Lidl-Trek (no longer Radioshack-Leopard Trek)

[Machu Picchu]

His wife having to read about in the press is pretty cold. The Schlecks and Johan are winning more fans all the time.

Yep, pretty poor of Andy not to make the phonecall

 

[Publicus]

The Schlecks. He is a rider very like them as climbers and it does make some sense that with Klöden also, there would not be room for him on this team at the Tour. I hope he gets to ride the Vuelta, but it gets zero coverage in the U.S.

His wife having to read about in the press is pretty cold. The Schlecks and Johan are winning more fans all the time.

I think you lay the handling of this at the feet of the Consultant. I doubt the Schlecks have anything to do with the Consultant failing to communicate with other riders on the team.

Morale must be at an all time high on this team.

 

[airstream]

Hm, Andy is guilty for that too? Well, I feel sorry for the brilliant oldie. He deserved to hear a decent explanation at least. On the other hand, who would you offer to replace by him???

 

[BillytheKid]

Scott, you no doubt know more of Chris Horner than me, but too often Horner's comments appear to be whining and self promoting. It still is a team sport in an era of me first athletes of course. Perhaps Chris would come off better saying how disappointed he was to not make the TdF team but will be ready for the next race whatever it may be.

Maybe.

I think Horner does self promote, but he's alway been an outsider so that's somewhat understandable. Bicycling Magazine has always given him good press. In article last year he said, one of the reason he's still racing is he has a family and just can't do his own thing and quit and live in a van down by the river. I don't think he is a whinner, but is more candid about things. He simply speaks his mind which can get you in trouble sometimes, but right or wrong I always admired that. No real BS from him.

Maybe his old teammate Robby McEwen can get him a job on the way with Green Edge. They really don't have a climber like him. I am sure he will land some place.

Bruyneel may just want him to ride the Vuelta.

 

[Anonymous]

Scott, you no doubt know more of Chris Horner than me, but too often Horner's comments appear to be whining and self promoting. It still is a team sport in an era of me first athletes of course. Perhaps Chris would come off better saying how disappointed he was to not make the TdF team but will be ready for the next race whatever it may be.

Maybe.

I don't find much wrong with what Chris has said ... So far anyways.

The team put out, officially, that he has a back injury.... only to find out he does not and nobody from the team has talked to Chris in a month.

As far as Chris self promoting... Maybe. He usually produces the goods though, this years ToC notwithstanding.

I don't find Chris' comments all that much different than, say... Cancellara when he's going well. I'll take those types of riders all day long.

 

[JimPanzen]

Hm, Andy ist guilty in that too? Well, I feel sorry for the brilliant oldie. He deserved to hear a decent explanation at least. On the other hand, who would you offer to replace by him???

To say Andy ditched Horner would be pretty far fetched. I don't think the Schlecks have that much power. But their backers from Luxembourg do, so I guess Bruyneel cannot decide on his own who to take to the Tour. Then again you would expect him to call Horner and say something like "Look Chris, I would have nominated you but I can't for the following reasons...". The whole situation pretty dodgy.

 

[Anonymous]

I think you lay the handling of this at the feet of the Consultant. I doubt the Schlecks have anything to do with the Consultant failing to communicate with other riders on the team.

Morale must be at an all time high on this team.

I honestly can't wait to see what happens with this team in the off season. I can't imagine many wanting to stay with the team and I can't imagine many wanting to come to the team.

 

[BillytheKid]

I think you lay the handling of this at the feet of the Consultant. I doubt the Schlecks have anything to do with the Consultant failing to communicate with other riders on the team.

Morale must be at an all time high on this team.

The Schleck are indirectly implied. Horner is too much like them as a type of rider. Horner would has been as capable of putting in an attack like Frank on the Verbier the other day, he can do well if he gets to the climb intact, but that requires some proctection. Radio Shack's problem last year was they could not protect Klöden, Horner and Leipheimer and all were crash out of the race. Levi finished, but just rolled through.

The parcours of the Vuelta suit Horner better. The Arrate climb of the Tour of the Basque is included there. He's never finish outside the top three there in the past three years. He will have to contend, though, with the favored Contador. He can place well on some stages and pull off a stage win if he's no threat to the GC. I would not place him in the GC anyway except he might be able to crack the top ten.

Horner's real problem is a prime part of his career past racing in the U.S. only and he could really never shake the role of a domestique.

