Bruyneel: Armstrong is in good shape
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Although he is only three days into the Astana team’s first pre-season training camp on the island of Tenerife, Lance Armstrong has already shown team manager Johan Bruyneel that he will be ready for the new season.
“Yeah, he’s in good shape,” said Bruyneel when the team returned to base after their third training spin of the camp, a three and a quarter hour ride, which according to the Belgian included "a few hills, but nothing special."
“I expected him to be in good shape, you know. Lance has been training for a while. Most of the guys started maybe three or four weeks ago, while some guys started a week ago. So, you know, he is definitely in the top three of the team right now”.
The seven-time Tour winner’s comeback has attracted plenty of media attention to the Astana team already, with upwards of 20 TV stations due to attend a press conference in Tenerife Thursday. With team bonding sessions, such as surfing lessons on Playa De Las Americas, in between training rides, Bruyneel noted that Armstrong’s presence at camp has only affected the team in a positive manner.
“There are eight new guys on the team this year,” he explained. “It’s by doing other stuff together that they start to gel together a little bit better. We are going to do something else on Friday, but everybody is already super motivated. That is something I have already noticed with Lance coming back. It’s early in the season, so it’s not only about training. The training is actually the least important part of this training camp.”
When asked whether Astana can win all three major Tours next year and about the media’s ongoing debate over who will be team leader for the Tour De France in 2009, Bruyneel laughed.
“Everything is the same within the team, there is just more attention … more journalists. We don’t care what they say. I don’t see any major problem. There have been no problems (between Armstrong and Contador). On paper we have a strong team yes, but first we have to make sure everybody stays healthy and nobody has any physical problems. Then it’s just a matter of trying to put the strongest team together for the big races."
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