Garmin Courting Contador
by roadside on Jul 26, 2009 9:12 PM EDT
Email
PrintThe earlier rumors appear to be true and just hours after the finish of the Tour we have this:
From the Denver Post today
Team Garmin-Slipstream will pursue Alberto Contador if the two-time Tour de France winner becomes available after the potential breakup of his team, Garmin-Slipstream sporting director Jonathan Vaughters said Sunday.
"
We'd be interested," Vaughters said. "But there are so many variables. We'll have a better idea in 10 days or two weeks."Read the article for more and stay tuned.
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Holy shit, that story is even placed ahead of two Broncos stories!
this is the Denver Post right?
Vamos Alberto!!!(Contador not Ricco)
CN has an article with Wiggins
and what he wants to focus going forward
he ruled out a desire to focus solely on the Tour de France – something that Armstrong did during his seven year winning stretch. “Next year I’m going to concentrate more on the Tour but I don’t see why I couldn’t win something like the Vuelta a España and smaller races like Tirreno-Adriatico. This has opened up a whole new set of doors for me now.”
sounds eerily...
sensible.
ABRUZZIAM...uh oh
by Chris Fontecchio on Jul 27, 2009 12:22 PM EDT up reply actions
doesn't it just?
You see how calm Vaughters is? That’s because he’s really one giant seething ball of Evil inside. With like, extra Evil.
I so hope Vaughters is just milking the rumors for publicity purposes.
Even here, it doesn’t look so much like confirmation of the rumors—it looks like JV is responding to the question “Would you be interested in Contador if it turns out he’s free?” Only an idiot would say, “No, absolutely not!” about the guy who just won the Tour. So he said he’d be interested but qualified it with the “number of variables” comment.
Won’t believe it until I see it—especially as CdE seems like a much more natural fit for Contador.
Throughout the stage all I kept on thinking was: ‘don’t finish second, you can’t finish second again’.--Heinrich Haussler
CdE seems the most likely.
But Garmin could be good for him. Esecially in the TTT and without the drama of being in the same team as Valv. I’m sure he’s closer to Valv than he is to LA, but does he want to risk jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire?
Beside, Evil Bert + Evil Garmin equals Argyle Unicorns and that’s got to be hard to beat.
"…I saw bloody Cavendish coming, really fast…"
HH
Not sure about him and Valv, but Lulu is one of his best buds
I think it might come down to Valverde’s suspension, if it becomes world wide than they surely can boot him and then should have more then enough money to sign him. I wonder if they can have both on the same team. One must remember that CdE is a French sponsor, the one thing they want more than anything is a Tour win, so they surely will be willing to fork some cash out to him.
Vamos Alberto!!!(Contador not Ricco)
valv and conta get along quite well, valv really likes him bunches and visa versa.... and there's always the benefit of best bud lulu
"Wizard's first rule. People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true." -- Terry Goodkind
not sure about European employment laws, or lawsuits.
I imagine the Valverde salary money may be tied up for a while, even if there’s a lot of heavy banning action.
hm
can they trade him to Skil Shimano in a salary dump?
ABRUZZIAM...uh oh
by Chris Fontecchio on Jul 27, 2009 12:23 PM EDT up reply actions
I think it will happen
Bert to Garmin looked like it was gonna happen before the Tour if Astana had imploded and so far we have heard or read nothing to change that idea that Garmin has the inside track on him. The speculation of C d’E has,as far as I know, been nothing more than us internet fanatics thinking, “Bert’s Spanish and Cd’E is Spanish too!” Nothing out of the Cd’E camp. Plus they have some up and coming talent that they might prefer to develop while Valverde is on extended vacation. Uran, Costa.
Maybe Alonso’s F1 team is a player but it seems like they are not anywhere near ready to field a team.