The back problem is a little lame as a reason since Andy Schleck also has injuries.

 

[kurtinsc]

While I know Horner is probably upset at not being at the Tour, I'm more excited to see him have a chance to race for himself in the Vuelta rather then ride second fiddle (and not be happy about it) in the Tour.

He's not going to ever win a GT... but he can ride a top 5 or 6 in the Vuelta. If Tom Danielson can do it, then Chris Horner can too. Who knows... a couple of breaks and he can get on the podium in Spain. That beats being a domestique in France.

 

[cineteq]

While I know Horner is probably upset at not being at the Tour, I'm more excited to see him have a chance to race for himself in the Vuelta rather then ride second fiddle (and not be happy about it) in the Tour.

In the article he doesn't mention La Vuelta, he'd like to be in the Olympics. This is not like 2 + 2 = 4.

If he's to ride La Vuelta he would need:
- Full support for him.
- Mentally prepared: overcome the stress for not being in the Tour and ignore RSNT political issues.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

In the article he doesn't mention La Vuelta, he'd like to be in the Olympics.

Yes.

Horner, who wouldn't have ridden a GT yet this year, would be the obvious rider to send to the Vuelta as leader if the decision was to be made purely on a sporting basis. But, given that according to his own account, nobody from the team has even spoken to him in a month and that they didn't even bother to tell him that he wasn't being considered for the Tour, it may very well be that he doesn't feature in the teams plans in any significant way.

RSNT certainly are taking a novel approach to building team morale this season.

 

[BillytheKid]

In the article he doesn't mention La Vuelta, he'd like to be in the Olympics. This is not like 2 + 2 = 4.

If he's to ride La Vuelta he would need:
- Full support for him.
- Mentally prepared: overcome the stress for not being in the Tour and ignore RSNT political issues.

I don't agree. He won't be selected for the Olympics, and I think he is always mentally prepare. Look at 2009, three crashes with separate, multiple fractures in each, one of those in the Giro while riding in the top ten. He finished the year at Lombardia with a 12th while riding for the comeback Vino.

That fortitude of that year says a lot about him and won him a lot of fans. He the best mentally of most pro riders.

 

[cineteq]

That fortitude of that year says a lot about him and won him a lot of fans. He the best mentally of most pro riders.

Actually, I hope he does La Vuelta. But after RSNT having snubbed him this bad...he's not even in the long list...how humiliating is that?

"Horner admitted that his back issues are triggered by outside stresses, and acknowledged that there is more stress on his RadioShack team this year than in the past."

 

[BillytheKid]

Actually, I hope he does La Vuelta. But after RSNT having snubbed him this bad...he's not even in the long list...how humiliating is that?

"Horner admitted that his back issues are triggered by outside stresses, and acknowledged that there is more stress on his RadioShack team this year than in the past."

Possibly by his nature, he may have understated the back problem in their eyes, but his also outspoken, which may not sit well with the management. Kind of a snub at the outgoing sponsor of Radio Shack. Yeh, pretty cold.

You kind of got the sense that he was not welcome at the team presentation. So yeh, he was handed the short end of the stick.

 

[webbie146]

“Already at California, his back was not OK. That is also the reason why he is not in the Tour de Suisse this week,” RadioShack spokesman Philippe Maertens told VeloNews on Monday. “Without racing Suisse, it would be impossible for him to race in the Tour de France.”

What the hell is that for statement? Horner didn't rode a single race since the tdf 11 and got second in the tirreno adriatico!


“While I’m out doing a 100-mile training ride, I’m told that my back is wrecked beyond competing at the Tour de France,” Horner said. “As bike racers, you want to do the Tour more than any other race. By all means I can understand the team being concerned about a back problem, but my therapist was able to get it back under control, and at almost three weeks out, it’s still early to make that kind of decision.”

lol! Pathetic the way RSNT handles this..

 

[thehog]

RSNT has zero class

Horner said he learned about his exclusion from the RadioShack Tour team from his wife, who read it on the Internet and called him while he was out training. He added that as of Monday evening, he had not yet spoken with anyone from RadioShack team management. The last time he spoke with team manager Johan Bruyneel, Horner said, was a month earlier in Santa Rosa, California, when Bruyneel briefly visited the team prior to the start of the Amgen Tour.

http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/06/news/horner-on-tour-selection-snub-my-back-is-fine_223336

Probably didn't help that the Hog was hiding under a bed in the bus away from the Feds.

