's such a shame that he fell early on, I think he'd have been a real contender. I wouldn't bet against him winning the TT from Angouleme to Cognac either

 

[Matteh]

Don't reckon Evans can win it anymore - infact, I think he'll lose more time tomorrow. Would like to see Contador win it, I love his style of riding. Plus I think Rasmussen's on shaky ground, being implicated with this doping scandal. No smoke without fire etc.

Great ride by Vino yesterday - he's another rider that I love watching. It's such a shame that he fell early on, I think he'd have been a real contender. I wouldn't bet against him winning the TT from Angouleme to Cognac either

You think?

Kloeden has to win a TT for mine, and as it's a flatter course than the last one Wiggins/Millar have a much better chance to win it as well.

 

[Chubb]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/6914301.stm

Vinokourov tested positive after the time trial. For the record I would not be at all surprised if Solar Hernandez fails sometime soon as well (I'm convinced he's on drugs). Every time Liggett asked"How is he doing it?" yesterday just tempted fate.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/6914301.stm

Vinokourov tested positive after the time trial. For the record I would not be at all surprised if Solar Hernandez fails sometime soon as well (I'm convinced he's on drugs). Every time Liggett asked"How is he doing it?" yesterday just tempted fate.

This is FUBAR.

Don't agree on Soler though. He rests one day and gets energy to keep up with the leaders the next (Alps: 4th, 33rd, 1st; Pyrenees: rotten TT, 3rd, 33rd). Good tactics (unless you aim for GC places) rather than drugs, IMO.

 

[PhoenixFire]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/6914301.stm

Vinokourov tested positive after the time trial. For the record I would not be at all surprised if Solar Hernandez fails sometime soon as well (I'm convinced he's on drugs). Every time Liggett asked"How is he doing it?" yesterday just tempted fate.

If I cared about cycling in general, then I'd be upset, but since I have long cared, I'll just laugh at how ridculous this is getting.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

If I cared about cycling in general, then I'd be upset, but since I have long cared, I'll just laugh at how ridculous this is getting.

Yay. Continue with drug-free sports like football and cricket.

Oh wait...

 

[Matteh]

Dire as. Stuffed it up for Kloeden and Kashechkin as well. Imagine a lot of people will be turned off cycling as he was a very popular rider and i'd be suprised if T-Mobile kept it's sponsorship up now as well.

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

I bet Mr Nazarbayev doesn't look best pleased now...

Another year, another doping scandal. Where's it going to end?

 

[PhoenixFire]

Basso would have won it this year imo, if he wasn't drugged up.

The thing I don't understand is why do they think they can get away with it? Pretty much every doper gets caught and it's only a matter of time. It's just plain stupidity.

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

Basso would have won it this year imo, if he wasn't drugged up.

The thing I don't understand is why do they think they can get away with it? Pretty much every doper gets caught and it's only a matter of time. It's just plain stupidity.

But do they?

 

[Matteh]

The person who has doped who i have the most respect for is David Millar. He got caught, held his hands up, did his time and has come back completely anti-drugs. He's recognised he was an idiot for doing it and seems to have become wiser from it.

Landis on the other hand...jeez, give it up already.

 

[Matteh]

But do they?

Every day you're in the yellow you get tested, all stage winners get tested. These are the people most likely to have doped to get where they are. Then of course there's a random tests on everyone throughout the season. I'd say that essentially most get caught eventually.