Ball promises that team will continue into 2010 despite budget cutbacks
Rock Racing's Michael Ball (Image credit: Jon Devich/Cyclingnews.com/epicimages.us)
The Rock Racing team has added some more outstanding results to their palmares at the Tour of Utah which kicked off on Tuesday in Salt Lake City. However, despite the squad's ample success this season, its riders' occasionally mismatched gear could suggest that the team under financial distress.
Spaniards Francisco Mancebo and Oscar Sevilla have highlighted the early stages with their surprise two-up victory in stage one that gave Mancebo the overall leader's jersey. He went on the maintain his overall lead in stage two, in which he placed second. Their top results come as no surprise after Sevilla won the overall at the Cascade Cycling Classic last month and placed fourth overall in the Vuelta a Madrid prior to that.
However, the squad has been seen with the occasionally mismatched kits and equipment that could suggest financial difficulty lurks beneath their on-the-road success. Most noticeably, the team's marque rider Sevilla is currently riding his De Rosa bike from last year despite the team's current Kestrel sponsorship. Other riders have been photographed wearing different kits and helmets throughout the season in the past.
Team owner Michael Ball has made it no secret that he has made some significant cutbacks and acknowledged the team's financial struggle. However, he claims the equipment inconsistency is due to a lack of sponsorship interest. "I'll be really candid about this," said Ball who claims the team is waiting for their bikes to arrive.
"Some of our current sponsors, with the exception of the great ones like LG and Shimano, have had issues with us," he said. "They look at us for some reason and think I'm a certain way and so the team doesn't deserve them. But I don't get it because the only people they are affecting are these riders. They try to ding me, and it's wrong."
After clearing the air regarding the lack of team equipment, Ball went on to calm the concerns regarding lack of funding. He assured that even thought the team has downsized due to financial cutbacks, it will be back next year with the same core riders and it may possibly be in a better financial position.
"Business is first these days and my hobby is second," Ball said. "We will be here next year for sure. But I changed my business model, and l am no longer supporting the sport they way that I did."
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"I realize there were riders I had to cut, but I only had so much money to pay out of my own bank account. It was unfortunate," he said. "We are still looking for new sponsors for next year, and we are looking for a new approach to the team. You guys will see all that soon. We will be launching some new things at Interbike."
The first sign that Rock Racing was under financial distress came when Cesar Grajales and former Rock Racing riders Chris Baldwin and Michael Creed received a letter of termination back in May. Although Creed's letter cited his termination as a lack of performance, Ball followed up by stating that the three riders were instead "let go due to a lack of funding".
Ball maintained that a decease in budget is the reason that the team has been reduced to primarily focus on the professional team roster. Creed said his final goodbyes to his former teammates and joined the Team Type 1 banner in June. Baldwin went on to sign a contract with OUCH p/b Maxxis while Grajales has stuck with the Rock Racing team.
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Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews, overseeing the global racing content plan.
Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.
She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.
