Tour De Wallonie -- Team Radioshack Bounces Back!

27 July 2011

After facing a great many challenges during the Tour de France earlier this month, Team Radioshack (RSH) needed to demonstrate they could still field a squad ready and able to compete at the front of the peloton. The team did just that in the five stage Tour De Wallonie, which concluded today in Thuin, Belgium.

Following his team’s good form from Le Tour, Greg Van Avermaet of BMC Racing was the overall winner for the race, securing the top spot on the podium after a successful, final cobblestone climb to beat everyone across the line at the top. The Shack wasn’t left out during the awards ceremony though, as Ben Hermans stood next to Van Avermaet as the third place winner in the GC. This outcome is great to see for Hermans, who’s raced well throughout the season, including an 8th place finish in the Amstel Gold Race in April. Nice work, Ben!

The other Shacker with a fine result in Wallonia was Robbie McEwen, who quenched his thirst for a 2011 win in Stage Four. As reported in Cycling News, “The 39-year-old Australian out-sprinted Alexander Kristoff (BMC) and Yauheni Hutarovich (FDJ) in the bunch gallop to the finish line in Mouscron.”

McEwen was complimentary of his RSH squad after the win. He explained that the team had done a good job protecting him and fellow sprinter Manuel Cardoso, keeping them in good position and out of the wind throughout the stage. McEwen especially praised Born Selander’s efforts near the end to help them remain poised for the sprint finish.

As they closed on the finish, Cardoso lost position and it was up to McEwen to make the line. He did just that behind the final lead out by Leopard-Trek, passing at just the right time to cross first, arms raised afterward in triumph. Great stuff!

Certainly seems that Team Radioshack bouncing back, and Shack fans can only hope the boys continue this good form in the Clásica San Sebastián when they take to the start line on Saturday in northeast Spain.

Thrice the Fun! The Shack's May Racin'

Thrice the Fun! Team Radioshack done proud at Amgen Tour of California, Giro d’Italia, and US Cycling Professional Road Race National Championship

By Jeff Ludlum

It’s been quite a month for the riders of Team Radioshack (RSH), quite a month indeed! No lie, plenty of racing to be had, and the Shackers showed up big time and done a mighty fine job! Here’s a recap of their racing efforts in Amgen Tour of California (ATOC), Giro d’Italia, and US Cycling Professional Road Race National Championship.

Team Radioshack (RSH) went one two in the ATOC this year, with Chris Horner taking the overall and Levi Leipheimer joining him on the podium in the number two spot. Along the way, Matt Busche worked tirelessly throughout the week, even coming back from a crash off the road during one of the stages, to help shepherd Horner and Leipheimer to their fine finish. Busche would have more to show for his own racing soon there after the ATOC celebration was complete.

There was another big race another Shack squad was competing in during May that started the week prior to ATOC: none other than the first grand tour of the year, the Giro d’Italia!

The start list for this year’s edition was a bit longer than usual, with special dispensation given for 207 riders in the peloton to start the race this year.

Alberto Contador’s position as the pre-race favorite held true. Robbie Hunter’s tweet at the conclusion put it pretty succinctly: “6 grand tours in 7 starts: 2 Giro, 1 Vuelta, 3 Tours. Impressive no matter what way u look at it.” Indeed. But this Giro won’t only be remembered as Contador’s second victory. There was tragedy along the way.

First, the week prior leading up to the race, Xavier Tondo of Movistar was killed in a freak domestic accident, as he was preparing for a training ride. Near the end of the Giro his teammate, Vasili Kiryienka, won the penultimate stage after a decisive solo ride over the two major climbs of Stage 20. Kiryienka paid tribute to his fallen teammate as he crossed in the line, touching his chest and pointing to the sky.

Tondo’s death was a wicked foreshadow to the awful scene that would play out during Stage 3 of the grand tour. On a lightning fast descent of Passo del Bocco, Wouter Weylandt of Leopard Trek crashed hard when his bike clipped a guard wall on the road. Weylandt lay motionless in the road and heroic efforts to revive him were for not. The doctor interviewed later said Weylandt most certainly was killed instantly from the fall.

