Contador to remain with Astana

given the melt of riders from this squad, vino and kazakhs had better get off their asses and sign some support riders quickly. otherwise this bunch will look like a continental team on the road against the stronger teams. that said & with agritubel disbanding there is some quality to be had there.

slovakguy said:

given the melt of riders from this squad, vino and kazakhs had better get off their asses and sign some support riders quickly. otherwise this bunch will look like a continental team on the road against the stronger teams. that said & with agritubel disbanding there is some quality to be had there.

Good see how Contador does with out support, Evans has to deal with it

For Contador's sake there'd better not be a team time trial in the 2010 Tour.

Not sure that Kloden has been allowed to quit Astana too.

thanks so much for useful info

oldbobcat said:

For Contador's sake there'd better not be a team time trial in the 2010 Tour.

given the destruction of several riders' chances due to the use of the ttt this year, hopefully the organisers limit the ttt margins to the team standings and not apply them to the individual standings.

I hope astana plans on paying their riders this year. I dont know how loyal you can be to any business that doesnt compensate you for your work on time

poulidor said:

Not sure that Kloden has been allowed to quit Astana too.

Last news :

- Bruyneel is still Astana manager, Kazak have not freed him!
- Popovych is out but Klöden, Rast and Zubeldia would be forced to respect their contract.

UCI had refused Vino as team manager, maybe kazakh federation is putting more pressure by doing that.

Astana's ProTour Application Still Not In Order, Contador Free To Go? | Cyclingnews.com

I don't think he'll wait till November 20th. Caisse looks like the best (and logical) choice for Contador, although they have problems with Pro Tour licence too.

I'd have thought AC will be wanting to start 'gearing up' (🙂) for next season in earnest asap - choosing which races he's going to ride (I suspect he might want to ride the Vuelta - the worlds doesn't look great for him), doing recces of the T de F route, getting to know his domestiques etc. This mess must be very disruptive.

I'd love to look at his contract - is he still stuck with them in the event they don't get a pro licence? can he buy himself out? how much does he get paid?

Kloden is definitely with Radio Shack

Yep he's on their Roster

I thought Kloden's move was old news or I would have mentioned it previously.

Contador is free to move on should he wish per UCI 2.15.139. Unfortunately for him one of the teams that was interested in him, Caisse d'Epargne, are also in the same position as Astana and don't have their ProTour 'paperwork' in order for next year...

swampy1970 said:

Contador is free to move on should he wish per UCI 2.15.139. Unfortunately for him one of the teams that was interested in him, Caisse d'Epargne, are also in the same position as Astana and don't have their ProTour 'paperwork' in order for next year...

Alberto Contador eyes new team after Astana fail to register on time | Sport | guardian.co.uk

Fran Contador needs to get his s**t together. If I was managing AC's career I would have been all over this like a rash. Garmin or Quickstep seems the logical way forward.

swampy1970 said:

Contador is free to move on should he wish per UCI 2.15.139. Unfortunately for him one of the teams that was interested in him, Caisse d'Epargne, are also in the same position as Astana and don't have their ProTour 'paperwork' in order for next year...

not the reading i had of the articles. seems to me that fran hasn't done his homework since he and 'berto are kicking this one to the lawyers for "interpretation." suggests to me that they may have not used a standard uci contract for alberto.

slovakguy said:

not the reading i had of the articles. seems to me that fran hasn't done his homework since he and 'berto are kicking this one to the lawyers for "interpretation." suggests to me that they may have not used a standard uci contract for alberto.

Brothers never make good representatives - I cite Claude Anelka as evidence. AC is a big star I would imagine every spanish pharmaceutical company would be desperate for a lucrative endorsement. Fran needs to step up.

true or not concerning fran's talents, i don't know. just thinking out loud that, given astana's very public inability to keep the coffers full and that it was way back at the giro, fran and the lawyers should have already gone over the contract with their fine tooth combs and known what their options were before uci's decision came down.

slovakguy said:

true or not concerning fran's talents, i don't know. just thinking out loud that, given astana's very public inability to keep the coffers full and that it was way back at the giro, fran and the lawyers should have already gone over the contract with their fine tooth combs and known what their options were before uci's decision came down.

I assume a standard UCI contract would be governed by swiss law & as such I'm not in a position to comment in any detail (england, wales & northern ireland is my jurisdiction) but the swiss are pretty canny about all things financial - I would imagine a failure to pay wages would amount to a fundamental breach entitling the innocent party to repudiate the contract.

Perhaps Astana made sure that AC got his monthly wedge irrespective of whatever happened to the others (I expect the khazak's were threatened with being locking in a room with an irate vino & a dozen syringes if they complained)?