I was invited to take part in a press conference with George Hincapie and Johan Bruyneel from the Discovery Channel Cycling Team. How I got the invite is a long story. I unfortunately didn’t have a lot of time to prepare for this and I don’t have a lot of the training that other journalists have to partake and record something like this. I took notes during the conference and I’ve written them up below. My quotes are not exact. My wording generally gets the gist of the questions asked and the answers given. They are not intended to be direct quotes given by anyone there. I obviously didn’t get all the participants names correct. Part of my problem was that I was listening in a very busy office and had people interrupting me at a few points during the call. Hopefully you’ll find this interesting though.
Sal from USA
Q: Now that Lance isn’t racing, has the contract with Discovery Channel put a lot of pressure on the team to perform?
A: The Discovery Channel is in the business of telling stories. There are many stories to be told about the Tour de France this year. The Discovery Channel is still interested in telling them with or without Lance.
Bonnie:
Q: What changes in mentality or approach have you had to make after Lance?
A: Johan: We must be more flexible and able to adapt. In the past we had a pre-defined goal at the beginning of the year: Defend Lance in the tour. This year that is very different. We need to be able to adapt and adjust our goals to meet the situation.
Kip McLeary
Q: George: What was your preparation like after Dauphine Libere?
A: George: I took 4 days off to rest. I raced in a Team Time Trial and then I dove into doing recon work for the Tour.
Ed Wyatt
Q: How is the dynamic going to play out if you have to pick a leader?
A: Johan: The composition of the team determines the team dynamic. This team was picked to emphasize strategic thinkers on the road. The team was picked for good dynamics. The emphasis was on a team that has flexibility so that we’re able to react to the different things that can happen. One of Discovery Channel’s big roles this year is to disturb the race from day 1. We want to be aggressive. We’re not in the position of having to defend the jersey. That is new for us.
Ed Wyatt:
Q: George: Can you win the tour this year?
A: George: I’ve been training all year for it. I don’t know. I hope I can. I’m in the best shape of my life.
Phillip Hersch
Q: Johan: Does this feel like 1999 for you?
A: Johan: There are some similarities. But in 1999 the big guns from 1998 were not in the tour (Ullrich and Pantani). In 2006 they are definitely there.
There are many big differences though. First of all, Lance isn’t racing the tour. Basso and Ullrich are. Discovery Channel is the underdog this year. These differences are good things. We’re hoping that we can fly under the radar a little bit and execute our strategy.
Phillip Hersch
Q: George: If it can’t be a Discovery Channel rider who wins the tour, would it be good to have it be another American?
A: George: Yes! This is a very exciting time for US cyclists.
???
Q: George: You’ve got GC aspirations this year. How was your training different than in the past?
A: George: I concentrated much more on climbing and time trials. I spent 3 or 4 days per week on the TT bike doing intervals to improve my time trialing ability. My hope is to possibly lead the team.
A: George: I concentrated much more on climbing and time trials. I spent 3 or 4 days per week on the TT bike doing intervals to improve my time trialing ability. My hope is to possibly lead the team.
???
Q: Johan: I noticed there are no sprinters on the Tour de France team this year.
A: Johan: The preference of the team is to go for high GC finishers and stage wins. The sprinters on the Discovery Channel team did not show the ability to compete with guys like Boonen and McEwen in the lead up to the tour. It takes 3 or 4 riders to support a sprinter in the tour. It didn’t make sense for us to put that emphasis on the team if we’re realistically going to be competing for 4th place in the sprints.
John Lester from AP.
Q: George: How much excitement is there in the US
A: George: I haven’t been in the US
John Lester from AP:
Q: George: US
A: George: Not at all. US
John Lester from AP:
Q: Who are the up and coming cyclists in the US
A: George: It is hard to comment on that. There are many talented 20 and 21 year old cyclists in the US
Kathy Neal
Q: Can you tell us a little about the rider on your team named Martinez
A: Johan. Egoi Martinez may be unknown to Americans, but this is his 2nd or 3rd tour. He’s also competed in the Vuelta 3 or 4 times. He is a Basque rider who is very strong and aggressive. I’ve followed his career for years. He fits very well with the team and its goals. He’s aggressive. He climbs well. He is well equipped to go with breaks. He is a very complete rider and very motivated.
James Stark
Q: Johan: What are Ullrich and Basso’s weak points?
A: Johan: Those two are above the rest in the peloton. Their weak point as I see it is that they haven’t had to take charge of a big race like the tour for 3 weeks. We’ve controlled the race for the last 7 years. Teams just don’t have the experience doing that.
Team managers have forgotten how hard it is to control a 3-week race.
Ullrich is worse off than Basso. If Basso takes second in the Tour, he’s still had a great season. He won the Giro. Ullrich is different. Without a win at the tour, he has no chance for glory.
James Stark:
Q: Johan: Besides Basso and Ullrich, who is the most dangerous in the GC?
A: Johan: I always hate these questions where I have to list people. I always leave someone out. We’ve got 4 GC contenders (Hincapie, Savodelli, Popovych, Azevedo). We’re the only team that can say that. Others to look out for are Floyd, Levi, Menchov, and Vino.
???
Q: Johan: What is Lance’s role in the Tour de France this year?
A: Johan: We don’t know yet if or how much he will attend. He’s been an advisor this year and I’ve been in contact with him daily. He’s involved in the decisions on the team. I’ve asked his advice on issues. We lead the team together for 7 years.
Lance rode in the team car for a few days this year. It is hard for him to analyze races from the car. It is hard for him to judge the speed. For that reason he’ll have minimal role during the race. Out of the race he’s got a big impact.
Richard Custis
Q: Johan: Can you give a brief description of the individual riders and their contributions to the team?
A: Johan: I’ve already done this on the web site and in other places. The answer for this is very long. I’ll do a basic breakdown. We’ve basically got 4 riders who are GC contenders (Hincapie, Savodelli, Popovych and Azevedo). We’ve got 2 riders who are consistent attackers (Martinez
Richard Custis
Q: George: Do you see any key stages that are important to you?
A: George: All of the Alps . The 2 big time trials are important too.
Q: George: Are there any you’re particularly well suited for?
A: George: I’m focusing on the prolog right now.
Peter Beers:
Q: George and Johan: You mentioned that you’ve got 4 GC contenders this year. When combined with the Ride2Replace Lance on the team, how has this affected team work and team dynamics within Discovery Channel?
A: George: Things will work themselves out in the tour. We’ll see who is the strongest on a particular day/stage and work to support them.
A: Johan: This is a very new thing for the team. There are no other teams out there with 4 legitimate GC contenders. We’re in a very different situation than we’ve ever been before. The first time trial will tell us a lot. The second stage in the Pyrenees is very tough (5 climbs and a mountain top finish). The strategy will be set in the early part of the tour. We’ll attack from the beginning and go from there.
???
Q: George: How did the crash at Paris/Roubaix affect you and your training?
A: George: That day is something I’d like to forget. I took a month off from racing. I’m happy to be recovered. I’m stronger now than I have ever been.
A: Johan: That day was a big disappointment. It is always hard to say “What if” but I honestly feel like George was in the best position to win. He was stronger than he’s ever been.
George has made an amazing recovery. He’s stronger now than he was last year. Seeing him back on the bike 1 week after the crash showed me that he’s motivated to work hard.
No comments:
Post a Comment