After the accident, race officials and all teams neutralized Stage 4, a touching tribute of sportsmanship and camaraderie in the wake of Weylandt’s death. After a pre-stage ceremony to honor Weylandt, the teams road (not raced) the day’s course, each team taking a turn at the front. Leopard-Trek then lead the peloton along the final stretch of the stage and across the finish. As if that tribute wasn’t enough to flow the tears, Weylandt’s close friend from Garmin Cervelo, Tyler Farrar, road across the finish line with the Leopard squad. Stricken with grief, Farrar and the entire Leopard Trek pulled out of the race to grieve the very next day.

The sliver lining in the Giro for Team Radioshack were stand-outs Tiago Machado and Yaroslav Popovych. Machado would end up with 9th place in the Individual Time Trial (ITT) and 20th overall. Popovych would end up 5th in the ITT and 64th overall. Popovych also secured the distinction as “the race's most combative rider”. The rest of the Shackers who finished the three-week race were Philip Deignan, 47th overall; Fumi Beppu, 67th overall, Ivan Rovnyi, 78th overall; and Bjorn Selander, 129th overall. Not too shabby for the first grand tour of the season.

The icing on the cake for the month had to be the results of the 2011 US Cycling Professional Road Race National Championship held in Greenville, South Carolina on Memorial Day. Shacker Matt Busche would not only compete, but surprise the field, including three-time champion and perhaps the best all-around US road cyclist, George Hincapie, with a photo finish win over the hometown Team BMC favorite.
The 115-mile/186 kilometer race was hard fought, with a strong group of eight riders able to build more than three minutes on the peloton. That group included the likes of Tejay Van Garderen (Team HTC-HighRoad), Hincapie, Busche and Team Liquigas-Cannondale's Ted King as the leaders headed into the finishing circuits.
In the end it was Busche staying with Hincapie in the homestretch and outsprinting the five-time Olympian for the national title and the coveted Stars & Stripes racing kit of the US Champion.
Ever the gracious competitor, Hincapie had this to say about 26 year old Busche beating with the photo-finish win at the line: “It was a great race by Matthew. I gave everything I possibly had, put it all on the line and I'm proud of my effort. I'm proud of Matthew's effort. He hasn't been racing that long and he's done very well, here, in particular. I'm disappointed that I didn't win, but he's a very suitable national champion.” Well said, George.
All in all, a fine month of racing for Team Radioshack. Looking forward to the next races on the schedule, and more Shackers up at the front of the peloton and hopefully on the podium too!

Warning: Cycle Crazy Week Ahead!

By Jeff Ludlum 1 April 2011

The 2011 Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders) is Sunday 3 April, 2011

A high of 13 degrees Celsius with showers in the morning becoming cloudy in the afternoon. That's the forecast for Sunday's Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders) on the ProTour circuit. One of the five so called "monuments" in the sport, this 95th edition of the race will see many of the top names in men's professional road racing at the start line.

A week before Paris-Roubaix (another monument in the spring classics), the Ronde is perhaps the biggest day for bike racing in Belgium. Regardless of the weather, enthusiastic fans, fueled with Duvel and Leffe, will be out in force, lining the roads and urging the riders along. At least a few of them should be cheering on their countryman Sebastien Rosseler of Team RadioShack (TRS), who’s prospects for the podium are looking good.

Rosseler just finished up the Driedaagse De Panne with his TRS squad, where The Shack took two of the three podium spots. In fact, it was Rosseler who stood in the middle, finishing first in the GC after a blazing time trial effort in the final stage; teammate Michal Kwiatkowski finished third overall. Finishing ahead of such notables as André Greipel of Omega Pharma - Lotto, Peter Sagan of Liquigas - Cannondale, and Sylvain Chavanel of Quickstep (among others), it was another great effort by Team Radioshack, who’s realizing plenty of success so far this season.

Lining up for the Ronde van Vlaanderen on Sunday will be a strong Shack squad including Sebastien Rosseler, Manuel Cardoso, Michal Kwiatkowski, Fumiyuki Beppu, Geoffrey Lequatre, Robbie McEwen, Dmitriy Muravyev, and Gregory Rast. A strong group of riders to be sure, and they’ll have to be, because the rest of the field for the Ronde is packed and stacked!

