Contadors right hand man fecks off to join Armstrong on Team Radioshack...
- Thread starter swampy1970
- Start date
What? You're suprised someone can be bought off? Dollars will always trump perceived alliances...you should know that...but you're right though, Contador should be concerned that he can't win the Tour next year without his right-hand man Paulinho...
When was Paulinho Contador's "right hand man"? Paulinho has been riding on Bruyneel's team since Discovery.swampy1970 said:
But hey, if nothing else, at least Alberto's right-hand men don't keep getting caught for doping, like Lance's right hand men have a habit of doing. Now that's funny.
swampy1970 said:
Really. Bertie's right hand man is Noval. You know, the guy Bruyneel left home for the TdF. Look for whom Paulinho rode in stage 3.
Cobblestones said:
Given that Paulinho finished in the laughing group with Contador on Stage 3, he wasn't riding for Armstrong...
Paulinho was riding for Contador - unlike his other, uh, "teammate" - but that's a bit different than calling him Contador's "right hand man". Paulinho was never Contador's right hand man. Contador requested that two riders be part of the Tour team - Noval, who really is Contador's man (if there really is such a thing), and Paulinho. Bruyneel only chose one, and it wasn't Noval.swampy1970 said:
Leafer said:When was Paulinho Contador's "right hand man"? Paulinho has been riding on Bruyneel's team since Discovery.
But hey, if nothing else, at least Alberto's right-hand men don't keep getting caught for doping, like Lance's right hand men have a habit of doing. Now that's funny.
Both Paulinho and Contador rode on the Liberty Seguros team in 05 and 06. Both riders moved to Disco at the start of 07. Both riders were implicated somehow in Puerto and Bruyneel was the only one that'd sign riders who had been implicated in that - hence the much talked about Basso signing.
One could say that both riders at the very least have a history together...
swampy1970 said:
.................so why did you refer to Paulinho as Contadors right hand man?
if Paulinho finished in the bus, he certainly wasn't riding for Contador either, eh.
limerickman said:
He finished in the same group as Contador... If he was riding for Contador would you expect him to be riding up front with Lance in the 1st group or just meander off the back and watch the daisies for the last hour? Just curious...
so he has a new team for 2010. bfd. what's amusing is how many are rumoured to have told big tex to bugger off. where is the rancor and anger from the fan boys about levi's and hinc's treason. they actually are considering riding for bmc and trying to get their programme moving up to the next level. such a snub for their ole captain lance. tony martin also apparently said "no." how does lance twitter-spin this? "i never wanted those old farts anyway?" "they aren't very good teammates, and i should know about 'team'?" and this is only the first act.
swampy1970 said:
Maybe Paulihno had transferred loyalties before the TDF and that’s why he finished in the bus?
Or maybe like Contador he felt like finishing in the bus that day?
Personally I wouldn’t view Paulihno as Contadors mate.
Friendships are seldom in the sport.
This is true. There was no doping on Liberty Seguros, and there is no doping by any other riders from Spain.Leafer said:But hey, if nothing else, at least Alberto's right-hand men don't keep getting caught for doping, like Lance's right hand men have a habit of doing. Now that's funny.
limerickman said:
Contador felt like losing 41second just for the heck of it... Come on Lim, you know better than that.
What you put makes no sense... if he'd transferred loyalty during the Tour he would have been up the front with Armstrong. If he couldn't be bothered and just wanted to get to the finish he could have quite easily finished with the big bunch that finished behind... Instead he finished with Contador's group. He shared a room with the guy throughout the Tour. He was the only one to genuinely appear happy at the end of the Tour that Contador won. Contador brought the guy to Disco and then back to Astana (they both rode for Liberty/Seguros which became Astana). The guy buried himself for Contador on some of the key stages of the Vuelta last year.
I guess that Contador was the one that brought Paulinho and Noval to Astana had nothing to do with friendship. Nor the fact that they rode together for a couple of years prior to Disco...
No_Positives said:
Liberty Seguros... the team that used to be ONCE, known for it's squeaky clean image.
That's what domestiques do for their team leader. Hincapie did it for years for Armstrong - is it equally funny that Hincapie chooses not to follow Armstrong to RadioShack? Don't really see the difference between that and Paulinho deciding that accepting RadioShacks offer is in his own best interest, especially in light of the fact that Contador doesn't know where he's going and there's no guarantee that wherever Contador lands, there'll be a spot for Paulinho. A bird in the hand and all that.swampy1970 said:
Actually, Paulinho would have to be pretty dumb to pass up a solid offer on the table from an established team in favor of the uncertainty of unemployment and hoping that Contador can find him a spot.
Leafer said:
There's riding and there's buring yourself for your team leader but as I said, they've been riding on teams together for 1/2 a decade and followed each other from Liberty to Disco and to Astana...
As for George, looks like he could be following Levi to BMC and I wouldn't be too surprised if that turns into a cushy off the bike position within a year or two. George is at that stage in his career.
I'm not sure I'm go as far as calling Radioshack an established team as yet - I don't think they've got more than 5 riders and probably not much in the way of support staff... LOL
when i skewed the thread with that question about george and levi, i proceeded from the belief that armstrong wanted his loyal lieutenants (and didn't they ride with the ole cap'n more than five years?) with him at radioshack. what does that say about ole captain lance if he never even offered them spots on his new squad? odd how stirring the pot about paulinho's loyalty brought up that bit about george and levi, eh?
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