Armstrong set to join Astana team

TinyExplosions

"On Wednesday Armstrong will announce his decision to join our team," said Kazakhstan's cycling federation deputy president Nikolai Proskurin.

Where will Bertie go? Would love to see him at CSC!

From auntie beeb

Chips Lovell

TinyExplosions wrote: »

Where will Bertie go? Would love to see him at CSC!

From auntie beeb

Let's see what Armstrong says in his press conference today. I read some quotes from him a while back that hinted that he may be rowing back on the ambition of winning another Tour. If that's the case, then maybe he and Contador could live in the same team. Contador apparently just wants to aim for the Tour next year, so if Armstrong yields on that, they're in business.

Levi Leipheimer must have been up late last night posting out his CV to people.

Steeplechase

Armstrong working for someone else's benefit?

Not ruddy likely.

Chips Lovell

Steeplechase wrote: »

Armstrong working for someone else's benefit?

Not ruddy likely.

This is what got me thinking:

"It's be a mistake to say I'm coming back to win an eighth Tour; I don't need an eighth Tour," he said. "But we [Livestrong] were successful in Texas; we were successful in the United States. The next logical step is to take it global. And I still feel healthy enough and fit enough to go out and, perhaps... I can't make any guarantees. I've been off the bike for three-plus years and I'll be 37, almost 38."

TinyExplosions

I think that he could be playing it down in order to not look like a pratt if he fails... if he says things like that he's seen as being somewhat humble, but if he just said "I'm back to win the 8th" it wouldn't do him any favours.

Everything I've read about him would make me think that he wouldn't bother coming back if he didn't think he could win -that's also why he'll go to Astana instead of starting a Livestrong team... or maybe I'm just to cynical!

Junior

Doesn't seem to have said anything in his press call this morning ?

blorg

No, was quite an unassured performance too I thought. Mumbled through and a painful pause for the applause when he "announced" his comeback. Thought I even heard Clinton interrupting at the end in a sort of "hurry it up there Lance" sense He needs a speechwriter if he has political ambitions.

dakaiser

He's entering to win. Nothing less

I wonder whats going to happen with Contrador though. Can't see Armstrong been number two for anybody

barrabus

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/cycling/7632837.stm

ednwireland

paul kimmage on lances comeback - not impressed i pretty much agree with paul

"a cancer to cycling"

http://83.138.170.50/podcasts/audio/2509%20cycling.mp3

Chips Lovell

So much for "all will be revealed at the press conference". I don't think we heard anything that hasn't been reported alright. Judging by his quotes, I think things haven't been finalised with Astana yet and the whole issue with Contador looks like it still needs to be smoothed over. It should be no contest that Contador is the team leader (and Lance's comments about wanting to try the Giro lead me to suspect he's beginning to realise that). Having said that, having Armstrong on their books will be a huge cashcow to Astana. Stranger things have happend than letting the best rider in the world slip away. Who'd have Contador if he left? Caisse d'Epargne wouldn't probably kill to have him, as would Katusha. After that, I'm not so sure.

Funkyzeit

ednwireland wrote: »

paul kimmage on lances comeback - not impressed i pretty much agree with paul

"a cancer to cycling"

http://83.138.170.50/podcasts/audio/2509%20cycling.mp3

Thanks for link....Enjoyed his run down of the top 10 in 2005...

Liamo08

Any thought on Armstrong saying he will be working with Don Catlin to help prove he will be clean when he comes back. Don't know too much about this guy Catlin but from what I can read on the net he seems to be a serious anti-doping scientist. What I'm getting at is if Armstrong comes back and is successful, with this transparent testing program will the like of Kimmage/Walsh still say that he was on some new miracle drug that couldn't be detected?

TinyExplosions

Liamo08 wrote: »

Any thought on Armstrong saying he will be working with Don Catlin to help prove he will be clean when he comes back. Don't know too much about this guy Catlin but from what I can read on the net he seems to be a serious anti-doping scientist. What I'm getting at is if Armstrong comes back and is successful, with this transparent testing program will the like of Kimmage/Walsh still say that he was on some new miracle drug that couldn't be detected?

There's been a couple of things on this lately -and Greg LeMond didn't seem impressed, saying that the data they'll be publishing won't be transparent enough, and basically isn't good enough (so I gather)

Either way, I don't think it matters too much. If Lance is clean now, and wins again, it really doesn't change the past. The problem Kimmage and Walsh and the others have against him is over anomalies and questions that were unanswered from '99 on -those issues will never be resolved for them I don't think

Liamo08

TinyExplosions wrote: »

There's been a couple of things on this lately -and Greg LeMond didn't seem impressed, saying that the data they'll be publishing won't be transparent enough, and basically isn't good enough (so I gather)

Either way, I don't think it matters too much. If Lance is clean now, and wins again, it really doesn't change the past. The problem Kimmage and Walsh and the others have against him is over anomalies and questions that were unanswered from '99 on -those issues will never be resolved for them I don't think

I think the problem is that people will never believe that he's clean regardless of what he does next year. I'm not trying to sound like Pat McQuaid here but the past is done and gone, regardless of whether he doped or not he's not going to stand up and admit it at this stage. I think if he can win clean next year then fair play to him.

Diarmuid

First race of comeback in doubt. "The rules must be respected."

Chips Lovell

Now apparently Vino wants to come back and ride with Astana too. His suspension is already up and given the sponsor, he probably has a good chance of getting back into the team. It's like a soap opera.

Funkyzeit

el tonto wrote: »

It's like a soap opera.

Indeed...and a bad one at that....mind you is there such a thing as a good soap :eek:

Raam

el tonto wrote: »

Now apparently Vino wants to come back and ride with Astana too. His suspension is already up and given the sponsor, he probably has a good chance of getting back into the team. It's like a soap opera.

I couldn't possibly condone Vino's doping, but I have to say that I'd love to see him ride again. He just seems so likable. It was a shame when he had his bad crashes early in the 2007 Tour, then I was so pleased when he got his stage wins and was back up there, but then when he was found to be "blood-doping", I was terribly disappointed about it.

Actually, I can't see him and Lance being on the same team. It would give Lance's detractors, far to much ammunition.

Chips Lovell

Raam wrote: »

I couldn't possibly condone Vino's doping, but I have to say that I'd love to see him ride again.

Aye, he was great to watch, especially the lunatic attacks of his T-Mobile days.

Raam wrote: »

He just seems so likable.

On the bike maybe. Have you ever seen him being interviewed. Makes the Terminator look like chirpy chappy.

Raam wrote: »

but then when he was found to be "blood-doping", I was terribly disappointed about it.

You could just see that coming, especially after WADA announced they were targetting the 'men in black'. Astana last year were so dumb. They seemed to be going at it up to the max while everyone else was treading a bit more carefully.