Published in "Team Radio Shack" site on December 11th, 2009
With all the distractions of finances and team leadership hounding the Astana team last year now behind, seven-time
Tour de France winner, Lance Armstrong and his newly announced, solid Radio Shack team can now concentrate on the upcoming
bicycle season culminating with the Tour de France.
The team announced today includes seasoned riders with Armstrong, Levi
Leipheimer, Gert Steegmans and Andreas Klöden highlighting as stellar a team as has been put together, reminiscent of the Blue Trains of earlier
Armstrong victories.
Leipheimer is looking to avenge the early withdrawal from last year’s tour after he broke his wrist in Stage 12. He is a capable rider in all disciplines of the race and was touted last year as one
of the three leaders of the aforementioned Astana team. He and Armstrong have
ridden in support of one another in last year’s race calendar with Armstrong in support of Leipheimer in the Tour de
Italia and the roles reversed for TDF.
Steegmans has been the driving force piloting fellow Belgian rider Robbie McEwen to two stage wins during the 2006 Tour de France. He himself excels in the sprints, as do McEwen
and Tom Boonen. He will provide an added team element and will make for exiting sprint stages.
Klöden achievements include a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympic Games and the second place in the 2004 and 2006 Tour de France. Although plagued by injuries, he excels in all of the race’s disciplines much like Leipheimer does and
is quite capable of placing high in overall classifications, as proven time and again.
The
team is made even more solid by the youth movement in the sheer numbers of the roster.
Team Manager Johan Bruyneel, who has managed Lance in all his victories, will meet with the group for the first time
in December and applaud team management in their commitment to the future of biking. Bruyneel was a master of team chemistry
conducting last year’s Astana with its many stars and riders vying for the captainship and leadership of the team. He
kept the riders focused on the major goal for the team and the results of the team and the individual members speak for themselves.
The nucleus of the team will no doubt be Armstrong, Leipheimer Steegmans
and Kloden with the management expertise of Bryneel making it a difficult team to beat, not only in the TDF but in the other
multi-stage races as the Tour de Italia and Vuelta a Espańa, among others.
The one missing
element from prior victories is George Hincapie who has found success and a leadership role with Team Columbia been quoted
back in July as saying:
“I think Lance’s team is definitely good for cycling in America because Lance
brings a lot to the sport and so much more interest to the sport,” he said. “But I’m not going there. I
guess, never say never, but I’m pretty happy with where I am right now. Nope, not going.”
So all we need to do is wait for the team to come together and we will be treated to
an incredible artistic biking extravaganza that might put last year’s so called
“cyclism” to shame
