COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP)—Johan Bruyneel has a new team but an old feeling as he gets ready to go for a 10th Tour de France title this year.
Bruyneel helped lead Lance Armstrong to seven straight Tour de France titles from 1999-2005. He also won eight team Tour titles with USPS and Discovery before winning with Astana last year.
Now, he is the director of Armstrong’s newly formed RadioShack Cycling Team and said he’s happy to have total control after a tough year with Astana.
“It’s my team, it’s the team I built, and it’s going to be a good atmosphere,” Bruyneel said Friday. “That’s the main reason I’m back into my team. Astana has never felt as my team.”
Bruyneel was in Colorado as the featured speaker at the USA Triathlon International Coaching Symposium. During his nearly two-hour speech, he talked about his relationship with Armstrong and his struggles with Astana in 2009.
Despite winning the team title, and coaching overall winner Alberto Contador, it wasn’t a fulfilling experience for Bruyneel. He clashed with Contador and the sponsors, and his loss of control led to his decision to leave the team.
“It was not a very hard decision because of the sometimes stress-filled relationship with Alberto, and the difficulties within the team and with the sponsors of the team. It was a very difficult relationship I had,” he said.
There was tension between Contador and Armstrong, who finished third. Contador said publicly he “never had admiration for Armstrong,” and Armstrong countered that Contador had “lots to learn.”
Bruyneel and Armstrong left Astana to form RadioShack.
“It’s basically the same relationship with the same people. It’s a co-partnership with Lance and his management,” Bruyneel said. “It’s like Discovery and Postal again.”
Bruyneel said Armstrong, even at 38, is motivated to win his eighth Tour. The cancer survivor came out of retirement last year.
“He’s super motivated to beat Alberto, but at the same time he knows it’s going to be difficult,” Bruyneel said. “I think that brings his motivation to a higher level.”
Showing posts with label Team Astana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Team Astana. Show all posts
See ya Trek...Astana's riding Specialized in 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010 0 comments
Alberto Contador and his Team Astana mates will be riding Specialized bicycles as he strives to win a third Tour de France in 2010.
“It is very important to have the best if you want to win the Tour de France. This is why I made it a requirement to have Specialized as the team bike for my return to Astana,” said Contador during a video conference with the company’s founder and president, Mike Sinyard.
Chief brand officer Ben Capron said Specialized was “totally committed to supporting Alberto and the rest of the team in their pursuit of another Tour victory.”
“Winning the Tour has been a dream of ours for many years, but even more important is the opportunity to work with riders like Contador and (Alexander) Vinokourov to help us create the best bikes possible and bring them to riders everywhere.”
The company has already worked with Astana’s general manager, Yvon Sanquer, when he was with Team Festina during 1999-2001.
“I could see the professional attitude that animated the company; they never stopped developing and improving the material they supplied to the riders,” he said at the team’s training camp in Pisa, Italy. “Since then, Specialized has continued its progression to become the reference point in road bikes.”
“It is very important to have the best if you want to win the Tour de France. This is why I made it a requirement to have Specialized as the team bike for my return to Astana,” said Contador during a video conference with the company’s founder and president, Mike Sinyard.
Chief brand officer Ben Capron said Specialized was “totally committed to supporting Alberto and the rest of the team in their pursuit of another Tour victory.”
“Winning the Tour has been a dream of ours for many years, but even more important is the opportunity to work with riders like Contador and (Alexander) Vinokourov to help us create the best bikes possible and bring them to riders everywhere.”
The company has already worked with Astana’s general manager, Yvon Sanquer, when he was with Team Festina during 1999-2001.
“I could see the professional attitude that animated the company; they never stopped developing and improving the material they supplied to the riders,” he said at the team’s training camp in Pisa, Italy. “Since then, Specialized has continued its progression to become the reference point in road bikes.”
Contador accepts UCI world ranking award
Monday, December 14, 2009 0 comments
Two-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador said Monday that 2009 has been his best year ever, as he received the award from the International Cycling Union (UCI) as this season’s top rider.
“I think this has been my best year ever, in terms of results rather than other circumstances, given the constant tension and pressure to which I was submitted,” said the Spaniard. He was apparently referring to his tense relationship with his Astana teammate, Lance Armstrong.
“It has been the most important year of my life on a sporting level,” said Contador, after receiving the award from UCI President Pat McQuaid for topping the world rankings this year.
Contador won his second Tour de France crown in July, after first taking the title in 2007. The 27-year-old, who confirmed recently that he would remain with Astana next season, said he is now “excited and motivated” about next season, when his main goal will be a third Tour de France title.
“The fact that there is no team time trial should clearly help us,” he said. “What concerns me more is the cobbled roads, I hope we can get through that. It will be important to avoid falls that can ruin the race.”
The third stage of the Tour, between the Belgian town of Wanze and Arenberg in France on July 6, includes 13 kilometers of cobbled roads. The rider said he has scheduled “a block of races” earlier in the year, including the Tour of the Algarve, the Paris-Nice, the Tour of Catalonia and the Tour of the Basque Country.
“I think this has been my best year ever, in terms of results rather than other circumstances, given the constant tension and pressure to which I was submitted,” said the Spaniard. He was apparently referring to his tense relationship with his Astana teammate, Lance Armstrong.
“It has been the most important year of my life on a sporting level,” said Contador, after receiving the award from UCI President Pat McQuaid for topping the world rankings this year.
Contador won his second Tour de France crown in July, after first taking the title in 2007. The 27-year-old, who confirmed recently that he would remain with Astana next season, said he is now “excited and motivated” about next season, when his main goal will be a third Tour de France title.
