Looks like some congratulations are in order for one Mr. Floyd Landis this evening. A couple of hours ago the Bahati Foundation Pro Cycling team issued a press release announcing that Landis would be a member of their squad for 2010. For several months, speculation had focused on Landis taking a spot on the Rock Racing squad, if Rock had secured a Pro Continental license. That didn’t happen, and Michael Ball’s pirates of the peloton were also unable to score even a UCI Continental license, leaving the squad in limbo.
Ball was interviewed recently by Neil Browne (who must be a big deal in the world of cycling to land such a chat) over at VeloNation.com. (See Ball Interview, Part 1 and Ball Inteview, Part 2 for the latest from the mercurial Mr. Ball.) Michael Ball seems like he’s not one to hold back (which may be why certain organizations — like the UCI — aren’t too fond of him).
In the first half of his interview, he throws Landis and long-time Rock rider Freddy Rodriguez under the bus. In the second half, he addresses how he would change the sport of cycling, if he could. He also revealed that he would pay his “amateur” squad this year, which appears to make my speculation in the previous post (about not paying his riders, beyond whatever they win at the races) moot. If so, that would certainly be the honorable thing to do, given those guys might not be able to score a pro contract at this point.
Which brings me back to Landis, who did land a good gig. He’s been freelancing, as it were, since the beginning of the year and by all accounts, he’s in good form. With his signing on the Bahati Foundation’s team, he’s positioned to be racing the Tour of California in May, and a number of other big name races around the US.
According to the Bahati squad’s press release, Landis said.
“Cycling has given me so many opportunities that I wouldn’t otherwise have had, and I look forward to helping provide the same opportunities for less fortunate kids.”
Take a few moments to learn about the Bahati Foundation and the Bahati Foundation Pro Cycling Team. No disrespect to Michael Ball, Rock Racing or Rock and Republic jeans, but I like the narrative behind Rahsaan Bahati and his foundation and what they’re trying to accomplish. From my perspective, this sounds like a much better fit for Floyd Landis than the Rock Racing squad would have been. Funny how things work out sometimes.
Agreed. Much better than Rock.. which is dead, despite what the jersey may say.
This comment, MB really thru FL under the bus:
“I like the guy, but his idea of business dealings were not a lot to be desired. It didn’t work out in the end because I couldn’t take his word, so it ended. I’m fine with that. It didn’t end in a bad way, but didn’t end in a good way.”
So, lets debug this statement, his business dealings… ie.. contract that lets him get out if no license? That’s just good business sense from FL standpoint.. Floyd is bigger than MB.. although MB seems to think otherwise. And then the “couldn’t take his word” bus-throwing.. what does that mean? Meaning floyd would just “promise or verbal contract” MB to help him out? No need to submit taxes.. paperwork.. and all those fun things.. right MB? Again.. he needs a contact.. Floyd is bigger than all that.
The Neil article really exposes MB for the idiot he is..
Congratulations to Floyd! I am looking forward to your burning up the roads at the T of C in May. Show the world what you can do, without Ball or all the other naysayers.
In the past, we’ve seen various race organizers (both home and abroad) play politics with who they accept at their races. This has been discussed as a danger for any team that Floyd gets on. I think Bahati’s team should provide some protection in this regard, because it would be really bad politics to snub the Bahati Foundation. So politically, it’s an excellent choice, maybe the best possible choice.
Also, given the team’s mission, I might just buy my first Pro kit. Depending on what it looks like.
tom
austincyclist,
To quote that great sage Pete Townsend, “Rock is dead … Long live Rock” 😉
Debby,
Amen to that.
Tom,
Politics in cycling? Perish the thought! 😉
Of course, the OUCH squad had no problems getting an invite to the Tour of California last year, so I can’t imagine that the Bahati team would get snubbed on Floyd’s count. I think you’re right, given the team’s mission, it would be really bad to give the Bahati Foundation the cold shoulder.
