Bike World News

Both Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador are being linked to new teams for next season. Armstrong told journalists that he expects to be back for another run at the Tour in 2010, more than likely with a new team that will be run by him and Johan Bruyneel. Contador is being linked with a new team being formed by two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso. Alonso has already discussed the team with Contador, who is excited about the prospect.

Contador has a year left on his contract with Astana, but it’s not hard to theorize that Lance Armstrong’s migration to a new team could take enough sponsors away to effectively be the end of Astana. The return of Alexandre Vinokourov probably doesn’t bode well for the long term prospects of the team, either.

More Tour de France News:

• Armstrong also admitted that there is some tension in the Astana team between him and Alberto Contador, though it was to be expected; he said that he can understand Alberto being young and aggressive.
• Here’s my theory for the Lance/Alberto battle: It would not surprise me at all if the “tension” between them is all part of a carefully scripted mental game that Astana is playing with the rest of the peloton. Given Armstrong’s agressive past and propensity to attack, I think he either would have gone after Alberto on Friday or would have been much more upset about the move. Next theory – If it’s not a game and the two are equally strong, Armstrong has the edge because of his experience and the support of his lieutenants Levi Leipheimer and Yaroslav Popovych.
• In the ongoing drama, Contador denied that there is a problem between him and Armstrong. “We have a relationship of mutual respect. There are sometimes tensions between the Tour riders because many of our calls. We are all tired and they happen sometimes things unrelated to the Tour to do. There are absolutely no problems. “
• The ASO said that the rider’s petition to bring back race radios came too late, so now there is talk about the riders waging a strike during tomorrow’s stage. Eighteen of the twenty teams signed a declaration that they are opposed to the experiment.
• Columbia-HTC’s Tony Martin is very happy with his place on the team and sees no reason to make a change. The white jersey wearer has talked with team management about a contract extension, but nothing has been signed yet.
• Columbia DS Rolf Aldag thinks that Martin could become a very strong G.C. rider and is confident that he will be able to hang onto the young rider title.
• Andy Schleck told AFP that both Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong can be beat and that he could be the one to do it. That said, he has been impressed with Lance Armstrong’s strength and thinks that he could win the Tour.
• Schleck got a flat just outside of the 3 km “safe zone” yesterday, but didn’t lose any time thanks to a quick mechanic.
• Tom Boonen may not be having the success that he would like at the race, but Quick Step reports that his fans are solidly behind him and that he has received loads of fanmail.
• With three stage wins so far, French riders are having their best year in the race since 1999, but they haven’t made much impact on the G.C. yet. The highest ranked French rider is Sandy Casar (21st at 3′58″).
• After Saturday’s stage win, France’s Pierrick Fedrigo (BBox Bouyges Telecom) would like to take on the World Championships next.
• Fedrigo’s BBox Bouyges Telecom team currently leads the team rankings. Columbia-HTC is in second.
• Carlos Sastre says that attacking in the Pyrenees was nearly impossible and that he is waiting for opportunities to present themselves in the Alps. “In nine days, there has not been a lot of terrain for attacking,” he said during Monday’s rest day.
• After nine stages, Egoi Martinez of Euskaltel is the 6th person to wear the climber’s jersey.
• It sucks to be Cadel Evans: His team manager Marc Sergeant said today that it is unlikely that Evans can win the Tour and added that he thinks that Lance Armstrong can take his 8th win. Cyrille Guimard called Evans’ attack on Saturday, “The last cigarette of a person sentenced to death.”
• Raobank’s Laurens Ten Dam fell during yesterday’s descent of the Col du Tourmalet and suffered bruises and other wounds.
• Katusha’s Danilo Napolitano did not make the time cut on Sunday and is out of the race.
• Skil-Shimano’s Piet Rooijakkers will leave the hospital today and head for home. The Dutch rider crashed in the team time trial last Tuesday and broke his left arm (triple fracture) in the process.
• There’s not much change expected in the G.C. for the next several days. The next significant challenge that might toss things up is Stage 15 and the climb of Verbier.

Other Cycling News:

• Quick Step’s Kurt Hovelijnck is back on the bike after a serious fall on a training ride in mid-March. He spent three weeks in a coma before being released from the hospital on April 7th. He’s not really training yet, but is happy to be back on the bike.
• Rabobank’s Bram Tankink has expressed dissatisfaction over the conduct of the UCI. The UCI sent doping inspectors sent to his in Lanaken, while he was off participating in the Tour of Austria. His whereabouts information clearly indicated he would be in Austria.
• Rabobank is in talks with both Theo Bos and Juan-Antonio Flecha to extend their contracts to the end of 2010.
• Bernhard Kohl has accused Thomas Dekker, Michael Boogerd and Pietro Caucchioli of being customers of the doping centrifuge that he was a part owner of. He says that his manager Stephan Matschiner told him that all three had made one time payments to use the machine.

Other Results:

• Laura Van Gilder (Mellow Mushrooms) won the women’s race at the fifth annual Iron Hill Twilight Criterium Saturday. Luca Damiani (Colavita-Sutter Home) took the men’s event.
• Columbia-HTC’s Michael Albasini was crowned the overall winner in the Tour of Austria on Sunday, while teammate Andre Greipel added to the team’s celebrations by blasting to victory in the final stage.
• Team Type 1 co-founder Joe Eldridge maintained his lead in the East Point Velodrome Rider of the Year standings following Saturday’s “Outback Bikes presents The Wheelrace,” the second of three pro race series events at the Dick Lane Velodrome.
• Ken Hanson of Team Type 1 shot through the darkness to win the San Rafael Twilight Criterium in front of several thousand spectators Saturday night in the Marin County town north of San Francisco. Hanson, the reigning U.S. elite national criterium champion beat U.S. professional criterium champion Rahsaan Bahati (Rock Racing) and Daniel Holloway (Team Garmin-Slipstream) to earn his second win of the year and seventh podium finish.
• Alison Powers of Team Type 1 won her final tune-up before this weekend’s USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships by capturing the Valley Point-to-Point mountain bike race Saturday in Winter Park, Colo.

Tags: 2009 tour de france, alberto contador, alexandre vinokourov, Alison Powers, andre greipel, andy schleck, astana, Bernhard Kohl, Bouyges Telecom, cadel evans, Carlos Sastre, Colavita, Danilo Napolitano, Euskaltel, johan bruyneel, katusha, Lance Armstrong, lance armstrong news, lance armstrong tour de france, Laura Van Gilder, Levi Leipheimer, michael albasini, National Championships, pierrick fedrigo, Quick Step, Rabobank, Rahsaan Bahati, Rock Racing, Sandy Casar, Skil-Shimano, Team Type 1, thomas dekker, Tom Boonen, tour de france 2009, Tour de France News, twilight criterium, UCI, World Championships

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