(from cyclingnews today):
Team CSC's Tour de France line-up 2006 has been officially announced. Led by
team director Bjarne Riis, the Danish squad will be composed of the
following riders: Ivan Basso, Carlos Sastre, Fränk Schleck, Jens Voigt,
Giovanni Lombardi, Stuart O'Grady, Bobby Julich, David Zabriskie and
Christian Vande Velde.
"As so often before it has been a difficult task to select the remaining
riders for this team, because we have so many who are in great shape and who
have the motivation to do well in Tour de France," said the 1996 Tour de
France winner. "But it is a luxury for us to have this problem, and I'm
proud our team has reached a point where we have so many strong riders at
such a high level.
"We are bringing a fantastic team to Tour de France this year. When you look
at the names, you cannot help but notice that this is a team to be reckoned
with - a team which has the foundation to be one of the dominating ones in
the 2006 edition of the Tour. We go to France this year with one ambition:
To win with Ivan Basso. After his victory in the Giro, and with the training
he has done in the period since then, I have no doubt he is ready for this
next big challenge. He has the class, the willpower and also the team behind
him to be one of the favourites," Riis added.
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Okay then. Riis has chosen Vande Velde instead of Cancellara. It looks like
Riis is going for a battle in the mountains (the 18th and 19th of july). He
seems confident that Basso will be able to hold Ullrich in the TT's - or
limit the losses so much, that Basso can park der Jan in the mountains.
I'm glad to see Julich is in shape again. I look forward to see him, Voigt,
O'Grady and Vande Velde in the tempo stages, Zabriskie in the TT's - and
Basso, Sastre and Schleck (and why not Voigt, Julich and Vande Velde) in the
mountains fighting T-Mobile's very impressive riders.
It looks like a thriller to come.
Thomas Lund