Discovery in disarray.... ?

[Bro Deal]

I am not sure how realistic signing JU is anymore, or at least signing him and having a decent team to support him. The proper way to do it would have been to get a hold of the Puerto JU dossier, make a decision that Ullrich is likely to survive to race next year, and then build a team to support him. That process should have started a month and a half ago.

It is now late into the silly season. By the time they make a deal with Ullrich who will be left to sign?

Losing Hoste, Hammond, and Devolder sucks mightily. Those are hard mofos who along with Hincapie could have formed the foundation of a support team on the flat(tish) roads.

Is Ulle going to have to rely on a flake like Tommy D. for support?

 

[musette]

Losing Hoste, Hammond, and Devolder sucks mightily.

They haven't lost Devolder, and I suspect they wanted to lose Hammond.

 

[tcklyde]

Is Ulle going to have to rely on a flake like Tommy D. for support?

Umm, it was my understanding that they were signing Ullrich to ride support for Tom D...

 

[musette]

THANK GOODNESS T D has been revealed for the pompous fraud of a Grand Tour leader he is. Also, I think he tries to portray himself as a young, inexperienced rider who is learning the ropes and will improve. He may be not that experirence d in Europe, but he sure isn't too young. He was just racing the US a lot longer. He tries to portray himself as young and learning, and yet he has such unrealistic aspirations about being capable of leading a GT for DC.

 

[wolfix]

THANK GOODNESS T D has been revealed for the pompous fraud of a Grand Tour leader he is.

I would be interested in seeing a link or a quote that has revealed Tom D as a pompous fraud. Sixth at the Vuelta and stage winner. Exactly what makes him a fraud?

 

[Bro Deal]

THANK GOODNESS T D has been revealed for the pompous fraud of a Grand Tour leader he is.

Jealous of Tommy D.'s man crush on Armstrong?

 

[helmutRoole2]

I would be interested in seeing a link or a quote that has revealed Tom D as a pompous fraud. Sixth at the Vuelta and stage winner. Exactly what makes him a fraud?

Yeah, I don't think we've seen the last of that guy yet. Can he win a GT? Probably not, but then again, how many people can? Based on the beatings he's taken over in Europe and the fact that he's still hovering near the top of the leader board, you can't call him a puss. A puss would have packed it in by now. I think you've got to acknowledge, he's paid some dues.

 

[musette]

Fraud as a GT leader capable of winning a GT, I should have said.

Pretty soon people are going to realize that TD ain't so young... and that TD ain't as good as he thinks he is.

 

[patch70]

Fraud as a GT leader capable of winning a GT, I should have said.

Pretty soon people are going to realize that TD ain't so young... and that TD ain't as good as he thinks he is.

Obviously you are a much better rider than him.

 

[musette]

I'm not a rider, as everybody knows, but that doesn't mean that even a poor cyclist should b ecompared to me. Because everybody would ride better than me.

I doubt anybody writing on the board is a bette rider than TD. But then nobody on the board goes around saying that they want to be co-leader of the Giro with the then reigning Giro champion!

cyclingnews: "Although nothing has been confirmed yet, it is probable that not only Italian Ivan Basso, who was excluded from the Tour de France due to doping allegations, will leave the team, but also ...."

We could see DC having the privilege of deciding between Basso and JU. Each might have to leave his team (JU surely will), and, if cleared, will want to be leader at DC for the Tour. There is no other team that can deliver the goods in terms of Grand Tour experience and support, assuming that Vino will lead Astana for the Tour (which he will, given his age) and Valverde/Perreiro will lead Iles Balears (and Iles is not that strong except for those two).

 

[jhuskey]

I'm not a rider, as everybody knows, but that doesn't mean that even a poor cyclist should b ecompared to me. Because everybody would ride better than me.

I doubt anybody writing on the board is a bette rider than TD. But then nobody on the board goes around saying that they want to be co-leader of the Giro with the then reigning Giro champion!

cyclingnews: "Although nothing has been confirmed yet, it is probable that not only Italian Ivan Basso, who was excluded from the Tour de France due to doping allegations, will leave the team, but also ...."

