TRUMAN WOODSON SACKED
One of the best climbers in the world has left team Scuppernong in a blaze of controversy. For the past two seasons it has been reported that the relationship between manager, Joe, and the star rider has been frosty at best. However it has always been denied by the team insisting that team spirits have been high.
Woodson has been the best rider ever to ride for the English team in terms of results and raw ability. After been bought from team Telek@m during season 8, he was intensively trained and by the early stages of season 10, many critics in the sport thought that he was the best outright climber in the world. He is also one of the best tour riders with a respectable time-trialling ability as well.
The training soon reaped rewards and the results came quickly up many of the steepest climbs in the world. Without doubt, his most successful season was the 11th, where he achieved 9 results including a third place in the world tour. In total throughout his short career with Scuppernong, he achieved 21 results including four wins and reached a high of 4th in the OCM tour.
However his time at Scuppernong was not without criticism. Many people in the world of cycling said that he didn't have the sprinting ability to win races. With only four out of 21 results being victory's, they do have a point. They say that there should have been a better conversion of results into wins. However, Woodson has recently come out and said that the manager should be blamed due to little use of lead-outs in the races.
Another criticism has been that even though he has the skills, Woodson has never performed in tours with only a 7th result in the perm tour to his credit. With a rider of his ability, this should have been far higher.
Other people have said that Truman Woodson's mentality is the problem, as he always buckled in the big races. He never achieved a result in the World Championships or the Zürich-Bern-Zürich classic, with many thinking the favourite tag put too much pressure on him.
The last one and a half seasons have been disappointing, with only four results during this period. However Woodson is firmly blaming Joe in this matter saying "For the last few weeks I haven't seen Joe at all. He has been absent from training and hasn't signed the team up to any races. How am I meant to get any results with no races to race in. Joe just hasn't shown the ability to be a world class manager. He trained me well but then didn't use me to the best of my ability. I wouldn't recommend any other talented riders to join his team."
However Joe has been quick to reply to his ex-captain's comments, "He didn't show the commitment during all of last season and he just thought the results would come to him. I showed him patience and he is lucky to have stayed this long at the team. Physically he is one the best riders I have ever seen, but mentally he is a disappointment."
Not long after appearing on the transfer list he was bought by Welsh outfit FFL where he will be teamed up with fellow English climbing sensation Sterling Dorsher. Many remain sceptical on whether he can perform any better there.
The fallout will be felt in team Scuppernong over the next couple of seasons, with the treatment of Woodson putting off other talented riders from joining the team. Is Joe out of his depth when dealing with such big egos and was it a mistake letting Woodson go?
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