Velochimp: Astrochimp on Cycling

The new Astana kit design by Johan Bruyneel to show his dissatisfaction with the non-payment of salaries reminds me of this clip from Family Guy.

Lance Armstrong plans on announcing his plans for 2009 over the next two days. First at the Clinton Global Initiative and next at Interbike.

Lance Armstrong will hold a pair of press conferences in the next two days — the first on Wednesday in New York and the second on Thursday at the Interbike trade show in las Vegas, Nevada.

In New York, Armstrong will discuss his Global Cancer Initiative. At Interbike, he will detail plans for his 2009 return to professional cycling, including his team, a partial schedule and development program.

If his plans do include riding for the ASTANA team then recent Vuelta winner Alberto Contador will be looking for a new team. Contador’s stock is high now that he acheived the rare feat of winning all three Grand Tours and has various offers from teams to jump ship. Contador may be feeling the frustration from missing out on the Tour de France and then having to play second fiddle to Armstrong in 2009 as he attempts his comeback. Add to this the non-help from Levi Leipheimer who almost upended his Vuelta win and you have a hot commodity looking for a new ride.
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Alberto Contador would support having Lance join the Astana team.

Spaniard Contador said: “It’s good news for cycling. We would be delighted to welcome him with open arms at Astana.

“It’s news that awakes your attention and will create a lot of interest.”

The Contador relationship would be heabily scrutinized since the Astana team was not really hurting for a Stage Race leader. Contador won the Tour de France in 2007 and would have been a major contender for 2008 is the Astana Team was invited to the Tour by the ASO. So Contador will not be able to come into the Tour in 2009 as a clear team leader now that he has to share responsibilities with Armstrong. But, Contador and the rest of the team know that the addition of Lance Armstrong makes the team a formidable force for 2009.

Bruyneel played down the prospect of conflict between Armstrong and Contador if the American joined.

“If Lance were not at a good enough level to win the Tour, knowing him as well as I do, I’m sure he would be happy to help Alberto do that,” he claimed.

Contador, 25, currently racing in the Tour of Spain, admitted: “If both of us want to win the Tour then, yes, that will create some complications, but now is not the time to think about that.”

At least Contador is young where he won’t feel like he is wasting a chance at another Tour win. But this will be the relationship to watch in 2009.

BBC Sports

Ugh, the sinking feeling is starting again. Velonews announced that Tour de France winner Alberto Contador is scheduling a press conference where he will release a statement and not take questions from the press. Discovery Team Manager Johan Bruyneel will be by his side.

Contador issued a release Wednesday notifying media of his plans to read a statement at the offices of Spain’s national sports council – the Consejo Superior de Deportes – in Madrid.

Contador will be accompanied by Discovery Channel team director Johann Bruyneel.

Via Podium Cafe: http://www.velonews.com/news/fea/13062.0.html

This conference could also be setup to announce that Contador will not be racing while the WADA investigation to Contador’s Operation Puerto case is finalized. WADA decided to re-investigate Contador’s involvement in Operation Puerto which was previosuly dismissed by the UCI.

The World Anti Doping Agency has opened an investigation on Alberto Contador (Discovery Channel), winner of this years Tour de France, and his alleged involvement in Operation Peurto. WADA is working with ex-Liberty Seguros rider Jörg Jaksche, who admitted that he worked with the Spanish doctor while he was a team-mate of Contador at Liberty Seguros, after it received documents from German Professor Werner Franke that supposedly links the Spaniard to Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes.

Documents seized in the case are said to contain the letters A.C., which is allegedly the initials of Alberto Contador. Jaksche’s initials are also present on the document along side the doping products that he has admitted to using. “I don’t know if Contador was a client of Fuentes,” said Jaksche. “I only know that I used those doping products that are shown on that document.”

With this action, WADA is overturning the UCI’s earlier decision to acquit Contador of any involvement in the case.

Johan Bruyneel, Contador’s team manager, has serious doubts of the integrity of Professor Franke. “‘He defended Danilo Hondo, when he was caught in the Tour of Murcia for using the banned substance Carphedon, if you ask me he only speaks the language of the person paying him,” said Bruyneel.

Cyclingnews.com

Hopefully the press conference is a simple announcement that Contador is simply not going to race and will participate with the WADA investigation. He could also reclaim his innocence and vow to fight. The other possibility would be that he could admit to being involved in Puerto which would not be a good thing for cycling or the Discovery Channel Team.