One of the favorites on the line at the Ronde is Fabian Cancellara of LEOPARD-TREK, who last year scored back to back wins at Ronde van Vlaanderen and then the next wee at Paris-Roubiax. Garmin-Cervelo will be there with a strong team, including Thor Hushovd and Heinrich Haussler.

Another favorite to win has got to be Tom Boonen of Quickstep. After finishing on the podium’s top spot last week at Gent-Wevelgem, and riding along with Gert Steegmans and Sylvain Chavanel in search of Flemish glory on Sunday.

Team RadioShack have their work cut out for them, but with veteran Belgian directors Johan Bruyneel and Dirk Demol bringing all manner of experience and guile to the race, they should have a good strategy at the ready.

Follow all the action on the official race website: http://www.rvv.be/en

The 2011 Vuelta al Pais Vasco is Monday 4 April through Saturday 9 April 2011

As if all THAT wasn’t enough racing excitement, Monday will see the beginning of the "Tour of the Basque Country" or Vuelta al País Vasco (Euskal Herriko itzulia in Basque), 2011.

With a mixture of sun and showers forecasted throughout the week and daytime high temperatures in the 20s (Celsius), the six day stage race should see reasonable racing conditions with all the promise of excitement and racing conquest for Team RadioShack.

The Shack’s own Chris Horner returns wearing the #1 racing bib to defend his 2010 title. Last year Horner had one of the biggest wins of his career, ending up on top of the podium in the txapel, the oversized Basque beret the champion is given.

Looking to have another go at the podium, TRS brings a solid squad to support Horner, who’s showing good form as his season gets underway. The Shackers will include Horner, Andreas Kloden, Levi Leipheimer, Sergio Paulinho, Matt Busche, Ivan Rovny and the two Basque riders, Haimar Zubeldia and Markel Irizar. Irizar brings particularly good form for the week, having won the Vuelta a Andalucia (Ruta del Sol) in February.

The Shack will have plenty of strong competition as they racy race along the roads of northern Spain.

Tony Martin with his HTC Highroad squad, Christian Vandevelde with Garmin-Cervelo, Andy and Frank Schleck with a strong Leopard-Trek team, Alexandre Vinokourov of Astana, Carlos Sasre of Geox-TMC, and even the veteran Ivan Basso with Liquigas-Cannondale, are among those who will be vying to stand atop the podium at the end of the week.

And of course, several Spanish teams will be at the start line too, including the Basque Eskaltel-Euskadi, all looking for glory in their homeland, as well! All these factors should make for an exciting week of racing, and good fun as the spring classics and stage racing continues.

Follow the Tour of the Basque Country all week: http://www.steephill.tv/vuelta-al-pais-vasco/

Enjoy!

Team RadioShack’s Echelon to the Spring Races 2010

By Jeff Ludlum 6 March 2010




Team RadioShack (TRS) is well on their way in the 2010 season, bringing a multi-pronged attack to the early races of the year, and several riders on the team are competing for the line. Much more than simply Lance Armstrong’s team (which it certainly is!), other racers are also showing the form and power to make TRS not just a team for Le Tour, but much, much more.

There was a lot of understandable excitement for TRS’ first race in January for the Santos Down Under in South Australia. With plenty of strong teams in the field, including HTC Columbia (who had the eventual winner, Andre Greipel) as well as the new British squad, Team Sky, the Shack’s riders had a few flares, including Gert Steegmans’ near stage win, finishing second early on.

TRS then gathered for training camp in Calpe, Spain, where a couple new members joined the group: Ben Hermans, who missed the December Tucson camp while healing from broken toe bone; and Fumi Beppu, who in December and January was in discussion to end the contract he was under with Skil Shimano. The team had collection of good training rides during their two week camp; there was also a media day, and the entire team was formally outfitted with their new bikes, kits, and other team gear.

Then it was on to the Volta ao Algarve in Portugal, where Sebastien Rosseler earned the first stage win for The Shack with a strong breakaway that he held all the way to the line in Stage 4. Tiago Machado also rode well throughout the five stage race, finishing third in the GC. Machado was rewarded for the strong performance, named this week to the start list by team manager Johan Bruyneel for the famous Paris–Nice race.

