Remember all the hate spewed in the direction of both the RCS and ASO for omitting "Team Astana" from the Giro and the Tour?
Bruyneel got a Giro invite on the condition the team included the top riders.
So what have we got this year? Lance? Totally lacking race fitness at best. If he turns up, which is highly unlikely, will ride gently for two weeks, then disappear.
Top team mate? Levi. Riding high, in seemingly great nick, but his supporters would prefer he did nothing at the world's second biggest Tour.
Or, they don't think he's up to tackling the likes of Basso.
In short, Astana will ride in name only, especially if fans get there way.
No, they prefer he ride the Tour, carrying water for Contador, Armstrong, maybe even Kloden, on the off chance that things might work out in his favour.
As for the palmares argument. A brief rundown on Levi's career.
USPS 3rd in his first Vuelta, behind.....Aitor Gonzalez and Oscar Sevilla.
Went to Rabobank: Contract not renewed, due to lack of results.
Went to Gerolsteiner: Won Germany and the Dauphine. Managed a couple of top 10 GC's but dropped 12 and a half minutes in two, long time trials.
Went back to Disco: Supposed to work for Contador, worked mostly for himself.
Turned a 6 minute loss, into a minute gain, in an almost identical time trial to 2006, to finish 3rd.
Wouldn't have podiumed if Rasmussen had remained in the race.
Landis (check out his palmares) was elevated to Tour favourite, on the strength of a good year's domestique work for Lance in 2004, flopping in 2005.
Won the 2006 Tour of Cali and Paris-Nice. Crashed and burned at the Dauphine.
We all know what happened next.
I was quite keen on Levi, while at Gerolsteiner, but I lost my faith off the back of the 2006/07 "improvement".
People talk about the possiblity of an Astana "clean sweep" at the Tour.
So what? I would argue, if they ignore the greatness of Centanary Giro.
He might regain some of that appeal, for me, were he to give the Giro his best shot.
He might actually have an achievable goal, there.