Johan Bruyneel voiced that Alberto Contador’s absence will make no difference on Andy Schleck’s training programme
Johan Bruyneel of Team RadioShack-Nissan is optimistic that his star rider Andy Schleck will claim the overall win at the most prestigious race of the year, Tour de France 2012.
Andy secured the first runner-up spot during the most recent version of the race and it was the third consecutive time for the Luxembourg cyclist to have ended at the second overall position.
However, he has now been declared as the winner of the Tour de France 2010 after Contador’s disqualification.
The Spaniard was stripped off from all the victories since the 2010 edition French Grand Tour after the jury handed him a two-year ban from professional cycling.
The cyclist cannot participate in the international level of cycling until August 2012, which will prevent him from riding at the Tour de France, Giro d’ Italia and the 2012 Olympic Games.
Team RadioShack-Nissan General Manager Johan Bruyneel revealed that Contador’s absence from the tour will not make any difference to Andy’s racing plans.
He told dhnet.be, “Contador’s absence from the start of the next Tour doesn’t change our plans at all, even if the race will undoubtedly be more difficult to control, I’ve heard that Evans thinks the Tour would be more difficult to win without Alberto at the start”.
Bruyneel continued, “I talked with Andy for a long time after the Contador verdict and he doesn’t consider himself as the true winner of the 2010 Tour”.
The 26-year-old has participated in as many as seven Grand Tours, one Giro, four Tour and two Vuelta participations.
He is definitely amongst the favourites to claim the overall title at the 2012 edition of the French race.
Team RadioShack-Nissan is amongst the top sides for the season ahead and Andy will be accompanied by some of the biggest names in cycling at the coming races.
Andy is considered as one of the best climbers in the sport which will give him a great advantage in France. However, it is believed that the Luxembourg cyclist struggles against the clock.
With over a hundred kilometres of time trialling involved at the 2012 version of the French Grand Tour, Andy without doubt, will have to improve his time trialling skills to claim the top podium position.
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