Luke Moir Left Stranded

[J Wakefield]

2 minutes ago, DieselnDust said:

I don’t know, a base maybe. But aren’t you in Girona?

Andorra is far from convenient- travel to and from an airport or train station is 3hrs each way for starters.

[Danger Dassie]

10 hours ago, DieselnDust said:

So Mr Lang’s failed MTB team is finally in the news. I don’t know whether Lang is a scamster or just plain stupid 

link to article by clicking on stupid above.

Thomas Litscher is also affected. Reckons he needs €15000 to compete. The advantage of living in Europe. Can just drive all night and go race. 
 

I wish we had Saffas living In like…. Andorra who could help Luke. 

I know Andrew Smale made his space available in Val di Sole along with some transport assistance, gym, training facilities etc .... Think the guy will get all the help he needs with a bit of effort from people helping where they can.

[Shebeen]

On 2/18/2025 at 12:04 AM, DieselnDust said:

So Mr Lang’s failed MTB team is finally in the news. I don’t know whether Lang is a scamster or just plain stupid 

link to article by clicking on stupid above.

Thomas Litscher is also affected. Reckons he needs €15000 to compete. The advantage of living in Europe. Can just drive all night and go race. 
 

I wish we had Saffas living In like…. Andorra who could help Luke. 

Obviously not the whole story but I guess the riders don't really get to negotiate from a position of strength. Do they work on handshakes for a while and contracts only get signed once the bucks are in?

 

edit: no longer active it seems!

Wonder if Greg Minnaar has some sway here

https://www.uci.org/team-details/15731

 

 

Edited Wednesday at 08:19 AM by Shebeen

[Duane_Bosch]

Yissie. I really feel for these young guns chasing their dreams.

[DieselnDust]

3 hours ago, Shebeen said:

Obviously not the whole story but I guess the riders don't really get to negotiate from a position of strength. Do they work on handshakes for a while and contracts only get signed once the bucks are in?

 

edit: no longer active it seems!

Wonder if Greg Minnaar has some sway here

https://www.uci.org/team-details/15731

 

 

Norco dissolved their XCO team

[Duane_Bosch]

On 2/18/2025 at 9:52 AM, DieselnDust said:

I don’t know, a base maybe. But aren’t you in Girona?

I wonder where you'd base yourself as an XC pro? Loads of roadies and triathletes base themselves in Girona and the DH/Enduro guys seem to gravitate to Morz and Schladming area.

The wifey and I are planning to head to Girona in June. 

[J Wakefield]

47 minutes ago, Duane_Bosch said:

I wonder where you'd base yourself as an XC pro? Loads of roadies and triathletes base themselves in Girona and the DH/Enduro guys seem to gravitate to Morz and Schladming area.

The wifey and I are planning to head to Girona in June. 

You need to base yourself on the following:

Financial sense - no point if you trying to work on a tight budget to base yourself in Girona, its really expensive for accomodation even when sharing - and daily living costs.

Travel - you need to be near fairly easy access to and from races. Also what s cheap for travel. Andorra is 3hrs by bus each way as said to an airport or train, unless you flying private. BCN is 1.5hrs by car from girona and a train will be an hour with a change. remember they dont run alll night and a private taxi is 150e each way. 

Training - you need good enviroment for this, it needs to cater to and for your needs as an athlete. 

General - hospitals, support like a bike shop for example etc. 

So to say I wish a SAFFA (or anyone) in Andorra or Girona etc should help, isnt really a thought out comment for many basic factors for a said athlete. Who's cover extras like water, electricity, gas, who's doing the washing, cleaning up, cooking, paying for food for starters and it goes much deeper. 

I hope he finds a solution he needs to be racing in Europe to progress like he has
 

[J Wakefield]

. not relevant 

Edited yesterday at 08:05 AM by J Wakefield

[DieselnDust]

31 minutes ago, J Wakefield said:

You need to base yourself on the following:

Financial sense - no point if you trying to work on a tight budget to base yourself in Girona, its really expensive for accomodation even when sharing - and daily living costs.

Travel - you need to be near fairly easy access to and from races. Also what s cheap for travel. Andorra is 3hrs by bus each way as said to an airport or train, unless you flying private. BCN is 1.5hrs by car from girona and a train will be an hour with a change. remember they dont run alll night and a private taxi is 150e each way. 

Training - you need good enviroment for this, it needs to cater to and for your needs as an athlete. 

General - hospitals, support like a bike shop for example etc. 

So to say I wish a SAFFA (or anyone) in Andorra or Girona etc should help, isnt really a thought out comment for many basic factors for a said athlete. Who's cover extras like water, electricity, gas, who's doing the washing, cleaning up, cooking, paying for food for starters and it goes much deeper. 

