Robbie Hunter

[Call Me Crazy]

Wilhelm de Swardt

Robert Hunter kan hom na die howe wend as hy nie aanstaande jaar ?n ordentlike kontrak lostrap nie.

Eergister se aankondiging deur die Switserse Phonak-fietsryspan dat hy aan die einde van die jaar ontbind, kom daarop neer dat Hunter aanstaande jaar werkloos kan wees.

John Lelangue, spanbestuurder van Phonak, s? alles moontlik sal in die volgende paar maande gedoen word om te verseker dat al die jaers en die res van die ondersteuningspan aanstaande jaar werk het.

?Daarom is dit belangrik dat die jaers in die laaste paar maande goeie resultate behaal. Ek weet dit sal nie maklik wees nie, want die meeste van die jaers is erg ontnugter. My uitdaging is om die jaers gemotiveerd te kry.?

Lelangue toon min simpatie vir Floyd Landis, wenner van die Tour de France, wat positief getoets het vir te ho? testosteroon-vlakke.

Tony Harding, Hunter se bestuurder, s? hy en Hunter is besig om met van die ander beroepspanne oor ?n kontrak te onderhandel, maar niks is nog onderteken nie.

?Ek hoop nie dit sal nodig wees nie, maar as Robert nie aanstaande jaar ?n kontrak het nie, sal ons geen ander keuse h? as om Phonak hof toe te neem nie.

?Robert het ?n kontrak van twee jaar met die span gesluit.

?Ons sal aandring dat die volle kontrak aan hom uitbetaal word.

?As Robert wel ?n beroepskontrak kry, maar sy salaris is minder as wat hy sou verdien, gaan ek verwag dat die verskil uitbetaal word.?

Hunter sal waarskynlik vandag hoor of hy lid van die Phonak-span gaan wees wat aanstaande week aan die Toer van Spanje, die derde grootste toer, gaan deelneem.

Hunter het vroe?r ges? dat dit belangrik is om aan di? toer deel te neem omdat dit een van die laaste werklike kanse is om indruk op die ander spanne te maak.

?My groot probleem is dat ek my die hele jaar opgeoffer het vir die span en daarom nog nie goeie resultate behaal het nie.?

Hunter het voorheen twee skofte in die Toer van Spanje gewen.

[splat]

From Robbiehunter.net

16.08.2006 14:48
My Future

It seems that Operaction Puerto and the Floyd story are starting to have a huge effect on cycling in Europe. Yesterday I and i guess you all, all heard that Team Phonak are closing there doors at the end of the current season 2006. The team boss Andy Rhis has decided he has given enough to cycling in the past 7 years and that now after the last big disappointment its enough. Over the past 2 and a half weeks Andy and the rest of the team managment had tried to find another avenue so that the team could continue but the biggest problem was that the financial hole that a new sponsor would have to fill was too great in such short notice and nothing materialized.

Even though i had signed a 2 year contract during the Tour de France it seems that the contract is not worth the paper its written on. We were advised this morning that the contracts would not be up held and that at best the current managment would try help us find teams for the next year. As noble as that might seem the Phonak managment have nothing to do with any other teams decissions so in truth we are left to find teams at this late hour in the season on our own.

Right now from my side my agent Alex Carrera has been looking and speaking to all the teams around and is trying to get me a ride for the future. All we can do now is to be patient and see what responses we get from them. I have no doubt i will be able to find a ride on another team but becauase the market has just been flodded by riders the market value has dropped substantialy.

My program has also changed once again and seems that the team now wants me to ride the Tour of England followed by the Tour of Poland.

I expressed to the team that i would prefer the Vuelta but as the team roster is full the only way i can do it is if one of the guys decides no to go or gets sick. Any ways right now its looking like England and Poland.
Cheers for now

[Chunky]

Robert should have no problem finding another team. this is the best tour he has had by far, and he has proved to be very valuable.

He should get signed up in no time.