Why does Rapha get a pass?

[Bikerist]

It's self evident that Sky is and has been the most juiced team in the peloton for that last few years. When (not if) they get popped, Rapha will act completely surprised.

If I know and most of you know it to be the case, why does Rapha get to play stupid?

If they had any morals, they would simply walk away from the sponsorship right now! Since they have no concrete proof, don't publicly say anything except you are parting ways due to morals differences. If the team wants to sue them and open themselves to an investigation, so be it.

[Anarchist]

It's self evident that Sky is and has been the most juiced team in the peloton for that last few years. When (not if) they get popped, Rapha will act completely surprised.

If I know and most of you know it to be the case, why does Rapha get to play stupid?

If they had any morals, they would simply walk away from the sponsorship right now! Since they have no concrete proof, don't publicly say anything except you are parting ways due to morals differences. If the team wants to sue them and open themselves to an investigation, so be it.

I assume the only reason you have posted something so patently stupid is because it's RAPHA !! - how many of you ever called for Shimano to walk away from USPS or for Trek to walk away from Leopard or for Cannondale to walk away from Liquigas??

Unbelievable.

[gavingould]

Oh please. If everyone thinks this is "self evident" - then all the teams have dopers, and all the sponsors should walk away. Even the teams with riders getting popped don't seem to be dropping sponsors.

Besides, it plays into their image of "PRO-er than thou" anyway... If yer gonna dope, be the most epic doper.

[akelman]

If yer gonna dope, be the most epic doper.

They should totally do a video: grainy; set in obscenely-expensive-but-still-hipster-tatty hotels; filled with long, loving shots of hypodermic needles and blood bags; etc. I think "Heroin" is too on-the-nose for the soundtrack, but maybe not.

[Louis]

Rapha dopes? I don't believe it.

Edit: They've never failed a single test. EVER.

[Steve in SLO]

If Rapha had doped it would have been EPIC!

[Louis]

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTB388TfcXMhXIlouxt_Jl0T5Wgg_C4-IEv_lrt7YQcwEc6LwdK

http://growingmuses.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/florence-nightingale.jpg

[beeatnik]

What's a Rapha?

[joosttx]

What's a Rapha?

http://rapha.com/

[merlincustom1]

I think the OP is doing satire. If not, it's a ridiculous post.

[rwsaunders]

If Rapha had doped it would have been EPOIC!

Fixed it.

[savine]

what a mug you are to even start a topic like that!

[Aaron_Kellogg]

While the performance of sky is suspicious at best, calling for rapha to remove sponsorship seems equally suspicious. Wouldn't it make more sense to call for the removal of sponsorship from the title sponsor (this would be pretty absurd as well but less so than calling for a minor sponsor). Perhaps your frustration with rapha lies somewhere else?

Also, the rapha EPOic line was priceless.

[Fishbike]

The civilized world works better when people honor contracts.

[MattTuck]

Well, if the sponsors had to run away at the hint of doping, the peloton would be a bunch of naked guys running around the roads of Europe.

Rapha is a British company sponsoring a British team... sounds ok to me.

[AngryScientist]

this thread makes my head hurt. i've got a definite feeling it's heading for the trash can. play nice before the lock eh?

[avalonracing]

I actually love this thread. The photo from Life Magazine is great.
Anyway, if Rapha can get a pass for selling 19th century tech at 22nd century prices they can do anything.

[oldpotatoe]

It's self evident that Sky is and has been the most juiced team in the peloton for that last few years. When (not if) they get popped, Rapha will act completely surprised.

If I know and most of you know it to be the case, why does Rapha get to play stupid?

If they had any morals, they would simply walk away from the sponsorship right now! Since they have no concrete proof, don't publicly say anything except you are parting ways due to morals differences. If the team wants to sue them and open themselves to an investigation, so be it.

That's hilarious. You don't like Rapha stuff, ok, don't buy any.

[fuzzalow]

The OP is pulling my leg but I can appreciate stirring it up for the sake of conversation.

What can I tell ya? Everytime somebody takes a dig at Rapha, I feel the shame of regret and indolence for not having conceived and executed this epic myself.

[Joachim]

You guys should know better than to feed trolls. Even epic ones.

[phcollard]

Yesterday I saw "Rapha" on the side of Froome's podium cap. Next thing I know I was buying a Classic Bib Shorts. Boy do I feel brainwashed.

[ptourkin]

I got a customer satisfaction survey from them this weekend. It had questions about how their sponsorship of Sky influenced perceptions of the brand. I was candid with my opinion that although the kits are among the classier in the peloton, sponsoring the 800 pound gorilla and working with a Murdoch empire entity seems inconsistent with the image they've worked to create. Only they know how much it's driven the bottom line, though and I'm sure that's what matters.

[christian]

I don't think they're any more complicit than any other pro tour sponsor.

That said, I really don't like Sky and since Rapha's association with them, I haven't bought any Rapha products and probably won't. (ok, I'd only ever bought one jersey on sale anyway). They're probably ok with that tradeoff, as I'm sure many people are stocking up on the Sky stuff.

[Charles M]

It's self evident that Sky is and has been the most juiced team in the peloton for that last few years. When (not if) they get popped, Rapha will act completely surprised.

If I know and most of you know it to be the case, why does Rapha get to play stupid?

If they had any morals, they would simply walk away from the sponsorship right now! Since they have no concrete proof, don't publicly say anything except you are parting ways due to morals differences. If the team wants to sue them and open themselves to an investigation, so be it.


I think Rapha are a natural fit...

They've built an extremely profitable marketing wrapper of Euro Hard Man gear steeped in tradition and commanding old world craftsmanship prices around a company with very shallow roots planted in Asian mass production...