So is Bert a good fit in Garmin? Seems so to me. He gets along with Vaughters and I’m sure what with Bert’s recent experiences with Bruyneel, getting along with his DS has got to be way up there in importance. Vaughters wants to win and Bert will do that for him. Bert would get good support-and he could help Garmin too (nice TTT there). I don’t think anyone on Garmin would dispute Bert’s leadership on a Grand Tour.
"Internet fanatics thinking"
ahem, would you like to take that back?!!!!!!
Vamos Alberto!!!(Contador not Ricco)
no no no
the “F” in IFPs is forum. Internet Forum People. Get it right Ursula!
ABRUZZIAM...uh oh
by Chris Fontecchio on Jul 27, 2009 12:24 PM EDT up reply actions
I remember the GM of DC United calling me and a few others Internet Nuts.
He then of course fired the coach 3 months later.
The TTT is the wild card here ...
… since the TTT is the main hope that many GC contenders would have for making time on AC.
OTOH, with the development of his time trialing, AC would seem to be a contribution to the TTT of whichever team he joins.
Frankly Alonso doesn't make much sense.
It’s like an NBA team clearing cap space for 2011 so they can bid for LeBron. (A year too late!)
The team Alonso will create will probably be quite rich
so he could probably afford some very good role players(if we are going with the nba reference) to support his superstar.
Vamos Alberto!!!(Contador not Ricco)
Not he won't, Alonso has already said he won't start a team until 2011
because it’s too late now to start one for next year, so Bert’s contract will be up and he will be a free agent, and would probably be Alonso’s first signing.
Vamos Alberto!!!(Contador not Ricco)
Bert to Garmin
would clear up a lot of the question marks some have attached to Alberto’s performances.
Vaughters conducts a very thorough background check, and I think it’s safe to say that if Bert did end up in argyle, it’s probably the closest to thing to a ‘’guaranteed clean bill of health" we’re ever going to get.
I hope Contador joins the evil empire. Next year is going to be fun.
Clear up the question marks about recent performance, maybe.
But Contador was Manuel Saiz’s protégé, so there’s always going to be a cloud over him—and unless Vaughters has access to blood samples going back several years he can’t be thorough enough to protect Garmin from a potentially devastating bust. For the team that’s built their reputation on being clean, any risk is too much.
Throughout the stage all I kept on thinking was: ‘don’t finish second, you can’t finish second again’.--Heinrich Haussler
I think this is a very well taken point
You see how calm Vaughters is? That’s because he’s really one giant seething ball of Evil inside. With like, extra Evil.
I think "talking seriously to Garmin" is a pseudo clean bill of health
That encourages other teams to assume all’s well. (This is a general statement, not pointed at Contador. At least Garmin’s not repudiating.)
Dekker
was linked by his agent to Garmin, among others. In the case of Bert, Vaughters is doing the talking. Big difference.
Very big, I'd think.
Though Vaughters is also talking about doing due diligence as if that’s still a future tense operation, so possibly not as different as all that.
You see how calm Vaughters is? That’s because he’s really one giant seething ball of Evil inside. With like, extra Evil.
I wasn't accusing Garmin of anything
I just wanted to remark that suspect riders seem to be tempted to engage in “bloodwashing” by associating themselves with Team Clean.
He'll still pass muster for Garmin, or anyone else for that matter.
Again, if Vaughters conducts the background check, and Bert passes with flying colors and is hired, then I’m guessing there was some pretty good profile data on which to base that decision.
I had heard the rumor that back during the Puerto mess there were no blood bags tied to Bert. I don’t have the link, just going from memory, but I can remember reading that at the time Alberto did not rate high enough on the team to get on a transfusion program, thus no bags are ever going to be found; they simply don’t exist. Blood would not have been stored for EPO, growth hormone, or other such “preparations.”.
Vaughters will probably want to have access to Daamsgard’s info on Bert while at Astana, which along with the UCI passport info., should be enough to demonstrate Alberto was above board for all his GT wins.
