Comments on: Bruyneel the Magician http://www.belgiumkneewarmers.com/2009/06/bruyneel-the-magician.html Pro IS PROGRAM GO Wed, 09 Jun 2010 01:50:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: alt.norm http://www.belgiumkneewarmers.com/2009/06/bruyneel-the-magician.html/comment-page-1#comment-14665 alt.norm Tue, 16 Jun 2009 03:33:56 +0000 http://66.147.244.157/~belgiumk/2009/06/bruyneel-the-magician/#comment-14665 thanks for acknowledging how time-consuming web site design can be!<br /><br />As for Astana (hmm, there's a double-entendre in that phrase)... really, I think we'll a very well. The sponsor and pay issues will be resolved and I think the riders are focusing on being ready to work well together. What you, and many others, may be over-stating is Lance Armstrong's desire to win again. Of course, he's got top-of-podium DNA and that cannot be changed, but he's shown that he's a realistic guy. I think he's going to be in great form, but the younger guns are going to dominate. And, importantly, I think Lance is going to enjoy riding hard in support of Contador, hopefully pulling-off a stage win, and --for the 1st time-- seeing the race from a different point-of-view. He cannot loose. He's cycling's Obi-wan-kenobi... he might bring out the light saber to tangle with the Schlecks brothers, Cadel Evans, Carlos Sastre and others, but he'll be there to help the young jedi Contador continue his ascent.<br /><br />Look how much fun Lance is having with the world through twitter, his video blogs, etc. He's determined to bring the fight against cancer to a new level. And he's just welcomed a new daughter into the world. He loves winning, but I think he's also learned to love a lot more in recent years. He's #1 in the grand tour of social media.<br /><br />The TdF will be great, Astana and Contador have a good shot at winning and will certainly show some serious Brunyeel polish.... yep, he'll likely be using this negative press to his advantage.<br /><br />Thanks for the great blog! Love reading your commentary... thanks for acknowledging how time-consuming web site design can be!

As for Astana (hmm, there's a double-entendre in that phrase)… really, I think we'll a very well. The sponsor and pay issues will be resolved and I think the riders are focusing on being ready to work well together. What you, and many others, may be over-stating is Lance Armstrong's desire to win again. Of course, he's got top-of-podium DNA and that cannot be changed, but he's shown that he's a realistic guy. I think he's going to be in great form, but the younger guns are going to dominate. And, importantly, I think Lance is going to enjoy riding hard in support of Contador, hopefully pulling-off a stage win, and –for the 1st time– seeing the race from a different point-of-view. He cannot loose. He's cycling's Obi-wan-kenobi… he might bring out the light saber to tangle with the Schlecks brothers, Cadel Evans, Carlos Sastre and others, but he'll be there to help the young jedi Contador continue his ascent.

Look how much fun Lance is having with the world through twitter, his video blogs, etc. He's determined to bring the fight against cancer to a new level. And he's just welcomed a new daughter into the world. He loves winning, but I think he's also learned to love a lot more in recent years. He's #1 in the grand tour of social media.

The TdF will be great, Astana and Contador have a good shot at winning and will certainly show some serious Brunyeel polish…. yep, he'll likely be using this negative press to his advantage.

Thanks for the great blog! Love reading your commentary…

]]> By: T http://www.belgiumkneewarmers.com/2009/06/bruyneel-the-magician.html/comment-page-1#comment-14658 T Sat, 13 Jun 2009 15:27:05 +0000 http://66.147.244.157/~belgiumk/2009/06/bruyneel-the-magician/#comment-14658 Or -<br /><br />'American company doing business in Kazakhstan' is having trouble nailing down some contract. Some Kazakh official is well aware of the embarrassment of leaving the 'national team' without cash (or his nephew is on the team... it's still primarily a Kazakh team once you get beyond the big names). Said official notes that while company's post-Iraq-scandal corporate responsibility statement prohibits open bribery, there is a nice cycling team with a nice Texan they could sponsor.<br /><br />Voila. Contract negotiation issues suddenly seem to clear up.<br /><br />And 'An American company in Kazakhstan' of any import would most likely be a Halliburton subsidiary involved in energy activities. And they're mostly headquartered, formerly headquartered, or heavily present in Texas, making the Lance connection that much more palatable. <br /><br />(for the really cynical...) Or -

'American company doing business in Kazakhstan' is having trouble nailing down some contract. Some Kazakh official is well aware of the embarrassment of leaving the 'national team' without cash (or his nephew is on the team… it's still primarily a Kazakh team once you get beyond the big names). Said official notes that while company's post-Iraq-scandal corporate responsibility statement prohibits open bribery, there is a nice cycling team with a nice Texan they could sponsor.