And to think ChromeDome Horner was being buddy buddy with Lance in 2010 for nothing. I think he cried on VeloNews once in talking about Lance...

 

[JimPanzen]

As it looks now, I can't imagine how this team will not undergo a major transformation during the coming off-season. Not necessarily regarding the riders, but more in terms of management and sponsorship. It's pretty obvious that the U.S.-Luxembourg connection does not work and that there are conflicting interests.

This would then be the third year in a row, where this team basically has to start from scratch. Not exactly what most of the riders had in mind when signing for Leopard and RS in the first place I guess.

 

[BillytheKid]

Probably didn't help that the Hog was hiding under a bed in the bus away from the Feds.

And to think ChromeDome Horner was being buddy buddy with Lance in 2010 for nothing. I think he cried on VeloNews once in talking about Lance...

Horner himself says bike racing is all he knows how to do. He has three kids. Love racing bikes. Are you faulting a man for realizing he might be able to provide for a family with his trade.

You name calling speaks volumes....

 

[thehog]

Horner himself says bike racing is all he knows how to do. He has three kids. Love racing bikes. Are you faulting a man for realizing he might be able to provide for a family with his trade.

You name calling speaks volumes....

So he's the only guy with a family? What the? What's that got to do with anything?

I'm sorry but if he was sacrificing himself he'd be in Europe racing and "being seen". Hiding away in the US since March didn't help his cause.

 

[BillytheKid]

As it looks now, I can't imagine how this team will not undergo a major transformation during the coming off-season. Not necessarily regarding the riders, but more in terms of management and sponsorship. It's pretty obvious that the U.S.-Luxembourg connection does not work and that there are conflicting interests.

This would then be the third year in a row, where this team basically has to start from scratch. Not exactly what most of the riders had in mind when signing for Leopard and RS in the first place I guess.

When you have the U.S. pro champ doing a bunch of B races you know the gig is up. No class. Radio Shack should cut them off. Stop payment.

 

[T-Nielsen]

regardless of how poorly the Schlecks perform, in the end it's really Luxembourg-y money, so they will get what they want, which is to not have a potential rival like Horner on the team.

Horner may be manny things, but he is not a rival. He is not Tour Champ material.

 

[BillytheKid]

So he's the only guy with a family? What the? What's that got to do with anything?

I'm sorry but if he was sacrificing himself he'd be in Europe racing and "being seen". Hiding away in the US since March didn't help his cause.

Horner does not need to be treated like a neo pro. Yeh, that's Chris on the podium at TA. Nice job Becca. Radio Shack should stopped payment. Give the guy a program going forward in a possible last the season.

I can see him clearly on that TA podium.

 

[thehog]

Horner does not need to be treated like a neo pro. Yeh, that's Chris on the podium at TA. Nice job Becca. Radio Shack should stopped payment. Give the guy a program going forward in a possible last the season.

I can see him clearly on that TA podium.

I actually agree with you. Hog has no interest outside of the Tour. If you're not on the A team well you're not on the team - period.

Sad but true.

Horner is now realising that for all those years of taking care of Lance doesn't mean you get a ride later on in life. He should have rolled his dice away from the Astana/RSNT camp.

 

[BillytheKid]

I actually agree with you. Hog has no interest outside of the Tour. If you're not on the A team well you're not on the team - period.

Sad but true.

Horner is now realising that for all those years of taking care of Lance doesn't mean you get a ride later on in life. He should have rolled his dice away from the Astana/RSNT camp.

Your writting narritive again. Stuck on LA. Guilt by associaction? Horner raced far apart from your man for most of his career. The "comeback" was Horner's idea?

This is what is now, not then. You can have the last word here. There's not much more to say for the moment.

 

[Angliru]

regardless of how poorly the Schlecks perform, in the end it's really Luxembourg-y money, so they will get what they want, which is to not have a potential rival like Horner on the team.

I think it's more a case of Horner not being able to prove his fitness because of his having to skip the TdS as a result of his back issue. I think his exclusion from the team's shortlist was etched in stone once he missed TdS.
The lack of communication still is tacky and shows how detatched Johann and the general management is from some of the riders. Fuglsand mentioned in a magazine article that the riders a pretty much left to their own devices when it comes to training between races. He says that is one of the major differences between last year's Leopard team and the combined Leopard/Shack team of this year.