I hope he finds a solution he needs to be racing in Europe to progress like he has
 

This is massively insightful John! 🙏🏼 thanks

[Jbr]

It's crazy, so many people who travel all the time live there, 3hr drive before and after flights sounds like a massive drawback ! I guess not paying taxes on a massive income makes up for it.

[capediver]

1 hour ago, J Wakefield said:

You need to base yourself on the following:

Financial sense - no point if you trying to work on a tight budget to base yourself in Girona, its really expensive for accomodation even when sharing - and daily living costs.

Travel - you need to be near fairly easy access to and from races. Also what s cheap for travel. Andorra is 3hrs by bus each way as said to an airport or train, unless you flying private. BCN is 1.5hrs by car from girona and a train will be an hour with a change. remember they dont run alll night and a private taxi is 150e each way. 

Training - you need good enviroment for this, it needs to cater to and for your needs as an athlete. 

General - hospitals, support like a bike shop for example etc. 

So to say I wish a SAFFA (or anyone) in Andorra or Girona etc should help, isnt really a thought out comment for many basic factors for a said athlete. Who's cover extras like water, electricity, gas, who's doing the washing, cleaning up, cooking, paying for food for starters and it goes much deeper. 

I hope he finds a solution he needs to be racing in Europe to progress like he has
 

Just saying....

[DieselnDust]

11 minutes ago, capediver said:

Just saying....

He did that in 2023. It’s really quite suboptimal for an athlete but it is being considered. 
XCO is not DH. At an event weekend a van is ok. 
to live out of its expensive and tiring. The key bit being tiring (fatigue). 

[Ozzie NL]

2 hours ago, Duane_Bosch said:

I wonder where you'd base yourself as an XC pro? Loads of roadies and triathletes base themselves in Girona and the DH/Enduro guys seem to gravitate to Morz and Schladming area.

The wifey and I are planning to head to Girona in June. 

You'll love Girona ... I thought it was awesome as a town and I did not even ride but did have coffee at La Fabrica

[J Wakefield]

3 hours ago, DieselnDust said:

He did that in 2023. It’s really quite suboptimal for an athlete but it is being considered. 
XCO is not DH. At an event weekend a van is ok. 
to live out of its expensive and tiring. The key bit being tiring (fatigue). 

Yes this is a pretty *** idea if performance is your real outcome and it's not that cheap at all as you said. 

[renayg]

What has happened to Luke couldn't really have come at a worse time.

Luke has a big transition to make from u23 to elite racing this year. He has spent the last few years catching up from missing two seasons of racing due to Covid travel restrictions and finishing school, and last year he finally managed to get back to the sharp end of the field consistently which is no doubt a huge boost for his confidence and morale.

With Candice and Darren having chosen to continue the privateer route, it doesn't necessarily mean it will work for Luke. The Lill's have done this for many, many years and have a system that works for them. They know all the ins and outs of the WC racing scene and have many connections that help them do what they do well. What works for them is probably not the best option for Luke.

I had the opportunity to travel with Luke in 2023 for a few of the WC races, helping with logistics, shopping, cooking, cleaning bikes, sorting out spares and helping at the race with feed/ tech zone. It's a hell of a lot of work, and at times requires more than one person to help. Being a solo athlete is also a tough game to play, and at the current stage of his journey he would probably also benefit massively from the motivation of being in a team and being surrounded by more experienced riders.

I truly hope he can get the support he needs. He has earned it many times over.

[DieselnDust]

7 minutes ago, renayg said:

What has happened to Luke couldn't really have come at a worse time.

Luke has a big transition to make from u23 to elite racing this year. He has spent the last few years catching up from missing two seasons of racing due to Covid travel restrictions and finishing school, and last year he finally managed to get back to the sharp end of the field consistently which is no doubt a huge boost for his confidence and morale.

With Candice and Darren having chosen to continue the privateer route, it doesn't necessarily mean it will work for Luke. The Lill's have done this for many, many years and have a system that works for them. They know all the ins and outs of the WC racing scene and have many connections that help them do what they do well. What works for them is probably not the best option for Luke.

I had the opportunity to travel with Luke in 2023 for a few of the WC races, helping with logistics, shopping, cooking, cleaning bikes, sorting out spares and helping at the race with feed/ tech zone. It's a hell of a lot of work, and at times requires more than one person to help. Being a solo athlete is also a tough game to play, and at the current stage of his journey he would probably also benefit massively from the motivation of being in a team and being surrounded by more experienced riders.

I truly hope he can get the support he needs. He has earned it many times over.

Admin,…Can we make this post a sticky please!!🙏🏼