No smoking gun = Garmin hire.
by The Team Chef on Jul 27, 2009 12:05 AM EDT up reply actions
Oops.
Forgot that Bert was with Disco for his 1st Tour victory. I’m not sure there would be any data to examine dating back to this time. All anyone can say for certain is that he didn’t test positive, which is about all that can be said for most pros prior to the passport data.
by The Team Chef on Jul 27, 2009 12:20 AM EDT up reply actions
There might not be a blood bag, but the UCI certainly has stored samples dating back for years.
The one they caught Dekker on was from 2007. That was more in the direction of what I was thinking, that if they ever have reason—blips in the profile, inside info, a suspicious but not definitive test—they could go back and retest old samples.
Throughout the stage all I kept on thinking was: ‘don’t finish second, you can’t finish second again’.--Heinrich Haussler
Contador is so lucky
To have been born when he was and not two years earlier. Otherwise “Accountant” would be the name on his blood bag and he would be riding with Sevilla, Mancebo and Gutierrez in Oregon now. (While, ironically, Horner would not be in Oregon this month.)
The bigger questions, I think, would revolve around his samples from the 2008 Giro and Vuelta. Those haven’t been fully back tested as far as I know, and Garmin would really need to know about them before making a decision.
by Mr 60 Percent on Jul 27, 2009 12:31 AM EDT up reply actions
dude
you’re going to let 60% talk about Oregon like that?
ABRUZZIAM...uh oh
by Chris Fontecchio on Jul 27, 2009 12:28 PM EDT up reply actions
So they have year-long data blood profiles for him available?
That’s good. I’m just not sure how that relates to back-testing for CERA or other products from the Giro and the Vuelta. Which I don’t think has been done.
What if there’s a blip in the records? I mean, even with Ivan Basso publishing his blood values you can see a spike in hematocrit (from low 40s to 47) shortly before the Giro this year. What happens if the blood values look pretty good but not completely normal?
We’ll see, I guess.
by Mr 60 Percent on Jul 27, 2009 12:42 AM EDT up reply actions
Are you sure they didn't test for CERA at the Vuelta?
after the Tour scandals I would be surprised if they hadn’t implemented CERA tests.
Vamos Alberto!!!(Contador not Ricco)
You may be right about the Vuelta
But, outside of Roberto Heras, when has anyone ever been tested and caught there? Vino showed how you deal with Vuelta testers.
The Giro is the big one. CERA was on the market and in use…and no one was nailed for that or any other drug at the 08 Giro. Sella was only caught two months later in an out-of-competition test.
by Mr 60 Percent on Jul 27, 2009 12:51 AM EDT up reply actions
Manolo... yuk.
Glad we got rid of that dude. People who think we hat on LA should have been around for that.
"…I saw bloody Cavendish coming, really fast…"
HH
OK but
I agree that you can’t unring the bell re. Saiz, despite Contador’s insistence that he did nothing. But, at some point that’s history, no? I mean, he was a neo pro, just learning the ropes, it’s been four years, etc.
ABRUZZIAM...uh oh
by Chris Fontecchio on Jul 27, 2009 12:26 PM EDT up reply actions
It depends on whether the person's anti-doping ...
… stance is moralist or about competitiveness. If he cheated four years ago, but hasn’t cheated since, the “moralist” will still be outraged … once a cheat, always a cheat … while the person focused on “competitiveness” will say there’s no tilting of the playing field now because of that activity.
If AC is ambitious, he ought to be 100% behind “efforts to clean up the sport”, since at the present, doping is the only chance that most of his rivals have to beat him in the Grand Tour that he has focused on for that year.
Lionel Birnie hasn't been to impressed with AC's anti-doping stance in his Tweets
He’s basically falling back on the “most tested / never failed a test”-schtick that a certain someone has honed to perfection.
Don’t really see that attitude fly on Garmin.
I thought I read a (Babelfish translated) interview with AC last week on AS.com where he seemed to have strong anti-doping feelings. Maybe I’m mis-remembering?
