Astana for the Giro

by Chris Fontecchio on May 5, 2009 5:15 PM EDT in News

No big surprises... just a stellar lineup:

Lance Armstrong
Jani Brajkovic
Chris Horner
Levi Leipheimer
Steve Morabito
Daniel Navarro
Yaroslav Popovych
Jose Luis Rubiera
Andrey Zeits

In the VN writeup Lance talks of no pressure, helping Levi win, etc. I still see three potential GC guys, depending on who feels best, with Horner around for all sorts of mischief (if he's recovered enough), and some proven workhorse domestiques. Better than most teams can throw at the Giro, IMHO. Only question: is this Bruyneel's last hurrah in baby blue? Probably not... those black Livestrong kits would be a recipe for heatstroke on the baked July moonscape of Mont Ventoux.

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Yeah those but Black Livestrong kits would give heat stroke...

but the new white ones wouldn’t…

This team will probably get 2-3 riders in the top 12…

by Vlaanderen90 on May 5, 2009 5:44 PM EDT reply actions

How is Horner?

I gather he’s not in ideal shape, after sitting out?

CQRanking.com, you complete me.

by Chris Fontecchio on May 5, 2009 5:46 PM EDT reply actions

I believe his condition still stands at

certified bad ass.

In Chauncey we trust!

by Phil H. on May 5, 2009 5:51 PM EDT up reply actions

Sure

that’s permanent.

CQRanking.com, you complete me.

by Chris Fontecchio on May 5, 2009 6:54 PM EDT up reply actions

Well after Gila, where he was destroying the fields, pulling for miles at a time...

I think he will be in decent shape. I think he might not be in peak shape but he will ride into shape and be very very useful in later stages.

by Vlaanderen90 on May 5, 2009 5:55 PM EDT up reply actions

he is, according to himself, in the best shape ever

http://blog.oregonlive.com/horner/2009/05/from_gila_to_giro_injured_or_n.html

by Bruce Suomi on May 5, 2009 5:56 PM EDT up reply actions

Excellent...

he says to himself while tapping the fingers together……buwahaahaahaaa

by Teel22 on May 5, 2009 6:13 PM EDT up reply actions

Well he better not crash then because if his form was anything like Pais Vasco then

some fields are going to be obliterated.

by Vlaanderen90 on May 5, 2009 6:27 PM EDT up reply actions

OK

so he’s putting on the foil? good news.

I swear, I may be an Astana fan before the Giro is over.

CQRanking.com, you complete me.

by Chris Fontecchio on May 5, 2009 6:55 PM EDT up reply actions

So looking at this team

All climbers. Not even a Bazayev/Vaikus “sprinter” driver of the peloton on the flat parts of a stage among them although probably Zeits would do that if they need to.

Otherwise:

Three older guys to be close domestiques Levi over the hills: Lance, Horner, Ruberia. These three won’t go on breaks but will be the main guys ahead of Levi going up the mountains.

Three younger guys to look for breaks in the spirit of Colom in the next to last stage of last year’s Giro: Popovych, Brajkovic, Navarro. You know what I mean? On that last huge stage over the Gavia and Motorola, Astana sent Colom on the break and he stayed ahead of the field until after the last hill where Contador, Ricco, Sella, etc. caught up with him thus ensuring Contador wasn’t isolated. Back in the pack with Contador was Levi, Kloden, and the others on the team.

I can imagine Brajkovic especially being the one to maybe get in on a break especially in those first couple of mountain stages (4-6). Other teams would have to respect his abilities.

by ursula on May 5, 2009 6:24 PM EDT reply actions

Interesting

I wonder if they just don’t think they need a flats driver, like, oh, Van Summeren was last year at the Tour (IIRC). That Cuneo-Pinerolo stage has some open spaces. Same with the Monte Petrano and Vesuvio stages. But then Astana probably don’t think they have to take charge of the Giro, with Leaky and the other Italian teams on hand.

CQRanking.com, you complete me.

by Chris Fontecchio on May 5, 2009 6:59 PM EDT up reply actions

They have really only have one true flatlander in Morabito...

But if they get somebody in a break or if one of the Italian teams isn’t in a break, they won’t really have a need to be at the front.
And if they are caught out of a break, I am sure that there will be an overzealous Italian team ready to ride at the front of the group to get some TV/stage glory.

by Vlaanderen90 on May 5, 2009 7:13 PM EDT up reply actions

Re: flats

Maybe this Zeits kid will do the flats. Don’t know much about him other than he’s a member of the Khazah affirmative action program. Vaitkus has been injiured, though I though he’d have recovered by now. Bazayev raced a hard schedule from MSR through LBL: he’s due for a rest.

But this lineup makes me think all the more that they will be conservative, allowing other teams to chase, for as long as possible. So what vlaanderen90 says above makes sense,This team screams CLIMBERS.

by ursula on May 5, 2009 8:20 PM EDT up reply actions

I only went with Morabito for the flats because he weighs like 160-65 pounds...

