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I mean, if you're good enough, get your own deal. You don't get a free bike just because your wife is a decent cyclist.

I wonder if the constant changing of sponsors has anything to do with her deal also requiring her husband to get a free bike too, as she mentions in this interview from a couple of years back: http://www.cxmagazine.com/katie-compton-talks-about-her-sponsorship-search

Katie and Mark have a LONG history of crapping on any previous sponsor. Sure, Syn Nys had a few problems with shifting last year on Shimano (and a broken pedal). But you don't see him always bad mouthing the parts. 

Mark was trashing the Shimano parts during the season last year pretty badly on twitter, as well as the Rabobank logistics for getting bikes, wheels, etc, to them. I'm fairly certain she ran Avid Ultimate brakes last season (anodized orange to look like the rabo brakes) despite being on shimano. 

I wish the best for her during the race season. But, I have no sympathy for her sponsor situation (remember a couple years back when she was really hard up for a sponsor?). When you constantly burn every bridge you cross... eventually you'll be screwed. 

My local bike shop advises customers to use a Shimano front derailleur instead of SRAM.

Where to start? Primus Mootry, ROL Wheels, Stevens, Conti tires, Rabobank, Giant, Specialized, Shimano, Campy, SRAM, Shimano again, Parlee, Pactimo and I'm sure that I'm missing a couple.  These are all the companies that Katie has burned through in the last 5 years of racing.  Why does she go through so many sponsors?  The bike community is very small and even smaller when dealing with sponsorship dollars. 

The biggest question is what do the companies get back from thier investment:  " I was dropping my chain regularly, I couldn’t be sure of when I shifted, and I just never had a good feeling."  Great quote and way to throw Shimano under the bus for your lack of mechanical awareness of how the proper setup of the components should be.  Was this the fault of the Rabobank team mechanics or someone else working on your bike?  I dont see Lars Boom, Marianne Vos, Adam Craig or Robert Gesink having this issue.

I really want to root for Katie, but this article makes it difficult.  She comes off as an athlete who is ungrateful to past sponsors, a foul for anyone, especially a rider that changes sponsors annually.  Eventually, there will not be any bridges left to burn. 

As an industry member, a 'team sponsor, a Sram user, and a competitor too, I am uncomfortable with the quote in the second paragraph. A colleague and I were discussing this (after seeing this press release) and concluded it's bad form to retroactively trash, criticize, or blame past supporters, especially when the ink on the new contracts is barely dry atmo. I am sure that no results from 2011 can be used as examples of shortcomings implied in the quote about shifting. And by extension, if this really is her point of view, what might be in store for current sponsors and suppliers when they get replaced? I think a consummate professional would say, "Thank you for the support. I hope you benefited from the liaison as much as I did.", and then move forward. That attitude would define success in my book.

34 degrees and Raining?  Not in Colorado recently.  Whole damn state has been a tinder box all year, the only thing falling from the sky recently is flame retardant!!!   

Ya, ask Andy about dropped chains.  Don't most pros use Force front derailuers anyway?  Any why sh@t on a past sponsor?  Not pro.  So is my Trek Madone with DuraAce a POS?  I smell something fishy in the springs...and in the Netherlands too!  

What was she riding before? Sorry, I've haven't been keeping up with these things. I found this interesting because since switching to SRAM, I've set new personal records for dropped chains.