No Tour for Astana

whiteboytrash

any word from the Hog ? why are they not talking ?

earth_dweller

The bitch slap heard around the world....

Leafer

Pez has the Astana press release:

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=5664

"We maybe have a too strong team now?" Oh just stfu and go away, Johan.

docgtn

Are you kidding me. Your team actually is too strong. Unnaturally strong in fact. SuperHuman strong perhaps. Oh I've got it Bionic Man Strong. We can make him better strong.

TheDarkLord

The press release touches on the UCI-ASO fight. So far so good. Then, when he talks of credibility of TdF, I think he loses it. What were the main positives/incidents last time - Sinkewitz of T-Mobile, Vino of Astana, Moreni of Confidis, and Chicken of Rabobank. The biggest news makers were Astana and Rabobank. Rabobank got brownie points with ASO by expelling Chicken at the verge of clinching victory. OTOH, Astana was disgraced further by Kash's positive later. So, purely from scandal standpoint, ASO has good reason/cover for why Astana and only Astana (ok, don't have a clue as to what is happening with Confidis) should be banned from this year's TdF. So, it doesn't ruin credibility as JB claims (of course, this is just IMO).....

thoughtforfood

Haven't seen you around here before, but I like your style. Welcome aboard!

__________________
If this van is a'rockin, don't come a'knockin

whiteboytrash

yes last years Dauphine was a joke.... Astana were toying with the entire with the peleton winning stages when they felt like it.......

Bro Deal

That was actually a good sign for the sport as a whole. The fact that they were so superior shows the rest of the field was not doping to the same degree. Vino and Kash stuck out like a sore thumb and that was probably one of the reasons they were targeted.

__________________
"You are like the wind and I like the lion. You form the tempest. The sand stings my eyes and the ground is parched. I roar in defiance but you do not hear. But between us there is a difference. I, like the lion, must remain in my place. While you like the wind will never know yours." -- Mulay Hamid El Raisuli, Lord of the Riff, Sultan to the Berbers, Last of the Barbary Pirates

Frigo's Luggage

He could ride for my club. We will even through in a free kit.

__________________
We are all made of stars.

Frigo's Luggage

Does anybody know which of the Astana guys were smart enough to put an escape clause in their contracts with the Hog?

__________________
We are all made of stars.

Klodifan

It's not the beginning of a new era. It's just smoke and mirrors.

padawan

Yep. Salvoldeli. He saw the writing on the wall.

C'dale Girl

Exactly. PR at its best. I get a little worried myself when I "hear" and "feel" the excited energy from people in their posts . . . I hate to be the negative nelly, but I really hope people don't get their hopes up TOO much only to end up really disappointed in the end. Let the buyer beware imo . . . . I mean, I really hope I'm wrong and that this upcoming season can give people faith in the sport again . . . . but, I'll believe it when I see it. Well, not even then really . . .kinda hard to prove a negative.

earth_dweller

Savoldelli is not with Astana this year, he bailed at the end of 2007.