Blazin' Saddles: Astana Claus
Eurosport - Sun, 22 Nov 16:16:00 2009
Our cycling blogger jets back from a week in Paris - and finds the Astanador situation has still yet to be solved.
With a cafe creme in one hand and a croissant in the other, the ambidextrous Saddles leafed through a copy of l'Equipe to get up to speed with the latest cycling news last Wednesday.
Lance Armstrong's least favoured French-language sports paper claimed that Alberto Contador had agreed a one-year extension to his deal at Astana, keeping him with the Kazakh snow leopards until 2011 - but including enough demands to make Mariah Carey seem as facile, humble and decent as Mother Theresa.
These include: no Alexandre Vinokourov at the Tour; a swift exit if any doping scandals come to light; an influx of Spanish signings; the arrival of Ivan Basso in 2011; loads of cash; and the small matter of a ProTour licence for Astana.
In short, there seemed to be about as many clauses in Contador's contract as there are fans of the "We Irish hate Thierry Henry (the cheat)" Facebook group.
Cycling's longest transfer saga in recent history looked set to have a Friday midnight conclusion - the deadline for Astana proving they are a viable ProTour outfit - but the UCI have still yet to come to a decision. And so Alberto waits - as do millions around the globe.
Now back in the good, old, flooded UK, BS reads that Kazakhstan's president, Nursultan Nazabayev, has pledged $22 million in financial backing to the Astana team to ensure the squad stays alive and Contador doesn't up-ship to Garmin. That those 15 million euros just about cover the Spaniard's salary over the next two seasons shows just how much of a one-man team Astana has become.
Not so, according the Kazakh cycling federation deputy fromage, Nikolai Proskurin, who is now playing games of emotional blackmail, claiming that "if the UCI deny us a licence, 60 people would be put out of work for absolutely no reason at all". (It's so kind of Nikolai to think of BS in these testing times - Saddles must remember to include him on his Christmas card list.)
That said, Proskurin isn't the kind of guy you'd happily entrust with organising a Scouts conkers tournament in a forest of horse-chestnut trees inhabited by the cloned offspring of Ben Fogle and Bear Grylls - let along trust with $22m.
Displaying the financial acumen and gambling zeal of Bernie Madoff, Proskurin also admitted this week that he "would have put all my money on Bradley Wiggins not coming in the top 10 (of the Tour last summer)." If that doesn't help sway the UCI, then what will?
BS's take on the whole predicament is quite simple really: it's such an absurd situation but one with true comedic value that no script-writer could come up with.
Who, a few years ago, would have thought the livelihood and career of the world's best rider of his generation would be in the hands of a nation so greatly disconnected from his native Spain and so grossly out of their depth in the business of cycling. It's the school foreign language exchange from hell. AC's a celebrity, get him out of there!
But BS must also praise Contador for his blatantly see-through exit strategy, coupled with Astana's hilarious gullibility. Can none of you see the logic in AC demanding a no-doping get-out clause and then pushing for the signing of Basso?
NEWS IN BRIEF: Sean Yates, the former yellow jersey-wearing Brit and veteran of 12 Tours, will take time out from the running of an inexplicably popular chain of UK wine bars (big in the Leicester Square area) to become the only British sporting director at the (supposedly British) Team Sky.
The 49 year old will not be joined at Sky by fellow Brit Bradley Wiggins, who will stay at Garmin according to team manager Jonathan Vaughters, despite fresh reports to the contrary ("from a trusted source" ) in l'Equipe.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "It all happened unexpectedly. Until recently there were no problems with Specialized, but we no longer shared the same vision."
Quick Step manager Patrick Lefevere explains his team's decision to switch to Merckx bikes after it was announced that Garmin target Contador would stay at Astana and that Specialized would provide the Kazakh team its bikes.
BS would suggest that, rather than not sharing the same vision, Quick Step and Specialized's vision was in fact only too similar: Hispanic, 1.76m, GSOH and secretly encouraging Michael Rasmussen and Andrey Kashechkin to join Team Astana.
Follow Blazin' Saddles throughout the day on www.twitter.com/saddleblaze
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Comment 5 - 24 of 24
Astana has tentative approval for its 2010 license, Contador will be on Astana as long as Astana meets certain conditions.
Well, we are almost to a conclusion on the Astana/Contador/UCI issue.
I envy the UK post format. In the US we cannot get rid of Peter Joachim or whatever name he is using at the moment(Bikedad). We don't have the comment hidden due to its low rating option, and Yahoo US doesn't even know its own community guidelines.
Gee, I get to vote down the posting by a certain Thomas Morris, who by the way, is using my posting name. We all know who you are!!!!
Oh, I'm sorry as I forgot to mention that this same poster is popularly known as Peter Joachim to many here.
