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@safin : nope landis is still banned but there is always interesting to have his point of view.
Pre tour Interview by Johan Bruyneel.
Quote:
PRE-TOUR TIME WITH JOHAN BRUYNEEL
It's Tour Time for Team Astana and Johan Bruyneel is ready for the action to begin. Johan talks about selecting a Tour team, planning for certain stages and fills us in on his family, too. Best of luck at the Tour, Johan!
Cathy: Seems like you’ve gotten a lot of flack for the team selection, I would gather mostly from the Americans. But there is a lot that goes into picking the right combination of guys I would think—it isn’t only about the level of someone’s fitness I have to presume. Can you share with us some of the factors you weigh when selecting a team?
JB: Oh yes, the response has been quite interesting, especially on my twitter account! And I knew that some people would be upset with the decision. It was a tough decision to make, but I guess that it’s also a good “problem” to have – Better more talent than a lack of talent, right? There are a lot of factors that go into a decision and I’ll go into a few of them with you …
Team spirit or chemistry – whatever you want to call it. Somewhat very underestimated, but if I don’t think a rider will gel well with the team or possibly disrupt the atmosphere then I’m very cautious. It’s amazing how the mood of a team can really affect the outcome of a race.
Obviously I look for riders who have experience riding a three-week Grand Tour. We don’t bring anyone to the Tour that hasn’t ridden the Vuelta or Giro before; and even better if that rider has been on a winning team in those situations, meaning he knows how to handle his job in the bigger situations.
The team needs to be balanced and with that I mean – we can’t have 9 excellent climbers. We need good climbers, but also people that can ride on the front, chase down the breaks, keep everything in control. We have a TTT this year, and we’ve seen how important those can be, so you need to figure that in as well.
Of course, you need to also factor in how the rider has been performing this year, injuries the rider has sustained throughout the season and the effect it may have in the tour and sponsors. It’s no surprise that the team is 95% funded by the title sponsor, so you need to take that into account when making decisions.
There’s a lot that goes into it and it’s not a decision that I take lightly.
Besides you, who else gives feedback to the process?
JB: I’ll talk things over with the other directors going to the Tour; this year Alain, Dirk and Eki. It’s interesting to see everyone’s viewpoints and analysis of the riders. Nowadays, they see the riders more than I do, so it’s important that I talk with each one.
You’ve picked a powerful team—many other directors probably wish they had your “problem” of too much talent! Can you comment on the caliber of this particular team compared to some of your others?
JB: Six riders who have finished in the top ten of the Tour de France. Four of those six have been on the podium. Two of those four have won the Tour! Not too bad! It’s certainly one of the stronger teams, if not the strongest team on paper, but as you know, the paper doesn’t mean much unless you win. So let’s not get over-confident here and forget about our rivals. We need to stay focused and not worry about where this team compares to others.
The cycling news sites and cycling fans are almost foaming at the mouth for some internal strife to develop between Alberto and Lance. I have a hard time imagining that either of them would act less than professional. The goal afterall is for someone on the team to win, not for everyone on the team to lose! Do you worry about personality clashes or do you feel content that two potential leaders won’t be a problem?
JB: I’m not worried. You’re right when you talk about the media wanting to see this dramatic situation develop. They like to create things, analyze every move, every word. We can’t get caught up with what they write. We need to stay focused and I believe the team will do just that. We’re all professionals here and we buy into the common goal – putting a rider on that top step. If someone doesn’t buy into that, then it’s best that that rider stays home.
It’s always true in cycling that the racing itself settles most matters of whom is the leader. Do you have some stages in mind that you think will shake things out for Team Astana? And do you ever target specific stages that you especially want a team rider to win?
JB: Cathy, you know I can’t give all my secrets away! We’ve done some training on a few stages and obviously the TTT will be important for the entire team. And then there are some other stages that I have in mind. I look at each individual stage, but ALWAYS keep in mind the big picture. But if I tell you everything now, it’ll take away from the July fun!
What a difference a year makes! One year ago no Tour at all for us, now back with two Tour champions! Sometimes it must seems a little surreal to you?
JB: If you told me last year, that I would be going to the Tour this year with Lance and Alberto, I would have told you to go see a doctor! But it’s great – great for the sport, sponsors, fans. And also great for the global cancer mission, led by the Lance Armstrong Foundation. I guess this proves that you can never really script life!
It was a good win by Alberto in the Spanish championships. Besides the fact that he won, how did you think he seemed that day—is he calm about the Tour and is he looking forward to racing?
JB: Alberto was very strong for the Spanish Championships and is looking great for the Tour. I’m very happy how we planned his season. He is calm, but very focused on the race. I think his win added to his confidence in time-trials, where he’s made some nice improvements with the help of Steve Hed, Trek, SRAM and Giro. This is also a new time-trial bike, so it was also important for him in terms of feeling comfortable and “one” with the bike.
Ok, that's all good to know. So can you update us on your book, too -- what languages are you published in now?
JB: Yes, the new paperback book just came out in the US. It has a new cover with Lance and I also added an afterword. So many people wanted to know about last year so I thought we should just add it to the book. So besides English, which is in the US, Canada, UK and Australia; we also have Dutch for both the Belgians and Hollanders; Japanese, German and I believe it just came out in the Czech Republic! (Editor Note – You can purchase Johan’s book in the multiple languages on his website - :: Johan Bruyneel::)
Can you also tell us how your family is, especially how the children are doing, plus we hope Eva is feeling good too!
JB: Thanks for asking about my family. They are absolutely wonderful. School just ended for Victoria so she is very happy to be spending her days in the pool. She loves to swim. Christian is a wonderful baby – Looks like another Bruyneel! (laughing) All three will actually meet me in Monaco for a few days. It will be nice for them and also give me the last opportunity to spend some time with them before the race begins. That’s really the worst part about July – you don’t see your family. But we’ll make up for it in August!
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source : :: Astana Cycling Team ::
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