“The fact that there is no team time trial should clearly help us,” he said. “What concerns me more is the cobbled roads, I hope we can get through that. It will be important to avoid falls that can ruin the race.”
The third stage of the Tour, between the Belgian town of Wanze and Arenberg in France on July 6, includes 13 kilometers of cobbled roads. The rider said he has scheduled “a block of races” earlier in the year, including the Tour of the Algarve, the Paris-Nice, the Tour of Catalonia and the Tour of the Basque Country.
Three in a row for Levi
Sunday, February 22, 2009 0 comments
Astana’s Levi Leipheimer collected his third consecutive victory at the Amgen Tour of California on Sunday as Saxo Bank’s Fränk Schleck won the eighth and final stage, a 97-mile leg from Rancho Bernardo to Escondido.
In Other Astana Domination News
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Alberto Contador wins Portugal's Volta au Algarve stage race on the strength of his stage 4 time trial.
Astana's Alberto Contador started his season out with a victory by winning Portugal's Volta ao Algarve stage race on Sunday.
Contador finished in the pack — in 96th place — on the 166km stage from Vila do Obispo to Portimao. Contador finished in the same time as stage winner Henrich Haussler (Cervelo TestTeam).
Contador had taken the overall lead on the strength of his second place in the stage 3 mountain top finish and then his commanding win in stage 4's 34km time trial.
"This year, the Tour is without doubt my priority, but I don't want to discard the Giro or the Vuelta," said Contador.
"By coming to the Algarve the objective was to stay in form with other targets in mind like the Paris-Nice. But I knew that I was capable of winning the race. I couldn't have done any better.
"It was a very good race. I did right in coming here. We had a lot of luck with the weather which is fundamentally important."
Contador's next race will be Paris-Nice, March 8-15. He won that race in 2007, the same season he won his first Tour de France.
Astana's Alberto Contador started his season out with a victory by winning Portugal's Volta ao Algarve stage race on Sunday.
Contador finished in the pack — in 96th place — on the 166km stage from Vila do Obispo to Portimao. Contador finished in the same time as stage winner Henrich Haussler (Cervelo TestTeam).
Contador had taken the overall lead on the strength of his second place in the stage 3 mountain top finish and then his commanding win in stage 4's 34km time trial.
"This year, the Tour is without doubt my priority, but I don't want to discard the Giro or the Vuelta," said Contador.
"By coming to the Algarve the objective was to stay in form with other targets in mind like the Paris-Nice. But I knew that I was capable of winning the race. I couldn't have done any better.
"It was a very good race. I did right in coming here. We had a lot of luck with the weather which is fundamentally important."
Contador's next race will be Paris-Nice, March 8-15. He won that race in 2007, the same season he won his first Tour de France.
Thanks for returning my bike.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009 0 comments
Too hot to handle? Armstrong's TT bike reportedly recovered
Sacramento police reported recovering Lance Armstrong’s stolen time trial bike on Wednesday.
The custom Trek 1274/27.5 TTX vanished from a Team Astana truck parked outside a hotel after the Amgen Tour of California prologue, along with three road bikes belonging to Janez Brajkovic, Steve Morabito and Yaroslav Popovych.
Brajkovic's bike was found Tuesday at the hotel from which the other bikes had been stolen. Hotel employees told police that the bike had been in storage and there had been "a miscommunication between the rider and the hotel."
On Wednesday, a local resident who police said wishes to remain anonymous brought Armstrong’s bike to police headquarters. The department released a statement saying that "the facts surrounding how the person came into possession of the bicycle are not being released at this time due to an ongoing investigation."
"The bicycle is currently in the care of the police department and arrangements will be made to
return the bicycle to the owner."
That owner never had any doubts. Asked by VeloNews editor in chief Ben Delaney whether the theft bothered him, Armstrong replied: "Nah. Bikes are replaceable. I suspect that bike will come back. There’s no way you can steal a one-of-a-kind bike. And unless you keep it to yourself, or burn it, that bike comes back every time."
Sacramento police reported recovering Lance Armstrong’s stolen time trial bike on Wednesday.
The custom Trek 1274/27.5 TTX vanished from a Team Astana truck parked outside a hotel after the Amgen Tour of California prologue, along with three road bikes belonging to Janez Brajkovic, Steve Morabito and Yaroslav Popovych.
Brajkovic's bike was found Tuesday at the hotel from which the other bikes had been stolen. Hotel employees told police that the bike had been in storage and there had been "a miscommunication between the rider and the hotel."
On Wednesday, a local resident who police said wishes to remain anonymous brought Armstrong’s bike to police headquarters. The department released a statement saying that "the facts surrounding how the person came into possession of the bicycle are not being released at this time due to an ongoing investigation."
"The bicycle is currently in the care of the police department and arrangements will be made to
return the bicycle to the owner."
That owner never had any doubts. Asked by VeloNews editor in chief Ben Delaney whether the theft bothered him, Armstrong replied: "Nah. Bikes are replaceable. I suspect that bike will come back. There’s no way you can steal a one-of-a-kind bike. And unless you keep it to yourself, or burn it, that bike comes back every time."
I guess we all battle the same thing...
Wednesday, February 11, 2009 0 comments
Minutes before the Astana cyclists began their 107-mile training ride in Santa Rosa, one of the world’s most famous athletes made what seemed an off-hand remark.
Standing by his bike in front of the Santa Rosa Hyatt, Lance Armstrong was asked his plans for this ride, part of a 10-day training session leading up to the eight-day Tour of California, which will blast into the city on Feb.15. The King Ridge route had been selected by teammate and Santa Rosa resident Levi Leipheimer for both its scenery and difficulty.
“Just follow Levi,” Armstrong said.
Was he nervous?
For more of the story click here.
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