In any case, I’m glad you folks were able to hold out on the doping discussion until after the race. Parts of this TdF were dark enough for me.
"Think globally, bike locally."
Which swings right back around to the ...
… argument that if AC makes the cut to get into Garmin, that would be the strongest move he could make to eliminate the lingering cloud from the events of four years ago … whatever they in fact were.
I'm trying to decide whether I want it to happen...
…I like Garmin very much and I like Bert, more after this tour than I did previously, but I’m not entirely sure I’d like the effect Bert might have on Garmin.
Good version: he comes, the Tour is his, the Giro and the Vuelta become CVV’s and Wiggins’s (except that surely the Vuelta has to be Bert’s too…so…ugh 2 legit GT guys and the Giro as the only viable objective for either of them?).
Bad version: It’s already above, but essentially this amounts to saying to CVV and Wiggins, “I thought you could, but…well…not that much sorry.” I just feel somehow as if it turns them back into domestiques when part of the premise of the team was that they could be more than that.
You see how calm Vaughters is? That’s because he’s really one giant seething ball of Evil inside. With like, extra Evil.
Vandevelde
is 33. He’ll never be anything more than a Plan B. I think he’s fine with that. Look how easily he adjusted to Wiggins being just a little bit ahead of him. It wasn’t like there are now two contenders on Garmin. It was like, “I’ll work for Brad.” There really won’t be a struggle there.
cvv has always been the consumate domestique
"Wizard's first rule. People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true." -- Terry Goodkind
I know, I know.
But I feel like he’s got at least one more shot at riding for himself too, at least as part of a two headed strategy with Wiggo. (BTW, that would work better for Garmin I think, given the personalities involved, than it did for Astana.)
But you two are almost surely right, and Wiggins comments above about shorter stage races / the Vuelta as his optimal targets make it seem like he’d happily make room for AC too. So possibly my worries are nothing, but I definitely want these two to have their shots, and not be turned into super-domestiques and nothing else. That seems such a waste.
You see how calm Vaughters is? That’s because he’s really one giant seething ball of Evil inside. With like, extra Evil.
work better?
So you think Garmin could turn that into something better than 1st and 3rd?
Yes, I know that’s not what you meant, couldn’t resist…
"I had a cameraman filming me on the back of a bike, I rode up to him and
said: 'hey, this is a pretty shitty situation, why don't you just leave me alone with my misery? I was close to punching him off his bike … but I didn't, of course."" Jens!
Definitely ... with ...
… AC to cover attacks, and a killer TTT team, that could be BW’s best crack at 2nd on the podium.
LOL...
…but seriously, a pretty Phyrric victory. You went in with a semi-functional team, and the cost of getting first and third was to go out without anything resembling one (and that would have been true even if the whole RadioShack / Astana breakup thing hadn’t happened mid-Tour). But yeah I didn’t mean results, as you gathered.
You see how calm Vaughters is? That’s because he’s really one giant seething ball of Evil inside. With like, extra Evil.
Of course, the RadioShack/Astana break-up ..
… did not HAPPEN mid-Tour, it was ANNOUNCED mid-Tour. It had already happened. Indeed, the fact that there was no need to keep the team together for next year may have helped contribute to the fact that it was a semi-functional team.
Given that it was the last big show for Team Astana in its present configuration, all the really matters for TA is the results … 1st and 3rd, Team champions, stage win, team “leader” 1st in UCI rankings, team first in UCI rankings … they are going out with a bang.
i'm not too keen on the idea myself...
more so because vaughters gives me the willies. always has, always will.
but, i do want conta to go to a team that will support him fully in his preferred races, and where he can support other riders in their preferred races the best he can (case in point, av at the dauphine, levi at cyl)
"Wizard's first rule. People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true." -- Terry Goodkind
Ooo that last is a good point.