Though I guess Lance could fall into that category as well…

by Vlaanderen90 on May 5, 2009 8:31 PM EDT up reply actions

the squad can still drive the flats and rolling stages...

"Wizard's first rule. People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true." -- Terry Goodkind

by umwolverine on May 6, 2009 7:26 AM EDT up reply actions

This looks like a pretty strong team - definitely there to make an impression

It sure is stronger than any Giro team they sent as Postal or Discovery. Plus, for a bunch of climbers its a pretty strong TT team. I’d be willing to bet that this team is stronger than a couple of the early Tour winning teams. That said, non of those teams would be competitive in the current environment IMHO.

I’m pretty stoked to see how well Levi et al does over the next 3 weeks (must clear more work off desk so I can watch this one).

Just spinning the pedals in the hills of Western Maryland

by natbla on May 5, 2009 7:49 PM EDT reply actions

Will Astana Start? Finish?

According to cyclingnews.com, Astana is in deep financial trouble, and the UCI might even pull the plug on them!

The Giro organizers must be sweating bullets — they’ve completely built this years edition around Lance, and his team may go under!

[P.S., I wonder if Simeoni would accept a last minute substitute invite?]

by DeathBredon on May 5, 2009 10:00 PM EDT reply actions

I doubt they'll start, yea it sounds like they are done, Simeoni most likely in now

Where in the world could they get the money to continue or solve this situation with so little time before the start? Oh my gosh I can’t believe this is happening on the eve of the Giro, what horrible timing. ( where’s that eye rolling emoticon…)

by sminer on May 5, 2009 10:23 PM EDT up reply actions

truth is stranger than fiction. if astana tanks, which seems likely, only their top domestique and once king of all things cycling (LA) has the juice to gather the super-sponsors necessary to save the team or build a new one from the astana framework. incredible.

by nighttrain on May 5, 2009 11:36 PM EDT reply actions

I just don't find it incredible at all

It’s all starting to make sense. These guys (JB, LA and co.) knew this was coming way before we got wind of it.

by sminer on May 6, 2009 12:22 AM EDT up reply actions

We're just starting to see pieces of the puzzle that they already put together

by sminer on May 6, 2009 12:27 AM EDT up reply actions

Mellow Johnny's

I guess it now makes sense that they rode a pro race as a different team.

by fishtaco on May 6, 2009 12:42 AM EDT up reply actions

Astana-Livestrong?...or Livestrong-Mellow Johnny's?

if they need it, money will be flowing in fast

by Vlaanderen90 on May 6, 2009 1:14 AM EDT reply actions

Who the hell are Zeits and Morabito?

Crashdan: "Veni Vidi Vici beats Wing Kong Exchange... … and I’ll change my signature to a backwards smile for a month."
Franzoi wins Parijs-Roubaix and I win a date with the VDS of Team Txirrindulariak..

by Frinking on May 6, 2009 6:27 AM EDT reply actions

Morabito is usually good for a few VDS points in Swiss races

by Monty. on May 6, 2009 6:45 AM EDT up reply actions

So a climber?

by Frinking on May 6, 2009 6:51 AM EDT up reply actions

A Swiss climber

waterboy everywhere else. Still better than some of the people QS, Silence and Rabo are bringing. Rest assured that he’s probably being not payed not very much.

by Monty. on May 6, 2009 7:07 AM EDT up reply actions

or paid at all lately....

by rbjhan on May 6, 2009 7:26 AM EDT up reply actions

lol

by Frinking on May 6, 2009 8:29 AM EDT up reply actions

Aah ok and about Rabo..

They are bringin a lot of youngsters.. Assuming you think Stamsnijder and van Emden are worse than Morabito.. But! theire is one thing they can do… Echolons!!! So now find a stage where there are no climbs… Hmmmm

by Frinking on May 6, 2009 8:32 AM EDT up reply actions

lol

Do they do echelons in Italy? I don’t think this happens too often ;-)

by Jen See on May 6, 2009 11:33 AM EDT up reply actions

I'd love to see them trying it on some of the descents in the Alps

if you thought that oncoming traffic was the worst you’d ever have to face, how about centrifugal force throwing you off a hairpin bend and down the side of a mountain.

by Monty. on May 6, 2009 12:16 PM EDT up reply actions

Actually...

After I got done laughing about maybe echelons were illegal in Italy and other silly thoughts I remembered that the first stage to Trieste… there’s a local wind that pops up there which would definitely cause echelons to form. I doubt that wind will be blowing this month though.

by ursula on May 6, 2009 3:49 PM EDT up reply actions

I remember reading about a freakish MSR

one year, might have been ‘87 given who won, it was the windiest edition anyone had ever seen, anyways there’s some break really early in the race, no one pays attention, and they stay away for the whole time because of this crazy sidewind, the whole peloton forms into echelons but too late to catch these dudes who built up something like a 20-minute lead. So basically most of the favourites were excluded from the get-go. People were pissed, Merckx gave some interview about how the lazy pros of today had it coming, and a good time was had by all.

by plinytheelder on May 6, 2009 8:43 PM EDT up reply actions