Tbh, I don’t think Vin pases iheartspeedos pupil distance test; I also suspect there’s a touch of sociopath about him. All hunches of course 
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Absolutely legendary thread.
100% accurate, too.
Sepp Kuss won’t win La Vuelta.
Its been gifted to him. Or will be.
Ving could easily win it.
With Rog in 2nd.
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I assume Kuss is being very well paid to work for Rog and Vin.
I’m sure he could get a job elsewhere as a team leader, but like Hamilton, Landis and Heras at USP/Disco and Porte and Landa at Sky, he would probably find that it’s a much more difficult challenge to deliver the results as a leader than it is as a domestique 
I think all of the difficult stages are over now and there’s no TT, so the order at the top should stay the same unless Rog and Vin really go on the attack or Kuss crashes or has a serious mechanical.
I think it would be very bad PR for the team if they try to engineer a win for Rog or Vin now 
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The men’s EURO TT is wow, that’s all I can say
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As the CTT say - heads up, accidents down 
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TEAM JUMBO VISMA rider MICHAEL HESSMAN
has been caught for not being the messiah.
He’s a very naughty boy.
For the first time in ten years, we received the message that a rider from our team, had a positive doping test. We had to look in the mirror ourselves, are we doing everything right?
Erm…odd choice of words 
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“Are we doing everything right”
No, you messed up the masking agents and got busted
Or, you used a new masking agent on a “lesser” rider to find out if it was effective against current testing.
Not to worry, everyone will be too busy talking about the proposed merger with QS to remember that this happened…………
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This would be seismic.
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Would it really work though?
Assuming lots of riders would have to be released. Lots of big egos in there. One of those that looks better on paper maybe?
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Think they are saying Remco would go (to Ineos), and a few others (like WS’s lead out men and sprint train) would be off.
Odd that Jumbo aren’t renewing, mind.
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Remco to Ineos would be interesting but there are still the comments that ‘is Remco a GC contender?’ If it happens, that is a fearful TT squad with Tarling, Ganna and Remco.
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Remco is not a GC contender.
A prize baby contender, yes.
Jumbo might not be renewing as they know something we don’t 
Letting “big names” go; a new team will pop up…
Topps Tiles Carpetright 
Camelot-Sage (following the lottery/software tie up)
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Team Tesla Model X
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Jumbo has a new CEO, not a huge fan of cycling. He recons that Jumbo have had the benefit from the sponsorship, and no additional benefits from continuing sponsorship
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I suspect the lack of big name Dutch riders probably doesn’t help
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The main thing this shows me is that the financial model of pro cycling is in a parlous state, if two of the most successful teams have to merge due to the lack of new title sponsors
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I get the feeling that sponsors have an emotional connection to cycling, rather than being a robust business decision. There is also the permanent wiff in the air of doping, so reputational risk is always a concern. If I was a CFO, I would probably be concerned about sponsoring a cycling team because of reputation - just look at Festina, 25 years later, and the Festina doping scandal still hasn’t worn off and is still blighting the brand
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There is absolutely ZERO profit in a cycling team. It is just an endless money pit. Justifying sponsorship and managing ego’s must be some of the most thankless jobs on earth.
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The “profit” is brand exposure though, no?
Sure I’ve seen somewhere that pound for pound sponsoring a cycling team gives better returns than lots of other marketing activities
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Is that true though, like really?
I’ve not once finished watching the TdF and immediately thought about buying my LVT from Quickstep as a result!
How do ‘they’ quanitfiy this stuff (this question not aimed at you Rob, but a general 
)?
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