Bruyneel to head Astana?

Kléber
Kléber Posts: 6,842
edited September 2007 in Pro race
From cyclingnews.com:
There are some news agencies speculating that Johan Bruyneel could lead Team Astana for 2008 and beyond. The Belgian will end his duties at the end the year when Discovery Channel ceases as a team, while at Astana there have been rumours of Team Manager Marc Biver leaving. A communication regarding the Swiss is expected September 5.

:cry:

It can't be true?

Comments

  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,104
    Team Evil to become Team Totally Evil? :twisted:
  • LangerDan
    LangerDan Posts: 6,132
    Days like this, it must be great being a cycling journalist. The stories just seem to write themselves.

    I await Dave_1s comments on the situation with great interest (and a little trepidation) :D
    'This week I 'ave been mostly been climbing like Basso - Shirley Basso.'
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,388
    oh that would be awesome.......get ferrai (SP?) for a 'trainer' too perhaps

    may be they should get glaxo- smithkilne to sponser them - cut out the middle man as it were...
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • timoid.
    timoid. Posts: 3,133
    At least the positives will stop...
    It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired.
  • Stephen Sorba
    Stephen Sorba Posts: 1,036
    You couldn't make it up....maybe someone has.
    'e pur si muove
  • ut_och_cykla
    ut_och_cykla Posts: 1,594
    It's the last day of august NOT the first of april... or is it?
  • jimmythecuckoo
    jimmythecuckoo Posts: 4,712
    All the Disco disciples would then start riding in light blue.

    baaaaaaaaaaaa
    http://fendrieneu.home.blog
    My blog and pod...
    Beers of Belgium Cycling Club UK
  • LangerDan
    LangerDan Posts: 6,132
    If they hold onto Marc Biver and get Bruyneel to shave his head, they could do the whole Dr. Evil / Mini-me thing.
    "Austin Powers and the Spy who mysteriously tested positive because his thighs were swollen"
    'This week I 'ave been mostly been climbing like Basso - Shirley Basso.'
  • Mr Bumble
    Mr Bumble Posts: 572
    Well than if Bruhyneel heads to Astana I bet a certain Contador will be heading that way soon....
  • ricadus
    ricadus Posts: 2,379
    Kléber wrote:
    From cyclingnews.com:
    There are some news agencies speculating that Johan Bruyneel could lead Team Astana for 2008 and beyond. The Belgian will end his duties at the end the year when Discovery Channel ceases as a team, while at Astana there have been rumours of Team Manager Marc Biver leaving. A communication regarding the Swiss is expected September 5.

    :cry:

    It can't be true?
    Blimey, is it April already?
    Tour de France
  • dave_1
    dave_1 Posts: 9,512
    LangerDan wrote:
    Days like this, it must be great being a cycling journalist. The stories just seem to write themselves.

    I await Dave_1s comments on the situation with great interest (and a little trepidation) :D

    Langerdan,
    I think it is in keeping with Astana track record...hire one of the former top riders of what Alex Zulle went on the record to tell was one of the biggest doping outfits of the 1990s during Zulle´s stay at ONCE...Bruyneel should explain where ONCE went in May every years too-active rest was Saiz´s name for it. Bruyneel´s attitude to doping is to see investigations as an opportunity to get riders while there was confusion and evidence existing of their lack of ethics. This was shown clearly with his bargain hunting through the operation puerto list. He helped wreck the TDF 07 with AC who should not have been on any team given the evidence again him. Cycling needs to be getting rid of the 1990s management
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKBacb2V ... ata_player
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,388
    I think thats unfsir dave......not sure there would hasve been anyone in the tour if AC had had to go...in which case equoie would have published headlines saying every non frechman was on drugsm - thus placing them under the vaguest of suspicion - thus guarenteing a french winner

    as would have every other newspaper in the world
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • dave_1
    dave_1 Posts: 9,512
    ddraver wrote:
    I think thats unfsir dave......not sure there would hasve been anyone in the tour if AC had had to go...in which case equoie would have published headlines saying every non frechman was on drugsm - thus placing them under the vaguest of suspicion - thus guarenteing a french winner

    as would have every other newspaper in the world

    Fair enough, I thought the TDF field was mostly clean of Puerto linked riders...but perhaps you are correct...they are so tainted it would be unfair to pick on one...
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKBacb2V ... ata_player
  • Peakraider
    Peakraider Posts: 143
    Timoid. wrote:
    At least the positives will stop...


    Hehe.
  • drenkrom
    drenkrom Posts: 1,062
    I'll play the role of the optimist. Think what you will of Bruyneel (I despise the man), he does have a knack for race strategy. His riders were most probably souped up at USPS/Disco, but they always came up with great strategies, some boring as hell for the viewers (see TDF 1999-2005), but also some good sneak-ups and great 1-2s (see 2006 Vuelta and 2007 Paris-Nice, among others).

    Now, in the highly hypothetical situation that he is hired by Astana, but kept on a very tight ethical leash, this could be interesting. If the testing program and strict guidelines the team talked about a week or two back are for real, Bruyneel's tactical flair could be a good addition to what was already a tacticallly-savvy team. Of course, it's easier to enact good strategies when you have a bunch of souped-up automatons as riders. I doubt the UCI license comission would share my optimism, though. Especially if Contador makes the same move.

    A long weekend helps in being positive, I guess... I'll be back to normal by Friday :wink:

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