Ball ?

[ada@prorider.or]

first
"we will start with 8 riders or none"

then

Michael Ball spoke with Cyclingnews about his team's decision to start the five riders eligible to compete in the eight-day event.



How strange a Ball can roll


I think frankie did for see this rolling Ball

[AgilisMerlin]

a coup


c ci cip cipo cip ci c.................................................



win win situation...............

http://www.bikecal.com/tdf99/cipo-caesar.jpg

[David Kirk]

WWF cage match.

Dave

[Chris]

I don't know guys. I was big time anti for a long time. Just watched his interviews on Velonews and I am starting to like the guy. I know Swoop knows him and I trust Swoop's opinion, but I'm softening on the guy...

[swoop]

I don't know guys. I was big time anti for a long time. Just watched his interviews on Velonews and I am starting to like the guy. I know Swoop knows him and I trust Swoop's opinion, but I'm softening on the guy...


he's a good guy. we just had some stink eye moments on the bike.... his intentions and passion are unfiltered.. i don't hate him.. i hate some of the chaos and some of the attitude... but he is a good guy... and he's putting up cash and making things interesting.

he pushes some of my buttons.... but that's about me.

[Bill Bove]

"he's putting up some cashand making things interesting"

Cool.

I just hope the buzz continues on what an idiot or visionary M. Ball is and not about a R&R rider failing a dope control.

A Rolls as a team car...

[AgilisMerlin]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCUgwRaQnT8&eurl=http://reviews.roadbikereview.com/tour-of-california/2008/02/

[ada@prorider.or]

yeah money rules the world

[girlie]

A Rolls as a team car...


Sweet!

[girlie]

yeah money rules the world

even if he is a D***;)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=v4gxLnGJKcI

[ada@prorider.or]

For me humble human try see tour of california have bad sound and find hard to follow tv coverage, is it only me or is it always like that
no rider information on screen no time no start names written of riders and so on.........

[swoop]

http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/docroot/tourtracker2008/AdobeTourTracker.html

[Tom Byrnes]

Noel,

What happened with Bahati? Have Cipo, Kayle and Fast Freddie been sprinting that well that Rashaan did not belong on the Tour of Cali squad?

Thanks,

Tom

[swoop]

bahati, clinger, rudy, justin, sergio etc are doing valley of the sun. rahsaan wouldn't make it past stage 3... not a climber!
i think clinger was second in the VOS road race behind Bordine.

rock jeans aren't known in europe.. so even if cipo quits after stage 3.. ball will have made his money in coverage.

[Tom Byrnes]

bahati, clinger, rudy, justin, sergio etc are doing valley of the sun. rahsaan wouldn't make it past stage 3... not a climber!
i think clinger was second in the VOS road race behind Bordine.


Thanks for the info. Makes good sense.

[aLexis]

He was second behind a young Tristan Uhl from Austin, TX. Not a career moment for Clinger, but it definitely made Tristan's 19yo highlight reel. :)

bahati, clinger, rudy, justin, sergio etc are doing valley of the sun. rahsaan wouldn't make it past stage 3... not a climber!
i think clinger was second in the VOS road race behind Bordine.

rock jeans aren't known in europe.. so even if cipo quits after stage 3.. ball will have made his money in coverage.

[swoop]

He was second behind a young Tristan Uhl from Austin, TX. Not a career moment for Clinger, but it definitely made Tristan's 19yo highlight reel. :)

yeah.. i just looked at the results... good on that kid! i guess bordine is top of the gc?
look at you austin people!!!

[aLexis]

yeah.. i just looked at the results... good on that kid! i guess bordine is top of the gc?
look at you austin people!!!

quit, or you'll give us a big head, and we'll start talking about how everything is bigger and better here in the Lone Star State.

[AgilisMerlin]

For me humble human try see tour of california have bad sound and find hard to follow tv coverage, is it only me or is it always like that
no rider information on screen no time no start names written of riders and so on.........

Cees,

it is not television coverage, but free sponsorship coverage.

why are you so Negative............... ?

cycling is not in the mainstream...........here

California is sponsoring the race.......one of the richest states in our union.

I am so sorry we are sponsoring this protour event, and have invited the biggest teams. As far as the coverage.......maybe if you traveled to the united states, and actually witnessed the event, you would realize that over the next 5 or 6 days their will be over 3 million people lining the roads.......cheering on the riders and enjoying the spectacle........it is a BIG hit with the schoolchildren....

Cees, name one sponsor in Europe who has a website that hires commentators and shows a live stream..............not including television stations.......? Curious

[manet]

i adored the ball profile... " i don't follow the norm... blah blah blah." all whilst wearing and driving the uniform (read: costume) of yet another flaming fashion victim. god save us.. pick most applicable one.

[ada@prorider.or]

[QUOTE=AgilisMerlin]Cees,

it is not television coverage, but free sponsorship coverage.

why are you so Negative............... ?

Cees, name one sponsor in Europe who has a website that hires commentators and shows a live stream..............not including television stations.......? Curious[/QUOTE
Sorry was not the meaning of coming across of being negative!!
We are used here in if you put sound of look at pic see who ride´s and what the times are in TT
After they finisch i still could not see the list found it stange see commentaters talking and no written info on screen about the race.