In fact, didn’t Landis take part in the ToC last year? If they were going to blackball him I think that would have been the time, although perhaps the French hacking flap might be enough to trigger something now.
I don’t think any US races have been/will snub Floyd or his team…thats pretty much a French thing. Apparently ruining him (and his career) just wasn’t enough. I liked the Larry King interview. It’s just outrageous that he found out about the ‘alleged’ warrant via the press (if there REALLY is a warrant… wouldn’t it be reasonable to think that he would be officially notified at some point BEFORE a warrant is actually issued?). Maybe it’s all just political flexing, the ASO’s veiled threat that he NEVER show up in France to race a bike (knowing fulll well that he was looking for a new team, with the goal of getting back to the European peleton someday). I’m happy for him and the new team, and will be cheering him on from the side of the road in the ToC. As Debby said….Here’s hoping he burns up the roads!
I think Austincyclist is on the right track; I too had a hard time figuring out what business tactics Landis could have applied with Ball that could merit complaint — esp. given Ball’s touchy business relations with other riders (including Bahati last year). The only thing I can think of that might merit complaint would be if Landis took some advance money that was due back if it fell apart, and didn’t return it. And I don’t think either one of them would have gotten into that kind of deal. So I didn’t get it, and it just sounded like an FU to me.
TBV
I’m delighted for Floyd Landis. It sounds like he’s with a nice group of people who are serious about bike racing.
As far as the purported Rock Racing contract goes, which Landis has wisely not discussed at all – oh, I think we can make a pretty good guess how the wheels came off. It wouldn’t be the first time. Numerous cycling professionals have had poor experiences with Michael Ball since he established the Rock Racing cycling team in 2007.
ROCK RACING RIDERS FIRED/RETIRED/NOT RENEWED/RESIGNED: Rahsaan Bahati, Chris Baldwin, Santiago Botero, Alex Boyd, Austin Carroll, Glen Chadwick, José Manuel “Chepe” Garcia, Mario Cipollini, David Clinger, Michael Creed, Freddy Cruz, Tony Cruz, Danny Finneran, Mariano Friedick, Cesar Grajales, José Enrique Gutiérrez, Lucas Sebastian Haedo, Tyler Hamilton, Sergio Hernandez, Kevin Klein, Kayle Leogrande, Sterling Magnell, Caleb Manion, Pat McCarty, Ian Moir, Doug Ollerenshaw, Fred Rodriguez, Nic Sanderson, Adam Switters, David Tanner, David Vitoria, Justin Williams, Jeremiah Wiscovitch.
FORMER TEAM MANAGEMENT/SUPPORT: Frankie Andreu, Mariano Friedick, Lorenzo Lapage, Haldene Morris, Rudi Pevenage, Mitch Sebolsky, Suzanne Sonye.
FORMER EQUIPMENT SPONSORS: Scott USA, Look USA, HED Wheels.
RIDER CONTRACTS NEGOTIATED BUT NOT COMPLETED: Baden Cooke, Ivan Dominguez, Chris Horner, Floyd Landis.
That’s quite a lot of people to burn (through) in three years.
And some of these people have spoken to the cycling press about the experience of being/not being/being uncertain about being contractually obligated to Michael Ball. Here they are, in their own words.
RUDI PEVENAGE:
Together with [team manager] Lorenzo Lapage, since late 2009 I am no longer part of that team … Besides, Lapage and I still have a few months salary due to us from the people who are or were in charge. I don’t have anything more to do with Rock Racing.
February 24, 2010
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/pevenage-confirms-split-from-rock-racing
EQUIPMENT SPONSORS:
Adrian Montgomery of Scott USA: We had an agreement, but not a contract, for the 2007 and 2008 season …. I couldn’t get a good contract … he (Ball) has to be able to opt out of anything.
* * *
Ming Tan from Look USA confirmed with Cyclingnews that it was going to be a sponsor in 2008, but that the deal was no longer in place.