In the Giro di Sardegna, TRS continued to ride well as team, with Chris Horner riding in his first race of the season. Horner had to feel good about the effort, as he came close to another stage win for The Shack, finishing second in Stage 4. All told, TRS delivered an admirable effort for the week. The Shack took the Team GC, Horner finished 2nd in the GC, just 0:04 seconds off the winner, Roman Kreuziger of Liquigas. Another Shacker, Jani Brajovic also had a good race, finishing 4th in the GC. Finally, Ben Hermans, fully recovered from his foot injury, started his first race of the season in Sardegna.

TRS then headed north into the cold, damp weather of late winter in Belgium and the opening weekend of the Belgian racing calendar. Horrendous weather met the team during two one-day races. The Omloop Het Nieuwatblad on Saturday was followed by the Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne (or KBK, as it’s often referred) on Sunday. Wet, windy, and brutal, the field of a 248 riders was whittled down to a fraction of that number by the day’s end, with many riders abandoning the effort. In the midst of this suffering, Fumi Beppu rode his first race in the Shack kit – quite a place to start! A couple other bright spots for an otherwise dreary day: TRS’ Gregory Rast finished 9th for the day, and Sebastien Rosseler finished a minute behind his teammate, crossing 14th overall.

Which brings us back to Spain for the Vuelta a Murcia this week. The media was all over the Bradley Wiggins – Lance Armstrong match-up, “head to head at the Vuelta de Murcia”, etc. In addition to Armstrong, TRS sent Daryl Impey, Andreas Klöden, Jason McCartney, Gregory Rast, Jose Luis Rubiera and Haimar Zubeldia.

Stage 1 and 2 in Murcia saw Daryl Impey with strong sprints at the finish to cross 5th and then 10th respectively. Then in Stage 3, Kloden delivered a 5th place finish (ahead of Wiggins!). In the TT Stage 4, Kloden finished 4th, showing he’s certainly still capable of racing at the front.

Meanwhile, The Shack’s also sent a squad back to Belgium for some more race time in the Three Days in West Flanders (including Bjorn Selander, Fumi Beppu, Markel Irizar, Dmitriy Muravyev, Ivan Rovny, Ben Hermans, Sam Bewley, and Tomas Vaitkus).
And finally, Paris-Nice starts on Sunday, with TRS roster announced by Bruyneel to include JB Junior (Brajovic), Horner, Levi, Lequatre, Machado, Popo (Popovych), Lord of the Rings (Rosseler) & Steegmans.

Quite an exciting flurry of activity as the season speeds up! What’s more, the Shack is forming a nice echelon for success as they battle the weather, the roads, and the other racers to be first across the finish line as we roll through the spring!

From the Musette 2010: An Interview with Sam Bewley of Team RadioShack

From the Musette: An Interview with Sam Bewley of Team RadioShack

By Jeff Ludlum 6 February 2010

It all started on Christmas Eve and Sam Bewley’s post via Twitter: “Who knows where Puriri, New Zealand is? If you guess correctly, you’ll win a prize.” Or something like that.

Regardless, through the power of the Blackberry and mobile internet, I was able to quickly tweet in reply, “Puriri is a small town on the Hauraki Plains, near Thames." Apparently I had the closest description of this town where Sam was headed for the Christmas holiday. I got a nifty Trek LiveSTRONG rider’s cap and bonus Kiwi rider’s cap with Bewley’s autograph, via the postal service a couple weeks later.

Now as Bewley and the rest of Team RadioShack gather in Calpe, Spain for their second training camp, I hoped Sam would be willing to field a few questions, based on our e-rapport established during the holidays, for this first edition of From the Musette. Thankfully, he agreed!

After near 50 hours of travel through something like four or five airports, Sam made it safely to Calpe, and gave some great insights in reply to my various questions. Here’s what Bewley had to say.

JL: Obviously you're from Rotorua, New Zealand, and attending camp in Calpe. I know another member of the team, Daryl Impey, just moved recently to Gerona for the season. Where will you be living during the season? Will you be re-locating, or traveling to race locales as the season unfolds?

