Author Topic: Best and worst professional team names (Read 6282 times)

lord hereford · « **on:** 18 September, 2012, 08:05:43 pm »

After wincing when ever the name "Node4 Giordana" was mentioned in the Tour of Britain, I got to thinking what other team names (memorable or otherwise) have graced the pro scene.

Radioshack-Nissan never did it for me.
Lotto Belisol, see also Silence-Lotto, Lotto-Mobistar-Isoglass, Davitamon-Lotto, Lotto-Vlaanderen-Jong-Mbk-Merckx and Omega Pharma-Lotto.....
Kas - great team, dodgy name.
Domo-Farm Frites - just rubbish
Funvic-Pindamonhangaba (Brazil) - must have all needed xx jerseys to fit that on.
Subway Cycling Team (NZ) sounds bloody dangerous to me.

Good names are less easy.

Raleigh-Banana - what's not to like?
St Raphael - classy
Euskaltel-Euskadi - tricky but trips off the tongue with practise. Not sure Mr H Porter agrees....
Bianchi - Fausto's team.

LEE · « **Reply #1 on:** 18 September, 2012, 08:19:52 pm »

I like the sound of Rapha-Condor

David Martin · « **Reply #2 on:** 18 September, 2012, 08:31:21 pm »

'Water and soap'

'Footon'

'Number one market'

rogerzilla · « **Reply #3 on:** 18 September, 2012, 08:53:24 pm »

La Vie Claire is a good one.

Del Tongo is also great.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #4 on:** 18 September, 2012, 08:56:42 pm »

'Love and Life'
They have an interesting attitude; founded as Fanini in 1948 but changed to Amore e Vita in 1988 and receive an annual papal blessing (while also counting Berlusconi a supporter and friend $:-\$ ).

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #5 on:** 18 September, 2012, 08:58:12 pm »

Katiusha is a good one. Sounds so soft but...

hubner · « **Reply #6 on:** 18 September, 2012, 09:02:23 pm »

(Best is) Basically any foreign and non-English names.

Molteni, Systeme U, Mapei etc.

But in their own languages/countries the equivalent would be eg Wall's Sauages, Sainsbury, Tiles R Us. It doesn't quite sound the same.

rogerzilla · « **Reply #7 on:** 18 September, 2012, 09:02:54 pm »

MG-GB Boys sounded too much like a troupe of male strippers.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #8 on:** 18 September, 2012, 09:29:55 pm »

Quote from: hubner on 18 September, 2012, 09:02:23 pm

Basically any foreign and non-English names.

Molteni, Systeme U, Mapei etc.

But in their own languages/countries the equivalent would be eg Wall's Sauages, Sainsbury, Tiles R Us. It doesn't quite sound the same.

Does CCC sound exotic to you?
(It's a Polish team sponsored by a chain of cheap shoe shops - the English equivalent would be something like Shoes from Primark)

red marley · « **Reply #9 on:** 18 September, 2012, 09:30:05 pm »

You missed the best of the lotto names - Predictor Lotto. It was great seeing alpha-males like McEwen riding in pink pregnancy testing kit kit. Not sure the mixture of pregnancy testing and 'lotto' inspired much confidence though.

I'm also a big fan of Agritubel. Who said bovine agricultural tubing can't be glamourous?

rogerzilla · « **Reply #10 on:** 18 September, 2012, 09:34:26 pm »

Argos-Shimano is pretty bad. First you assume it's the catalogue store (as Jack Dee said, buiying from Argos is like making a bet; you fill in your little slip and 10-1 it's crap) then maybe it's the bike firm from Bristol.

Nah...petrodollars.

Martin · « **Reply #11 on:** 18 September, 2012, 09:39:38 pm »

Falcon Banana was the only trade top I've ever owned; it was a present and matched the bike (the colour is a clue); it must have been out of actual "professional" use for years before that. Alas both top and bikes are history now

I loved it

Exit Stage Left · « **Reply #12 on:** 18 September, 2012, 10:01:33 pm »

Leaky Gas.

sg37409 · « **Reply #13 on:** 18 September, 2012, 10:09:07 pm »

Good: Super Confex
can still remember phil (in his pre-shite days

shouting
"And its Jean Paul Van Poppel, those super confex boys have done it, right on the line !"

mzjo · « **Reply #14 on:** 18 September, 2012, 10:14:04 pm »

Carrera always had a nice ring to it - unfortunately no connection to Porsche.

I could never get Once into my mind as spanish, it always came out as once which is french for ounce, not very heavyweight!

On shoe shop sponsors Besson, who are a french chain of cheap shoe shops, once sponsored a team.

Exit Stage Left · « **Reply #15 on:** 18 September, 2012, 10:17:29 pm »

The commentators get a pronunciation guide for the team names, hence Leaky-Gas, Leo-Pard Trek was another, probably because Apple had an OS named Leopard.

twiddler · « **Reply #16 on:** 18 September, 2012, 10:39:10 pm »

What about Quickstep?
Got a bit of impetus but maybe a double edged sword which too easily leads commentators towards 'those dancing on the pedals...' lines.

Rhys W · « **Reply #17 on:** 18 September, 2012, 10:46:15 pm »

Tonton Tapis - made worse by the picture of the moustachioed carpet seller on the jersey.

Biff · « **Reply #18 on:** 18 September, 2012, 10:47:54 pm »

For a truly marvellous Scrabble score:

Marc-Zeep-Savon Mondial Moquette-Splendor. Rode (inter alia) the 1984 TdF with Claude Criquielion and Rudy Dhaenens.

Gus · « **Reply #19 on:** 19 September, 2012, 12:08:37 am »

Team Chicky world

bikenrrd · « **Reply #20 on:** 19 September, 2012, 08:51:17 am »

I thought Quickstep was a cool name until we bought a house and I had to buy some laminate flooring! At least Quickstep is decent quality stuff.

Z-Peugeot was the team of my youth, especially with Robert Millar and Greg Lemond riding for them.

mattc · « **Reply #21 on:** 19 September, 2012, 09:06:50 am »

Quote from: Gus on 19 September, 2012, 12:08:37 am

Team Chicky world

Hmmm. I guess I have to play:
Team Davids Salon

I like Once (now that I can pronounce it), and La Vie Clare.

Fatso Buttholo always made me chuckle.

GavinC · « **Reply #22 on:** 19 September, 2012, 01:47:28 pm »

Quote from: rogerzilla on 18 September, 2012, 09:34:26 pm

Argos-Shimano is pretty bad.

That's true. Skil-Shimano is cool though. And Rabobank and Vacansoleil have a nice way of rolling off the tongue.

AN Post Sean Kelly Cycling Team is the worst IMO.

scampi · « **Reply #23 on:** 19 September, 2012, 01:52:15 pm »

Kelme ("Kell-may") always had a nice ring to it. One of my favourite tour stages was won by Javier Otxoa (Hautacam 2000) riding for Kelme.

tiermat · « **Reply #24 on:** 19 September, 2012, 02:04:20 pm »

Euskatel Euskadi
<whatever> Big Mat (on a side note, aren't these lot the ones who used to sponsor a team and the team strip looked like a pair of dungarees?)

Both good ones, but on the downside, any team where there are more than 2 main sponsors, and thus more than two names in the team name is just wrong, even Team Node4 Giordana seems too long winded for my liking

Author Topic: Best and worst professional team names (Read 6282 times)

LEE

red marley

Martin