C
Charles Hizark
Guest
Lance made a comment about Jan and T-Mobile recently:
"PH: Jan Ullrich says he is moving back to Team Telekom (Team T-Mobile for 2004) because he wants to
beat you next year. He joins Alexandre Vinokourev, who took third in this year's Tour de France.
Does that even matter to you? Is there going to be a fight for leadership on that team?
LA: It's tough to say. Part of me says that it's good for us that he goes back there because that
system never worked for Jan before. They let him get away with some things that probably weren't
great for his career. But on the other hand, he'll be riding with some really good guys like
Vinokourev, Cadel Evans, Danielle Nardello and Santiago Botero. Let me put it this way: I
wouldn't want to be on that team. BB: Really?
LB: You have to go to the Tour de France with one leader and eight workers. That's the way it works.
In order to win the Tour, you need every guy riding for you. On a team like that, say Botero
comes back and he's in great form or Vinokourev is in great form. Do you think those guys are
going to go to the front during the first week of the Tour de France? PH: No
LC: Maybe this is wishful thinking on my part, but the system doesn't always work like that. The way
things appear on paper don't always work the best. You have to have people who can do it all.
We've been lucky enough to have that. Jan is good. He's the best one out there. Will the other
guys work for him? That's the question."
So it's obvious here that Lance is determined to be the undisputed leader at US Postal. So the
question is what to they do for a encore when Lance leaves. When Miguel Indurain left Banesto the
team drifted into obsecurity........
As for Jan so long as he is in good form he will lead the team in this years tdf...
"PH: Jan Ullrich says he is moving back to Team Telekom (Team T-Mobile for 2004) because he wants to
beat you next year. He joins Alexandre Vinokourev, who took third in this year's Tour de France.
Does that even matter to you? Is there going to be a fight for leadership on that team?
LA: It's tough to say. Part of me says that it's good for us that he goes back there because that
system never worked for Jan before. They let him get away with some things that probably weren't
great for his career. But on the other hand, he'll be riding with some really good guys like
Vinokourev, Cadel Evans, Danielle Nardello and Santiago Botero. Let me put it this way: I
wouldn't want to be on that team. BB: Really?
LB: You have to go to the Tour de France with one leader and eight workers. That's the way it works.
In order to win the Tour, you need every guy riding for you. On a team like that, say Botero
comes back and he's in great form or Vinokourev is in great form. Do you think those guys are
going to go to the front during the first week of the Tour de France? PH: No
LC: Maybe this is wishful thinking on my part, but the system doesn't always work like that. The way
things appear on paper don't always work the best. You have to have people who can do it all.
We've been lucky enough to have that. Jan is good. He's the best one out there. Will the other
guys work for him? That's the question."
So it's obvious here that Lance is determined to be the undisputed leader at US Postal. So the
question is what to they do for a encore when Lance leaves. When Miguel Indurain left Banesto the
team drifted into obsecurity........
As for Jan so long as he is in good form he will lead the team in this years tdf...