Can Ball stay in the background for the betterment of his team?After weeks of insinuation and court room going-ons, the Rock Racing team will recieve an invite to the upcoming Tour of Georgia. Saunier-Duvall, citing injuries and sickness throughout its team, has decided to withdraw themselves from the race. Ironically, Rock representatives appeared in court today with an injunction against Tour de Georgia race organizer Medalist Sports, claiming that they had a verbal agreement to ride in the stage race earlier this year. Medalist Sports, seeing the writing on the wall, settled out of court with the Rock team, and extended an invite to the event.
The team cited the fans as the reason for their riding, explaining in a press release, "Professional cycling fans will get their wish after all: Rock Racing will be a part of the 2008 Tour de Georgia presented by AT&T after reaching a settlement with race organizer, Medalist Sports, LLC." In what should provide for some instant publicity for the race, the flambouyant Rock team will once again splash down on a American stage race, after their early season appearance in the Tour of California.
The hot topic surrounding the team now will shift to who will represent the team in Georgia. Tyler Hamilton, Santiago Botero and Oscar Sevilla were barred from racing in the Tour of California. Will Medalist decide to let them ride this time around or will Rock have to arrange for other riders to race? After all, Freddy Rodriguez, though aging, can still sprint, and Victor Hugo Pena is a great climber. Add Rahsaan Bahati to the mix and you have a nice nucleous for a stage race, even without the other three controversial stars.
The "Big Three" may get a chance to shine at Georgia, after having been shut out of CaliforniaIf however the three are allowed to start, the dynamics of the race could change drastically. The Rock team would have some very dangerous climbers in their midst, and Santi Botero is coming off a recent stage race win at the Redlands Cycling classic in southern California. Hamilton meanwhile would be ecstatic to get a chance to ride on a big stage again, and he still has some time to perfect his form for a possible run at the GC. Sevilla, a beast on the mountain steeps, could realistically contend for the King of the Mountains title and the stage win at Brasstown Bald.
Finally, to team owner Michael Ball. Will he once again walk with a "Rock Racing Girl" on each arm with dragon fly sunglasses and black trench coats? Or will he keep a lower profile, choosing rather to let his riders soak up the attention? The way the mercurial owner plays his hand in Georgia could affect the way his team is treated the rest of the season.
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1 comments:
The crisp writing, fabulous photos and superb layout make Europeloton one of the best if not the best, bike racing website on the whole web! Thanks to Mr. Heaney for such a first class effort every day.
I'm hoping for Rock Racing to be able to bring the riders of their choice to the Tour of Georgia. Such a great race deserves the excitement, talent and buzz this outfit has to offer (beautiful models don't seem to hurt the racing atmosphere either.)
In a slowing economy, people like Michael Ball who seem to wholeheartedly love the great sport of cycling should be thanked a thousand times for his efforts.
I hope his brand reaps lots of benefits for their involvement.
Once again, I'll be looking forward to following the sport on EUROPELOTON.COM for a long time to come! It’s the best.
J.Lovell
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