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Date Posted: 16:55:38 09/02/04 Thu
Author: dura ace
Subject: Re: Vuelta favorites?
In reply to: LAHobo 's message, "Re: Vuelta favorites?" on 15:37:36 09/02/04 Thu

>>It doesn't tell you much at all. Sometimes a team (or
>>company) grabs something on the market just to keep
>>someone else from getting it, or to "take out" a
>>potential competitor. (see USPS/Bruyneel/Heras, 2000)
>
>I disagree with your analysis of USPS's motives in
>acquiring Heras.

Huh? I didn't post any analysis of USPS's motives.

>I doubt USPS ever thought of Heras
>as a serious threat.

I didn't say they did. But it certainly is a possibility. Another is that, as I suggested, they wanted Heras on their side as opposed to being on a rival's side.

>Armstrong and Bruyneel have
>stated on numerous occasions (and history has, for the
>most part, agreed) that the winner of the Tour will be
>an all-arounder, rather than just a pure climber.

You are overlooking the fact that it is the Tour organizers who design the parcours, not Armstrong and Bruyneel. Some Tours in the past had as many as FIVE flat time trials. Armstrong and Bruyneel could never have known, especially back in 2000 when they brought Heras on board, what the routes would be like in subsequent years.

>USPS needed domestique help in the high mountains and
>that's how they used Heras. Anything is possible, but
>I don't have any reason to think that there was any
>additional motives.

Armstrong never got much support from Heras in the high mountains. Of course they couldn't have known that ahead of time, but I think they moved so quickly on Heras's potential to have him on board as opposed to a rival having him. Postal never really needed Heras, I think they knew it from the beginning, and again he didn't provide much consistent support (Rubiera was the better domestique), but they also didn't want the little climber being used by a rival to attack Lance. This is what companies do sometimes, they buy something up to keep a competitor from having it.

>
>>Nozal may or may not have been a fluke last year but
>>whatever Saiz really thinks of his potential, it is
>>unlikely that his acquisition of Heras had anything to
>>do with that.
>
>I don't know how you can draw that conclusion. If
>Saiz thought Nozal had more potential than Heras I
>don't see any reason he would bring in Heras and have
>Nozal be his domestique for both the Tour and Vuelta.
>Just doesn't seem logical to me.

Huh? The word potential means what it means. It doesn't mean Nozal is there yet today. Look at Heras himself. He WON the Vuelta, then was a domestique at USPS for years. Nozal is in no way, shape, or form a rider yet that Saiz is gonna feel he can put his entire team behind, especially in the Tour.

>
>>Heras reportedly is making less money
>>than he did at USPS too.
>
>I've heard it both ways. Where did you get your info
>on this?

Manolo Saiz quote.

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