Riis defends sending home of Schleck and O'Grady
Saxo Bank's Danish team manager, Bjarne Riis, has defended his decision to send Andy Schleck and Stuart O'Grady home from this year's Vuelta a Espana.
Riis found the pair to have violated internal team rules after they went out for a drink following a team dinner on Monday, the first day of rest on this year's route.
After O'Grady told the press that he and Schleck had only had one beer after the dinner, Riis said that the Australian's version of the events was untrue.
”The fact is that we know what occurred. It is clear that if they had just one beer, they wouldn’t be thrown out, but we have rules and they must be respected," Riis told Danish channel TV 2. "And they didn’t respect them.”
Pair set to leave Saxo Bank
Shifting his focus to the World Road Race Championships in Australia later this month, O'Grady said the Vuelta was his final start with Saxo Bank after racing with the team since 2006.
Along with his older brother Frank, Schleck is also set to leave Riis' Danish outfit as he joins a still unnamed Luxembourgian outfit for 2011. Contrary to O'Grady, Schleck has said that he intends to start in several events for Saxo Bank in October.
When the Schleck brothers announced their departure in July, Riis, an experienced manager and Tour de France winner, reacted quickly to sign current world number one Alberto Contador from Team Astana.
Contador on board
Speaking after his meeting with Contador at this year's Vuelta, Riis reinstated his excitement to have the world's best rider on his team for 2011.
“I’m proud that Alberto is joining us. And I don’t think I need to be disappointed about Andy and Frank’s decision. I’ve got some good memories and we worked well together," Riis told L'Equipe. "They’ve taken one road and I’m taking another. That’s life, that’s cycling. I’m starting a new page."
Next season will likely see Contador and Schleck face each other in the Tour de France for the third season in a row. Schleck finished second in the overall standings in 2009 and 2010, losing to Contador both times.
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