He really doesn’t have any problem riding in support of his friends / teammates, does he? I really want to believe that I’m getting overly concerned based on how bad the Astana situation got, and everyone’s reactions there.
You see how calm Vaughters is? That’s because he’s really one giant seething ball of Evil inside. With like, extra Evil.
Valverde's a dolphin?
Is that like Thor riding the chicken?
You see how calm Vaughters is? That’s because he’s really one giant seething ball of Evil inside. With like, extra Evil.
Matt White
I wonder if he is part of this push for Bert in any way as they were teammates in 07. Looking… I see they raced just one race together that year, Paris-Nice.
If Bert went to Garmin
Wouldn’t they likely need to hire couple of Spanish riders? Garmin is a VERY Anglo team – and I wonder how comfortable AC would be due to language/cultural barriers.
sometimes life is a false flat
well they do live in Spain during the season....
but yes, methinks language/cultural thing would be an issue if he goes to Garmin.
and I still want him in CdE.
not sure it would be so bad,
berto speaks some english, a lot of the garmen must speak some spanish, and they live and train in girona. I’m starting to like the odds of him going there (especially when you now consider the bruce gap). But yeah, you could imagine them maybe hiring a couple of spanish riders to go along.
See Bert's quotes on CVV in the June issue of Cycle Sport
I don’t have it in front of me, but Contador’s quotes about CVV made it sound as if they were quite friendly. Also, on the transfer plane during this year’s tour, Bert was apparently goofing off with CVV in the back of the plane while LA and JB were ensconced in the front. So, though I’m not sure whether Bert will seriously consider going to Garmin (over CdE), I think he would fit in reasonably well there.
If I were Contador, I’d go to CdE instead – having been burned by Americans once, I would try to avoid having it happen twice.
By the way, about the Fuentes affair – I believe speculation about Contador centers around two facts:
a) his having been on a team that seems to have been involved in doping
b) the initials “A.C.” in some notes.
So, a question: doesn’t Antonio Colom, who has the same two attributes and who has actually been caught doping, fit the facts at least as well? I don’t know what really happened, but if we’re going to speculate, we should throw in some caveats, and that’s mine – it’s natural to make associations that are more interesting/exciting, although, like quadratic equations, there may be more than one solution that works.
And yes, I like Bert, and I hope he’s clean.
by GreylockGrinder on Jul 27, 2009 10:36 AM EDT up reply actions
However, Colom was on Relax-Fuenlabrada...
…arguably the worst doping team of the past decade. (Many of their riders were caught doping in Spain!)
by GreylockGrinder on Jul 27, 2009 11:18 AM EDT up reply actions
They should have listened to Frankie
Staring at the swim team gets you killed by a gang of dancing ninja men who know how to twirl.
by TheFigurehead on Jul 27, 2009 11:23 AM EDT up reply actions
Yes,
but neither was “Barillo” or " Hijo de Rudy" (I think that was the Ullirich code name).
I think it is entirely possible that Colom was the AC in question. Good catch, Greylock.
by The Team Chef on Jul 27, 2009 11:20 AM EDT up reply actions
Well, probably not
If I remember correctly the AC reference is on a list of treatmentprograms for members of the Liberty Seguros team.
Yes, I remember now
If Velonews is to be trusted.
Staring at the swim team gets you killed by a gang of dancing ninja men who know how to twirl.
by TheFigurehead on Jul 27, 2009 11:28 AM EDT up reply actions
also may have been angel casero (IIRC)
"Wizard's first rule. People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true." -- Terry Goodkind
I think it was listed somewhere in the OP material what the initials meant
And A.C. was Alberto Contador.
Staring at the swim team gets you killed by a gang of dancing ninja men who know how to twirl.
by TheFigurehead on Jul 27, 2009 11:26 AM EDT up reply actions
Oh well ...
If it’s under Liberty Seguros my hypothesis is out the window.
by GreylockGrinder on Jul 27, 2009 12:21 PM EDT up reply actions
Confused.