Voila. Contract negotiation issues suddenly seem to clear up.

And 'An American company in Kazakhstan' of any import would most likely be a Halliburton subsidiary involved in energy activities. And they're mostly headquartered, formerly headquartered, or heavily present in Texas, making the Lance connection that much more palatable.

(for the really cynical…)

]]> By: Padraig http://www.belgiumkneewarmers.com/2009/06/bruyneel-the-magician.html/comment-page-1#comment-14647 Padraig Fri, 12 Jun 2009 05:48:54 +0000 http://66.147.244.157/~belgiumk/2009/06/bruyneel-the-magician/#comment-14647 Swissarmy: Well done; I agree. I crossed paths with Weisel once years ago and was impressed that he understood more about putting sponsorship together for cycling than seemingly the rest of the industry put together. In an interview with him in Winning, circa 1990, he talked about the needs for American cycling in sponsorship and I remember thinking, "If we lose this guy, we're screwed." Swissarmy: Well done; I agree. I crossed paths with Weisel once years ago and was impressed that he understood more about putting sponsorship together for cycling than seemingly the rest of the industry put together. In an interview with him in Winning, circa 1990, he talked about the needs for American cycling in sponsorship and I remember thinking, "If we lose this guy, we're screwed."

]]> By: swissarmy http://www.belgiumkneewarmers.com/2009/06/bruyneel-the-magician.html/comment-page-1#comment-14646 swissarmy Fri, 12 Jun 2009 02:17:54 +0000 http://66.147.244.157/~belgiumk/2009/06/bruyneel-the-magician/#comment-14646 Whenever you want to find out what's really going on in the world it's always good to follow the money. One of LA's biggest financial backers when he was winning all those Tours was an investment banker named Thomas Weisel. In fact, his patronage of Armstrong goes back a long way, to the days when Lance was a U.S domestic amateur racing for a team sponsored by Montgomery Securities, a firm Weisel founded and eventually sold to Nations Bank, which took over and became Bank of America. Weisel is a multiple amateur U.S. masters national champion on the road and track. Few people are aware of this, since it appears he prefers to operate in the background, although his involvement with LA is no secret. <br /><br />http://www.tweisel.com/AboutUs/Leadership/ExecutiveOfficers/<br /><br />The financing for Postal and Discovery was handled through Tailwind Sports, the Weisel-backed ownership entity. <br /><br />I agree that they folded during the period when closer scrutiny would have been placed on the team (and by direct association, Tailwind Sports) for doping allegations. The last big star they signed was Ivan Basso, soon to be suspended for two years before he could be their next TDF winner.<br /><br />I've had the opportunity to race against Thomas Weisel and also observe his business practices for over twenty years. My educated guess is that funding for a new team (or bailout financing for Astana) is being handled either directly or indirectly by him. Who else would better know how to find and put together a financing package with "an American company doing business in Kazakhstan"? Whenever you want to find out what's really going on in the world it's always good to follow the money. One of LA's biggest financial backers when he was winning all those Tours was an investment banker named Thomas Weisel. In fact, his patronage of Armstrong goes back a long way, to the days when Lance was a U.S domestic amateur racing for a team sponsored by Montgomery Securities, a firm Weisel founded and eventually sold to Nations Bank, which took over and became Bank of America. Weisel is a multiple amateur U.S. masters national champion on the road and track. Few people are aware of this, since it appears he prefers to operate in the background, although his involvement with LA is no secret.

http://www.tweisel.com/AboutUs/Leadership/ExecutiveOfficers/

The financing for Postal and Discovery was handled through Tailwind Sports, the Weisel-backed ownership entity.

I agree that they folded during the period when closer scrutiny would have been placed on the team (and by direct association, Tailwind Sports) for doping allegations. The last big star they signed was Ivan Basso, soon to be suspended for two years before he could be their next TDF winner.

I've had the opportunity to race against Thomas Weisel and also observe his business practices for over twenty years. My educated guess is that funding for a new team (or bailout financing for Astana) is being handled either directly or indirectly by him. Who else would better know how to find and put together a financing package with "an American company doing business in Kazakhstan"?

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