Flandis - If and If and If...
VeloJon
definitively gets cleared by USADA and any future CAS hearings, 2)
fully recovers from his hip operation and returns to form, and 3) Disco
really has shot its budget wad on Leipheimer, et al. Admittedly, big
stretch on all counts, but where might he end up in 2007?
raa...@hotmail.com
I would guess Confidis or CA are pragmatic enough to sign him on
dbrower
I'm thinking pink.
-dB
bob sullivan
Pretty safe bet that CSC won't take him.
~bob
dbrower
Forgive me being dim, but if Basso's not back, why not? It seems more
likely to me than Discovery.
-dB
bob sullivan
For all his pouting, I don't think Riis is going to get rid of Basso.
Basso's the number one GC guy in the world. I could be wrong, but I
don't think so.
Besides, it's not like CSC's a team of sprinters with no GC hopes.
Frank Schleck has real potential GC-wise, and there's the matter
of those CSC TT guys who could perhaps learn how to climb better
one of these days (Cancellara and Zabriskie).
If Basso does go Disco, Leipheimer's gonna be *pissed*... Popovych
too, probably.
~bob
dbrower
But Leipheimers rep says being pissed will have no effect on anything,
and Popo is no Basso in results or charisma. It seems like more a
question of money that Disco would put out than anything else.
I'm reasonably convinced Disco would like Floyd because he's a Merkin
and a proven winner, but I don't get the sense Landis is eager to butt
heads with Bruyneel at any price if there is an option.
-dB
Simon Brooke
('dbr...@gmail.com') wrote:
Actually, thinking about next year... I've said elsewhere that the teams to
watch will be Astana and CSC.
But what is going to happen to T-Mo? They've imploded. They're one of the
best funded teams in pro cycling, and they don't seem to have a single
star rider. On their website they're highlighting their womens' team and
new signing Jacob Piil, an aging CSC second-stringer with no wins at all
to his credit in 2006.
Where do they go from here?
And, seriously, if Landis is looking for a berth for 2007 I know a team
that needs him!
--
si...@jasmine.org.uk (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
Do not sail on uphill water.
- Bill Lee
Simon Brooke
('bsul...@comcast.net') wrote:
> dbrower wrote:
>> bob sullivan wrote:
>>> dbrower wrote:
>>>> raa...@hotmail.com wrote:
>>>>> VeloJon wrote:
>>>>>> Just to fantasize a little, What if Floyd 1) miraculously and
>>>>>> definitively gets cleared by USADA and any future CAS hearings, 2)
>>>>>> fully recovers from his hip operation and returns to form, and 3)
>>>>>> Disco
>>>>>> really has shot its budget wad on Leipheimer, et al. Admittedly,
>>>>>> big stretch on all counts, but where might he end up in 2007?
>>>>> I would guess Confidis or CA are pragmatic enough to sign him on
>>>> I'm thinking pink.
>>>>
>>> Pretty safe bet that CSC won't take him.
>>
>> Forgive me being dim, but if Basso's not back, why not?
Basso is back.
>> It seems more
>> likely to me than Discovery.
>
> For all his pouting, I don't think Riis is going to get rid of Basso.
> Basso's the number one GC guy in the world. I could be wrong, but I
> don't think so.
No. Basso is very clear he wants to stay with CSC, and for all Riis'
cautious noises I'm pretty sure he wants to keep Basso. The rest of the
team seem keen to have Basso back. I'm pretty sure Basso will still be in
black and white (and pink and probably yellow) next year.
The only possible reason for Riis not to keep Basso is if he's determined
to avoid any hint of scandal around the team - and if he is, then he won't
take Landis. The evidence against Landis - while far from compelling - is
far stronger than that against Basso.
> Besides, it's not like CSC's a team of sprinters with no GC hopes.
> Frank Schleck has real potential GC-wise,
So has Sastre. He rode a really hard Giro in support of Basso, was third in
the Tour de France, and still there-or-thereabouts all through the Vuelta.
If the Khazaks had not been fresh from the best part of a year off, would
they have done so well? If Sastre had rested in July, might he have done
better? Three GTs in a year is hard work.
The rest of the team are no slouches. Watch out for Martin Pedersen, who is
a really promising young rider. Fabian Cancellara can win both Paris
Roubaix and the ITT World Champs in one year; anyone who can do that
double is dangerous, although he may not have the stamina to be a GT
contender. And Jens Voigt may be getting old for a pro, and (in the best
possible way) completely mad, but he is still very dangerous - quite
dangerous enough to win a GT with the right breaks.
The teams to watch next year are definitely going to be Astana and CSC.
--
si...@jasmine.org.uk (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
begin 666 this_is_not_a_virus.vbs
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VeloJon
musical chairs begin:
"PARIS, Oct 18, 2006 (AFP) - Danish cycling team CSC has parted
ways with top Italian rider Ivan Basso, who missed the Tour de
France because of doping allegations but who was last week cleared
to start racing again."
bob sullivan
Wow, how wrong could I be? :) Oh, well, this is the reason I don't
gamble. I'd lose my shirt. :)
~bob