The little mountain helpers

[team fl]

What happend to the helpers almost every RSF mountain team had about 3 to 4 years ago? the little 60-60-80 with good regeneration who only want about 40k per race? I can't find them anymore (if there are, show me wrong!), only in very rare cases. Are they not helpful anymore or just out of date (not "trendy" anymore, to write it that way)? Or is the past thinking just out of date and not adequate anymore for what we know about RSF today? Is it just better to have a 60-80 instead of these kind of helpers, even if it costs you more credits? Is there a future for the 60-60-80 or did they finally retire forever? Or is it a coincidence that Allagen opens a thread and complains about the lack of races for mountain teams and the lack of these cute type of riders? (if that's not a thought for a funny discussion...)

[Robyklebt]

They are just simply not useful enough. They were there in the beginning because of .... MONEY. I started with 7 of them, well actually they were more like 55-55 than 60-60 at the start. Then they died out pretty fast, it really was only one generation of these riders. It's just that a 60-80 doesn't cost much more than a 60-60 and the 60-80 is just much much stronger. The 60-60 can only come back with the help of others, the 60-80 can come back by himself. The 60-60 was just a pure "battery", most of the time just there for loading. (Ok, I heard some genius managed to win a Giro stage with one of them, but well, brillant manager) Usually they where just there because they were bought at the begining, kept once they retired the next helper was a 60-80. They just simply are 100x more useful.

[team fl]

I think exactly the same. But they died out so quietly. Nobody said anything. No condolences... Just sad, when I imagine for example an Eric Becker with 63-59-87...

[NoPikouze]

I think they are too expensive, sadly
A flat helper (46-75 for example) doesnt cost more than 3 peanuts
But a hilly helper (60-60) has like 40k wages, possibly more, when he doesnt deserve that much

Which makes full hill teams (like euskaltel ?) impossible, I guess...
The price should be adjusted not so much on pure hill skill, but more on a mix between hill and flat, in my opinion.

But maybe nobody cares

[Robyklebt]

Which makes full hill teams (like euskaltel ?) impossible, I guess...
The price should be adjusted not so much on pure hill skill, but more on a mix between hill and flat, in my opinion.

I know somebody who cares... Radler, he has been saying that for years. But unfortunately Buhmann doesn't really like Radler, so he almost never listens to what Radler has to say and listens to the theories of Buhmann's darling too often. But when the next salary review comes, I'm fairly certain that it will be about exactly that. Buhmann just doesn't have the time...

But price is not the only thing. It's really that some sort of flat is necessary, too many races are decided in the flat (when they often shouldn't be), no hill team, mountain team can exchange a 65-80 with a 65-60, the difference in 10 km flat between 2 mountains is just to big. And then the mountain skill... nowadays it would be more 65-65 or even a bit more. 60-60 often wouldn't really be enough anymore. A stronger Xue basically (my 61-68-81 that I had in 08-09)

[NoPikouze]

I'm really lost, I thought I discovered yesterday that Buhmann = Radler

But anyway, since there is also a lot of talking about redefining riders values, this discussion (and a lot of others) might be senseless since these things will be changed in another way!

[Robyklebt]

Yep, Radler=Buhmann, but he is a complicated person If you want to talk about something technical during a race you have to say "Radler, please tell Buhmann, bla bla" otherwise he gets angry. Very very angry!

Wouldn't be so sure that the rider values change actually, could very well that the salary comes earlier.. but well, Buhmann no time, so....

[Quick]

Bella managed to win Lombardia with one of those 60-60-80s. ^^
EDDY RATTI!