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Ball signs Sevilla, invites Landis to camp

Published: Jan. 8, 2008
Ball at the helm
Ball at the helm

Rubber has yet to hit the road in ’08, but second-year continental road team Rock Racing continues to generate considerable attention, this time because of reports that owner Michael Ball has been courting Floyd Landis to fill an unspecified team advisory position.

Word of the deposed 2006 Tour de France champion’s involvement with the team came in the wake of director sportif Frankie Andreu’s departure based on “differences” in philosophy with Ball.

Less than two weeks after Ball signed
a scandal-tinged Tyler Hamilton, Landis’s email address was included on an internal team message relaying details of an upcoming January 18-31 training camp in Malibu, California.

But beyond visiting the camp, Landis risks having his two-year doping suspension extended if he violates section 10.9 of the World Anti-Doping Code, which prohibits him from participating in “any capacity,” be it in competition or other activities “authorized or organized by any signatory or signatory’s member organization.”

Never one to avoid controversy, Ball has also signed former Kelme and T-Mobile standout Oscar Sevilla, a rider who, along with Rock Racing recruit Santiago Botero, was implicated in Spain’s Operación Puerto doping investigation.

Deserving of a second chance
Reached by phone Monday, Ball discussed the status of his relationships with Landis and Andreu, confirmed signing Sevilla, and expressed surprise over rules that exclude UCI-registered continental teams from marquee events such as Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders.

Regarding Landis, Ball said he immediately took to him as a friend and a resource, after the two met at a dinner last year.

“We forged a friendship and an understanding of what is happening in the sport, and what needs to happen going forward,” Ball said. “From time to time I give him a call, for some advice. He’s been in the top tier as an athlete in this sport. Things obviously haven’t worked out too well for him thus far, but his career is not over. He’s not done. As I have said before, I support guys who have been vilified. At the end of the day, we are all human beings, and we all deserve a second chance. This guy didn’t go murder anybody. He’s an athlete, who is competing at the highest level. He’s been accused of things, and he’s tried to defend himself. Whether he is able to do that in the environment that is cycling today is a tough call.”

Ball confirmed that Landis had been invited to Rock Racing’s team camp, adding that he “might come by” to meet with the riders. Ball clarified that Landis wasn’t working with the team in any official capacity — for now.

“Floyd is a great guy. We will see,” Ball said. “He and I will be working together in some capacity in the future. Not sure what, but we will certainly do something together. He is a dynamic individual and a true champion — and deserving of the yellow jersey, I might add. We will have a relationship into the future, whether it is in business or racing, competition, promoting, what have you.”

Landis did not respond to calls or emails seeking comment.

Weathering several storms
Since emerging on the domestic cycling scene last year, Ball has become a polarizing and controversial figure (see “Ball:
Just for the record, I never said, ‘Win or you’re fired’”). However on the topic of Andreu’s departure from the team, Ball was diplomatic, and at times almost apologetic, admitting that his own need to run the team contributed to Andreu’s discontent.

“Frankie and I didn’t have a lot of contact with each other,” Ball said. “Obviously he wasn’t getting the nod in making decisions within this company, within this team, and that’s got to be difficult.”

“This is new to me,” Ball said. “He’s been living (cycling) his whole life. We didn’t mesh in the sense that I don’t know what a director sportif’s traditional role is. I know what I need to do in order to push my team and promote my brand. If there was miscommunication and the ball was dropped in terms of what his role was in the team, I’m sorry for that, frankly. But at end of day he’s a good guy, and I have nothing negative to say about Frankie.”

With Andreu gone and Landis in no position to replace him, Rock Racing is currently without a team director less than six weeks before the Amgen Tour of California. It’s not something that concerns Ball.

