Lance Armstrong no longer riding for Kazakhstan

Posted By Brian Fung Thursday, July 23, 2009 - 5:52 PM Share

Lance Armstrong has announced he'll be launching a new U.S. cycling team once the Tour de France concludes on July 26. Which means he won't be riding for Kazakhstan again.

Dubbed "Team RadioShack," the new group is sponsored by the electronics giant and expects to compete in the 2010 Tour de France. It's probably fitting that Armstrong is looking ahead. His position in the current Tour might be enviable by any other standard, but the 37-year-old admits he'll be lucky to take second-place in Paris:

'Yes, it's still my goal, I think it's possible," Armstrong said. "I just need to work hard on the time-trial tomorrow. ... We still have two big days.' "

The announcement came after Armstrong's Astana teammate Alberto Contador broke away from the pack Wednesday, in the last alpine stage of the race. And while Contador has upped his chances of winning the Tour (he leads the next closest challenger by more than two minutes), he's all but left the rest of his team in the dust. So much for cameraderie.

AFP/GETTY IMAGES

 
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THEFIGUREHEAD

3:46 AM ET

July 24, 2009

Eh...

"And while Contador has upped his chances of winning the Tour (he leads the next closest challenger by more than two minutes), he's all but left the rest of his team in the dust. So much for cameraderie."

Is that some kind of joke? It's a bike race, not a Sunday morning ride with some friends, Contador and Klöden were the only riders on Astana who could follow the attacks. Neither did Contador had an obligation to tow Klöden, who was cooked, the rest of the stage. You know, there are other teams in Tour de France than Astana and the only thing Contador needs to do is to make sure he wins. After all, he is the captain and no one else.

 

BRIAN FUNG

10:52 AM ET

July 24, 2009

It may be a race, but it's

It may be a race, but it's not a free-for-all. Hence the teams. And the (controversial) radios. As far as I and many other commentators are concerned, Contador took an unnecessary risk by making his own attack and suffered a lapse in team discipline. And that recklessness became an unnecessary setback to another teammate.
 

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