CrimsonKarter21

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/domi...vetto-amicable


Is it April 1st again? How did this happen?

ridethecliche

Can anyone see him and Bahati butting heads?

CrimsonKarter21

It's making me wonder if Ball has found a sponsor.

Flatballer

He must really love his family. This like a pro football player saying "ya know what, I'm not really enjoying playing for this pro football team, I think I'll go play for this local squad that's possibly not going to make it through next season".

Duke of Kent

I'm guessing it was more related to the fact that while he is a great sprinter, he wasn't able to handle the level of training or racing associated with a ProTour team.

CrimsonKarter21

Agreed. I remember on flat stages of week-long races he was barely finishing. Criteriums are his bag.

redal

I am not a fan of the guy but I do think he was/is talented. After he defected he went a little over a year without racing. This was when he was in his early 20s and had spent years in the Cuban national system. Those guys were doing tons of training and racing with terrible equipment and minimal nutrition so I believe he can handle the trainig. Once he started racing with my friends amateur team in 2000 he quickly found his legs but I am sure that year off didn't do much for his best years. Not to mention that the training and racing is difficult but the mental aspect is also very hard, especially at 33 years of age. Ivan has a wife and child here in the states. My brother in law voluntarily left Discovery to come home and race for Toyota in 2006. The only reason was that he missed his wife and kids. He could handle the racing and training but was tired of being gone for 5-7 months out of the year. He realized that he hated doing crits all year which is why he went back to Discovery in 2008. 2008 was difficult for him mentally again. BMC has been ideal for him because he gets to go do the races he wants to in Europe and not be gone for more than 3 weeks. This year has been difficult since the UCI is not letting them race at home but that is another story.
I don't think Bahati is going to have a problem with Ivan. They get along well and Bahati sounds positive in todays news about him resigning with the pro team. I haven't talked to him off the record but during the winter I talked to him when Ivan was initially going to join the team and he was excited.

woodduck

when you are living on the other side of the world, not getting any results how could you not feel homesick and want to go back and do the local thing?

Wife and kids make it an easy choice. AT 23 it would be easier to stick it out, but like ^^ he said 33, not really.

botto 

the skinny that i heard is that the manager of fuji-servetto (or whatever that train wreck of a team is called) didn't like him much, so he wasn't getting any races, which is why he wasn't doing any racing.

who knows?

YMCA

One day I was announcing a Florida crit and he lapped the field twice, solo. He was destined for big results. So I interview him afterwards and he tells everyone his big goal is to land in Europe and race the Tour. Not only that, he had no interest in crits and prefers races like Philly.

I believe he truly had dreams of bigger fish, but America is his sweet spot. Pay is good, life is good and managers love him.

BTW - I've known him personally since 1999 and knew all the boys that first took him on the road in a beat up bus, in search of contracts. His wins are impressive here in the states, but I have to agree, at 33, I think his big fish goals may have passed him by.

Horner tried and passed, but he's on another level.

enjoi07

rock needs to go away.

dmotoguy

Why?

Jynx

no.

cslone

Unfortunately for you, they are "Here to stay".

lordconqueror

i love bahati, and i think this is going to be good for the team. he's got his own family to support, and now that he is back on rock's a team, he will be doing more racing and potentially getting more income. maybe they'll even push each other to work a little harder, who knows?

Fat Boy

I've been in a similar situation, but obviously without the pro cycling contract. Being gone from your family for huge chunks of time is _very_ difficult. It really puts things into perspective. What you find out is that doing your dream job professionally is not all it's cracked up to be if you can't live your life as well. For me, a job, regardless of how great or how much money, is not worth divorce and not knowing my children. There are life quality issues that trump everything.

I bet if the guy is happy with where he's at personally you'll see some great racing from him.

As far as Rock goes, I just wish they would go about doing things right. Get a good DS in there and then let him develop a racing team. Even from the outside you can tell that their organization is nill. They have some pretty good talent, but the lack of direction from the top is disappointing.

efficiency

Because Michael Ball is a ******bag who doesn't respect a lot of the riders or sponsors.

Michael Ball dragging Chris Horner through ridiculous contract negotiations.
https://velonews.com/article/13787
https://velonews.com/article/13788

Michael Ball with musical bike sponsors
https://autobus.cyclingnews.com/news....racing_bikes08

redal

I remember that bus. Danny calls and says, "I'm bringing some guys to do the races in California, I picked up this Cuban guy who is going to break legs. Can we stay with you?" I fell over laughing when they showed up in that bus. I couldn't believe they had driven it all the way from Florida.

Dubbayoo

It doesn't affect Bahati in the sense that Ivan will be doing the big races while Rahsaan is still on the amateur squad. It does likely affect Bahati's chances of moving back to the A-team. I believe the two get along fine but they both like being the 'go to' guy at the end.

Ivan just got his citizenship last year so it seems natural he'd not want to stay over in Europe. I think he had a kid last year too.

dmotoguy

Bahati is no longer on the amateur squad...

YMCA

Holy poop, I found someone who remembers that bus. I can't recall where Danny found that thing, but he gutted the interior and made beds out of plywood, so everyone could sleep and keep their legs up more often.

And yes, we all knew Ivan would tear some legs if someone had some cash and took him on the road. Most of the guys on that team are friends of mine, but only a couple still race.

Flatballer

Ok, that's a badass story. That's the best kind of bike racing stories. Boot straps kinda stuff.

ridethecliche

+ Infinity.

I'm in awe!

enjoi07

kayle???? tour contender??!!! stage win at the very least!!!! ohmy. ive talked to direct sources who confirm balls asshat antics. most of the squad is looking for other teams asap.

redal

I think I've talked with you about this before. I've seen Dan L. a couple of times since then at Superweek, masters Natz and elite natz. I raced against Ivan today and Danny B. called me years ago for a reference for the INS. My favorite guy out of that group was Mike Z. I've only seen him once since they came out in 2000. The bus looked like an airport shuttle but I remember the inside having a locked cage. It was some kind of prison transport or something.

BTW-I am no Rock fan.. I don't like Ivan and I think Ball is bad for the sport, but I raced against them today and Ivan laid it out for Bahati to win. Bahati is a good friend of mine and my wife is good friends with him and his wife. We laughed afterward because people are congratulating him for getting put back on the pro team. HE NEVER SHOULD HAVE BEEN PUT ON THE AMATEUR TEAM. The pro team is where he always belonged. He doesn't want congrats for being demoted and brought back up to the pro team. Ivan nailed it a couple of times and finally Rock lined it up and brought the dangerous break back. Ivan then was instrumental in the leadout and Bahati took the win.