New Luxembourg team needs bikes. Andy, get on it.
The Brothers Schleck are deep in planning and development for their Protour team and according to their PR man, everything is going according to schedule. Except for a few minor details.
They haven't announced a major sponsor, they don't have serious contracts ready to sign without one, they don't have even half a roster and they haven't announced who else is going to fill out the team.
Twisted Spoke is already getting that tired Carlos Sastre feeling. The one the little Spaniard got when he tried to train for grand tours while at the same time being seriously involved in setting up Cervelo. Beware, Brother Schleck, this is no small task and one massive distraction.
Mostly, we're worried about the bikes because hey, who wins a bike race without one. Why you can't even slip a chain without one. So we figured we better jump start this thing for Schleck and Company before they lose momentum.
The boys need to stop down at Ostergaard's Bike shop at 179 Route de Luxembourg and get sized up. Even if this is only a temporary thing, bikes are essential for training. Talk to them about volume discounts for O'Grady, Voigt and Fuglsang. They have some excellent special deals going on right now like a Pinarello Paris frame, regularly 3500 euros, on sale for 2400. That is a sweet deal.
They also have a team BMC SLC 01 for sale. Now obviously, wrong team but consider this just the interim bike until you get the bike sponsor on board. It's vital that you keep pedaling to keep those legs strong.
And while we're thinking out loud, why not drop in to Las Vegas for the Interbike show in September. Everybody will be excited to see you and you could score a few high end demo bikes while you're there.
Plenty of swag to be had and you could shop of goodies for the team. That builds loyalty and team spirit. You don't have those fun midnight hikes across frozen lakes or Bjarne's Riis' crazy commando-style bonding events anymore. Some swag for the troops would be a good idea.
In any case, let's keep this whole Luxembourg ProTour idea moving along. You don't want to have to go begging at Radio Shack for some bikes, now do you?