Professional Cycling For the Fans - Barloworld withdraws sponsorship

Another financial blow to the sport. They rode Cannondale too :(. I liked Soler.

http://www.thetimes.co.za/Sport/Article.aspx?id=804961

Barloworld rode Bianchi, but whatever.

Until the team is disbanded, they still ride Bianchi equipped with some Shimano components- che vergogna! Should be Campy...

Well they used to ride C'dale so whatever right back.

Really though that sucks but not to be unexpected.

Until the team is disbanded, they still ride Bianchi equipped with some Shimano components- che vergogna! Should be Campy...

Most Italian manufacturers have a better relationship with Shimano than with Campagnolo.

Thus Milram, Rabobank, Team Polti, Maipei, Domina Vacanze, Shimano-Skil, etc... are/were all using Italian frames and Shimano gear.

I didn't realize they switched, but whatever.

It's sad, but I think this is exactly what will be required in order for Pro Cycling to kick the habit. No money, no racing team.

It's sad, but I think this is exactly what will be required in order for Pro Cycling to kick the habit.

You made me laugh there for a minute! :roflmao2:

... Brad

So I guess that some might want to rethink their responses in the "go ahead and let 'em dope, I don't give a s**t" thread.

Companies generally have zero tolerance towards these things. I don't know of one that does not. Why would any company want to sponsor a bike team when they hold their employees to a zero tolerance standard?

Good for Barloworld.

Good thing the UCI made all these guys do the passport. What a joke.

Yup and bicycling, even more so than NASCAR or any other sport, is all about sponsorship. They don't get the TV money and they don't get paid spectators. The total prize pool for the Tour is something like only a couple of a million dollars so that doesn't even the cost of the equipment for 180 riders & the support cars. Because of sponsorships, the only way a top rider makes good money is through salary from the teams & sponsorship deals. Take away the sponsors, you take out all the tours.

What are the chances that the team get a new sponsor willing to pay the same? Doping is bad for the sport, the instability of the whole organization is worse.

What are the chances that the team get a new sponsor willing to pay the same? Doping is bad for the sport, the instability of the whole organization is worse.

The old Tmoble/High Road/now Columbia...that took nearly a year...and that's a GOOD team with a clear program to prevent doping. With a lot of top notch riders.

What chance does Barloworld (a South African domiciled them, thus the tie to Barloworld) have? They are an "at large" team at best.

I guess you look for a company that does not care if it's employees are dopers. Then the people advertising the company can be dopers, too.

The old Tmoble/High Road/now Columbia...that took nearly a year...and that's a GOOD team with a clear program to prevent doping. With a lot of top notch riders.

What chance does Barloworld (a South African domiciled them, thus the tie to Barloworld) have? They are an "at large" team at best.

I guess you look for a company that does not care if it's employees are dopers. Then the people advertising the company can be dopers, too.

I suppose wrestling should fund a cycling team then!

I thought it would be fun if a porno company like Vivid funded pro cycling.

good
I was thinking of how it would affect these corporations eagerness to shell out money if the public started complaining about the drug use.

Why aren't the teams and the DS held responsible. Sponsors are paying good money for riders to wear their name. The team as a whole should be responsible to make sure that all their riders are clean, whatever it takes is up to them, but if someone juices up then the whole team & management should be held accountable.

It sounds harsh but maybe if someone sees some funny business they'll throw them to the dogs...it's their lives at stake also. You can't tell me that nobody knew about Ricco & if Piepoli and the rest of the team IS clean then maybe someone would have made sure that that arrogant loud mouth would not ride.

Sorry, this is a new millennium. There will always be new undetectable drugs. What rider wouldn't use them if they thought it would help them win? Does the sponser want the rider to suck?
The rider must do everything short of getting caught to satisfy the sponser.
There will always be drugs in the tour. Get used to it.

you dont say...

There will always be new undetectable drugs. What rider wouldn't use them if they thought it would help them win?

Someone who believed in fair play?

Someone who was worried about their personal health?

Why aren't the teams and the DS held responsible. Sponsors are paying good money for riders to wear their name. The team as a whole should be responsible to make sure that all their riders are clean, whatever it takes is up to them, but if someone juices up then the whole team & management should be held accountable.

It sounds harsh but maybe if someone sees some funny business they'll throw them to the dogs...it's their lives at stake also. You can't tell me that nobody knew about Ricco & if Piepoli and the rest of the team IS clean then maybe someone would have made sure that that arrogant loud mouth would not ride.

Push Ricco and Pieoli too hard and they blame their way all the way to the top. Do you think that if their sponsors sue them they won't counter that the sponsors encouraged them to win at any cost? I'm not so sure any CEO wants that kind of heat regardless of the truth.


Someone who believed in fair play?

Someone who was worried about their personal health?

I call that person "not first." Sponsors want the press winners give them-regardless of the cost. Clean winners would be better but losers are worse. Doping scandals are way better publicity than a mediocre team. Remember Festina? Brand recognition because of a doping scandal 10 years after the fact is good for business.

Sorry, this is a new millennium. There will always be new undetectable drugs. What rider wouldn't use them if they thought it would help them win? Does the sponser want the rider to suck?
The rider must do everything short of getting caught to satisfy the sponser.
There will always be drugs in the tour. Get used to it.

And the doper vs. chemist war will always be part of the competition. While I want to see clean cycling, I've always taken not being caught at doping as being the same thing as a baseball umpire missing a high inside pitch for a strike and calling it a ball. An error, but still part of the variables of the game.

Which is why I refuse to constantly yammer, "[fill in the name] was actually doping at the [pick a year] tour". If he hasn't been caught, for the purposes of history, he's innocent. If he's caught, he's guilty. Period.

Oh yeah, I also believe that it's very possible for someone riding clean to beat someone who's doping. That's called talent.