Is there or is there not a blood bag labled with the initials “AC?”
The VN article only makes reference to documents, not the actual code names found on on the bags.
I’d still contend that if there is an AC bloodbag that exists, it could very well be Colom’s. Again, Alberto wouldn’t have been one of the guys on Liberty who were “priviliged” to receive transfusions. Colom, on the other hand, had already established his climbing pedigree at that time, so either a) his team felt he was worth sending to Dr. Fuentes, or b) he was earning enough money to afford the services on his own.
In terms of Puerto, whether we are talking about documents or blood bags, Bert is going to come out squeeky clean.
by The Team Chef on Jul 27, 2009 12:56 PM EDT up reply actions
No publizised bloodbag connection to AC
A cynic would argue that this is why Bert has volunteered to DNA match wth the Puerto-evidence. I wouldn’t be so sure about squeeky clean when it comes to the documents but there is a 99% chance that we will never know so why speculate?
Really not trying to stir the pot with this.
I’m just trying to illustrate that Bert’s Puerto association is not going be a reason, in and of itself, to prevent Garmin from hiring Bert. I really wish we could turn the page on this whole mess once and for all.
by The Team Chef on Jul 27, 2009 1:41 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, I know you're not "stirring"
I’m right there with you on turning the page. Personally I think the spanish refusal to deal has turned this into a festering wound. One that will form a shadow over AC’s entire career because we never got to know what was what.
There wasn't a bloodbag
there was a doping programme for the Liberty Tour team, titled “INDIVIDUALIZACIÓN”
The listed riders were identified in Puerto doc 31 as:
RH (Roberto Heras), MS (Marcos Serrano), JB (Joseba Beloki), IG (Igor Gonzalez), AV (Ángel VIicioso), JJ (Jörg Jaksche), AD (Allan Davis), L. (unidentified), AC (Alberto Contador)
The 2005 LS Tour team was: 91 Roberto Heras (Spa); 92 Joseba Beloki (Spa); 93 Alberto Contador (Spa); 94 Allan Davis (Aus); 95 Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano (Spa); 96 Jörg Jaksche (Ger); 97 Luis León Sanchez (Spa); 98 Marcos Serrano (Spa) ; 99 Angel Vicioso (Spa).
Well, if ‘L’ is Lulu, it’s a perfect match.
The best that I can do by way of finding the page itself is here. It’s a tiny image of it, but the document prescribed some bad stuff for most of the riders, including JJ.
For the last two riders, presumably Lulu and Contador, it said ‘Nada o igual a JJ’ (nothing or the same as JJ). So, while it doesn’t say he was definitely taking something, it also doesn’t suggest that he was not on a programme, and it raises the possibility of giving hi something.
That said, for what it’s worth I have read the odd forceful anti-doping message from Contador (Spanish press, can’t find it now), and he was the only athlete about whom Fuentes came out to say, ‘I didn’t dope him.’
There’s more tar on a couple of other riders in the top 5 this year, but if you’re not a bit sceptical… Well, you should be.
Drug testing 2008 and 2009
“Pierre Bordry of the French national anti-doping agency said that samples from the 2008 Tour would be re-tested for new substances, and that 2009 samples would also be tested for experimental new drugs, including:
Hematide, a peptide-based molecule that stimulates erythropoeisis and stabilizes hemoglobin levels, which could make it invaluable for fooling the bio-passport
AICAR, a pill that stimulates the body to burn fat instead of muscle glycogen stores, resulting in weight loss without sacrificing skeletal muscle"
Source: Boulder Report
LOL
You see how calm Vaughters is? That’s because he’s really one giant seething ball of Evil inside. With like, extra Evil.
but you know,
seriously, that was my first split-second reaction. And i’m not someone who likes drugs. And i don’t even race. You know professional athletes, when they see something like that, have got to be salivating.
Well, not for pro cyclists ...
