So its confirmed that Armstrong will make his comeback attempt with Astana. I can't help but wonder where Contador is going to go now. I don't think he will stay with Astana. Quick Step is looking for a good team leader - maybe we will see Contador on the Belge team.
I still think a Contador - Armstrong showdown would be cool.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
I Was Wrong
I was sure that Armstrong was going to ride for Team Columbia next year, because I thought he would need his loyal right-hand man George Hincapie to draft off of. Looks like I was wrong. According to Cyclingnews.com, Columbia has no interest in having Armstrong ride for them.
I'm not sure now where Armstrong will find a home. Most people are saying that he will go with Astana. I just don't see him there. While Astana does have all of the sponsors from Discovery and most of the staff, including (perhaps most importantly) Johan Bruyneel, Astana does not need Lance. Astana is arguably the strongest team right now. They won the Giro, they are on track to clean up at the Veulta, and the only reason they didn't dominate the Tour was because they were not invited. As much as he loves Lance, Bruyneel shouldn't push Contador aside so Lance can have one more run at the Tour. Contador is more than capable and an Armstrong - Contador showdown in the Tour would make for an exciting race.
The same can be said for CSC. They don't need Lance. They will (and should) be building their team around the Schleck brothers. Another powerhouse in the peloton, they certainly don't need Armstrong to have a chance at getting on the podium in Paris.
This leaves Garmin-Chipotle. Armstrong has said that he plans on making his drug tests available online. This screams of the anti-doping measures Garmin takes. The other plus is that Garmin is an American team. I mean can you really see Lance Armstrong racing for some wussy French team. While Garmin has generated some positive press around themselves, the presence of Armstrong would still greatly benefit them. They are also most likely to be invited to all of the races he is targeting. The only question is whether or not Jonathan Vaughters wants Armstrong on his team, and whether or not Christian Vandeveld is willing to be Lance's domestique again. This is the team I am leaning to right now.
Like the rest of the cycling world, I am waiting anxiously for Armstrong's press conference on Sept. 24 to see which team kit we will see him in next year.
I'm not sure now where Armstrong will find a home. Most people are saying that he will go with Astana. I just don't see him there. While Astana does have all of the sponsors from Discovery and most of the staff, including (perhaps most importantly) Johan Bruyneel, Astana does not need Lance. Astana is arguably the strongest team right now. They won the Giro, they are on track to clean up at the Veulta, and the only reason they didn't dominate the Tour was because they were not invited. As much as he loves Lance, Bruyneel shouldn't push Contador aside so Lance can have one more run at the Tour. Contador is more than capable and an Armstrong - Contador showdown in the Tour would make for an exciting race.
The same can be said for CSC. They don't need Lance. They will (and should) be building their team around the Schleck brothers. Another powerhouse in the peloton, they certainly don't need Armstrong to have a chance at getting on the podium in Paris.
This leaves Garmin-Chipotle. Armstrong has said that he plans on making his drug tests available online. This screams of the anti-doping measures Garmin takes. The other plus is that Garmin is an American team. I mean can you really see Lance Armstrong racing for some wussy French team. While Garmin has generated some positive press around themselves, the presence of Armstrong would still greatly benefit them. They are also most likely to be invited to all of the races he is targeting. The only question is whether or not Jonathan Vaughters wants Armstrong on his team, and whether or not Christian Vandeveld is willing to be Lance's domestique again. This is the team I am leaning to right now.
Like the rest of the cycling world, I am waiting anxiously for Armstrong's press conference on Sept. 24 to see which team kit we will see him in next year.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Armstrong To Come Back in 09
Those who know me, know that I religiously follow cycling. I was an avid cyclist in my junior high and high school days and am trying to get back into it when time permits.
Like a lot of the cycling world, I was shocked to hear that Lance Armstrong will be staging a comeback for 2009. It looks like he will be targeting 5 races, The Tour of California, Tour of Georgia, Paris Nice, Daupine Libre, and of course the Tour de France. Armstrong claims that his comeback is to raise global awareness for cancer and that he will not take a salary. Personally, I have my doubts about this. I think there is another motive that he is not telling us about. Maybe he wants to prove he still has it, maybe he owns stock in the financially failing Tour of Georgia and hopes his presence will help find a new sponsor for that race, or maybe he just misses it. Whatever the reason is, I think 2009 will be an interesting season.
Since he has not stated which team he will be riding for, I want to take a poll to see which team from the ones I've listed below you think he will most likely race for:
A) Astana
B) CSC
C) Columbia - High Road
D) Garmin
E) None of the above - he will start his own team
F) None of the above - he will race for a team not listed above
Leave your comments and why you think he will race for your team of choice. I'll tell you what I think and why in a later post.
Like a lot of the cycling world, I was shocked to hear that Lance Armstrong will be staging a comeback for 2009. It looks like he will be targeting 5 races, The Tour of California, Tour of Georgia, Paris Nice, Daupine Libre, and of course the Tour de France. Armstrong claims that his comeback is to raise global awareness for cancer and that he will not take a salary. Personally, I have my doubts about this. I think there is another motive that he is not telling us about. Maybe he wants to prove he still has it, maybe he owns stock in the financially failing Tour of Georgia and hopes his presence will help find a new sponsor for that race, or maybe he just misses it. Whatever the reason is, I think 2009 will be an interesting season.
Since he has not stated which team he will be riding for, I want to take a poll to see which team from the ones I've listed below you think he will most likely race for:
A) Astana
B) CSC
C) Columbia - High Road
D) Garmin
E) None of the above - he will start his own team
F) None of the above - he will race for a team not listed above
Leave your comments and why you think he will race for your team of choice. I'll tell you what I think and why in a later post.
So I'm Really Not Good at Updates
So I'm looking at my wife's blog and realize that it has been three months since my last update. I've been think alot about what I want to do with this blog, and I'm not sure I am ready to share the file monkey story with the rest of the world (or have some thing to come back to haunt me later in my career).
For now, while I plan to keep posting, The Adventures of File Monkey is going to be on hold. Stay tuned for futher updates.
For now, while I plan to keep posting, The Adventures of File Monkey is going to be on hold. Stay tuned for futher updates.
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