"I cannot guarantee you an eighth Tour victory," Armstrong said. "But I can guarantee you that the Livestrong message will touch all aspects of our society, all continents of our society and certainly touch all the different aspects of cancer."
Astana The deputy president of the Kazakhstan cycling federation said Armstrong will join the Kazakh-financed Astana team.
Tour Down Under Officials at Australia's Tour Down Under stage race, held in January, announced that Armstrong was confirmed to resume his road racing career at the event.
“Lance participating in the Tour Down Under will mean the biggest influx of overseas and interstate visitors to any sporting event in South Australia’s history," said the region's premier, Mike Rann.
"I believe Armstrong will become a new sporting brand for Kazakhstan," he added. "He's a great sportsman and courageous man and he will exemplify Kazakhstan's rising talents in the best possible way."
Proskurin also said that Armstrong would share the leadership in the team with the current leader, Spaniard Alberto Contador, the 2007 Tour de France winner who has won both the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España this season. Contador said on Monday that he was reluctant to ride with Armstrong if that meant the American would take over leadership of the team.
"It would be quite complicated. I think I've earned the right to be the leader of a team without having to fight for it," he said in the interview published Tuesday. "And with Armstrong, there could be difficult situations in which the team would put him first and that would harm me."
Proskurin said he recognized the potential for problems, but expressed confidence that the issue would be resolved.
"Currently there's certain tension in the team but I hope we are capable of keeping the situation under control," Proskurin said. "Armstrong will not be the only star; he will be one of the team's leaders."
Sem comentários:
Enviar um comentário