Oct 19, 2005
Simoni Roulette, Where Will Gibo Go?
Since the collapse of the Sony Ericsson team, all 16 riders and staff have been scramlbing to find employment for 2006. With most rosters already full, it is a challeneg to get on a team let alone another ProTour Team. The most notable refugee is Gilberto Simoni. The two time Giro champ is one of the hottest riders on the open market. At first, rumors suggested a move to Naturino, but recently the new formation of Unibet was in the running to sign Gibo. Today, the latest news is that Saunier Duval has tendered an offer to “Il Ragno”. Of all the teams vying for Simoni’s signature, the best bet would be Saunier Duval, since they are already a ProTour team. Unibet does not have much of a chance to usurp AG2R’s bid to be the 20th team, since they are submitting their paperwork extremely late. Applications were due May 31st, so Unibet may be out of luck. Naturino is still a continental team. They do have the budget and the talent to backup Simoni in the Giro. They did not get the nod to ride in the 2005 Giro, and are not guaranteed a spot for 2006, unless the get Simoni on their roster. It is a wonder that Simoni is wating until Friday to pick a team to ride for 2006. He should simply sign the dotted line for Saunier and be done with the contract talks. Unless there is a last minute offer from Quick-Step or other Pro-Tour teams that has not yet been publicized.