Ballan: "To race with Lance would be fantastic."

[Anonymous]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/ballan-set-to-leave-lampre


To have the current World Champion make such declarations can't be good news for those who don't care for Armstrong.

 

[ilillillli]

to be fair, this could just be through-the-media contract negotiation for a contract with an established team. i would imagine radioshack is going to be grand-tour focused to start. i'm sure fielding a good classics squad is high on the list, but still secondary to TdF-specific rostering.

 

[richwagmn]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/ballan-set-to-leave-lampre


To have the current World Champion make such declarations can't be good news for those who don't care for Armstrong.

Ballan is a one day racer. Trying to remember the last time Astana or any Bruyneel team seriously contested a one day race...

Guess Ballan would spend his time riding tempo for Radio Shack. Strange to throw your career in the garbage to be another one of Lance's domestiques.

He'll soon learn Radio Shack is all about LA and his goals.

 

[lostintime]

Ballan is a one day racer. Trying to remember the last time Astana or any Bruyneel team seriously contested a one day race...

Guess Ballan would spend his time riding tempo for Radio Shack. Strange to throw your career in the garbage to be another one of Lance's domestiques.

He'll soon learn Radio Shack is all about LA and his goals.

George Hincapie did pretty well at Paris-Roubaix, Gent and Flanders . . did he not? There's room for Ballan.

Thowing his career away? That's up to him to decide the value of his career, not you or I or anyone else.

 

[ThisFrenchGuy]

Ballan may just be trying to get a better offer out of Lampre?
Dropping names like that doesn't seem very natural to me.
Or he is just being optimistic and very open on the contacts he might have.

 

[Anonymous]

Ballan is a one day racer. Trying to remember the last time Astana or any Bruyneel team seriously contested a one day race...

Guess Ballan would spend his time riding tempo for Radio Shack. Strange to throw your career in the garbage to be another one of Lance's domestiques.

He'll soon learn Radio Shack is all about LA and his goals.

Hincapie was 2nd to Boonen in a two-up sprint at Roubaix. Boonen was on the podium at Roubaix while at USPS. Hoste and Gusev were competitive at Flanders and Roubaix while at Discovery. Dirk Demol is a pretty good tactician. Could be exciting.

Gregory Rast has had some good rides too. Maybe Ballan, Hincapie on Team RS for the spring races? I think George might benefit by not being an uber-favorite kinda like Devolder has the past few years. Big George seems to be good at not being able to close the deal though.

 

[Nick C.]

George Hincapie did pretty well at Paris-Roubaix, Gent and Flanders . . did he not? There's room for Ballan.

Thowing his career away? That's up to him to decide the value of his career, not you or I or anyone else.

Actually George did well on his own often being the strongest looking rider but could never win (but once at GW) and barely podium at race where he was always up against other teams with 2-3 riders in the back half of the race, look at the '01 PR for one.

 

[SteveMedcroft]

Ballan is a one day racer. Trying to remember the last time Astana or any Bruyneel team seriously contested a one day race...

Guess Ballan would spend his time riding tempo for Radio Shack. Strange to throw your career in the garbage to be another one of Lance's domestiques.

He'll soon learn Radio Shack is all about LA and his goals.

Postal used to field classics riders and support them in Spring. Boonen, Hincapie, Roger Hammond. Wasn't Max Van Heeswig part of Postal at one point? So there is a precedent in Brunyeel and Armstrong's history that supports the idea they might be looking for classics-able riders. Also, how nice would it be to have a Ballan-level diesel to set pace in the Tour?

 

[Nick C.]

You're joking right? Max was OK but he was never there when it mattered. Hammond was only @ '05 when LA was retiring. Boonen broke his contract first chance he could once he figured out what they had in mind. Do you think Boonen even rides the Tour with USPS much less wins 2 stages in '04 including the final stage? More precisely would anyone even know who Boonen is other than hardcore fans?

 

[SteveMedcroft]

You're joking right? Max was OK but he was never there when it mattered. Hammond was only @ '05 when LA was retiring. Boonen broke his contract first chance he could once he figured out what they had in mind. Do you think Boonen even rides the Tour with USPS much less wins 2 stages in '04 including the final stage? More precisely would anyone even know who Boonen is other than hardcore fans?

