Monday Madness

by Chris Fontecchio on Nov 17, 2008 10:39 AM EST in Cafe Happy Hour!

"Bruyneel: Lance can win!" The problem with times like these is, the only "news" consists of cyclists talking about racing. And we all know how candid and interesting that can be.

Still, speaking of Lance, here's the anatomy of a Tour invite: 7-time winner comes back, says he's amped for the Tour. Head of family that owns tour passes, son takes over. Son says bad things 'bout 7-time winner. Smarter member of family (a/k/a comptroller) smacks son upside head. Son schedules meeting with 7-time winner.

As for old guys on the comeback, Vino challenges those who think he doped (positive tests and all...) with "Do you really think I was so stupid?" Um, dude, we were being nice. The alternatives are worse... Happy Monday!

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Flanders!

What I liked in reading this Lance stuff is that he’s planning on riding Flanders. Cool. Hope it happens though, as you say, this is only talk about riding.

by ursula on Nov 17, 2008 11:32 AM EST reply actions

So according to Bruyneel. here is Lance's schedule

TdU(6 stages), ToC(9 stages), Crit Int.(3 stages), Flanders, Giro Trentino(4 stages), Tour de Romandie(6 stages), Giro(21 stages). That’s 50 days of racing before June. I can’t see Lance racing the Tour with that heavy of an early schedule, especially not at 37.

"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt

by Phil H. on Nov 17, 2008 12:52 PM EST reply actions

Good point

Could he be building for next year’s Tour?

by dheadrick on Nov 17, 2008 1:06 PM EST up reply actions

Dunno

Everyone in the peloton is capable of racing 85 days a year, it’s just a question of what they plan to do on those days. I’ll at least suggest that Lance isn’t being cautious anymore, since there’s no great reason to be. No $5million payments from the insurance company for winning the Tour.

Also, those first 15 days, they’re really just workouts. Romandie: I wouldn’t be too surprised to see him go for the win.

CQRanking.com, you complete me.

by Chris Fontecchio on Nov 17, 2008 1:58 PM EST up reply actions

Sure he can do it

but he seems to be putting a lot of emphasis on the Giro, and not the Tour. I just think he isn’t too worried about winning the Tour. He seems focused solely on the Giro. He wouldn’t race Trentino and Romandie if he wouldn’t go for the win. If he were looking at the Tour he would probably then still do the Dolphin or Suisse plus the Tour, that’s then close to 80 days, but the other riders usually get up to 85 by riding through September or October, they usually don’t have 80 at the end of July.

"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt

by Phil H. on Nov 17, 2008 2:08 PM EST up reply actions

If I was doing strategy at Astana

I would release a schedule as that one. Then when I sit down at the negotiating-table with the ASO I could say “we have a strong schedule here aimed at the Giro (who, by the way, were very nice too us in 2008). So I don’t really need to be at the Tour. You are really the ones with the most to gain from me being there, I don’ really care either way. I’m not the one saying no to millions in revenue. You do what you want.”

Carlos Sastre - Tour de France winner - Born From Jets

by Jens on Nov 17, 2008 2:37 PM EST up reply actions

Well, Contador really wants to do the Tour

so I have a feeling that the ASO will be quick in letting the biggest name back in to their events, they saw how the other two GT’s benefited from Astana and Contador being there, I’m sure they will let Astana race in their events again next year. Looking at Lance’s schedule, he might not do any of their races anyway(except the Crit Int., and Cali I guess) so they might not have to deal with him anyway. Contador though will be at P-N and the Tour, so again, I think they would benefit from letting Astana back in.

"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt

by Phil H. on Nov 17, 2008 2:56 PM EST up reply actions

Ooooo ... sneaky!

by dheadrick on Nov 17, 2008 11:22 PM EST up reply actions

Ah

I thought you were making a different point: that Lance would skip the Giro for the Tour. I agree, he seems more logically aimed at the Giro. IMHO there’s no way he wins the Tour. After two years off, at age 37, against a teammate, who’s a legend in the making in his prime? Lance is great and all, but he didn’t look that dominant in 2005, let alone four years later.

CQRanking.com, you complete me.

by Chris Fontecchio on Nov 17, 2008 2:59 PM EST up reply actions

Yeah, I don't see him having a chance to win it

but I also wouldn’t see the point of him racing it again. He went out, at the Tour, on top. All that could change is that he doesn’t win, he should have his last memories at the Tour be of him wearing yellow on the Champs- Elysees. The Giro on the other hand he has never done, so what does he have to lose, he can only gain from riding it IMO.

"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt

by Phil H. on Nov 17, 2008 3:19 PM EST up reply actions

Savoldelli doesn't think so

“He carried out tests before announcing his return and he understands that he can still win. He is starting early on, debuting in January, because he needs a base. He will be at the Giro but his objective is to win the Tour.”

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2008/nov08/nov17news2

by dheadrick on Nov 17, 2008 11:25 PM EST up reply actions

Boy Savoldelli is just running his mouth now that he's retired, isn't he

well he also said that he doesn’t believe that Landis and Vino doped, so his judgment might not be the best, but he might be right.

"If you go (with a break), you can either win or not win. If you don't go for it, you definitely won't win."
~ Jens Voigt

by Phil H. on Nov 17, 2008 11:35 PM EST up reply actions

Re: Vino

Reading his statements, I want to believe, just like it was the pre-Puerto days of innocent-until-proven-guilty. Then, I think about how exceptional the dopers looked this year, and think about what Vino did during the Tour (i.e., crash – win TT – crash – win queen stage).

by dheadrick on Nov 17, 2008 1:11 PM EST reply actions

Vino tosses monkeywrench

Am I the only person wondering what happens when Vino gets his buddy at the Kazakh Ministry of Defense/Sport to force Bruyneel to hire him back and put him on the Tour roster? Seems to me to be a real possibility. It would put ASO in a heckuva bind: either let money bags (a.k.a. Lance) ride and completely back down on the “strong anti-doping” stance that lead to Astana being barred in 2008, or vice versa.

by bonkeur on Nov 17, 2008 4:39 PM EST reply actions

No need to back down on the anti-doping stance with an Astana invite

Astana put in place a credible testing program this year, and even kicked off an upcoming star (i.e., Gusev) for abnormal values. Lance is taking part in the blood passport system and an individual testing system that will be published online.

by dheadrick on Nov 17, 2008 11:33 PM EST up reply actions

Vino wearing a "kick me" sign on his back.

I think its a very very very low chance that Vino would be on the Astana Tour team. First he has to get cleared by UCI, not a guarantee and until then Bruyneel doesn’t have to do squat. Its hard to imagine the CAS letting Vino off the hook.

Second, if Vino can get away with a one year suspension I imagine that Bruyneel has a “hands off” policy to with his Kazakh paymasters.

by ursula on Nov 17, 2008 6:01 PM EST reply actions