Bjarne Riis: Lance Armstrong can’t beat the young guys

July 2nd, 2009 by Al Fresco 1,409 views One Comment

Saxo Bank boss Bjarne Riis thinks that an eighth Tour de France win for Lance Armstrong is “impossible”, saying that he will not be able to keep up with Frank and Andy Schleck or Alberto Contador. He feels that Armstrong will do well in the overall standings, however. Riis adds, “I think it is fantastic that he is back in cycling, I respect his choice. And I also believe that cycling should be grateful, he creates a lot of publicity and attention.”

Other Tour de France News:

The BBC’s Simon Brotherton thinks that Lance will dominate the Tour, if only in the media. He doesn’t expect to see him in yellow in Paris, but acknowledges that there is always a chance. Brotherton feels that Mark Cavendish will play a large part in race headlines as well.
Speaking of headlines, let’s make one up: “Armstrong: I am the top, and will expect compliance”. This comes from tuttobiciweb.it. That’s the headline, but Armstrong says nothing of the sort in the article.
Lance Armstrong was visited by UCI anti-doping controllers for test #34 since his comeback.
Rabobank DS Erik Breukink is looking for a podium placing for Denis Menchov for the Tour.
French newspaper (and voicebox of the ASO) L’Equipe thinks that we might see 4 to 7 additional doping cases announced before the start of the race. The UCI quickly responded, saying that they cannot confirm that information. L’Equipe said that the positive doping controls came from samples taken during the Tour of Romandie and Tour of Switzerland.
Andy Schleck says that he will make no mistakes this year. His chances for a better placing were blown last year when he forgot to eat during one of the mountain stages.
Yellow jersey contender Cadel Evans remains upbeat despite the unwelcome news that his Silence-Lotto teammate has been ruled out of the race.
Looong transfer: The Tour starts in the Netherlands next year, but the organizers are looking even farther afield, with possible departures in Tokyo or Qatar.

Thomas Dekker:

The UCI issued a press release later in the day yesterday saying that suspicions about Dekker were raised after careful analysis of his biological passport, and that is what prompted them to retest the 2007 sample.
Dekker came to Silence-Lotto after being released from Rabobank due to suspicious blood values.
Dekker says he feels “screwed”, and finds it “bizarre” that a sample that tested negative in 2007 was later found to be positive. He, of course, pledges to clear his name.
A spokesperson for the UCI says that they are using a newer, more sophisticated method for detecting second generation EPO. There is some indication that they will be doing more retesting as they dig deeper into the passport results. The UCI is now keeping all blood and urine samples for 8 years.
Rabobank has pledged their continued sponsorship for now, but they have warned that evidence of systematic doping will kill the contract.

Other News:

21 year old Italian Damiano Caruso has joined the LPR Brakes team. The team is grooming him for the Ardennes classics as well as medium length races such as Paris-Nice.
The Agritubel exodus continues: Frenchman Romain Feillu looks to be moving to the Cofidis team.
Rabobank rider Mathew Hayman will most likely move to the new British Sky Team next year. The 31 year old Australian has been with Rabobank since 2000.
Frenchman Clement Lhotellerie of the Dutch Vacansoleil team has been found positive for methylhexananime on April 26th at Liege-Bastogne-Liege. The subtance is approved for use if a rider gets a medical exemption, but Lhotellerie had not filed the appropriate paperwork. Vacansoleil has dissolved his contract.
Alexandre Vinokourov’s ban for doping expires on July 24th, and he expects to be welcomed back to the Astana team with open arms. He feels that the Kazakhstan federation wants him back and if Johan Bruyneel feels differently, then he should be shown the door. Vino was instrumental in the founding of the team out of the ashes of the Liberty-Seguros squad after that team folded on the heels of the then-breaking Operación Puerto scandal. All this was announced at a press conference in Monaco at the hotel occupied by the Astana team.