I tought it was in the transmission,
and live streams ,sure rabobank ,eneco

[AgilisMerlin]

I feel sorry for Tyler...........don't ask me why

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2008/news/feb08/feb16news2/CIPOLLINI-CALI9837.jpg

[manet]

I feel sorry for Tyler...........don't ask me why

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2008/news/feb08/feb16news2/CIPOLLINI-CALI9837.jpg

missing rainbow stickers

[Grant McLean]

I feel sorry for Tyler...........don't ask me why

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2008/news/feb08/feb16news2/CIPOLLINI-CALI9837.jpg


cipo called shotgun

-g

[manet]

is that clemens drivin

[swoop]

its haldane!

is it just me or was cipo the highest on gc for rock. if that's the case... the team is a joke, no?

[ada@prorider.or]

Rock Racing issued a visual statement at the start of the Tour of California prologue, sporting the overnight manufactured 'crucifixion' kits designed to counter AEG Sports' exclusion of its three riders: Santiago Botero, Oscar Sevilla and Tyler Hamilton.

Team owner Michael Ball commented on the barbed wire design rendition of the original 2008 kit -- coloured black and red -- in honour of its three riders not being permitted to start due to their reported involvement in Operación Puerto investigation. "Tyler, Santiago and Oscar are wearing these kits today [Sunday - ed.] because of what has happened to status with in this race," said Ball. "We had them printed up for the whole team to wear in support of its team-mates who are not able to race this week."




jeez what show
:argue:

[rinconryder]

As controversial as Ball may be and as idiotic as some of his statements are "I will build a faster, better wheel and take your market share" I am starting to think this guy is a genius in the marketing sense. There are currently THREE active threads running on this board talking about Rock Racing and his team, despite the lack of any chance of winning this race, probably has one of the highest profiles.

Many of the people here hate the guy, but love the kits. I even like the kits and would buy them. He had brought rock n' roll to cycling and in the end is getting the return on investment that every sponsor is seeking, name recognition, but he has managed to do it without fielding a contending team. By bringing aboard known dopers, cipo and almost Floyd, he has drawn more attention from the media and cycling fans then the likes of Astana. And in the end that is what the companies want, name recognition, a return on investment.

Ball may be an idiot to some degree, but he is a smart idiot.

[Chris]

As controversial as Ball may be and as idiotic as some of his statements are "I will build a faster, better wheel and take your market share" I am starting to think this guy is a genius in the marketing sense. There are currently THREE active threads running on this board talking about Rock Racing and his team, despite the lack of any chance of winning this race, probably has one of the highest profiles.

Many of the people here hate the guy, but love the kits. I even like the kits and would buy them. He had brought rock n' roll to cycling and in the end is getting the return on investment that every sponsor is seeking, name recognition, but he has managed to do it without fielding a contending team. By bringing aboard known dopers, cipo and almost Floyd, he has drawn more attention from the media and cycling fans then the likes of Astana. And in the end that is what the companies want, name recognition, a return on investment.

Ball may be an idiot to some degree, but he is a smart idiot.

I couldn't agree more. The guy is pure genius. There are two ways to go in this game right now. Field the cleanest team (Slipstream) and get lots of coverage, or field the bad news bears and get lots of coverage. He took option two. I had never heard of Rock and Republic before, but you can be guaranteed that when the wife wants to waste some serious coin on a freaking pair of blue jeans, I am going to push her to get Rock and Republic jeans.

Beyond that, the guy has made me do some soul searching. My knee-jerk reaction has been to feel like if you got caught cheating, you should get a lifetime ban from professional cycling. I still think that would be a pretty good rule, but until it is implemented and every rider knows about it before hand, I now applaud Ball for taking these guys in and giving them second chances. They've all done their time and I would hope that they can get the break that I hope someone would provide me following any of the number of my transgressions...

[swoop]

now you guys are getting it.

[LegendRider]

I'm warming up to the guy too. I prefer Vaughters' method, but Ball doesn't seem like such a bad guy after all...

[Fivethumbs]

YEAH!! I wanna have Ball's baby!

Oh...sorry...I just got all caught up..

[manet]

... I am starting to think this guy is a genius in the marketing sense. There are currently THREE active threads running on this board talking about Rock Racing and his team, despite the lack of any chance of winning this race, probably has one of the highest profiles.
...

... ya perfect, the thread of threads: squirrels, bumblebee dave*, knives, clemens butt bumps, bacon strips, movie stars cup sizes, dogs burning, sublimated lactated jersey fittings...





*xoxo

[BumbleBeeDave]

... ya perfect, the thread of threads: squirrels, bumblebee dave*, knives, clemens butt bumps, bacon strips, movie stars cup sizes, dogs burning, sublimated lactated jersey fittings...

*xoxo


. . . zebra stripes in there somewhere, too! :banana: ;)

BBD

[manet]

. . . zebra stripes in there somewhere, too! :banana: ;)

BBD

rest assured
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e61/easterncaster/attachment-2php.jpg