Bike World News

In today’s cycling news, lack of radios jeopardize Allan Davis’s TdU defense, Matthias Russ wants another crack at the Giro, brief results from the Tour de San Luis and more.

It seems that the $22 million dollars pledged by Kazahk-based Samruk-Kazyna multinational to Astana is not enough for the UCI.

Alberto Contador announced Thursday to the Spanish press that he will honor the last year of his c0ntract with the Astana, the Kazakhstan based cycling team.

Several European news outlets are reporting this morning that Astana team management have offered Alberto Contador a new contract with an annual salary of eight million euros (that’s nearly $12m USD, folks).

World champion Cadel Evans has decided to invoke the mutual agreement clause in his contract which will provide him the possibility to ride for another team next season. After five successful years, including two podium places in the Tour de France and the recent victory in Mendrisio, Cadel has decided to take advantage of his increased market value and to look for new challenges.

The Basque government has told Euskaltel-Euskadi team management that they will not tolerate any further cases of doping on the team.

After six years, Barloworld is walking away from what they call “one of the most successful sponsorships in sport”. We’re still wondering why.

The European press is all a-twitter (no, not that Twitter) about a report from the French Anti Doping Agency (AFLD) reported in Le Monde that Astana received preferential treatment during the 2009 Tour de France.

Just my opinion, here, but I have to wonder if Bruyneel’s moves (or lack thereof) are intended to allow Contador to get out of his Astana and contract and to possibly smooth over some of the difficulties between Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong.

After asserting last month that “he remains under contract, a transfer is not negotiable and he will honor his contract,” the Kazakh team has to be frustrated at comments made by Alberto Contador in which he talks about three “concrete” proposals from other teams for next year.