SB: I have had a couple of different thoughts of where to live throughout the season. At first I was thinking Nice, or just out of Nice. But now it’s looking more like it’s going to be Gerona. I’ll head there after the camp and check it out for a couple of weeks.
I may still go to Nice and check it out. I am going to be away most of March so will look at settling into a place of my own by the end of March. Where I choose to live is going to be largely influenced by where the other Kiwi pro's are.
Tim Gudsell (Francaise des Jeux) is in Nice. so that's where the initial thought came from. But in Gerona there is Greg Henderson (Team Sky), and Hayden Roulston (HTC Columbia) is going to be there too. And one more guy, Kris Withington who is a mechanic for Garmin and he’s also from Rotorua.
JL: I read in the Sunday Star Times that you're racing in the track cycling world championships, as well as the Commonwealth Games. Both with the NZ Team, right? So, what's your race program/schedule for TRS for the season?

SB: It’s going to be a good season. I still have ambitions on the track with the Olympics in 2012 and the Team Pursuit. But of course I have large ambitions to make a career as a road cyclist.
Team RadioShack directors have been very understanding with both these ambitions so far, they understand I am young and do want to achieve in both disciplines, which I believe I can continue to do for a few years. So I’ll still compete with the NZ Track team this year in some events.
And my programme with Team RadioShack is looking really good too. Starting with Het Volk, Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and Tour of Murcia, before I ride the Track Worlds [in March, in Copenhagen]. Then back into some smaller tours with the team straight after that. I'm excited.
JL: You and Bjorn Selander are the two first riders from the Trek LiveSTRONG U23 team to move up to the Pro Tour level, and into The Shack's first season at that. Great stuff, and you must be stoked. What would you say best prepared you to make the move from the U23 team for this step you've now taken?

SB: Being part of Trek-LiveSTRONG and especially under the guidance of Axel Merckx really developed me as a cyclist, as a professional athlete. What I learnt from him both on and off the bike really opened my eyes to what this game is about and through this I matured much more as a cyclist and a professional sportsman. Without a doubt, spending a year with Axel is what has prepared me for this season more than anything before.
JL: You met the team in Tucson in December for the first time, and I read that you got on well with lots of the fellas.... Sounds like you had a good approach to getting around to meeting the various guys during lunches and dinners, in addition to the training rides...?

SB: For sure, I really enjoyed the camp in Tucson, it wasn't a full on camp in regards to training but lots of opportunities to interact and meet everyone on the team. I knew nobody except Bjorn and Craig Geater who is one of the mechanics (also from Rotorua) so I did make an effort to get to know everyone as much as I could.
I think it’s important to do that, even if some of the guys I may not see again until the next training camp. But when you’re away from home, away from friends and family, you have to make that effort. Otherwise it’s going to be a lonely season.
JL: Ok. Now for a little touch of technology. Are you an iPod guy, iphone, or both? (or neither?) If either, thinking about your mobile tunes for travels (especially the 50-ish hours from NZ to SP), etc. What music will you be listening to? Favorite musicians at present?

SB: I think everyone is an IPod guy in this new era; I definitely don't walk around with my Discman anymore. Every cyclist has to have an iPod for the longer rides. I don't have an iphone though. I have been tempted a few times but at the moment I'm running with the BlackBerry Bold.
As for my taste in music, it’s pretty diverse. I was brought up on good old rock music, through my Dad, so I’ll always enjoy that. But I have stuck with the times of course. I'm pretty keen on my hip hop and things like that, especially when I'm getting G'd up. When I spend so much time away from home I have to be connected to NZ somehow, so I listen to a lot of Kiwi music. Reggae type stuff, like Fat Freddy's Drop (for example, “http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCJg63SziL4”), Black Seeds (i.e. “http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZytEicHf6p4), Salmonella Dub (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHYIHqSq4JQ). Also Crowded House, every true Kiwi likes Crowded House. And more recently a new Kiwi sensation Gin Wigmore (http://www.youtube.com/user/ginwigmoremusic)....check her out.
JL: Last question for this go 'round: So you and I first "met" as it were via Twitter. A lot of the guys on the team, and Johan too, are very active on the social media side of things...especially Twitter. As a fan, I gotta tell you, it's super fun to have that sort of
random, spontaneous insights and glimpses into athletes' day-to-day. What's the deal with so many Shackers being Tweeters too?

