Tour de France - RadioShack gain Tour entry

Eurosport - Fri, 16 Oct 18:59:00 2009

Lance Armstrong's RadioShack team has been granted a ProTour licence that guarantees the American outfit entry into next year's Tour de France.

CYCLING Lance Armstrong - 0

"Following the examination of a request received, the License Commission has awarded a four-year UCI ProTour licence for the period 2010 to 2013 to Team RadioShack (USA)," the International Cycling Union confirmed.

Seven times champion Armstrong, announced the creation of RadioShack during July's Tour de France, which he finished in third place overall.

The 38-year-old returned to the sport in January, riding for the Astana team, after over three years in retirement.

For next season, Armstrong, will be able to rely on experienced riders, notably American Levi Leipheimer and Andreas Kloeden of Germany.

Leipheimer, 35, has finished in the top 10 on the Tour four times - including third in 2007. Kloeden, 34, finished second overall in the Tour de France in 2004 and 2006.

Belgian manager Johan Bruyneel, the man behind Armstrong's seven Tour titles, is set to leave Astana to join RadioShack when the American starts his 2010 season at the Tour Down Under in January.

RadioShack, however, will also bank on promising young riders.

"Sam Bewley (age 22) and Bjorn Selander (21) make the jump from the Trek-Livestrong U23 team, while Daryl Impey (24), Ivan Rovny (22) and Ben Hermans (23) all come from major European teams," RadioShack said on their website.

"Janez Brajkovic who comes with Armstrong from Astana, will be only 26 in December," the team said.

Reuters

Comment 6 - 25 of 25

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  1. go lance and your team cannondale pete

    From joanandpeteweb, on Sat 28 Nov 8:23PM

  2. Too right Cheese Curtain. I can't see Vino riding­ for anybody but himself.

    From widds118, on Mon 19 Oct 9:24AM

  3. I'm with poster #9. If Contador was the victim he­ purports to be, many of these riders would have stayed­ to work for him. They ALL left. If he truly wants to­ win a TdF without a team (as he claimed he did in­ 2009), then 2010 will truly be his chance. Funny thing­ is that if he thought Armstrong stabbed him in the back­ last year, wait until he gets a load of Vino!

    From Cheese Curtain, on Mon 19 Oct 5:46AM

  4. Glad to get the license approved. Now let's see­ what happens in the Tours and the Classics. It's­ good to see some young riders coming along with Team­ Radio Shack.
    When the Tour finally gets here, we shall­ see what's what. Radio Shack still has to get an­ invitation to compete
    in the Tour de France, but I­ can't imagine that the Team won't get an­ invitation.
    It looks like Astana is signing some­ support riders for Contador.

    From jackaroo, on Sun 18 Oct 9:54PM

  5. RadioShack is a certainly good news, and only thing I­ should say is welcome; Armstrong as a multiple tour­ winner back in tour peloton is a also good news (just­ like if decided in 2005/6 to come with a team as a­ rider/leader/financier) and we all must say welcome to­ the great champion of this race; Contador is more than­ a welcome to this race as a raining champion and we all­ look forward to see his ability in future; cobble-stone­ or not, TTT or not, Tourmalet or Galibier, nothing­ count for the 2010 tour winner, just like all previous­ years, every race is a special in its own way and we­ all expecting july next year to salute old or some new­ champion.

    From Goce J, on Sun 18 Oct 8:49PM

  6. Take it somewhere else harry palm morgan.

    From sylvia, on Sat 17 Oct 10:18PM
  7. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    DOPESTRONG

    From harry.morgan, on Sat 17 Oct 7:40PM
  8. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    DOPESTRONG

    From harry.morgan, on Sat 17 Oct 7:40PM

  9. Maybe some1 should point out to everyone that gaining a­ Pro Tour licence does NOT guarantee a place in the TdF.­ It only guarantees entry into Pro Tour events. ASO­ pretty much invite who they want.

    From steve.mato, on Sat 17 Oct 7:05PM

  10. Great news re. Armstrong and UCI licence... all we need­ now is for Contador to join a proper team (not skeleton­ Astana) and we'll be treated to another grand­ battle at the 2010 TdF. Yipeeeeee!!!! (Allez Soler-­ KoM and podium).

    From p, on Sat 17 Oct 4:22PM

  11. OLD GIT

    From LEEROY, on Sat 17 Oct 3:01PM

  12. Good for Lance and his dream team, but that dont give­ him a win on TDF2010. Without TTT, Contador is going to­ wait Tourmalet, and win TDF with a single attack in 8­ km till the end of that stage

    From bobcha78, on Sat 17 Oct 2:58PM
  13. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    Lance has got more money than God, Why shouldn't he­ have the bigger ego of the two?

    From mikek, on Sat 17 Oct 1:52PM
  14. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    poor Lance,he will never win again despite getting­ those Senior citizens to join his team.he thought there­ will be another TTT next year,to his surprise there­ will be none.why this MAN is not contented enough and­ can not accept the fact his no match to Contador.Lance­ is a coward,he can not fight Contador squarely thats­ why he always resort to the media to attack him.if not­ for AC he will never taste a podium once again this­ year!!

    From ryan, on Sat 17 Oct 9:12AM
  15. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    I really think that the Cobbles in the Tour will be a­ nightmare for all the GC riders. Lance, I must say,­ used to do the cobbles in the lumpy classic but­ I've never seen him finish in Roubaix. I can only­ see Armstrong making time by staying at the front and­ Contador struggling with the terrain. Crashes and­ punctures are usually what determines the roads around­ Roubaix as well as good form. Most GC riders are going­ to hate this stage as a bad crash will end their race.­ If Contador loses 3 minutes on the Cobbles I think he­ can pull the overall win out of the bag quite ok.­ Lance's big chance was last year. Each year Lance­ goes the harder it will be; Father time ticks on.­ Contador is still heading for his peak; late­ twenties.
    -Jerry

    From jerry3571, on Sat 17 Oct 8:19AM

  16. EXPECTED NEWS. LA WOULDN'T BE IN THE TdF­ PRESENTATION FOR NOT BEING THERE!!

    From Vítor, on Sat 17 Oct 2:43AM

  17. And let it be noted that almost the entire team has­ bolted to TRS. No one is staying with Contawhiner. Even­ Zubeldia is going before the UCI on Tuesday to get to­ go to TRS and away from Contawhiner. Astana is is­ trying to change their minds after they had already­ released him because Contawhiner whined the entire team­ was leaving. Nobody wants to stay with that arrogant,­ whining, unappreciative, backstabbing, drop his own­ teamate jerk that says he won "without a­ team.". What gies around comes around.

    From mercurycu, on Sat 17 Oct 2:19AM
  18. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    Im sorry all u LA fans, but it the end it can be only­ one Alberto El pistolero..., only way u can see Lance­ wearing the yellow jersey in Paris is on your DVD's­ of TDF 1999 - 2005.

    From black_portugal, on Sat 17 Oct 1:32AM
  19. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    I like Levi but he made the wrong choice again, working­ for lance, Contador will smach then bought, without­ warning and without mind games, Pistolero will give to­ certain bullets on those two, u can't mess with­ pistolero, he feroucious and when u push him he just­ take u dawn, fast and deadlly

    From black_portugal, on Sat 17 Oct 1:28AM

  20. When mountain bikers Armstrong and Levi smash­ Contawhiner on the cobbles, he is gonna be crying like­ a girl and whining like Mayo when he lost 4 minutes to­ Armstrong on the cobbles.

    From mercurycu, on Sat 17 Oct 12:42AM
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