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Radioshack Fail

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SpartacusRox

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Oldman said:
Kloden and Brakovich look good but are a long way from running a team. LA won't mentor anyone soon or step gracefully out of the way. They are likely to have a pesky legal matter to divert their attention as well.

Regardless of the possible legal wranglings going on or about to ensue, this probably was always going to be LA's last season. American sponsors want to see American riders heading teams so I'm thinking that Brakovich would only be an intermediate measure. Kloden is not and never has been a team leader, though he is a great team rider and dragged Jans sorry *** up a mountain on several occasions in the past.

It is pretty obvious that RS will be looking to Phinney to move into the team next year and LA will mentor him as he is doing now behind the scenes. Although he is still a few years too young to be a GT contender, he has shown he has the goods as a good classics prospect and you just need to look at sagan to see that age is not a barrier to getting some good results.
 
SpartacusRox said:
Regardless of the possible legal wranglings going on or about to ensue, this probably was always going to be LA's last season. American sponsors want to see American riders heading teams so I'm thinking that Brakovich would only be an intermediate measure. Kloden is not and never has been a team leader, though he is a great team rider and dragged Jans sorry *** up a mountain on several occasions in the past.
.

Shows how much you know about cycling.

Kloden barely rode with Jan at T-Mobile. So there wasn't much **** dragging going on. 2005 that's almost it.
 
Jun 19, 2009
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SpartacusRox said:
Regardless of the possible legal wranglings going on or about to ensue, this probably was always going to be LA's last season. American sponsors want to see American riders heading teams so I'm thinking that Brakovich would only be an intermediate measure. Kloden is not and never has been a team leader, though he is a great team rider and dragged Jans sorry *** up a mountain on several occasions in the past.

It is pretty obvious that RS will be looking to Phinney to move into the team next year and LA will mentor him as he is doing now behind the scenes. Although he is still a few years too young to be a GT contender, he has shown he has the goods as a good classics prospect and you just need to look at sagan to see that age is not a barrier to getting some good results.

He might be given enough time to gradually progress on a US based team, just don't know what will remain of the Shack after this year. He'll have options if he doesn't get caught up in the histrionics too much. His real future will lie elsewhere don't you think?
 
Nov 17, 2009
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Oldman said:
He might be given enough time to gradually progress on a US based team, just don't know what will remain of the Shack after this year. He'll have options if he doesn't get caught up in the histrionics too much. His real future will lie elsewhere don't you think?

I'm betting he'll either stay with whatever remains of Radioshack for the next couple of years. If RS disappears he'll either follow the RS nucleus or go to Garmin (he rode with Garmin's youth team prior to Livestrong).

I'm doubting he'll leave US based racing teams... not for a while at least. Both RS and Garmin have similar issues with being implicated in the Landis stuff... so he's probably going to be stuck with that regardless.

And I just don't see Phinney as a GT rider. I could be wrong... but based on his size, genetics and previous results it just doesn't seem likely.

I could potentially see him with success in a lot of areas... TT's, cobbles, sprints or even moderately hilly 1-day races. But high mountains? Just doesn't seem to fit.
 

SpartacusRox

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Oldman said:
He might be given enough time to gradually progress on a US based team, just don't know what will remain of the Shack after this year. He'll have options if he doesn't get caught up in the histrionics too much. His real future will lie elsewhere don't you think?

Yeah possibly, but it will depend largely on what happens with RS. I am sure a lot of teams would be wanting to snap him up but I am also thinking his old man will want him on a US team which will really mean Garmin or HTC. I guess Sky could be a possibility.
 
This could well play out the way it did when Lance retired for the first time.
Simply read Shack for Disco.
They had a year with Hincapie and a load of Europeans, failed at the Tour, so Disco pulled out, ASAP.

The measure of Phinney's ability to sustain a PT team and it's sponsor will be judged on one race: The TDF.
Young Taylor will not be ready for several years, if he makes the transition.
Too long for a US sponsor to wait?
 
Mar 31, 2010
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I doubt lance will retire after this year. In fact it wouldn't surprise me to see him continue at least 2 more years after this. one year for the classics and one year to do races all over the world for his cancer stuff. but basically an excuse just to ride in competition because he can't live without it
 

flicker

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Ryo Hazuki said:
I doubt lance will retire after this year. In fact it wouldn't surprise me to see him continue at least 2 more years after this. one year for the classics and one year to do races all over the world for his cancer stuff. but basically an excuse just to ride in competition because he can't live without it

The way some athletes are I believe this to be true. If Lance is beating guys 10 years younger then him why would he quit?
 
Ryo Hazuki said:
I doubt lance will retire after this year. In fact it wouldn't surprise me to see him continue at least 2 more years after this. one year for the classics and one year to do races all over the world for his cancer stuff. but basically an excuse just to ride in competition because he can't live without it

Cancer stuff? I think you mean do all the races that pay him to turn up.
 
Mar 22, 2010
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Ryo Hazuki said:
I doubt lance will retire after this year. In fact it wouldn't surprise me to see him continue at least 2 more years after this. one year for the classics and one year to do races all over the world for his cancer stuff. but basically an excuse just to ride in competition because he can't live without it

hgh changed everything. In sports (now) age really is just a number. just ask Bonds and Clemens.
 