Not joking. Just pointing out that Brunyeel/Armstrong have employed classics riders and we've seen their team jerseys at the front of classics. They've not ever seemed to purpose build a team for spring but the discussion is whether of not Ballan's language is a hint that he (a one-day racer) might end up on Radio Shack.

 

[Anonymous]

You're joking right? Max was OK but he was never there when it mattered. Hammond was only @ '05 when LA was retiring. Boonen broke his contract first chance he could once he figured out what they had in mind. Do you think Boonen even rides the Tour with USPS much less wins 2 stages in '04 including the final stage? More precisely would anyone even know who Boonen is other than hardcore fans?

Boonen is Belgian and wanted to race for a Belgian team who really only gear up for three weeks in April (sound familiar) and be mentored by Museeuw (as it turns out maybe not a great idea). Boonen was/is a huge talent and was "discovered" and signed as a junior by Dirk Demol. Demol also brought Devolder and Van Den Broeck to the team as youngsters too. Demol was at QuickStep for one year then returned to work with Bruyneel. I wonder why?

Boonen would not have had as many offers from teams thinking they were getting "the next Museeuw" but not for the podium at Roubaix. Funny how things work out...

 

[Nick C.]

All that is true, he also felt under raced and underused at USPS. No bunch sprints or green jerseys at the Tour either. For USPS/Discovery they got Hoste and he left same with Devolder and Hammond. If you have any aspirations of your own don't come here is how I see it.

 

[richwagmn]

All that is true, he also felt under raced and underused at USPS. No bunch sprints or green jerseys at the Tour either. For USPS/Discovery they got Hoste and he left same with Devolder and Hammond. If you have any aspirations of your own don't come here is how I see it.

I seem to remember Hincapie saying the part of the reason he left Bruyneel was so he could contest more classics.

I think George might retire if he could win Paris-Roubaix.

 

[anubisza]

Welcome to RadioShack, leave your personal ambition at the door We're all domestiques here.

 

[mr.biggles]

I just see how this would be a great fit for anyone involved. I may be wrong but I don't know that Radio Shack has a very large presence outside of the US. So I don't know what they would get out of having an Italian guy win some Belgian race that most Americans have never heard of and can't pronounce. I very well could be wrong though, I wouldn't have suspected that USPS did much business outside of the US and they clearly felt it was worth their while to fund a team. My guess would that that Radio Shack's interest (if it's serious) would have more to do with making the team look better-rounded with an eye towards getting a Protour license.

As for Ballan, I imagine he's playing up his options as a negotiating tool to get more out of some other team. I guess he might have decided that a bigger paycheck would be worth less team support, but if he plans to keep competing with the best in the classics I think he needs to find a different team.

But of course this is all purely speculation based on the assumption that the Radio Shack team will be run similarly to USPS/Discovery/Astana. Maybe the CEO is a closet cycling nut who loves the classics and wants his team to win Flanders.

 

[usedtobefast]

Welcome to RadioShack, leave your personal ambition at the door We're all domestiques here.

then get to the front and drill it dude.

 

[rhubroma]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/ballan-set-to-leave-lampre


To have the current World Champion make such declarations can't be good news for those who don't care for Armstrong.

He's a classics cylcist. What else is he suposed to say, about Armstrong? That he can't stand the guy and would never ride for such an arrogant SOB?

 

[Anonymous]

He's a classics cylcist. What else is he suposed to say, about Armstrong? That he can't stand the guy and would never ride for such an arrogant SOB?

It's interesting (to me) how Armstrong is pecieved in the peleton versus how he is pecieved on this message board. The quote said nothing of Ballan thinking it would be great or fantastic to race with Contador, the Schleck's or Wiggo. That's not to say that every racer digs LA but my feeling is if he showed up at a local Thurday night crit practice some of the folks that post messages here would likely not be very nice to him.

 

[amp300]

Welcome to RadioShack, leave your personal ambition at the door We're all domestiques here.

I like it! I may make that my signature.

 

[scribe]

I very well could be wrong though, I wouldn't have suspected that USPS did much business outside of the US and they clearly felt it was worth their while to fund a team.