* * *
Steve Hed of HED Wheels: We didn’t have a contract with them, and you can imagine how many teams want wheels from us …
January 9, 2008
http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=features/2008/rock_racing_bikes08
Chris Horner:
Michael Ball knew all along I wanted to stay in Europe. I had gone on the record, on VeloNews.com, saying I wanted to stay with Predictor-Lotto. And after he started telling people I was signed at Inter bike, I had trouble finding a job when I went back to Europe. His saying he’d signed me had practically taken me off the market.
The only thing that was appealing to me about racing for him was the three-year deal. It was good money, but the contract never came through the way we had discussed it. The deal was never done because we had originally discussed a three-year contract for x amount of money, but what he offered me was a day-to-day contract that was good for three years, meaning he could fire me whenever he wanted, just like he fired Sebastian Haedo and threatened to fire Rahsaan Bahati.
December 12, 2007
http://velonews.competitor.com/2007/12/news/horner-responds-to-michael-ball_13788
Baden Cooke:
By mid-November I signed the contract with Rock and sent the contract back for them to sign …. I asked them to send a copy back once they had signed, but I started getting reasons why they were not sending it back. I was told numerous reasons, which included that it was with the lawyers, the wording was not right and that it had to be changed. Then I was told the wording was right and that it had to go back to the lawyers.
* * *
Ball told me that there was no contract with me and the team would be nothing without him …. He said that he was going to bankroll the team for six months and that if a new sponsor did not come forward the team would fold.
* * *
I thought the team was cashed up …. That was the impression I was given. I subsequently found out that there was no clear program and there was no bank guarantee for my salary. This will mean it will be harder for me to chase them.
* * *
The situation seemed that if you were on a low salary then you had to take a pay cut of a few thousand dollars. If you were on a high salary then you had to take a 50 percent pay cut.
Jan 13, 2009
http://velonews.competitor.com/2009/01/road/baden-cooke-says-rock-racing-promises-went-unfulfilled_86501
Michael Creed:
schmalz: … So you just got a pdf in an email and that was it, you’re out of a job?
Creed: I wish it was that. I got a call from another Rocker who got fired. I’ll leave his name out of it ’cause I don’t know if he wants to talk about it. He called me, “Mike, I got fired.”
“Wow, really? What’s the reason they gave?”
“Performance, lack of performance.”
And this rider was riding really well, and it didn’t make sense. Last year they fired a couple guys early. They fired ’em once the season was over, so they didn’t have to pay them October, November, December.
schmalz: Do you think they fired them as a cost cutting thing?
Creed: Exactly. And that’s what they did last year. It’s the same standard line, that you’re not performing your duties to the utmost, which is just shenanigans, because…
schmalz: That’s probably written in the clause for contract termination, that’s probably the excuse they have to use.
Creed: Sure. Sure. In the contract there’s no guidelines as to what performance is, so that can be really murky, you know? Especially after only performing one race, in my case anyways.
* * *
Just because a crazy guy offers you a crazy good deal doesn’t mean it’s not going to fall through. Just because there’s a piece of paper doesn’t mean it’s not going to fall through. . . .
April 17, 2009
http://nyvelocity.com/content/interviews/2009/creed-feed-6
There must be more out there on the Internet, but there are only 23 hours in a day. I cannot locate the article referred to in the Chris Horner piece, “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood: Rock Racing’s Fiery Team Owner Sounds Off.” It may have fallen victim to the VeloNews web site redesign. If Mr. Rogers stops by, I for one would like to see that piece again.
And on a personal note: I meant to record the Versus broadcast of the Paris-Nice prologue on Sunday for my own personal non-commercial use, but something went awry (all right, it was me, it was totally my fault) and I’m missing 20 minutes out of the middle. I don’t suppose there’s anyone else in the pool of commenters who tapes and archives these things?