Jun 12, 2010
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Moose McKnuckles said:
RadioShack are not invited to the Vuelta, but maybe Lance can find a spot on Astana.

I think ASO will let them in, I know they originally did not. But, there is bound to be a dopage scandal from a team that is then banned from entering the Vuelta.
 
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ScotsBiker said:
I think ASO will let them in, I know they originally did not. But, there is bound to be a dopage scandal from a team that is then banned from entering the Vuelta.

...unless of course that team is Radio Shack, who have the best chance of being in a doping scandal.
 
Ryo Hazuki said:
I doubt lance will retire after this year. In fact it wouldn't surprise me to see him continue at least 2 more years after this. one year for the classics and one year to do races all over the world for his cancer stuff. but basically an excuse just to ride in competition because he can't live without it

Wasn't that originally the purpose of comeback 2.0? Then he remembered that all he really cares about is the Tour
 
May 25, 2010
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very rare that comebacks have been successful or better than the past. armstrong now doesnt begin to compare with him of the past. perhaps its the truer form now with less stuff running around the veins.
either way, the shack is a squad of old blokes, old news.
 
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El Oso said:
Wasn't that originally the purpose of comeback 2.0? Then he remembered that all he really cares about is the Tour

and those really juicy appearance fees for Cancer venues. He'd a never thunk he a'could make more dough doin' somethin' other than ridin' a bike, since he can't do anything else except excrete progeny.
 
Since Radioshack have been excluded from the Vuelta, does anybody else think they should go and ride the Volta a Portugal instead? It's a 2.HC race (or at least was, it might have been downgraded this year because of the lack of top teams racing it), and it's the longest race in Europe outside of the GTs. It features a couple of major MTFs and at least one further smaller MTF, two ITTs (a prologue and a longer closing TT) and some flat stages. It takes place in August, so riders who weren't on the Tour team could peak for it, and with the defending champion being David Blanco, and with the likes of Santiago Pérez, Constantino Zaballa, David Bernabéu and with other teams and riders excluded from the upper echelons wanting to take part (Rasmussen talked of targeting it pre-season, Sinkewitz was in last year's top 10, Ceramica Flaminia have expressed interest), surely the Hog's team would be in good company?
 
Libertine Seguros said:
Since Radioshack have been excluded from the Vuelta, does anybody else think they should go and ride the Volta a Portugal instead? It's a 2.HC race (or at least was, it might have been downgraded this year because of the lack of top teams racing it), and it's the longest race in Europe outside of the GTs. It features a couple of major MTFs and at least one further smaller MTF, two ITTs (a prologue and a longer closing TT) and some flat stages. It takes place in August, so riders who weren't on the Tour team could peak for it, and with the defending champion being David Blanco, and with the likes of Santiago Pérez, Constantino Zaballa, David Bernabéu and with other teams and riders excluded from the upper echelons wanting to take part (Rasmussen talked of targeting it pre-season, Sinkewitz was in last year's top 10, Ceramica Flaminia have expressed interest), surely the Hog's team would be in good company?

Maybe those associations would have a lot of journos sharpening their pencils for 250 words or more of innuendo and insinuations. So, yes, I would encourage them to participate! ;)

Back on topic, would it be a bit soon after the Tour to field an RS all-star cast? And - if relevant - does it fit the sponsors' interests?
 
L'arriviste said:
Back on topic, would it be a bit soon after the Tour to field an RS all-star cast? And - if relevant - does it fit the sponsors' interests?

Yes it would, and no it doesn't. Then again, apart from the Tour de France, the only races that fit the sponsors' interests would be in Belgium, the site of the only remaining Tandy store in Europe. Team Radioshack aren't really built for Belgian racing either.
 
Jun 23, 2010
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Methinks the Vuelta organizers will be made to look rather silly... and the rest of you as well.
Radioshack will place at least 3 riders in the top 10 GC at Tour de France. Perhaps 4 from this list:

Lance Armstrong
Andreas Klöden
Levi Leipheimer
Chris Horner
Janez Brajkovic
Sergio Paulinho
Yaroslav Popovych
Gregory Rast
Dmitriy Muravyev
 
veloracer said:
Methinks the Vuelta organizers will be made to look rather silly... and the rest of you as well.
Radioshack will place at least 3 riders in the top 10 GC at Tour de France. Perhaps 4 from this list:

Lance Armstrong
Andreas Klöden
Levi Leipheimer
Chris Horner
Janez Brajkovic
Sergio Paulinho
Yaroslav Popovych
Gregory Rast
Dmitriy Muravyev

And then ZERO of them would be in the top 10 GC at the Vuelta, because they left everything in France. As has been said before, last year Astana went to the Vuelta with Klöden, Zubeldia and Horner, very similar to the "3 or 4 guys who could fight for the GC" they went with in their discussion of this year's race. Klöden pulled out before the start citing fatigue, Horner crashed out on stage 4 and Zubeldia rolled around, not attacking and not really caring, while Vinokourov aside the whole team just chilled out and rolled in between 10th and 30th, then sure the Shack could put three riders in the top 10 for the Tour, but those riders would contribute nothing to the Vuelta, and they will get into the top 10 the same way Bruyneel's riders usually get into the top 10 - by following wheels, never attacking and doing a good TT. Bruyneel's teams are damn good, but they are seriously dull.
 

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