Astana names Tour Team with dual leadership for Contador and Armstrong
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- June
- 25
PARIS (AP) Astana’s Tour de France challenge will be built around 2007 winner Alberto Contador as its
leader and seven-time champion Lance Armstrong.
In a glitzy presentation on its Web site, the Kazakh team announced Thursday the two stars will be backed by past Tour podium finishers including Andreas Kloeden of Germany and American Levi Leipheimer.
The selection has been widely awaited by cycling fans because it suggests who team manager Johan Bruyneel believes Astana should build its team around for this year’s Tour. Bruyneel coached Armstrong and Contador during their Tour wins.
Contador, who has five stage wins this season, “has worked very hard, earning the right to represent our team as the leader this July,” Bruyneel said on the Web site.
Bruyneel said he was “very happy” with Armstrong’s form during his comeback season, adding: “I know he is extremely motivated for the Tour de France.”
On his Twitter page Thursday, Armstrong wrote “This is not 2004 or 2005. I’m not the leader of the team.”
Astana, seen as one of the strongest teams this year, had already announced a list of six Tour riders, including Ukrainian Yaroslav Popovych, the 2005 Tour’s best young rider, and veteran mountain specialist Haimar Zubeldia of Spain.
The three additions Thursday were Dmitriy Muravyev, the only Kazakh rider on the squad and a Tour newcomer; Portugal’s Sergio Paulinho — a strong Contador ally; and Gregory Rast of Switzerland.
The name missing from this squad is Chris Horner, here’s what Armstrong had to say about that on twitter, “Horner is the man and we’ll miss him. Period,”
The three-week race starts July 4 in Monaco.
Ed’s note – This team shows why Bruyneel is a master team director. Lance has two main domestics in Levi and Pop, while Contador has Zubedldia and Paulinho. Kolden and Rast are wild cards and may ride for themselves are just do what is asked for in the moemnt of the race. Muravyev was a gift to the Kazakh sponsor I’d guess. The one name missing is American Chris Horner who has battled back from a crash and would have tilted the team towards Armstong.
This entry was posted
on Thursday, June 25th, 2009 at 11:12 AM by Randall Wolf. 
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i wonder how this will play out for astana. i still consider armstrong to be a contender, and this is supposed to be his comeback year. with contador announced as the team’s leader, i wonder if armstrong will compromise another shot at the title.