Armstrong set to join Astana team
- added September 24, 2008
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- riffhard98
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Lance Armstrong will join the Astana team when he makes his much-anticipated return to cycling, according to a Kazakh cycling federation offical.
"On Wednesday Armstrong will announce his decision to join our team," said Kazakhstan's cycling federation deputy president Nikolai Proskurin.
The seven-time Tour de France winner will begin his comeback at the Tour Down Under in Australia in January.
The 37-year-old Texan will reveal further details of his comeback schedule at a news conference in New York.
But Tour Down Under director Mike Turtur has already said that Armstrong has confirmed his entry for the six-day race around South Australia, centring on Adelaide, starting on 20 January.
The Kazakh-financed Astana team, now based in Switzerland, suffered two high-profile doping scandals in 2007 and were barred from this year's Tour de France despite a substantial overhaul in team management.
Kazakh rider Alexandre Vinokourov, the old Astana team leader, tested positive for blood doping after winning a time-trial stage of the 2007 Tour, and was subsequently sacked and banned for a year.
Astana is now run by Armstrong's friend and former sporting director Johan Bruyneel, who helped the American win all his seven Tours.
Bruyneel has suggested that he would find it almost impossible not to include a fit-again Armstrong in his team.
But current team leader Alberto Contador, the 2007 Tour de France winner who recently became only the fifth rider in history to win all of cycling's three major Tours when he won the Tour of Spain, has already hinted Armstrong's presence could cause conflict.
"I've earned the right to be the leader of a team without having to fight for my place," Contador told AS newspaper.
"And with Armstrong, some difficult situations could arise in which the team would put him first and that would hurt me."
But Proskurin believes the two will work together in a new line-up.
"Currently there's certain tension in the team but I hope we are capable of keeping the situation under control," Proskurin added.
"Armstrong will not be the only star, he will be one of the team's leaders.
"On Wednesday Armstrong will announce his decision to join our team," said Kazakhstan's cycling federation deputy president Nikolai Proskurin.
The seven-time Tour de France winner will begin his comeback at the Tour Down Under in Australia in January.
The 37-year-old Texan will reveal further details of his comeback schedule at a news conference in New York.
But Tour Down Under director Mike Turtur has already said that Armstrong has confirmed his entry for the six-day race around South Australia, centring on Adelaide, starting on 20 January.
The Kazakh-financed Astana team, now based in Switzerland, suffered two high-profile doping scandals in 2007 and were barred from this year's Tour de France despite a substantial overhaul in team management.
Kazakh rider Alexandre Vinokourov, the old Astana team leader, tested positive for blood doping after winning a time-trial stage of the 2007 Tour, and was subsequently sacked and banned for a year.
Astana is now run by Armstrong's friend and former sporting director Johan Bruyneel, who helped the American win all his seven Tours.
Bruyneel has suggested that he would find it almost impossible not to include a fit-again Armstrong in his team.
But current team leader Alberto Contador, the 2007 Tour de France winner who recently became only the fifth rider in history to win all of cycling's three major Tours when he won the Tour of Spain, has already hinted Armstrong's presence could cause conflict.
"I've earned the right to be the leader of a team without having to fight for my place," Contador told AS newspaper.
"And with Armstrong, some difficult situations could arise in which the team would put him first and that would hurt me."
But Proskurin believes the two will work together in a new line-up.
"Currently there's certain tension in the team but I hope we are capable of keeping the situation under control," Proskurin added.
"Armstrong will not be the only star, he will be one of the team's leaders.
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- riffhard98
- 1 month ago
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people should keep quiet about lance he is the best rider in the world just because a person is 37 dosent meen they are past it age is just a number as mickey rooney says look at malcolm elliot he is 47 and still racing if a rider dosent feel old inside he should carry on what peoples problems are they are afraid if lance there hasnt been a strong chalenger for 3 years and now he is back he will turn the tour on its head and as for him and drugs there is bound to be somsort of grugs in him withg his cancer he had give him a chance
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