Roberto Heras leaves US Postal!!!!!!

[Trek OCLV Fan]

Hey, I just saw over on VeloNews.com that "Tour of Spain" winner, Roberto Heras is leaving Lance and the US Postal team!

What does everyone think of this?? Will this hurt Lance's chance of getting the record breaking 6th Tour win??

I guess a "Grand Tour" winner should not be a domestique, as he would be if he stayed on USPS, but I think Heras might be making a mistake by leaving US Postal. Not to take anything away from Heras, but I don't think he is a Tour de France winner. The "Vuelta a Espana" is one thing, but the Tour de France is quite another!

Here's the link to the article:

http://www.velonews.com/race/int/articles/5306.0.html

 

[RalleighOke]

Heras set to join Liberty team

Posted on 03 December 2003 - 12:35

Lance Armstrong's right-hand man, Spanish climber Roberto Heras, is in negotiations to leave the mighty US Postal outfit to join the Liberty team, according to reports on Wednesday.
Heras, the reigning Tour of Spain champion, has helped the American rider enormously in his last few attempts at winning the world's biggest bike race and his departure would be a blow to Armstrong's bid to win an unprecedented sixth Tour title next year.

The 29-year-old Heras reportedly wants to join up with former ONCE team manager Manolo Saiz, who has recently taken over the newly-formed Liberty Seguros team.

Saiz was the manager of one of Armstrong's main rivals over the past three editions of the Tour, Basque climber Joseba Beloki - however Beloki has now moved to French team La Boulangere.

Heras joined Armstrong's US Postal team in 2001 after the American team bought out his contract with the Spanish Kelme team after he had just won his first Tour of Spain title.

The Spaniard's move to the American team was frowned on in certain quarters as it is generally believed that Heras, who is from Bejar, had sacrificed his own perfectly good victory aspirations for more money.

In cycling, Heras is generally belived capable of winning the Tour de France himself and Armstrong pays tribute to his talents on a regular basis.

 

[Babbar]

A huge mistake. Had he stayed with USPS, he would have been the leader after next year. Lance will race one more season and try to win his 6th TDF. Other than that, it was Roberto's team and would have been forever more.

I still like him and will root for him to come in second to Lance!

 

[pedalrun]

Originally posted by Babbar
A huge mistake. Had he stayed with USPS, he would have been the leader after next year. Lance will race one more season and try to win his 6th TDF. Other than that, it was Roberto's team and would have been forever more.

I still like him and will root for him to come in second to Lance!

I don't think it is a mistake... He is in is prime NOW... I think it is a great move on his part... And I can't wait to watch the 2004 tour, it is getting very exciting with all the possible challengers!

If Lance retires... USPS will probably not renue the sponsorship(it ends at the end of 2004)... and we don't know if Lance will retire after 2004? A lot of if's??

I don't think it will hurt Lance too much(but it's not going to help!), he has a good replacement.... I think Ulrich with Vino will be tough to beat on the same team... But with everyone chasing Heras up the climbs... it will be interesting to see who might blow-up chasing or just keeping up with him... Remember, one climb last year Lance had to ask Heras to slow down!!

 

[wfbrown]

Originally posted by pedalrun
I don't think it is a mistake... He is in is prime NOW... I think it is a great move on his part... And I can't wait to watch the 2004 tour, it is getting very exciting with all the possible challengers!

If Lance retires... USPS will probably not renue the sponsorship(it ends at the end of 2004)... and we don't know if Lance will retire after 2004? A lot of if's??

I don't think it will hurt Lance too much(but it's not going to help!), he has a good replacement.... I think Ulrich with Vino will be tough to beat on the same team... But with everyone chasing Heras up the climbs... it will be interesting to see who might blow-up chasing or just keeping up with him... Remember, one climb last year Lance had to ask Heras to slow down!!

It is hard to tell if the move was a mistake for Heras. There is much greater pressure as a team leader than as a prime helper as he was with Lance.

In my view, next years tour will be determined by the time trials, both individual and team. The time trial is an issue with Heras; not sure how his team time trial will place among top teams. No one knows Alp de Hues (sp?) like Lance.

Lance did ask Heras to slow down, but that was with Heras as the helper; next year he will have the pressures of a team leader; will be much different.

Jan will be tough teaming up with the #3 place rider from last year's tour. Tyler will be tough also. I think the pace will be very high on the climbs and it will be the teams that can shield their leaders for the longest possible time before they go on their own that will do the best.

I think in the end Lance will win number 6 just so long as he does not eat too much "crow" in the winter and spring.

 

[pedalrun]

Originally posted by wfbrown
It is hard to tell if the move was a mistake for Heras. There is much greater pressure as a team leader than as a prime helper as he was with Lance.

In my view, next years tour will be determined by the time trials, both individual and team. The time trial is an issue with Heras; not sure how his team time trial will place among top teams. No one knows Alp de Hues (sp?) like Lance.

Lance did ask Heras to slow down, but that was with Heras as the helper; next year he will have the pressures of a team leader; will be much different.

My point exactly... Heras has to find out now if he can be a leader.. He is not getting younger.. and next year's tour is a climbers dream with only one flat ITT... Waiting would be a mistake for Heras... Whether he is succsessful is what we will all watch next year. ... but not trying would be the biggest mistake.