SB: Twitter just seems to be the way of the future at the moment, doesn't it? It will be interesting to see if it is the future, but at the moment it is certainly a great way for fans and the like to get an insight into the lives of pro riders. I don't think its just Team RadioShack; there are a lot of pro cyclists on Twitter these days. The craze has certainly come about from Lance's twittering, well I think so anyway. That's how I got onto it. It becomes like a little addiction. Once you start its hard to stop. But in saying that, sometimes when I have a 'wee break', I don't go through withdrawal symptoms! :)

***

All told, sounds like Bewley is handling things pretty well as he continues this early stage of his pro career. With both feet firmly on the ground (or pedals!), and surrounded by world-class teammates and racing organization to learn from, he’s got a great foundation to build on for the 2010 season and well beyond. Thanks for the tweets, the music tips, and best of luck in 2010, Sam!

[Note: Writer inserted URLs in the article as reference.]

Being Jason McCartney – Racing with Lance & Levi in the Tour of the Gila

28 April 2010

By Jeff Ludlum

2009 saw The Tour of the Gila -- New Mexico’s premier road cycling stage race -- elevated to a new status, when Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer, and Chris Horner raced together as Team Mellow Johnny’s (TMJ). The three brought the speed and at the end of the five-day race, Leipheimer ended up atop the podium with first place in the General Classification (GC).

This year TMJ is back to race, with Jason McCartney replacing Horner (who’s been busy racing in Europe, including a recent GC win in the Basque Country). Competing under the TMJ moniker again (as required by UCI regulations) and wearing a throw-back kit, imagine for a minute being Jason McCartney. It’s got to be cool.

No newbie to professional cycling, McCartney has been racing since 1999, when he entered the pro scene to ride for Team Nutra Fig. Since then he’s raced for various teams, most notably Discovery Channel, Saxo Bank, and now Team RadioShack. McCartney’s raced five grand tours all told. He’s known as a good climber, having won the King of the Mountain (KOM) titles in the Tour of Georgia and also Tour of California. Should suit him well riding over the many climbs TMJ will face in New Mexico.

In spite of NOT being new to big-time bike racing, it’s got to be cool for McCartney to be teamed up to round out the troika with the likes of Armstrong and Leipheimer. Both men are among the most successful American road cyclists ever to race the ProTour. Good company for sure. Competing on American soil in such a race, where TMJ’s presence is a high-light for the event has got to be fun (not to mention having a shot at the podium for the team). It elevates the race, it elevates the sport. And it doesn’t stop there.

Not only does TMJ bring a heightened professional element to the Tour of the Gila. In addition, fellow American professional cyclists Floyd Landis (riding for Bahati Foundation Pro Cycling Team), and David Zabriske (on hiatus from Team Garmin-Transitions to ride for Team DZ-Nuts) all bring added name recognition (and competition!) to The Gila. Might even see TMJ and DZ-Nuts help each other out to manage the peloton, if conditions are right and they need to chase down a break.

From today’s first stage, looks like that might just play out more than once. Leipheimer finished first for the day, DZ Nuts’ Tom Danielson finished second.

Finally, with a Trek LiveSTRONG U23 squad racing the event and the obvious connection to TMJ, McCartney has the opportunity to be fine example for those young riders as an American being successful in professional cycling in a different role. It may not be as sexy as lead rider, but McCartney’s presence is nonetheless meaningful as a fierce climber, competitor, and contributor to a team’s success. For the U23ers, the rest of the racers in the field, and all of us watching, that’s good stuff. Indeed, it’s great for American cycling, for fans and cyclists alike. Gotta be cool to be part of all of that!

One Year Ago - A Veteran & A Young Gun

12 December 2009

Two Champions, Two Perspectives

By Jeff Ludlum,

This past week Lance Armstrong and Johan Bruyneel held their first press conference for Team RadioShack, as the riders and coaches gathered for training camp in Tucson, Arizona. Also this week, Giuseppe Martinelli, a veteran directeur sportif who recently joined the re-tooled Astana Team, was interviewed about Astana and its lead rider, Alberto Contador.

