Bouncing back and great teams

UPDATE|
Amstel Gold Race 2011
1. Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto
2. Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) Katusha
3. Simon Gerrans (Aus) Sky
4. Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Leopard-Trek
5. Alexandr Kolobnev (Rus) Katusha

|end update|

My 5 year old son said “that bust leg must be so frustrating for you dad.” Swept away by his 18 month old sister crawling up my side, “Hi there daddy.” For an old git, its a great team and I feel the world is reasonably stable. I am free to be inspired by “A Sunday in Hell” on my big screen cellphone in waiting rooms or where ever, to dream and plan a return at my leisure.

The perfect comeback is…. stronger than before! Back in with your peers. Showing your team that you don’t give up and that mutual trust is a solid thing.

Industry – trails of money – can play this different ways. Matt Lloyd won the KOM jersey in the Giro last year. Two big crashes left him with spinal damage at the end of the year. Although back, Omega Pharma Lotto dropped him from the team this week. It remains a mystery whether it is a performance issue or a team politics one. He is an important Australian rider.

By comparison, Frank Schleck is back and stronger than before after TdF smash up in 2010. Leopard Trek have many cards to play in the Ardennes – Cancellara, Schlecks (2), Wegmann. As a team they need to justify leaving Riis’ SaxoBank en masse last year. A ‘super team’ on paper, just why did they rip up their contracts last year? In the classics the score between these antagonists stands at Riis 1, L-Trek 0. How much effect does the dodgy contractual creation of L-Trek effect team spirit and results?

Much that is dodgy will be haunting Katusha and some of the Italian teams as well. Velonation reports “that information relating to five Russian riders was taken from the Katusha team headquarters by Italian NAS police. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport and L’Equipe, the five riders are past world championship runner-up and Olympic bronze medallist Alexander Kolobnev, Vladimir Karpets, Mikhail Ignatiev, Vladimir Gusev and Evgeni Petrov. Two other riders were scrutinised yesterday, namely Lampre-ISD’s Michele Scarponi and Leonardo Bertagnolli.”

In spite of doping issues around Rasmussen in the TdF a few years back, RaboBank has remained constant in its sponsorship. In the Amstel Gold Race tonight, Robert Gesink will be racing roads his father died on a year ago. I think I will start my comeback with some fun rides on the Hutt River Trail with my sons. Some one has built a skills course half way along, a great place to mess around with the team.