Some Random Pro News

Two of my favorite riders will be making team changes next season. Juan Antonio Flecha, the only Spanish classics specialist, will be heading to one of the premier classics teams---Rabobank. With the exception of Quick Step and Davitamon Lotto, what better team could there be for him? He's definitely under-appreciated at Fassa Bortolo (the Petacchi-only club), and will hopefully make Rabobank more successful in the Spring than they have been the last couple of seasons.

Also, Alexandre Vinokourov will be leaving T-Mobile for an undisclosed new team. All I can say to that is THANK GOD. T-Mobile has some of the worst management ever, very little coordination and teamwork, and can only stifle a rider like Vino. As long as T-Mobile continues to insist that Ullrich will ever be as good as he was in 1997, the team will fail to achieve true greatness. Ullrich's only real chance was in 2003, and then only because Lance lost 15 pounds due to dehydration---and he wasn't even on T-Mobile/Telekom that year!!

Anyway, it will be good to see Vino in another team's kit. Unfortunately, he is apparently being heavily courted by three French teams: Cofidis, Ag2r and Credit Agricole. It's not a good sign when you leave the best German team that can never win the Tour just to go to a French team that can never win the Tour. Nobody sucks more at winning the Tour than the French these days.