‘I’m better than Armstrong now,’ says Wiggins - reads the headline; of all the bike riders in the world that one should not make that statement about, Lance Armstrong is the absolute top of the list.

Has Brad placed himself on 'the Black List'?

Martin will no doubt fill in the blank here, but the man from Plano will have one of those feeds which alert him every time his name is mentioned on the ‘net. [Probably an Atom or RSS feed, or a Google filter Ed!]

I hope he didn’t read that over his 47.3 grams of organic muesli – messy!

Brad’s name will have moved from the ‘potential rivals’ file to the ‘black book list’ normally reserved for Paul Kimmage and David Walsh – you can see why I keep clear of those press conferences.

To add to Garmin and Katyusha then, we’ve got The Shack, all refusing to work in Sky breaks and pulling like hell to get them back.

Garmin, ah yes, the team that took Brad on, paid him good money, believed in him and rode their hearts out for him in the Tour – only for our boy to compare them to Wigan Athletic.

Brad might find it harder in the peloton next season.

We heard that the deal had been done, months ago, but then it all went quiet; we believe that this was so as not to rock the boat whilst Garmin were doing the deal with Transitions. But as soon as that was done, it was time to sign.

There was an interview with David Millar on Cyclingnews on Friday past, give it a read, his comments ring true, to me.

The jist of it is that Sky are rocking the boat, and before a wheel has turned in anger, are heaping pressure upon themselves.

Also in that piece is a New York Times quote from Jonathan Vaughters; ‘The way the deal went through is very disrespectful,’ are his words. No favours from Garmin, either, then.

‘I didn’t go out to piss people off,’ David Brailsford said, according to the Guardian. ‘But we’ve got thick skins. And once the racing starts, the talking will stop.’

Two observations here, if that’s him not trying, I can’t wait to see what happens when he does try – and the talking will certainly not stop, once the season starts.

Whilst the British Media may not be well clued up on pro bike racing, but they know what a win is; and given the buzz that has surrounded this team, nothing but wins will do - and not from guys with funny names, it’ll have to be good old Brits.

And let’s not forget Ben Swift; he’s probably glad of the Brad hype to take the heat off his case – but we hear a settlement is close, thank goodness. We want to see Ben moving on with his career, the man has so much potential.

Dave reckons he has a thick skin.

And finally, I thought ‘Gender Parity’ was an Amish folk singer until the last few months, but no, it’s a burning issue and is responsible for the removal of the pursuit from the Olympic agenda.

A few years ago, one of the 12, or maybe even 24 time trial guys said to John Woodburn that he should start riding those ‘man’s events’ and forget 25 mile time trials. Woodburn replied that it's competition that makes a race hard to win, not duration.

With this thought in mind, why introduce more women’s events?

If you check the UCI web site (taking Continental listings from 2009) you will find 18 Pro Tour teams, 19 Pro Continental and somewhere around 120 Continental teams; a total of 155 or-so teams.

There are a total of 25 women’s teams; and some of these are adjuncts to the men’s teams from above – Columbia and Cervelo for example.

I fail to see how a sport which has one sixth the registered teams of its male equivalent should have parity.

The GB Womens' Team Pursuit.

And the distances should be the same, in athletics the women don’t run a 66 metre sprint instead of 100; the distance shouldn’t be messed with in the team sprint.

I think the main reason for having only two girls is that most nations would struggle to get sufficient numbers to put three up for the event.

And the omnium - good luck to the commentators explaining that one; I read that there’s a move afoot to take the omnium up to six events, instead of five – presumably to make it even more complicated.

Tradition, the rider’s views, the fan’s views, none of these things matter any more; no wonder I can’t wait for Het Volk – ok, ok, I mean Het Nieuwsblad.

It’s enough to turn you to golf; there are no scandals there.

Last year at this time, life was ice cream and fairies for Dan Fleeman; he’d won the Tour of the Pyrenees; Cervelo Test Team had snapped him up and a start in a Grand Tour looked like a formality.

But pro cycling is an unforgiving sport, and 2009 didn’t go according to the script for the likeable man from Lichfield.

But don’t worry; there is a happy ending.

One of the most famous names in the history of pro cycling – Raleigh – has taken Dan on board as captain of their new squad.

Dan rode well in the Tour of Britain in September.

A disappointing year, Dan?

"Yeah, I broke my wrist in the Bayern Rundfahrt at the end of May; it totally compromised June and July for me.

"It was August before I raced again and it took six or eight weeks before I got anything like decent form."

Were there high lights to 2009?

"I was pleased with my start to the year; I rode reasonably well in the Tour of Langkawi then did decent rides in the GP Lugano and Grand Prix Indurain.

"After the Indurain, I wished I could have ridden the Tour of the Basque Country; but instead there was a gap in my programme.

"I rode well in the Fleche Wallonne, that was April 18th but I only did two races in that month. I had a big block of stage racing programmed to begin at the end of May, but I did my wrist in.

