Go Team Radio Shack!

[Possegal]

Well it really is kind of "details". Garmin and Columbia aren't considered US teams, they ARE US teams, and RadioShack will be as well. Each team has a country they are actually registered in for their UCI license.
http://www.uciprotour.com/templates/...U2MTU&LangId=1
Garmin and Columbia are registered in the US. No one says Astana is a US team due to Lance, or a Spanish team due to Contador, or a Belgian team due to Bruyneel. It is a Kazakhstan* team because that is where it is registered. RadioShack, by all I've read, will be registered in the US, so it will be a US team. The nationality of the DS or the team members or any minor sponsors, will be "details".

* - though in an odd twist, the listing of teams from the Tour of California lists Luxombourg as its country, but that is the only place I have seen that and the UCI site doesn't say that
http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com...am-astana.html

I think we can all agree though that in most cases (perhaps excluding Euskaltel) the team may have a country due to where it is registered, but the reality is a very international team. That's one of the coolest aspects of cycling to me.

[papaver]

2 belgians have signed up for RadioShack:

Sébastien Rosseler
Gert Steegmans

Expected for 2011 : two times Tour de Flanders winner Stijn Devolder.

[PinkBike]

i thought they weren't allowed to announce until september 1st?

why would steegmans go to radio shack? they have no sprinter for him to lead out and no one to lead out for him. why would stijn devolder go there? they have no real classics interests. hmm, no real sprinters, no real climbers, no real classics riders, anyone who signs on will be there solely for lance to win the tour. and i cant see him beating alberto OR a schleck. and then in 2010, lance will realize he's just too old and where will that leave the team? i just dont see it as longterm. if they were they would be seeking out younger talent, and i read taylor finney was not going there after all.

astana is loudly announcing to everyone who will listen that alberto is indeed under contract to them next year.

vinokourov will be riding the vuelta according to velonews. oh boy. (snark)

and jens voigt will be riding the tour of missouri! as will mark cavendish! i would love to be there for that!

i like stijn devolder right where he's at, with boonen and chavanel at quick step.

i just hope i can find a way to watch the vuelta!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[papaver]

Well, it's officially announced here so.... and who says they are only interested in the tour? That would be silly. There's a lot more to pro-cycling than just the tdf pleezzzzz.

Those three cyclists are very close to Johan Bruyneel. Steegmans would be perfect to help out Devolder in de classics.

Devolder and Quickstep, it's not exactly a perfect marriage. There's a lot of critisism on both sides. By the way, QS is seriously trying to sign contador. There's even a chance that Boonen will leave QS.

[Possegal]

UCI regulations forbid 'official' notification of anything prior to Sept 1. Teams and riders can be fined for doing so. Doesn't mean that the info isn't leaking out there, because it is. But nothing "official" has come out and won't until Sept 1. But radioshack has said they have an interest in riders for the classics. We don't know who else they have signed or are trying to sign, but they don't seem to be just building a TdF team for Lance. Only time will tell, but they seem to be trying to build for a longterm future, as well as to help Lance compete for the podium in 2010. And Taylor Phinney has said he isn't ready to move up from the U23 development team, though it seems that is the future intent.

I've never been so anxious for September 1st to roll around.

[carinapir]

Well it really is kind of "details". Garmin and Columbia aren't considered US teams, they ARE US teams, and RadioShack will be as well. Each team has a country they are actually registered in for their UCI license.

It's kind of scary to me that no one seemed to notice that Garmin and Columbia were strong American teams in this year's TdF. I suppose that you could stay that both of their top performers were British but is Lance really all we Americans can pay attention to?

I kind of hope that Contador goes to Garmin, as is also rumored, but only if he could fit in. Those boys are great!

Carina

[papaver]

Another young talent has signed up for Team RadioShack. Ben Herman is 23 and a promising climber. That's Belgian number 3...