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PostPosted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 4:57 pm 
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I think Bruyneel failed as a coach. Because he didn't want to piss off his future boss, Lance Armstrong, he did not pick a rider for the Astana team to ride behind in the Tour. Instead he let these guys go at it, not what a coach allows to happen on his Tour de France team in my opinion. The bad part is Kloden and everyone else including Levi suffered as a result of the disorganization and infighting it seemed.

Armstrong came out of retirement because he wanted to win the TdeF again. Did you see Lance on the podium? Not a happy camper. Wouldn't even look at Contador. He is pissed at AC, and Bruyneel avoided being the issue. Pretty savvy from a survival standpoint with Astana being history, but not all that admirable from a basic leadership perspective. Again, only an opinion and mine at that.

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 5:56 pm 
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read this, what a punk:

http://tour-de-france.velonews.com/article/96109/contador-rips-armstrong

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 8:09 pm 
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EMFC wrote:


Contador and Armstrong are peas in a pod. Most great athletes are headstrong and self-centered. The only shame is, as Kimba said, that Bruyneel didn't better manage his squad, which could conceivably have gone 1-2-3 had Contador not essentially attacked Kloden on the Col de la Colombiere.

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PostPosted: Tue Jul 28, 2009 11:26 pm 
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I don't think Bruyneel failed. Contador just isn't a team player. He was insecure about his position when he didn't have to be. Contador didn't follow "the plan," while Lance Armstrong did. Lance never rode in a way that jeopardized Contador, because he was always following what Bruyneel told him to do.

Since Contador decided to go off the script, there was really nothing Bruyneel could do about it. You can't bench the yellow jersey.

Think back to 2007:
Levi Leipheimer was the team leader for the Tour, be circumstance put Contador ahead of him. Levi then started helping Contador. Levi was a team player. Levi did not whine about that twist of circumstance, but Contador did whine in 2009.

Bruyneel led teams that placed two riders on the podium in 2007 and 2009 of the TDF. That is not a failure.

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PostPosted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 5:43 am 
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Not to mention Contador almost put Astana in Yellow during the first week of the tour. Idiotic, that would have been bad strategically, asking your mate to push tempo for three weeks aint cool. Rookie mistakes throughout from Contador. Few realize the etiquette involved in pro cycling. Contador made some really selfish decisions during the tour , notice none of his teammates were around him at the end of stage 21 in Paris, it wasnt just Lance pissed at him.


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PostPosted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 6:57 am 
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AC, aka Douche Bag, still has another year under contract with Astana. The funny thing is that Vinokourov will be returning from his suspension and those Kazakh's love Vino.

More on the story here:
http://tour-de-france.velonews.com/arti ... tador-land


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PostPosted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 8:29 am 
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Bruyneel didn't fail, he just didn't get as much from his squad as he might have.

Contador was a stronger rider, period. Bruyneel should have recognized that because of his strength, and because of his fragile ego, that it was important to Contador that he was at least nominally the team leader going into the Tour and given him that mantle. Under those circumstances maybe Contador wouldn't have had the need to prove himself and make selfish decisions on the road.

Lance is savvy enough and mentally tough enough that he could have lived with that.

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PostPosted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 9:06 am 
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bjammin wrote:
AC, aka Douche Bag, still has another year under contract with Astana. The funny thing is that Vinokourov will be returning from his suspension and those Kazakh's love Vino.

More on the story here:
http://tour-de-france.velonews.com/arti ... tador-land


I guess I should have known that AC was friends with Fernando Alonso. Those two are like peas in a pod. Interesting that they've both been in similar situations re #1 status in a team, Alonso and Hamilton, and AC with Armstrong.


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PostPosted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 11:23 am 
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b5driver wrote:
bjammin wrote:
AC, aka Douche Bag, still has another year under contract with Astana. The funny thing is that Vinokourov will be returning from his suspension and those Kazakh's love Vino.

More on the story here:
http://tour-de-france.velonews.com/arti ... tador-land


I guess I should have known that AC was friends with Fernando Alonso. Those two are like peas in a pod. Interesting that they've both been in similar situations re #1 status in a team, Alonso and Hamilton, and AC with Armstrong.


Oh so true...

Good point Scott, didn't know you're an F1 fan also. :bang:


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PostPosted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 11:37 am 
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bjammin wrote:
b5driver wrote:
bjammin wrote:
AC, aka Douche Bag, still has another year under contract with Astana. The funny thing is that Vinokourov will be returning from his suspension and those Kazakh's love Vino.

More on the story here:
http://tour-de-france.velonews.com/arti ... tador-land


I guess I should have known that AC was friends with Fernando Alonso. Those two are like peas in a pod. Interesting that they've both been in similar situations re #1 status in a team, Alonso and Hamilton, and AC with Armstrong.


Oh so true...

Good point Scott, didn't know you're an F1 fan also. :bang:


I do love me some F1. There's nothing better than going for a long ride on Sunday morning and then coming home, collapsing on the couch and watching the race. Still haven't watched the Hungarian GP though, so no spoilers.


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PostPosted: Sat Sep 19, 2009 2:05 pm 
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I think we should all try out for Lance's team............. :lol:

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