What a tour in 2004!! I'm pulling for Tyler.. I just hope he can NOT break anything!!

 

[pedalrun]

Originally posted by wfbrown

I think in the end Lance will win number 6 just so long as he does not eat too much "crow" in the winter and spring.

Well, If he eats too much "crow" this winter and spring all the better for Tyler!!

Go Tyler!! Don't break a leg..!!

 

[JDM]

I don't think that Heras leaving USPS is a mistake. This move can only help the sport in the long-run, creating a balance which may attract more fans and sponsors. Besides, Roberto is a class act. Can any of us say anything bad about him? And if he were to win the Tour next year(super long-shot), I think a lot of us would be quietly pleased.

 

[SLS]

Originally posted by wfbrown
In my view, next years tour will be determined by the time trials, both individual and team. The time trial is an issue with Heras; not sure how his team time trial will place among top teams. No one knows Alp de Hues (sp?) like Lance.
[/B]

Correct me if I am wrong, but as I recall reading the TDF rules, he can only lose 2 minutes in the TTT even if they walked their bikes the entire way. Who came up with that lame rule? Sorry but if you have that weak of a team, maybe you should be looking at improving the team like USPS did instead of pushing the promoters to change the rules in such a lame way. I guess that is why all the teams are stocking up on climbers to go after the ITT. Watch out for a long breakaway on the flats - your winner might be in the group.

In answer to an earlier post - it wasn't the 2003 TDF Lance had ask Roberto to slow down on - it was the previous years. I remeber him joking about that one at the time. Lance X 6 I still like the odds

 

[wfbrown]

Originally posted by pedalrun
My point exactly... Heras has to find out now if he can be a leader.. He is not getting younger.. and next year's tour is a climbers dream with only one flat ITT... Waiting would be a mistake for Heras... Whether he is succsessful is what we will all watch next year. ... but not trying would be the biggest mistake.

What a tour in 2004!! I'm pulling for Tyler.. I just hope he can NOT break anything!!

I like Tyler also; he raised his visibility and fan club a great deal in 2003. I will be pulling for him in 2005. Even after all his family troubles (and his potential role in family break-up) I am still pulling for Lance to win in 2004. It is difficult for me to pull 100% for Lance with all of his family issues and not knowing exactly what happened. There were reports of him being unfaithful; not sure if it is true or not. If those reports are true then it is hard to completely get behind him because of what he has put forward in his two books.

I know all the family issues are personal and should stay out of his "job issues", but the reality is that they can not be separated especially after be bares his soul and talks about commitment in his two books.

So anyway, here is what I predict for 2004. The race will be very exciting, much more than in previous years. Lance's team will be much more important than in previous years and tactics will play a very important role. Jan will be very tough; he is highly motivated and said that he has 3 more years and wants to win 3 tours. If the T-Mobile will work for him soley then they will be tough. Tyler will be very tough this year; he has a team that will be working for him soley but I am not sure how strong his team is. Heras will be tough in the mountains. Mayo will be there; not sure if Beloki will be recovered enough.

So the mountain tactics will be very important. All these people will be there at the base of the climb and they may take turns attacking Lance. We saw some of this in 2003. He will have to match every attack and this could eventually wear him down. I think that at the base of the climbs the USPostal team will have to be there for Lance and set the pace so high for as long as they can that the attacks will be limited.

 

[wfbrown]

Originally posted by pedalrun
My point exactly... Heras has to find out now if he can be a leader.. He is not getting younger.. and next year's tour is a climbers dream with only one flat ITT... Waiting would be a mistake for Heras... Whether he is succsessful is what we will all watch next year. ... but not trying would be the biggest mistake.

What a tour in 2004!! I'm pulling for Tyler.. I just hope he can NOT break anything!!

I like Tyler also; he raised his visibility and fan club a great deal in 2003. I will be pulling for him in 2005. Even after all his family troubles (and his potential role in family break-up) I am still pulling for Lance to win in 2004. It is difficult for me to pull 100% for Lance with all of his family issues and not knowing exactly what happened. There were reports of him being unfaithful; not sure if it is true or not. If those reports are true then it is hard to completely get behind him because of what he has put forward in his two books.

I know all the family issues are personal and should stay out of his "job issues", but the reality is that they can not be separated especially after be bares his soul and talks about commitment in his two books.

So anyway, here is what I predict for 2004. The race will be very exciting, much more than in previous years. Lance's team will be much more important than in previous years and tactics will play a very important role. Jan will be very tough; he is highly motivated and said that he has 3 more years and wants to win 3 tours. If the T-Mobile will work for him soley then they will be tough. Tyler will be very tough this year; he has a team that will be working for him soley but I am not sure how strong his team is. Heras will be tough in the mountains. Mayo will be there; not sure if Beloki will be recovered enough.

So the mountain tactics will be very important. All these people will be there at the base of the climb and they may take turns attacking Lance. We saw some of this in 2003. He will have to match every attack and this could eventually wear him down. I think that at the base of the climbs the USPostal team will have to be there for Lance and set the pace so high for as long as they can that the attacks will be limited.