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The ALMIGHTY Astana ripped apart

Mar 11, 2009
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Personally I thought this team will dominate cycling for years..., until He Who must not be named came along:rolleyes:...

This is good for cycling, no team should dominate like Astana did in the last few years... But what I can't get is how did Lance manage to lure away managers and cyclists(leaders) from the best team on earth to start from scratch?!
 
Jul 31, 2009
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I think it has a lot to do with money. Astana had too many issues getting their money from the sponsors this year. It's kind of like working for a company that is feared will go into bankruptcy at any time. All the smart people start looking for new jobs BEFORE the company goes under. Everyone sees Lance as being someone who brings in the money, so is a safe bet for future employment. Add to that the personal connections between Lance and many of those people and it shouldn't be surprising .
 
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Belokki said:
Personally I thought this team will dominate cycling for years..., until He Who must not be named came along:rolleyes:...

This is good for cycling, no team should dominate like Astana did in the last few years... But what I can't get is how did Lance manage to lure away managers and cyclists(leaders) from the best team on earth to start from scratch?!

AStana dominated?

No.. contador dominated the Giro in 2008, and Astana dominated the vuelta in 2008, and this year tour de france..

What else exactly have they dominated.. how many stage wins, how many classics, world championships..

Astana where a typical JB team, grand tour focussed, and to an extent PN.. thats about it..

Im assuming you want Columbia, Saxo Bank, Quickstep dismantled too.. both have been arguably more dominatant..

Not just YET ANOTHER astana thread, but an innacurate one at that..
 
Mar 11, 2009
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issoisso said:
How did Astana come anywhere near close to dominating the sport? :confused:

I was talking about stage races...
In 2009
1st, Overall, Tour de France - Alberto Contador + 2 stages
3rd, Overall, Tour de France - Lance Armstrong
1st, Overall, Vuelta al País Vasco - Alberto Contador + 2 stages
1st, Overall, Tour of California - Levi Leipheimer + 1 stage
1st, Overall, Vuelta a Castilla y León - Levi Leipheimer + 1 stage
1st, Overall, Volta ao Algarve - Alberto Contador + 1 stage
2nd, Overall, Vuelta a Castilla y León - Alberto Contador
2nd, Overall, Tour de Luxembourg - Andreas Klöden
2nd, Overall, Giro del Trentino - Janez Brajkovič
3rd, Overall, Tirreno-Adriatico - Andreas Klöden + 1 stage
3rd, E3 Prijs Vlaanderen - Maxim Iglinsky
3rd, Overall, Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré - Alberto Contador
4th, Overall, Paris-Nice - Alberto Contador + 2 stages
4th, Overall, Tour de Suisse - Andreas Klöden
1st, Team Classification, Tour de France + 1 stage
1st, Team classification, Tour of California
1st, Team classification, Volta a Catalunya
1st, Team classification, Giro D'Italia
1st, Team classification, Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré

In 2008
1st, Overall, Vuelta a España - Alberto Contador + 2 stages
2nd, Overall, Vuelta a España - Levi Leipheimer + 2 stages
1st, Overall, Giro d'Italia - Alberto Contador
1st, Overall, Tour of California - Levi Leipheimer + 1 stage
1st, Overall, Vuelta al País Vasco - Alberto Contador + 2 stages
1st, Overall, Tour de Romandie - Andreas Klöden + 1 stage
1st, Overall, Vuelta a Castilla y León - Alberto Contador + 2 stages
1st, Overall, Tour de Wallonie - Serguei Ivanov
1st, Ronde van het Groene Hart - Tomas Vaitkus
1st, Clásica a los Puertos de Guadarrama - Levi Leipheimer
1st, Cascade Classic - Levi Leipheimer
2nd, Overall, Tour de Suisse - Andreas Klöden
3rd, Overall, Dauphiné Libéré - Levi Leipheimer
3rd, Overall, Deutschland Tour - Janez Brajkovic
3rd, Overall, Tour de Belgique - Serguei Ivanov
3rd, Overall, Volta ao Algarve - Tomas Vaitkus
3rd, Overall, Volta ao Distrito de Santarem - Andreas Klöden
3rd, Overall, Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen - Serguei Ivanov
3rd, Overall, Vuelta a Murcia - Alberto Contador
3rd, Overall, Tour de Georgia - Levi Leipheimer
4th, Overall, Tour de Georgia - Antonio Colóm
2nd, Overall Österreich-Rundfahrt - Vladimir Gusev
2nd, Giro di Lombardia - Janez Brajkovic
2nd, Clásica a los Puertos de Guadarrama - Alberto Contador

If Astana were going out in force, they swept the whole peloton...
 
Mar 18, 2009
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Stage races are not cycling. As other have mentioned above, not only have they not been dominant, other teams have better palmarés :)
 
Jun 22, 2009
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dimspace said:
AStana dominated?

No.. contador dominated the Giro in 2008, and Astana dominated the vuelta in 2008, and this year tour de france..

What else exactly have they dominated.. how many stage wins, how many classics, world championships..

