Team RadioShack releases final 2010 roster

by VeloNews.com

Lance Armstrong will have some familiar faces as he rides into the second season of comeback campaign.

Team boss Johan Bruyneel revealed the final, 26-rider roster that will debut in Radio Shack colors next season as part of the pair’s new top-level pro team that’s taking aim at the biggest races of the year.

Open for business. The team service course at Mellow Johnny's in Austin. Photo: Brad Kaminski.

Open for business. The team's U.S. service course at Mellow Johnny's in Austin. Photo: Brad Kaminski.

Joining Armstrong will be more than a half-dozen riders who rode together in an Astana jersey through the turbulent 2009 season, including Levi Leipheimer, Chris Horner, Jani Brajkovic, José Luís Rubiera, Yaroslav Popovych, Haimar Zubeldia and Andreas Kloeden.

New names crossing over to the start-up Radio Shack team include classics riders Geert Steegmans and Sebastien Rosseler and familiar faces such as Jason McCartney and Fumiyuki Beppu.

Overall, Bruyneel says the team should be highly competitive throughout the year.

“It is a well-balanced team. We have experienced riders, with some of them I worked already many in my former teams, but we also have young talents who can develop in the perfect environment,” Bruyneel said in a team release Monday. “I am happy that our sponsors want to invest in the future of cycling.”

With Armstrong and a powerful team around him, it’s natural that the team’s first goal will be Tour de France.

Armstrong rode to an impressive third in his comeback Tour after three years away from the elite level of the sport.

Bruyneel promised that the team will not be a one-trick pony, adding that it expects to be competitive across the season, from on-day races to week-long events where its deep squad can rack up strong results ahead of the Tour and the other grand tours.

“Our main goal will be the Tour de France and other stage races, but I am confident that, with these riders, we can perform very well in the one-day races as well,” Bruyneel said. “I look forward to the new season with Team RadioShack and our first training camp.”

The team will assemble for its first training camp in the second week of December in Arizona.

Team RadioShack for 2010

Riders: Lance Armstrong (USA), Fumiyuki Beppu (JAP), Sam Bewley (NZL), Jani Brajkovic (SLO), Matthew Busche (USA), Ben Hermans (BEL), Chris Horner (USA), Daryl Impey (SAF), Markel Irizar (SPA), Andreas Klöden (GER), Levi Leipheimer (USA), Geoffroy Lequatre (FRA), Fuyu Li (CHI), Tiago Machado (POR), Jason McCartney (USA), Dmitriy Muravyev (KAZ), Sérgio Paulinho (POR), Yaroslav Popovych (UKR), Gregory Rast (SUI), Sébastien Rosseler (BEL), Ivan Rovny (RUS), José Luis Rubiera (SPA), Bjorn Selander (USA), Gert Steegmans (BEL), Tomas Vaitkus (LIT) & Haimar Zubeldia (SPA)
Sports Manager: Johan Bruyneel (BEL)
Sports Directors: Dirk Demol (BEL), Alain Gallopin (FRA), Viatcheslav Ekimov (RUS) & José Azevedo (POR)

Categories : News, Road

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  • al_in_philly
    I know he's young, but I'm surprised they didn't bring Taylor Phinney on board. My crazy theory has been that this whole escapade was to ultimately have Lance help create the next big American brand name in cycling: Taylor Phinney. I suppose time will tell.
  • And now . . . down to the business at hand! I'm sooo exctired.
  • Looks like the Shack is stacked for one leader. That be Lance.
  • budonkadonk
    The Lance show continues - its still worth milking after all
  • Wuz
    Answer: Fumiyuki Beppu, Fuyu Li. Question: Name two riders you never heard of since leaving team Discovery.
  • lizardbiker
    Yawn. Try a real race Lance, like Race Across America, where you can't hire a lot of good cyclists to draft off of until the end. Either retire, or do a real race.
  • drs127
    Yawn? Are you kidding me? Yeah, the Giro, TDF, and Tour of California are not "real" races. Then why aren't you racing them? Nothing against the Race Across America, but you realize these guys are averaging 26-27 mph at the TDF throughout the race (compared to 14-15 at RAAM).
  • lizardbiker
    Drafting. And if you consider the nap times the drafters get, their overall average is about 7mph. RAAM is 50% longer than TdF and is completed in half the time.
  • I hope this is just a troll, and not someone who is serious.
  • FF1
    Time to take your medication.
  • lizardbiker
    Did your kid help with that reply? Lame. Like TdF. Like team radio shack. Yawn.
  • pbc917
    If you took the time to click on the story, read it, ("boring" though, right?) then post a comment, you could have least had posted something intelligent.
    Anyhow, isn't a Raam a pickup truck?
  • lizardbiker
    That's a ram, which has a higher IQ than you, and like Team radio shack and the TdF, you rate a big YAWN.
  • We can't argue with ignorance, Liz.
  • awesome.
  • waliente
    Love to see there are two Asian faces (Beppu & Li) in the squad, a Chinese and a Japanese.
  • xrunner
    Beppu and Li have me wondering whether they were signed for their riding talent, or if they're there only to serve the Radio Shack's global marketing objectives.
  • Katy
    Poetry in Motion...Service Course gone Mellow. Like that. Connected, kt
  • Team Radio Shack releases final roster for 2010!
  • Alfredo
    Big things to come for this team, wohooo!
  • Javier Gonzalez
    you must put gregory Rast on the important race's because yes indeed he was the one pulling the team on the tour...DO NOT,I REPEAT DO NOT leave him out he is one of the strong rider's you have....
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