Hey BS and all good folks on the UK Yahoo boards, our friend, Tom Morris of Orinda, California, a @51 year old masters racer who obviously has been wronged in a former life, is dropping to the yet again new low of using good poster's handles. He doesn't have the guts to use his own name. He has been mentioned by BS in his blog recently. At least here on the UK forums, the "unpopular" posts are hidden. I don't have to look at them to know who has been posting. Recently Tom Morris has been using Bikedad, Matt (yours truly), Jackaroo, James and a few others.
So, it looks like Astana is finally getting their act together for 2010. I look forward to a very competitive season and wish all the riders good luck and no serious injuries. I also wish (probably naively I imagine) a fair, level playing field regarding cheaters and the art of doping. Yes, doping has risen to an art and that's ashame. I support the strongest penelties no matter who gets caught. --Best--Matt
I think the 2010 TdF may be Andy Schleck's best opportunity.... if the Contador/Astana scenario doesn't change, Alberto may be isolated and in trouble. There are several strong teams that will grind AC down to bits while they work in their own self-interest. The next strongest GC rider after Contador is Schleck and he's on a very strong team. At this stage of his career, on comparable teams, I don't know that Armstrong can stay with Schleck. Of course Contador may bolt Astana and then.......
Please let's get this Astana issue settled. The person who has been the most level headed and calm through this ordeal, has been Alberto Contador.
I just want to know what team Alberto will be riding for next year. I post in the United States, and many of the posters in the US are big Lance Armstrong fans. Team Radio Shack has already been given the mantel of excellence by these posters and there are high expectations for Lance to perform well.
I lean more to a changing of the guard with Alberto & Andy leading the brigade. There are plenty of young riders who have to prove by their performance that they are ready to be true contenders.
It would never happen, but can you imagine Alberto on Saxo Bank.
Anyway onward and upward for Alberto and the rest of the cyclists for 2010
His real name is Tom Morris from Orinda, California. He has been banned from several forums here in the US and is causing havoc on the Yahoo cycling boards also. People are working to have him banned here. There is a lot of info on him out there. He has been a local racer in California for years and something must have snapped in him to be so UNCIVIL with everyone. I have had my God's Honest trys at having a conversation with him and to no avail no matter how nice I was, etc etc. Have a great day everyone on the UK boards..Matt
That's not James, it's Peter Joachim. And now we need to ban this "James" as well. What a tool.
Exactly Thomas, Exactly.
Why the hell doesn't Yahoo have flood control?
How can the brains behind Hadoop fail so dramatically at a simple message board? Come on, it's not hard.
James is worse than I am...
James . Are you a parrott , why do you feel the need to repeat yourself. Big mouth little ????????
Oh Lord, he's back. James (Peter Joachim... whatever your name is) - please get a life and leave this cycling page alone.
Well? A deep subject for shallow minds.
UCI?
Astana?
Bertie is training, can anyone tell him who his employer is?
I want to buy the right kit for Xmas!
Sort of agree with Pedro, except I don't think Garmin couldn't take him anyway - you can't sign an OP-implicated-Saiz-protege-Bruyneel-played-cloud-of-sus picion for a team founded on how wonderfully clean and drug free it is without losing all credibility.
Caisse d'Epargne on the other hand, have been Pinarello since 90's. (Possibly longer, but I'd make an educated guess they were on Reynolds bikes in the 80's...). No way they're going to let a big name use something else.
Martin-----I know, Wind and flat sections have shown to be a real menace to AC. You know actually I was thinking about the Stage where AC dropped his Team-mate Kloden and was then seen negotiating deals with the Schlecks while patting them on the back about 30k from the end of the Stage. But, I guess that wouldn't qualify as keeping his rivals close being as though he was only worried about Kloden and Armstrong being a threat to his precious Yellow Jersey.
Bored with this now. Seems as though the deal is done and he's staying with Astana. Seems crazy to sign a personal deal with Specialized though, as surely that would blow any chance of a move any one of the bigger teams with established bike sponsors? Can't imagine Garmin or Caisse D'Epargne being too pleased about their star not riding Felts or Pinarellos. That said, I reckon AC would beat LA riding penny-farthing at this moment in time.
Hey Chad your right AC attacking when he pleased was a disgrace he should have really hung about and kept his rivals closer to him, and as for attacking when his team'mates' couldnt keep up completely out of order never see LA doing that would you? Well apart from stage 3 in the same race ... kinda set a precendent there didnt he just a pity he couldnt keep up !
Is it only me or did others also recogniese that AC was such a good fellow and team-player that NONE of his former teammates stayed with him and chose to go with JB and LA (you know, the so-called backstabber a$$holes) to Radioshack. It makes me wonder why...
So what happens next? Chain reactions?
If no license for Astana AC goes to Garmin? Wiggo no longer top dog goes to Sky? Zubeldia heaves sigh of relief and heads to Radioshack?
License comes thru, Bruyneel cheers, Wiggo insists he always intended to stay with Garmin?? AC gets multi euros and leaves his 'bro' to worry about support riders?
What do you think?
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