Astana where a typical JB team, grand tour focussed, and to an extent PN.. thats about it..

Im assuming you want Columbia, Saxo Bank, Quickstep dismantled too.. both have been arguably more dominatant..

Considering their team, should be dissapointed with their Giro and Vuelta of 09. outside stage races, meh. Still Conta and Levi won everything the first few months of racing this year.
They certainly didn't dominate though, Caisse bested contador a couple times (though the dauphne was a gift)

Columbia have probably been the dominate team this year. They won so much.
Astana and Caisse both had strong season's in stage races.
Quickstep owned the cobbles, while safe to say saxo owned the ardennes.
 
Apr 12, 2009
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Johan Bruyneel teams have all been weak in one aspect and that's the classics, while teams like saxobank are a well rounded team capable to win the stage races and classics. But I do agree with the OP armstrong has destroyed in one year one of the best and most popular cycling teams in the world. I don't like saying this but he truly is a cancer.
 
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Belokki said:
I was talking about stage races...
In 2009
1st, Overall, Tour de France - Alberto Contador + 2 stages
3rd, Overall, Tour de France - Lance Armstrong
1st, Overall, Vuelta al País Vasco - Alberto Contador + 2 stages
1st, Overall, Tour of California - Levi Leipheimer + 1 stage
1st, Overall, Vuelta a Castilla y León - Levi Leipheimer + 1 stage
1st, Overall, Volta ao Algarve - Alberto Contador + 1 stage
2nd, Overall, Vuelta a Castilla y León - Alberto Contador
2nd, Overall, Tour de Luxembourg - Andreas Klöden
2nd, Overall, Giro del Trentino - Janez Brajkovič
3rd, Overall, Tirreno-Adriatico - Andreas Klöden + 1 stage
3rd, E3 Prijs Vlaanderen - Maxim Iglinsky
3rd, Overall, Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré - Alberto Contador
4th, Overall, Paris-Nice - Alberto Contador + 2 stages
4th, Overall, Tour de Suisse - Andreas Klöden
1st, Team Classification, Tour de France + 1 stage
1st, Team classification, Tour of California
1st, Team classification, Volta a Catalunya
1st, Team classification, Giro D'Italia
1st, Team classification, Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré

ok, lets tidy this up a bit...

In 2009
1st, Overall, Tour de France , 3 stages + Team Classification
1st, Overall, Vuelta al País Vasco - + 2 stages
1st, Overall, Tour of California - 1 stage + Team classification
1st, Overall, Vuelta a Castilla y León - + 1 stage
1st, Overall, Volta ao Algarve - + 1 stage

1st, Team classification, Volta a Catalunya
1st, Team classification, Giro D'Italia
1st, Team classification, Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré

doesnt look quiete so impressive does it..

Mark cavendish - 23 wins already this season, columbia are in the thirties.. i would say columbia are far more dominant..

Cav got his 51st victory yesterday btw.. big landmark..
 
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issoisso said:
You mean they're in the high seventies

bl00dy hell.. i was just guessing 30's.. didnt want to get pulled up for exagerating..

NOW THERE IS DOMINATION!
 
Mar 18, 2009
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dimspace said:
bl00dy hell.. i was just guessing 30's.. didnt want to get pulled up for exagerating..

NOW THERE IS DOMINATION!

No worries, it's not like anyone's expected to know the numbers :)

What shocked me was....you seriously though Cavendish had a huge part of their wins? I know you're british so bias towards Cavendish is natural, but jesus christ, that's beyond insanity! :eek:

EDIT: for reference here are the top 15 winning teams this season. Astana didn't make the list, of course

Columbia - 72
Saxo Bank - 44
Diquigiovanni - 37
Cervélo - 27
Rabobank - 23
Tabriz - 22
Agritubel - 22
Liberty Seguros - 22
Besson Chaussures - 21
Katusha - 21
CCC Polsat - 20
Quick.Step - 20
Française des Jeux - 19
Gobernación del Zulia - 19
Caisse d'Epargne - 19
 
Apr 12, 2009
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I've been away for a while who are the new trolls that I should look out for, and are bro deal, thought for food and alpe still around
 
Mar 11, 2009
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El Imbatido said:
I notice that Silence isnt on that list either;) Wonder why that is:D

TBH, with guys like Gilbert, Roelandts, Summie, Evans and van Avermaet I'd expected more.
A lot of S/L's riders only chance to win races are in the 1.1 or lower races in Belgium, but the only thing they've won in the low lands is the ster elektro tour with Gilbert as far as I know.
 
Jul 10, 2009
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issoisso said:
Notice the absence of Garmin.
Last year there was an article in, I believe, CycleSport America. It was entitled "The Bridesmaid Wears Argyle." That theme, aside from the Enco Tour, seems to be continuing this year.
 
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so in conclusion, astana arnt dominating and this thread is cr@p :D

i actually thought columbia might be in the fifties but i erred on the side of caution
 
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franciep10 said:
Agreed, the only dominant force astana has is contador, unless you count LA at leadville:rolleyes:

shall we stop discussing it now and let the thread fall to p2 then.. :D
 

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