Bye-Bye Basques - a sad day for pro-cycling

[ianrauk]

So the Alonso deal is now off.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Yes, I read that earlier. Confidentiality means that we may not know what the unbridgeable gap between EE and Alonso was. At least before the leaks start....

So, unless I misunderstood: Alonso's bought the licence but now doesn't have a team? Did I get that wrong?

 

[laurence]

So the Alonso deal is now off.

looks like it, although it seems to change by the day. whatever happens, the Basque team is gone as Alonso would strip it of any Euskadi soul anyway.

Eskerrik asko, Euskadi

 

[laurence]

it may be back on...

 

[laurence]

or not... slightly mixed messages on twitter.

 

[johnr]

Whlst this is the least important aspect of the whole thing, a red, white and/or blue peleton (plus Sky and Cannondale) could mark the end of helicopter shots. Poor old Hugh Porter was struggling to dentify the teams in close ups during the ToB.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Alonso says he still plans to set up a team for 2015. But that looks like that for Euskaltel-Euskadi...

 

[laurence]

Alonso says he still plans to set up a team for 2015. But that looks like that for Euskaltel-Euskadi...

his last attempt failed as well. he doesn't have a great track record really.

 

[Saluki]

You've given me an idea... my pitch for the next series of The Apprentice: "Team Amstrad Procycling"

£250k wouldn't get us very far though.

What about the Phones4U bloke? He's a bit minted, isn't he?

Not a terribly nice man though. More in to helicopters.

 

[laurence]

for fans of the orange, Prendas have some new items in - backpacks, hoodies, etc.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

It's not all over yet! The Fundacion Euskadi is going to back a Continental development team, so the orange will be seen in some European races at least...

 

[rich p]

for fans of the orange, Prendas have some new items in - backpacks, hoodies, etc.

It's a bit of a fashion disaster though Laurence, innit?
Only a mug would be seen wearing that outfit on Guildford High Street!!

 

[laurence]

the only issue I have, who and what are they developing, young upcoming riders which is excellent or solely young upcoming Basque riders which harks back to the days of outright discrimination by the Basque region in all its sports, when they excluded all non Basques from all its professional sports,

as opposed to the oppression of Basques by the spanish government, including banning of the language and deliberate migration of people into the region to dilute the culture?

you could argue that British Cycling does the same, if you're not british you don't get to be a part of their programme.

 

[laurence]

It's a bit of a fashion disaster though Laurence, innit?
Only a mug would be seen wearing that outfit on Guildford High Street!!

wait 'til the ToB next year - i'll have my Euskadi hoodie on!

this year i wore a Prendas top, although i did have an Euskaltel cap on.

the new stuff isn't that orange, mainly black with orange bits and EE logos. Prendas also sent me some rider photos as a present! i LOVE the prendas boys.

 

[laurence]

those days are long gone, the basque "country" isn't a country, that's like saying it's ok for Northumberland to run a cycling team solely of people born in that part of England...it isn't so why should there be an exception because it's the Basques..

the Basque region is separate in terms of culture and is largely run as an autonomous region.

why have a separate irish team when it is part of the british isles?
why is there a separate scottish and welsh team in the commonwealth games?

France also has regional teams, to an extent.

why shoudn't northumberland have a development team for the region anyway?