We could see DC having the privilege of deciding between Basso and JU. Each might have to leave his team (JU surely will), and, if cleared, will want to be leader at DC for the Tour. There is no other team that can deliver the goods in terms of Grand Tour experience and support, assuming that Vino will lead Astana for the Tour (which he will, given his age) and Valverde/Perreiro will lead Iles Balears (and Iles is not that strong except for those two).

Jan is not with a team now. He reached a financial agreement with T-Mobile but that's all.
Yes Basso will probably leave CSC.

 

[micron]

and what would such a 'super clean' team like Discovery want with any riders who've been under a doping cloud?

As for being a team that can deliver the goods - experience and support - in a GT...well, they failed miserably throughout this season and have purged the team of riders that supported Armstrong so, were I a GC contender, I think I'd be looking elsewhere...

 

[Lonnie Utah]

"Discover in Disarray" or "The thread that wouldn't die".

 

[musette]

From the paceline Q&A with Bruyneel:

Q: "I think a lot of us were very surprised to see 11 riders leaving the team, with some very familiar names like Azevedo, Beltran, Barry, and Savoldelli, and almost all with what appears to be several more years of competing in them. Can you explain why you decided to “clear house” now, and what your vision for the next few years at the team is?" A: "I'm happy that you ask this question, because I would like to clarify some misunderstandings here: it's not that we have choosen to "axe" 11 riders like I've been reading in some reports. Eki, Barry, Hoste, Vandenbroeck, Savoldelli, Joachim, Azevedo are leaving the team by their own decision, either for personal reasons in Eki's and Azevedo's case, or for financial reasons in the other cases."

So, of the 11 leaving, JB confirmed the following:

Personal reasons

Eki (retirement)
Ace (being close to family, although it seems like there may have been an element of encouragement by JB)

Financial reasons

Savoldelli (I think this means JB sought to reduce Il Falco's salary)
Hoste
Van de Broeck
Joachim
Barry (I think part of this has to do with wanting to try for a spot on the TdF team)

Others not mentioned as leaving for personal or financial reasons may have been pushed out

Beltran
Hammond
Mikhaylov
van Heesjwick

 

[musette]

If I were JU or Basso and I knew DC might be interested in both of us, but could only sign one, I would try to see what Bruyneel was offering sooner rather than later. Esp if I were JU and my days in the peloton were limited to one or at most two more years. And, for either cyclist, esp if I saw Vino would be trying for the TdF next year with Kashechkin (spelling) and Klodie as domestiques!

 

[helmutRoole2]

If I were JU or Basso and I knew DC might be interested in both of us, but could only sign one, I would try to see what Bruyneel was offering sooner rather than later. Esp if I were JU and my days in the peloton were limited to one or at most two more years. And, for either cyclist, esp if I saw Vino would be trying for the TdF next year with Kashechkin (spelling) and Klodie as domestiques!

It could be possible that Disco is interested in neither. I wouldn't be surprised to see them load up for Hincapie to win Paris-Roubaix and several other classics because he's an American, it's an American team and he can't win the Tour. He might be able to win the Vuelta one day late in his career if the course is suitable, but he'll never line up against the best stage racers in the world and do better than a top-10er.

 

[jhuskey]

The impression I am getting from Ullrich is that he is not seriously palnning a comeback, but would like his name cleared. The longer this goes on the more unlikely it becomes and he still has the ethics issue to settle.
I really would like to see him race one more year.

 

[Rhubarb]

The impression I am getting from Ullrich is that he is not seriously palnning a comeback, but would like his name cleared. The longer this goes on the more unlikely it becomes and he still has the ethics issue to settle.
I really would like to see him race one more year.

Yep, if he is clean. Kind of looks to be somewhat doubtful though. Mud sticks.

 

[jhuskey]

Yep, if he is clean. Kind of looks to be somewhat doubtful though. Mud sticks.

Where is your evidence? Mud sticks and **** smells and this smells bad and there is nothing to stick as yet.

 

[Rhubarb]

Where is your evidence? Mud sticks and **** smells and this smells bad and there is nothing to stick as yet.

I don't have any evidence. I never said he was guilty, simply that it is looking doubtful that he is innocent, which is a matter of my opinion.

I hope he is innocent, and that he continues to race. But there is no point in being naive about the matter either.

The mud I speak of is the allegations. Even if he clears himself unfortunately that mud always sticks. He will always be the guy who wasn't allowed to ride the '06 tour because of a doping scandal. Rightly or wrongly.