“I have guys who have tons of experience who can take over the role,” Ball said. “And frankly, I like giving guys who haven’t necessarily held those positions an opportunity. I’m into giving people a shot. It’s sort of my philosophy in life, give people a chance. Where I come from, I didn’t get a whole lot of chances. I had to fight, tooth and nail. I can relate. And that’s why it might look like I have a superstar team on paper, but if you break it down, these guys are still underdogs; guys who are trying to make it back, trying to clear their name.”

One possible candidate is retired Rock Racing rider Mariano Friedick, who was previously slotted in a team director role under Andreu.

Whoever the team’s new director will be, he’d be well served to speak Spanish, as Sevilla — a top 10 finisher at both the Tour de France and Vuelta España — has officially signed to ride, alongside native Spanish speakers Botero, Victor Hugo Peña and Cesar Grajales.

“Sevilla is on, he’s in,” Ball said, adding that the Spanish rider was “signed, sealed and delivered” last week.

Ball, however, was a bit vague about what role Mario Cipollini might play on the team. The two met at Interbike in Las Vegas last September and “Super Mario” may be attending the team camp in Malibu. Ball declined to confirm or deny reports that the retired 2002 world champion might race for the team on a part-time basis.

“I can’t speak to Mario at this point,” he said. “He’s a good friend, he gives me great advice, and our relationship will continue into the future whether it’s in business, or racing, or just as friendship. We will be friends forever. This guy is a true rock star. Man, I have my moments, but this guy puts me to shame, let me tell you. He is fantastic, a lot of fun.”

Fallout?
Ball denied that Rock Racing — which has signed on as a founding sponsor for next month’s Amgen Tour of California — had felt any repercussions from race organizers based on recent controversial additions to its roster.

There has, however, been a negative response from equipment sponsors. Ball specifically pointed to wheel manufacturer HED, which backed out of its sponsorship agreement after Rock added Hamilton.

“HED left specifically because of Tyler being on the team,” Ball said. “They were giving us a full ride, and we were going to work with them and help them build their brand as much as ours.

“Nope. See ya. Gone. So be it. I’ll go out and buy that company and do my own wheels. I’ll make my own wheels. I don’t need your wheels. I’ll make better wheels. I’ll make cooler wheels, that’s for sure.”

“We just got another phone call from another sponsor who is wavering. And go! See ya. I don’t care. I’ll buy all the equipment. I’ll make my own. Next! And guess what? I’ll make it better, cooler, and I’ll take your market share. Next! If that’s the way you really feel about this sport, and it’s just an opportunity, then you shouldn’t be in the sport. There’s more to it than the opportunity. Absolutely I’m in it for the opportunity, but there is more to it. There are people, there are lives. So no, you can go and disappear, HED, but guess what? Tyler is still racing for me.”

Representatives from HED did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Missed objectives, missed deadlines
Rock Racing’s revamped 2008 roster stemmed from Ball’s interests, both marketing and sporting wise, to compete in Europe. With 2002 Milan-San Remo winner Mario Cipollini and that year’s runner up Freddie Rodriguez on staff, Ball held an outside hope for an invite to La Primavera. However team managers Haldane Morris and Mitch Sebolsky applied for UCI continental, rather than continental professional, status — likely precluding the team from the sport’s biggest events.

UCI rules dictate that continental teams cannot compete at events rated above 1.1 or 2.1. ProTour events such as Milan-San Remo are ranked 1.HC or 2.HC, above classification. Continental professional status requires an extra $150,000 in registration fees, as well as minimum rider salaries and medical monitoring expenses, but opens doors to top-tier race invitations.

When asked about the discrepancy between his stated goals and his team’s registered status, Ball seemed both indifferent and uninformed.

“No shit? Well I’ve got look into that right away,” he said with a laugh. “That would be shame if we did get invited [to ProTour caliber events] and we couldn’t go.”

Ball said he was at a loss to explain how the error might have occurred.

“Well, if it were a mistake, I would have the individual who made the mistake inform me why it was done that way,” he said. “If I agreed to it, we’d move on. If it were egregious, there’d be some hell to pay, without a doubt.”