For a man who doesn’t have a pro cycling team or UCI license or sponsor or any riders, Fernando Alonso sure gets around.
Since the failed rescue deal for the Euskatel-Euskadi squad, Alonso has been seen everywhere. This week Dubai, then maybe Mallorca and after that who knows — a few photo ops at a cobbled classic.
The famous Spanish Formula 1 driver has gotten a ton of media-love even though he has almost nothing in place for his 2015 team. His one hire Paolo Bettini appears to have one job description: insisting they haven’t signed Peter Sagan. The on-going denials and rumors are almost comical.
Newsflash: Alonso wants Fabian Cancellara and Chris Froome and Mark Cavendish. Or maybe he doesn’t or he’s just thinking out loud, dreaming his fantasy team dream. Maybe his buddy Sammy Sanchez comes on board after his year at BMC.
Meanwhile, Alonso is out there working the scene, showing the flag, floating scenarios, dangling promises. This is gonna be a big time, serious, hot-shot squad that hits the road hard and fast.
Alonso is getting more attention than Brian Holm or Jonathan Vaughters or Allan Peiper or David Brailsford — and they have teams — real ones, with real riders who win real races. He’s even stealing the spotlight from ego-maniac Russian tycoon Oleg Tinkof.
This is gonna be cool — make no mistake about that. Pro cycling needs Alonso to jazz things up and bring some sexy. His Russian model girlfriend Dasha Kapustina will be a real hit walking around the team buses.
We lost those wild and crazy Basques but we’ve got Dasha in return. A fair bargain any way you look at it. Will Dasha set Peter Sagan up with one of her dazzling model friends? If you, get out the contract and pen right now.
Alonso is in the honeymoon phase and he’s gonna drag it out as long as possible. It’s all fun when it’s theoretical. Pretty soon you got a bunch of skinny guys under contract and expectations skyrocket and reality sets in — this pro cycling biz is tough!
In the meantime, get used to seeing Fernando’s face. If they gave UCI points for public relations, he’d have plenty.
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