I was having some post-ride coffee with a few of them today and they assured us that Ball's tough talk is merely an act to garner more attention to his team. I really, really hope that's the case because that team has a lot of super young talent. Plus, a lot of the guys are locally-born or -based so we've had a chance to see them ride a lot. (Its hard not to root for the hometown boys.)

Ball's also signing up a number of top talents for his women's team, although I heard a few whispers that they had to pass the YoungPretty Test. From a marketing perspective of a sponsor/clothing manufacturer, it makes sense. Don't get me wrong, the women definitely can kick @ss. If he's supporting women's cycling, I'll try to be optimistic.