Recall that Contador and Armstrong both rode for Astana during the 2009 season. In the Tour de France Contador won the event, with Armstrong capturing the third place overall. Leading up to and even during the tour this past season there seemed by all accounts uncertainty as to who the actual lead rider was. Contador was the more recent champion, having won Le Tour in 2007; Armstrong had won the grand tour seven times, from 1999 – 2005.

Armstrong however, had just come out of retirement to return to the ProTour. Armstrong summed it up best perhaps in an interview during the three week grand tour. On any bike team there is one star. “Those are the unwritten rules. The strongest man wins the event. The other riders work for him. That’s what I’d hope he’d do [speaking of Contador]. I know that’s what I’ll do.” One way or another Team Astana worked things out. The team rode in support of Contador and he ended up wearing the maillot jaune in Paris on the champion’s podium.

Return now to news from this week. During the press conference from the Shack Camp in Tucson, Armstrong spoke clearly and directly to address the issue of his role on the squad. “This team’s not about me”, he said. Armstrong went so far as to say it would be “irresponsible” to build the team around him, at this point in his career. “I’m 38 now, I’ll be 39 this season [2010]. We have to look at Levi [Leipheimer], [Andres] Kloden, the tactics, the ideas that we use.” Essentially Armstrong seems to be saying it’s about racing, building a strong team with several other very capable riders, their abilities, and their chances of wining races, including the Tour de France.

His dynamic and confident personality and well-known competitive spirit aside, Armstrong’s comments should be taken at face value. Of course he’s going to be a leader on the team he helped create; of course he’s a veteran champion who can both contribute while racing and as a great resource in strategy, tactics, and helping his teammates ride better. But it’s about the team first, not his own racing aspirations.

Alberto Contador’s role on the Astana squad is quite a bit different. His role as the lead rider for his team is well-established. He’s perhaps at the peak of his game presently, and is the defending champion of the Tour de Franc 2009. Contador’s list of accomplishments include many stage and race victories, two editions as champion of Le Tour (2007, 2009); he is the only active rider to have won all three Grand Tours. In 2008 he finished first in both the Giro d’ Italia and Vuelta a Espana in 2008.

According to a recap on Velonation.com of Astana’s press conference in Pisa, Italy this week, Contador and the team’s race schedule will be structured around the best preparations for the Tour de France via a series of shorter stage races during the season. It’s yet to be announced if Astana will enter compete in the first UCI ProTour event of the 2010 season, the Santos Tour Down Under in Australia, where Team RadioShack has already announced it will make its debut.

While Astana saw significant changes to its roster and management with the exodus of Johan Bruyneel, Armstrong, and eight other riders, the team seems to be coming together. With Contador in the lead role, several new riders including veteran Kazakh racer Alexandre Vinokourov, and new team manager Yvon Sanquer, the team will be ready to roll. All told, the new organization will give Contador a good squad and critical support in pursuit of a successful season in 2010.

As noted by Cycling News, Guiseppe Martinelli was brought on by Yvon Sanquer to work with Contador and help him realize his potential on the road. Martinelli’s comments make his perspective clear. He believes Contador and Astana are better off starting fresh as it were, without the likes of Armstrong or Bruyneel, who he refers to as maybe the two strongest men in cycling, but also the source of unfounded criticism of how Contador has handled his rise to stardom.

Martinelli knows something about champions and stardom: as director sportif he has led riders to four Giro d’Italia victories (Marco Pantani, 1998; Stefano Garzelli, 2000; Gilberto Simoni, 2003; Damiano Cunego, 2004) and one Tour de France win as well (Marco Pantani, 1998).

As the 2010 season begins next month, surely there will be countless stories to follow, developments to report, tales to be told. Not the least of these will be how Armstrong, a great racing champion from the past, and Contador, a more recent champion and likely the best all-around cyclist in the world at present, compete in the months ahead.

In reality, it won’t be about how Contador and Armstrong measure up against one another. Rather it will be how they measure up to their own established goals for the 2010 season: one man will be racing to add to his list of championships, the other man racing for himself in a different way – to add to his legacy as a great American cyclist, not only as a racing champion, but also a leader helping others achieve all that they can in the peloton and beyond.