Who is Kloden riding for?

[7starz]

Andreas Kloden: 2 podiums, perfectly capable of another but who is he riding for? Interestingly he was off the pace, away from Lance, when Contador made his attack on Verbier having been comfortably on pace moments before - Lance looked to be in a bit of a panic when he realised Klodi was not right there to drag him along. Then Klodi smoothly cruised back, doing his duty for Lance until the last few hundred metres when he oh-so easily took 6 seconds out of Lance. Hmm. Remember 2004, Col de la Croix Fry and ride like the wind for that 3rd podium Andreas - Lance and Bruyneel will leave Astana very soon, when Vino reclaims his baby, you don't need either of them.

 

[Jayarbie]

Kloden is riding for Contador. So is everyone else on Astana.

 

[Anonymous]

It'll be interesting to see how Astana does without JB's tactical mind and the loss of a good chunk of the team once JB and LA form their own team. I bet Levi and Horner and some others will follow.

I may even bet that Contador may seek another team that will be able to support him better than Vino's Astana in 2010. Caisse maybe? Garmin?

We can only sit and spectate for now.

 

[Jayarbie]

It'll be interesting to see how Astana does without JB's tactical mind and the loss of a good chunk of the team once JB and LA form their own team. I bet Levi and Horner and some others will follow.

I may even bet that Contador may seek another team that will be able to support him better than Vino's Astana in 2010. Caisse maybe? Garmin?

We can only sit and spectate for now.

I doubt Contador will stay with Astana, if it even exists next year. Who knows where he will end up, but Caisse or Garmin seem like logical choices. For sure, it won't be on Team Livestrong. I would think that Team Livestrong would take Levi, Horner, & Popo with them, along with maybe a couple others.

 

[luckyboy]

I doubt Contador will stay with Astana, if it even exists next year. Who knows where he will end up, but Caisse or Garmin seem like logical choices. For sure, it won't be on Team Livestrong. I would think that Team Livestrong would take Levi, Horner, & Popo with them, along with maybe a couple others.

What I've been thinking is who would make up the rest of that team? I mean, why would they want to support two riders in GTs who are not going to win?

I suppose the pay would be pretty good though

 

[**Uru**]

It looked like Kloden was riding for Armstrong on that day. Contador does not really need any help, as he demonstrated after taking advantage of Saxo Bank's pacemaking.

 

[eleven]

Unless Contador loses serious time to Schleck in the TT, it doesn't seem that Kloden needs to ride for anybody but himself. By the time Ventoux rolls around, Contador is still likely to have 2-3+ minutes on Schleck and there's no way Andy's taking that from him.

imho, Kloden and Armstrong will therefore be set free to chase podium positions. It will do Schleck no good to get pulled back to Contador by those two.

 

[dienekes88]

Kloeden rides when and where the team management tells him to ride. He's paid to be a helper, and he's a professional. When he was riding for Ullrich - and in the process pulling back his teammate Vino - I imagine it's because he was told to do so.

Didn't he leave T-Mobile even though he was offered team leadership at the Tour?

 

[Danilot]

There's no way Contador's going to move to Garmin, the Americans are supposed to be a "clean" team. It's much more probable that he moves to Caisse... Hell, if they accept Valverde, they'll accept anybody...

 

[indurain666]

It'll be interesting to see how Astana does without JB's tactical mind and the loss of a good chunk of the team once JB and LA form their own team. I bet Levi and Horner and some others will follow.

QUOTE]

Are you kidding me?? What has JB done so far? And LA?, other than putting a lot of pressure to the kid and dragging Vande Velde to him today (and AC was ****ed!!) Contador won without a strong team in 07, and mark my words: he would do it soon in the future.

In fact, if he is smart he would find a team without these two suckers

 

[scribe]

There's no way Contador's going to move to Garmin, the Americans are supposed to be a "clean" team. It's much more probable that he moves to Caisse... Hell, if they accept Valverde, they'll accept anybody...

Contador will likely move to a new spanish team custom built for him. Then lets see if he can manage a team the way a real leader would.

 

[scribe]

Oh. And Kloden rides for a podium place. He hasn't been needed much to prop up Contador as much as he has ran for Lance.

 

[colwildcat]

I think he's riding for a team next year. He's proven he can compete again.

 

[Max Cadence]

He doesn't need to ride for Contador because AC can handle himself. He's not riding for or against Armstrong. I think he's genuinely riding for Astana with the hope of sweeping the GC podium.

 

[Jayarbie]

I think he's riding for a team next year. He's proven he can compete again.

I think it's actually much more likely that Kloden stays with Vino on Astana and both Armstrong and Contador leave for new teams. And that Kloden is the GC man for Astana next year with Vino more of a roleur/domestique (I don't see Vino, especially non-doped, being able to ride at the front of the race in the big mountains).

 

[Andre.J]

I heard some story where Formula 1 racer Alonso is starting a new Spanish team and Contador will be the first to join.

Andre

 

[racerralph]

There's no way Contador's going to move to Garmin, the Americans are supposed to be a "clean" team. It's much more probable that he moves to Caisse... Hell, if they accept Valverde, they'll accept anybody...

Yeah, it looks like you've got a real good handle on it Junior boy