… but I sure as hell could use something like that.
Sadly, it probably has some heroic side effects, the kind where “mortality” is included in the talking point.
and a mechanic was mentioned in the earlier "contador to garmin" rumors...
good we hope for elvio?
"Wizard's first rule. People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true." -- Terry Goodkind
If you consider lucybears post in the other thread
on the AC incident in Annecy I think he will try to get on a spanish team with 97,38% certainty.
I think it's a long shot but not impossible
Surely many of the long time Girona based riders like CVV speak Spanish, so that shouldn’t be a problem. If not, Spanish is an easy language to pick up. Even my six year old daughter knows rudimentary greetings, numbers, etc. in Spanish. But given the choice, the team, and the money, I don’t see Contador going to Garmin. CdE would be the wisest choice if they can demote Balaverde to classics man/GT stage winner and give AC complete control of the team.
If I just had one more gear, I...
I could see SKY throwing themselves at him
Like Sastre to Cervelo, he is their guaranteed entry to the big races, if they don’t bag themselves a PT license…
The worst possible choice and probably would never happen
Completely throws off the British makeup of the team and doesn’t really speak English. Speaking English isn’t necessarily a requirement for most teams but for a British team being sponsored by a British company with emphasis on British riders, he’s not the rider for them.
If I just had one more gear, I...
I should also say this
It makes even less sense for AC to go to Sky then it would for him to go to Garmin.
If I just had one more gear, I...
+1
You’re right but I still don’t see Contador sporting the Union Jack. How insane would that be?
If I just had one more gear, I...
Of course...
…you can’t entirely discount the possibility that Sky next year will be run like Rock Racing this year.
You see how calm Vaughters is? That’s because he’s really one giant seething ball of Evil inside. With like, extra Evil.
We'll see when they start announcing names
but I don’t think so. A lot more thought and planning behind it from what you can tell so far. It is always a risk though when you have too much money to spend.
exactly what i was thinking when he spoke from the podium
Spanish chipmunk
"The soul selects her own society then shuts the door" - wise words from Majope
true... but no where near as annoying (to me) as evans and gerrans
"Wizard's first rule. People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true." -- Terry Goodkind
let's just say
i’m glad they’re not starting a trio…
"The soul selects her own society then shuts the door" - wise words from Majope
Maximizing profits
Been clean is good but claiming to be clean doesn’t make Garmin special, other teams make the same claims.
ProTour teams are not national teams that do all for the love of the sport. They are for-profit organizations with the ultimate goal of maximizing profits (wins/exposure) and minimizing risk (no wins/cheaters).
Until there is hard evidence, and not plain speculation, about Bert’s record, signing Bert is very good business, with very low risk possibility of high return for any team.
oops..got cut off...
as.com discusses the Garmin story – Contador to Garmin
“AS has learned, Garmin wants at all costs to be counter to the direct competition in the major rounds of Radio Shack. Garmin also seeks new leader because they are aware that its current figure, Bradley Wiggins will be the flagship of the Sky, the new English team.
Cd’E is concerned about supporting two huge salaries….Katushya is also in the mix for Contador.
Yeah that seems very wrong.
On the ES English yesterday JV was interviewed and was talking about how Brad had been asking him for a long term contract.
You see how calm Vaughters is? That’s because he’s really one giant seething ball of Evil inside. With like, extra Evil.
How about this nugget from Contandor...
“My relationship with Lance is non-existent. Even if he is a great champion, I have never had admiration for him and I never will,” the Spaniard told a news conference in Madrid.
BAH!!!!....Cavendish?!
TLP 7.0 Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent
CN
BAH!!!!....Cavendish?!
TLP 7.0 Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent
by bradBordeaux on Jul 27, 2009 2:15 PM EDT up reply actions
That's quite different from what I heard on the(gulp) Versus piece they aired yesterday
he said he read Lance’s book while he was recovering from the convulsion’s he had back in 2004, and that he was his inspiration. I’m guessing what he meant was he has lost all admiration he had for him after what he saw at the Tour, that’s my take.