It goes well with a team lead by a guy with equally shallow roots performance wise suddenly cast so far beyond the talent of the best in the world that it also defies logic.


That said, Even with the way this tour is turning out, I don't think it a reasonable expectation for Rapha to get saddled with the responsibility of action at this point.

[avalonracing]

They've built an extremely profitable marketing wrapper of Euro Hard Man gear steeped in tradition and commanding old world craftsmanship prices around a company with very shallow roots planted in Asian mass production...



Such a deft description I had to send it to a couple Rapha lovers and haters that I know.

[Lurch]

Does anyone on Paceline have actual insight into the economic impact that the verification of Armstrong doping had on Trek sales? I'm guessing negligible. If any, I would also speculate it is more related to the loss of the face of LA that people recognize, rather than public outrage at them sponsoring his teams.

From a sponsor company financial perspective, I think it is more about getting their name in front of viewers, and less about implied morales when it really comes down to it. Now a sponsor that was documented to have been complicit in a doping program would have a different outlook I would suspect. Once stuff is verified, the sponsors need to act. Rumors are like other negative marketing... they're marketing. :)

Just my $.02

[BdaGhisallo]

How many folks here stopped using the USPS solely because they sponsored LA?

[avalonracing]

How many folks here stopped using the USPS solely because they sponsored LA?

I try not using the USPS because of the people who work at the counter.

We do vote with our dollars. I will not go to Wal-Mart and I haven't haven't been back to an Exxon since the Valdez spill. This doesn't help:

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/07/15/2301451/25-years-after-exxon-valdez-oil-spill-company-still-hasnt-paid-for-long-term-environmental-damages/?mobile=nc

[acorn_user]

I suppose everyone should run away from Saxo Bank and Movistar too, because it is self-evident that they are the best teams in this race? I'm not making that up; that's Jonathan Vaughter's opinion. Michael Rogers thinks Froome is above 2% better than last year. Sigh.

[gavingould]

why does Amgen (Tour of California) get a pass?
they make EPO for cripes sake...

i have no idea what products Omega Pharma makes, but there are probably some banned substances in their portfolio. they should pack it in too, right?

Phonak made hearing aids, that's a little too close to bionics for me. ban 'em.

[happycampyer]

Perhaps Rapha should really milk the connection and come out with a Rapha-branded centrifuge, or a Kit de Dopage. For once, I would love to read the story label.

[beeatnik]

Perhaps Rapha should really milk the connection and come out with a Rapha-branded centrifuge, or a Kit de Dopage. For once, I would love to read the story label.

That would be dope!

[BumbleBeeDave]

Perhaps Rapha should really milk the connection and come out with a Rapha-branded centrifuge, or a Kit de Dopage. For once, I would love to read the story label.

. . . a single pinstripe on it like the Sky kit and those jump-the-shark expensive tea cups they sell. They seem inordinately fond of little single pinstripes . . .

BBD

[Steve in SLO]

Ah, I tire of this thread when someone does not realize the Epic good EPO has done for cancer victims.

[shovelhd]

How many folks here stopped using the USPS solely because they sponsored LA?

I stopped drinking Michelob Ultra, but that's because it's crap.

[torquer]

Let's approach this from another direction: any zealots out there move all your funds to Rabobank accounts once they dropped their sponsorship?
Or signed up with T-Mobile post Ulrich?
Me neither.

[gavingould]

hipster reply: "i was wearing Rapha before Team SKY was even a team"

[saab2000]

I stopped drinking Michelob Ultra, but that's because it's crap.

You're admitting you actually drank it in the first place. :eek:

[PoppaWheelie]

Nothing to do with Team Sky, but here's my Rapha experience from this week. Seemed like as good a place to write this as any:

-Had a three year old Stowawy shell that I wear almost every day..plastic tip on zipper tab fell off.
- had a Club jersey with a little tear because like dumb fool I crashed into a bush on my cross bike.
- had a three year old glove form a hole at a seam because the thread came loose.
- Had a 12 year old pair of bib shorts (Gen 1) sitting unused because the chamois wasn't great.

This week Rapha fixed my jacket (free), fixed my jersey (free), fully refunded my gloves and gave me a 50% refund on a pair of 12 friggin year old bibs because they weren't up to snuff (I really had only worn them a few times). Aside from the shorts, this is kit that gets worn, hard, 4-6 times a week with multiple washings.

I could care less about how the world feels about stripes or what they do when Sky gets popped. Ain't nobody else around servicing their clothing to that level, regardless where they're made.

[rab]

I doubt Rapha sponsored athletes would dope, after all they have shown a tendency to be afraid of needles...

http://www.rapha.cc/sscxwc#comments

On the flip side, I think I would have to intake some serious drugs to justify buying a Rapha product. Or at least buying it and actually wearing it for cycling, where it may get dirty.

[avalonracing]

Ain't nobody else around servicing their clothing to that level, regardless where they're made.

Patagonia.
L.L. Bean.

[rando]

Enjoy it before the lock comes down, most certainly.

The owner of my local Rapha retailer personally sold me a SKY cap with the utmost of professionalism while I muttered a string of near curse words. Hey, for a quarter I'll beat the crap out of the thing even if my attempts to remove the team name fail. On top of all the buoyant laughter it has brought to my fellow cyclists. I bet they will willingly repair or replace it after I feel it has suffered significant and debilitating insult to warrant care.

Anyhooo, how did this go three pages with nary a mention of the sheer jerseys they will almost certainly be selling to the public next year? Bet everyone here can mentally picture someone they know bringing back the full on hairy chested 70's disco look with that jersey. Pray they make a clashing Raeburn + Rapha set of bell bottoms.