Giro to welcome Astana?

Crankyfeet

Or the team results...

Teams Classification

1 Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 273.12.52
2 Caisse D'Epargne 19.36
3 Team CSC 22.10
4 Rabobank 36.24
5 Euskaltel-Euskadi 46.46
6 Saunier Duval-Prodir 1.44.33
7 Predictor-Lotto 1.50.21
8 Lampre-Fondital 2.19.41
9 Crédit Agricole 2.25.44
10 AG2r Prévoyance 2.26.08
11 Liquigas 2.28.30
12 Quickstep-Innergetic 2.57.15
13 T-Mobile Team 3.17.26
14 Bouygues Telecom 3.49.53
15 Barloworld 3.59.12
16 Gerolsteiner 4.09.28
17 Agritubel 6.17.20
18 Team Milram 6.48.28
19 Française des Jeux

Bro Deal

There are a lot of weird results in the last ITT, but something happened to Valverde. He was nothing compared to two years before. And Caisse's performance in the mountains was sub par for them. Maybe they missed a refill early in the Tour.

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Crankyfeet

One could speculate that he knew the UCI were going to spend a fortune analysing his pee before and during the 2007 event... and/or he may have had trouble locating a trustworthy replacement gynacologist since 2006.

Anticyclone

Contador says he will only ride with Astana

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php...mar08/mar29news

micron

What a pillock - he might as well ride with a saucepan up his arse

TheDarkLord

Yes, of course. Without JB's juice and vitamins, it would be impossible for Contadope to win. No wonder he intends to stick with JB.

Andrija

You can leave mafia only as a protected witness...
It's too early for him to enter witness protection programme.

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Crankyfeet

I think Astana should just buy one of the teams that have been invited...

TheDarkLord

Or they can buy the race itself. Weren't there Cult members suggesting that the Kazhakhs buy ASO/RCS?

Crankyfeet

Then they would own "The running of the Jews" and the TdF. They would be a threat to Bernie Eccleston then...

thoughtforfood

It would be awesome. They could combine the two. Maybe start the running of the Jews from the top of Alpe d'Huez as the riders are starting the climb? Imagine the spectacle!!!

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fscyclist

What claims? I think the only claim I made is that if Jan were to race in the 2007 TdF, I think Ras, Basso, and Contadore would finish ahead. I don't find that to be an outrageous claim, and we'll never know the answer so just try and prove me wrong. I also never would claim that Contadore would beat Ullrich in his prime, nor could he beat Merckx in his prime. But...I bet he could beat Merckx right now. I also never claimed Contadore is clean, but neither do I think anyone else I mentioned is. I also agree that Ras was outstanding and should've been the winner. I've written plenty in this forum about Ras ride and how impressive it was.

Anyway...glad I made you piss on yourself.

Powerful Pete

LOL.

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micron

Good one fscyclist

The thing is, I've followed Contador since before his brain exploded, saw his promise, didn't like his ties with Saiz but hoped he'd be snapped up by another team - but to go from Saiz to his protege the Hog just stinks, and says something very unpleasant about Contador's mindset. On the other hand, never could stand Rasmussen but feel that the way he has been airbrushed out of the last Tour is a disgrace - Contador never got the better of him in the mountains and was largely ineffective against the Chicken's attacks but the revisionist version of the TdF 2007 would have you believe that Contador did this amazing, attacking riding stage after stage - in fact, his performance was little better than a poor Armstrong clone - though by the time he's won TdF number 10 I suppose he and Bruyneel will have the programme perfected - though they'll be riding 'the TdF in Langkawi' on the Verbruggen 'No Holds Barred' circuit for doped up freaks.

Sorry, really had enough of Bruyneel and friends thinking they can take the piss out of the sport with impunity. Astana are a joke team, run by a joke DS with a joke anti doping programme (same one as used by CSC? Enough said). Time to spare the sport and put them - and their biggest supporters, the UCI - out of their misery.