Team Radio Shack Developments (Ongoing Thread)

Lance Armstrong Foundation | July 23, 2009 | Various

[Ready4Freddy]

Jul 23 RadioShack Partners With Lance to Form New Cycling Team in 2010
by Brooke McMillan (LAF Staff)

RadioShack Corporation is proud to announce a partnership with seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong to form a new American Pro-Tour cycling team. Beginning in 2010, Lance Armstrong will compete for Team RadioShack as a cyclist, runner and triathlete in events around the world, including the 2010 Tour de France.

“This has been a great season so far – the response in the countries we’ve been to has been amazing and it’s clear now that this was the right choice. Utilizing the massive media attention that the sport receives has been the perfect vehicle to help spread the LIVESTRONG message around the world,” said Lance Armstrong. “To be able to compete for an American team comprised of the world’s top cyclists, supported by the best coaches and staff – I couldn’t be happier to partner with RadioShack, a truly iconic American brand,” said Lance Armstrong.

For more information about this partnership and to view a video message from Lance, please go to www.livestrong.com

[DCmarcher-976453]

Western Auto bought out by Advance Auto around 1998.

[WackySam]

We will start a new thread on July 3rd or late July 2nd, and I'll ping everyone to the initial post that will have a map of the course, profile, and other info.

Please add me to your list- thanks.

[grey_whiskers]

Please add me to the *PING* list.

Cheers!

g_w

[FlatulentAtty]

So what time should I post the 2010 official thread? ;>)

[leilani]

Somebody should do it this evening, I’d say, so people can look up the race & TV coverage schedules, post links for everybody to pre-race analysis, and bookmark the thread.

But are you gonna do it or is R4F? Please, let’s not end up with two again. Maybe yall can armwrestle for the honors.

[leilani]

[Ready4Freddy]

Versus chimes in:

The Experts' Predictions for the Tour de France

---

Phil Liggett:

1) Alberto Contador (SPA) Team Astana: Only a fool would bet against Alberto winning again, but it is not a foregone conclusion. He will not have the guidance of Johan Bruyneel this time around and more, Bruyneel knows how he thinks and this could work against him. It is difficult to imagine anyone out-climbing the Spaniard, but he had better pay attention in the opening week of flat and dangerous roads.

2) Frank Schleck (LUX) Team Saxo Bank: Frank's victory in the Tour de Suisse after riding the best time trial of his life has projected him in to the favourites' department. His victory last Sunday in the Luxembourg road race championship, shows he is ready to outride his brother Andy and step on to the podium this time.

3) Lance Armstrong (USA) Team RadioShack:I confess this is more in hope than belief, but Lance has fought the odds all season to be ready and his rides in the Tours of Luxembourg and Suisse have shown that he is. Having announced this will be his 13th and last Tour de France, he will want to let us all know he has been a part of it.

---

Bob Roll

1) Lance Armstrong (USA) Team RadioShack: It is never a good idea to bet against Lance Armstrong and especially this year, Lance is climbing great right now and in this year's tour the long time trial doesn't come until the last Saturday.

2) Cadel Evans (AUS) Team BMC: The rainbow curse has been lifted somehow and the reigning world champ is riding high

3) Alberto Contador (SPA) Team Astana: This will not be contador's year, in fact if alexander vinokurov has his way it might not even be Contador's team Astana that he is riding for!

[leilani]

Oops. The tagline gods evidently don't speak french. Looks okay for the edit in the little box, but comes out very weird in the actual post.

Test: Un élan à vélo a percuté ma soeur!

[leilani]

Bobke:"This will not be contador's year, in fact if alexander vinokurov has his way it might not even be Contador's team Astana that he is riding for!"

Heh-heh. In addition to the Lance vs Contador sideshow, the strange bedfellows of Vino & Contador should provide some good drama too.

[Ready4Freddy]

Vino & Contador could really throw a minkey wrench in the Astana works.

'minkey' = Pink Panther French

[Mr. Blonde]

I was thinking the same about Vino. Contador has to be wondering when he will get a team that is unquestionably his.

I’m still hoping for Lance. We will see. Radio Shack is probably going to have to figure out how to drop Contador somewhere in the mountains. Not the easiest task in the world.

[stylin_geek]

I think Armstrong and Team RadioShack try to break down Contador and team Astana early in the race.

If Team RadioShack kills Team Astana early, Contador is done.

From what I can tell, Contador either doesn’t understand or doesn’t respect how much he needs a team in order to win.

My two cents, anyway.

[Ready4Freddy]

Armstrong is worried about first week of Tour

By Samuel Petrequin
updated 2 hours, 1 minute ago

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands - The Tour de France gets under way Saturday and Lance Armstrong says he doesn’t expect to win the 5.5-mile prologue of what will be his last ride in cycling’s premier event.

The short and mainly flat stage through the Dutch port of Rotterdam’s city center doesn’t feature major problems, but Armstrong has recently struggled in the discipline. He used to dominate his rivals in time trials during his heyday.

Last year, his failure in the Annecy time trial hampered his chances in his comeback attempt to win the Tour for the eighth time. Armstrong eventually finished third.

cont'd at link

[Ready4Freddy]

Can Armstrong win the Tour one last time? / Lance might be too old, but has one big factor working in his favor: revenge

[leilani]

Thanks. That piece by Bill Strickland you just linked to was a good one, particularly for those who might not have kept up with how Armstrong's been performing in pre-Tour races this year.

Strickland offers a pretty realistic baseline assessment of his chances along with the requisite caveat that, more so than with any other rider, both the intensity of his psychological motivations and his uncanny instincts in the saddle can be the unpredictable wild cards with him, either one of which could put him on a podium which nobody expected to ever see him on again.

[FlatulentAtty]

Maybe yall can armwrestle for the honors.

FlatulentAtty has requested that I respond to you. He regrets that he will be unable to arm wrestle personally, being involved in many different sporting events this weekend alone, including, but not limited to, full-contact Fuel Dragster RC Barbie Car racing. Barbie will be handling his throttle, of course.

FlatulentAtty therefore suggests that they have their babes nud wrestle for posting honors. FlA designates these two as his seconds. ~Della S, but you may refer to me by my super-duper secret alcohol-fueled FlatulentAtty codename - STFU.

[FlatulentAtty]

[Ready4Freddy]

Gotta get their shot in on the eve of the race, I guess:

WSJ 7/2/10 - Blood Brothers - Cyclist Floyd Landis gives an exclusive tour through what he and others say is a culture of systematic doping in the sport..