The USPS sponsor connection was strange, without a doubt. But the relationship brought a decent exposure world-wide and continues to do so to this day because of the images that get replayed.

 

[davestoller]

One thing folks are forgetting is THE SPONSOR.

The ONLY thing that mattered to USPS was the Tour.
They could not care for Paris-Roubaix, MSR, etc etc etc.

I think the world is a bit smaller since 1997.
I think it is possible and desirable for a US sponsor to want to do well in some classics. I think next to Lance in the Tour, the amount of goodwill and hope and PR that would come from say George winning P-R would be incredible. But thats because of George. If Marty Maaskant shows up and wins P-R, I think that is huge for the team and good for the sponsor, but not like incredible for the sponsor---say like VdV or Wiggins getting 4th in the Tour de France.

Now, if Mike Friedman (an American) won Paris Roubaix, like Dirk Demol as a fluke----then it would be insane P-R.

However, for Ballan winning Flanders or P-R for Radioshack, I dunno.
Not that the team wouldnt think its important.

I dont know why Radioshack wants to sponsor a team, but lets guess that a Texan team getting a Texan as its #1 rider, who has a global following already built in might be part of it. I think Lance obviously whether he is competetive or not gets enough press in everything he does that that alone is worth the investment.

 

[Publicus]

It's interesting (to me) how Armstrong is pecieved in the peleton versus how he is pecieved on this message board. The quote said nothing of Ballan thinking it would be great or fantastic to race with Contador, the Schleck's or Wiggo. That's not to say that every racer digs LA but my feeling is if he showed up at a local Thurday night crit practice some of the folks that post messages here would likely not be very nice to him.

He also didn't name Tom Boonen, Cadel Evans, Mark Cavendish, Valverde, VandeVeld, Soler, Devolder, Levi Leipheimer, Spartacus, Moreau, or any number of other cyclists not named Lance Armstrong. The fact that Lance is a co-owner and thus involved with the hiring decisions, suggests this is just long-distance ****-kissing and not a ringing endorsement of Lance over anyone and everyone else.

 

[indurain666]

Hincapie was 2nd to Boonen in a two-up sprint at Roubaix. Boonen was on the podium at Roubaix while at USPS. Hoste and Gusev were competitive at Flanders and Roubaix while at Discovery. Dirk Demol is a pretty good tactician. Could be exciting.

Gregory Rast has had some good rides too. Maybe Ballan, Hincapie on Team RS for the spring races? I think George might benefit by not being an uber-favorite kinda like Devolder has the past few years. Big George seems to be good at not being able to close the deal though.

As much as I dislike USPS/Radio Shack, but they had decent classics results, they could have done better, but lets face it, they never really prepared these races.

I can't picture Ballan at radioshack (but I couldn't care less about him or Radioshack) Radio is totally aiming at TDF, and he doesn't fit as domestique. He is trying to make the best deal out of a sub par 2008 combined with age and a limited cycling ability (i.e. big heavy one day guy) and we know Radio has a good budget.

 

[rhubroma]

It's interesting (to me) how Armstrong is pecieved in the peleton versus how he is pecieved on this message board. The quote said nothing of Ballan thinking it would be great or fantastic to race with Contador, the Schleck's or Wiggo. That's not to say that every racer digs LA but my feeling is if he showed up at a local Thurday night crit practice some of the folks that post messages here would likely not be very nice to him.

Unfortunately, probably true. Spineless cowards!

 

[Bagster]

Not joking. Just pointing out that Brunyeel/Armstrong have employed classics riders and we've seen their team jerseys at the front of classics. They've not ever seemed to purpose build a team for spring but the discussion is whether of not Ballan's language is a hint that he (a one-day racer) might end up on Radio Shack.

Plus LA will only ride one more season which was probably part of the deal to get Radioshack on board. If he is looking to the future he will be wanting to build a team that can get results year round not just focus on GT's because there are not that many GT contenders around to build a team around. He will no doubt be looking to Taylor Phinney in the future but he is probably three years away yet from featuring. My prediction is that in 2011 he will have the Schlecks riding for his team and he will look to build around Andy...time will tell but there it is.