I love this.......
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VeloNews: Just a few months ago you were fairly outspoken about Armstrong and his previous Tour teams, saying, "You can't have a leader's team getting to the final climb with five guys on the front, like every year from three years back all the way back. It is impossible to ride the front with your whole team and get to the final climb with most of your team still on the front - and be ready to come back and do it day in and day out.... I don't believe it to be possible."
Now you're joining a team run by Johan Bruyneel, the director of a team that was doing things a few years ago that "didn't seem possible." How will you reconcile that?
Horner: I think there has been a change in the sport in general. From everything I've seen, the speeds in the field versus the past, everything has changed. I believe the sport is becoming better and better, from the riders' organizations to the UCI and WADA, everyone is doing everything they can to eliminate as much of the drug problem as possible. I don't have any problem going to Astana. Sure, they had problems last year with two of their biggest riders, but the addition of Johan Bruyneel changed the whole team completely to avoid those issues.
As far as the years past, well last year with Johan's team you weren't seeing five guys going over the last climb together. What may or may not have happened in the past is completely different than what you're seeing now.
I honestly believe that every team is doing what they can to stop what was happening in the past. I know Johan was asking riders for their blood results from the past, to make sure he's not getting riders who have been at a 49 hematocrit for their whole career. I had to show him my past blood results, which he asked of everyone when he was looking into riders. It was the same with CSC. I also talked to Bjarne Riis, and when I was talking to CSC he wanted to see all my blood results, what was happening in the past. I think everyone wants to see this left behind and no longer an issue. I know the riders don't want to see it; no one wants to see any more problems. The sport doesn't need to live through another nine years like the last nine years. But just look at Rabobank at the Tour - they threw out Michael Rasmussen. In years past I don't know if a team would have done that. And I'm pretty sure Johan Bruyneel isn't going to put up with anyone just disappearing for a month.