Vamos Alberto!!!(Contador not Ricco)
I think it's evil garmin that's behind all of this
they are so full of hatred!
Vamos Alberto!!!(Contador not Ricco)
If they were to team up
even Didi would be disgusted by the pure evilness that they would portray!
Vamos Alberto!!!(Contador not Ricco)
more yours than cn's.... i've seen several news articles in the spanish websites about that
"Wizard's first rule. People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true." -- Terry Goodkind
This translation seems a bit off ...
Here’s the Spanish-language quote and story (see link below):
“Mi relación con Lance Armstrong es nula, pero es un grandísimo corredor y ha hecho un gran Tour, otra cosa es a nivel personal donde nunca le he tenido una gran admiración, ni se la tendré”… El bicampeón del Tour de Francia restó importancia a la actitud de Johan Bruyneel de quien afirmó comprender lo ocurrido porque “le debe todo a Armstrong”, mientras que respecto a su futuro prefirió mantenerse expectante aunque advirtió que vaya “al equipo que vaya buscará uno que esté con él al cien por cien”.
Which I’d translate (with apologies) as:
" My relation with Lance Armstrong is non-existent. He is very great rider and has ridden a great Tour, but on the personal level it’s another thing – there I’ve never had much admiration for him, nor will I in the future. " ,,, The two-times champion of the Tour of France gave less importance to the actions of Johan Bruyneel, which he said he understood because “he owes everything to Armstrong”. With respect to his own future, he preferred to play a waiting game, although he noted that “he is looking to go to a team that is behind him 100%”.
by GreylockGrinder on Jul 27, 2009 3:01 PM EDT up reply actions
yeah I just read the El País story, Contador is clearly separating Armstrong the person from Armstrong the rider. Thanks for the translation btw.
by plinytheelder on Jul 27, 2009 3:05 PM EDT up reply actions
Very different. Thanks for that.
Throughout the stage all I kept on thinking was: ‘don’t finish second, you can’t finish second again’.--Heinrich Haussler
So....
I’ll do some stoopid speculating here.
Say Bert does go to Garmin. I figure that California next year might get quite hot. Garmin would rather not let Levi and Lance roll them again in the US and with the race being only 10 days long it won’t demand a Giroesque Grand Tour like effort to race it. California might become Part 1 with Part 2 being the Tour.
Told ya I was being silly.
Oh the Giro is being royally screwed by the freakin ToC moving to May
if your predictions are correct, looks like we are going back to the good ol Italian battles of years past. Hey, Cunego you may have a chance after all…
Vamos Alberto!!!(Contador not Ricco)
if that does happen, then Contador giving his all at the ToC might be exactly what Armstrong wants. Armstrong will let Leipheimer fight the battles in California, and hope Contador wears himself too thin. Listen to how lame I sound.
by plinytheelder on Jul 27, 2009 3:03 PM EDT up reply actions
bwahahahahaha
You see how calm Vaughters is? That’s because he’s really one giant seething ball of Evil inside. With like, extra Evil.
conta tends not to race in may due to his allergies
"Wizard's first rule. People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true." -- Terry Goodkind
Come come...
Bert is so going to Milram so the sponsors can totally sell their milch to the Spanish.
Mon coeur appartient aux les forçats de la route.
This is basically
the same as the post I had a few days ago. Even the allknowing Bobke states that Bert is going to CdE. Valv so much as said so when he stated that he would help Bert win the tour until he would get yanked at the Italian border. In fact, one might speculate that this was all in the works way back in the Dauphine when the 2 of them ganged up on Cadel.
in the end this may just be the easiest way for Bert to breakup. Make them mad at you b saying things through their friends.
Here's why AC is considering Garmin
Even on an isolated mountaintop in the south of france they provide quality beverages
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