"I was pleased with how I finished the season; to get round Lombardy in respectable company was a good way to end the season."

Any ‘with hind sights?’

"I wish I hadn’t got on that plane to Germany for the Bayern!

"Seriously, I think that I over did it in the winter, I panicked a bit because I was joining such a high profile team and trained like a madman; I was tired at the start of the season, but I corrected that – it’s a mistake I won’t make again."

Working hard in the break, Tour of Britain 09.

Cervelo didn’t retain you; and left it late to tell you.

"Because of the broken wrist, I didn’t get results, but I got wind that if I did a good ride in the Tour of Britain, they might keep me.

"I was away all day in the break on my ‘home’ stage and helped Martin Reimer to third on GC – but that obviously wasn’t enough."

Did the politics of pro teams surprise you?

"Not really, remember that I was with DFL and AN Post, so I know what goes on; big teams aren’t charities – perform, or you’re out!"

Did Sky get in touch?

"No, but it would have been nice, if they did.

"What puzzles me is why they didn’t even speak to me; it’s meant to be an English team but there are only half-a-dozen English riders."

Raleigh; a legendary name, how did you get the gig?

"A friend of mine who rides vets cyclo cross and knows that the guys at Raleigh; he knew that I might be available and spoke to the management.

"I kept things moving with them but slowly, because there were other options on the go, at that time.

"But they were keen to sign a high profile rider, to get them into the Tour of Britain and to do a continental programme – I was available; there was a bit of synergy there.

"I spent a lot of time talking to them about their vision – the team is being re-launched 30 years after Joop Zoetemelk won the Tour for them; they see themselves getting back into racing in Europe in a major way over the next five years."

Dan won the British Hill Climb champs at the tail end of the season.

Do you feel a responsibility, riding for such a famous name?

"Yes, of course, it’s certainly not a bike shop team!

"And there’s responsibility upon me as team leader; at Cervelo I was well down the pecking order but here the pressure is on me to perform.

"I’m being paid to get results, but at the same time, the management attitude is very supportive."

Do you know your new team mates?

"It’s mainly young guys – the average age is 22 - like Dale Appleby, who’s ridden the Commonwealth Games for Wales and Daniel Shand – who I think will surprise a lot of people.

"They need a team leader, and that’s my job – I think if we all ride to our potential then we can have a good year."

First team get together?

"This weekend (Dec. 5/6) at Southport; it’s more of a getting to know each other than training camp – then on Monday, we go to meet the directors at Nottingham."

The Raleigh slogan was; ‘The All Steel Bicycle!’

"Not any more!

"They’re carbon, with Dura Ace, very light – nudging down towards the UCI minimum, I’d say."

How’s the programme shaping?

"We’ll get a ride in the Tour of the Pyrenees due to my having won it in the past; we’ll be in the Challenge Majorca; I’m helping with getting the programme together – we hope to ride six or eight good continental stage races.

"And there are other races we’re looking at – Langkawi and the Tour de Beauce, in Canada, for example.

"If we’re going to go abroad, we’ll be going to stage races, there’s no point in going to all that bother to ride a one day race.

"On the home front, our big targets are the Tours of Britain and Ireland – I’ve done decent rides in both races, so that won’t do us any harm.

"It has to fit in with the UK calendar, though – we only have ten riders, this year and we have to ride the big home races and selection races for The Tour of Britain."

Have you started training, yet?

"I’m doing things completely different, this year.

"Even though I had a period where I was off the bike, I started at Langkawi in early February and didn’t finish until the British Hill Climb Champs in late October – that’s nine months.

"I’ve had a break and stared on the traditional pro’s ‘first day back’ – December 1st.

"I’m doing base miles at the moment; I’ll be in Portugal for a ten day period at the end of the year so I can guarantee the weather.

"I want to be in good shape, sharp, but not flying for Majorca; I’ll probably do a little motor paced work before that."

Dan fleeman spots us at the British Champs this summer and pulls across to say hi.

Goals?

"I don’t know much about the UK races; I’ve been racing on the continent for years, now.

"But I’d like to win a Premier Calendar race in the UK and I’d like to win a stage in a UCI race.

"Like I said, we should be riding seven or eight good stage races – I’ll target four of them for a solid result.

"That’s what I did in 2008 – I was top 20 in the Tour of Ireland, top ten in the Tours of Britain and Extremadura and won the Tour of the Pyrenees.

"Another year like that would be fine!"

With thanks to Dan for his time, we’ll be keeping in touch with him as the year progresses and also taking a closer look at Raleigh.

Ben Swift.

Ben Swift – top guy, affable, always happy to chat, looks the business and has a great career ahead of him.

But – I don’t like what’s happening with this Sky business. I might be wrong - and am probably writing my own obituary here, as far as Sky interviews goes - but it smacks to me of; ‘we can’t get Brad, so we have to get some one else who can win a bit and who’s English!’

Ben should have been left where he was to mature and learn more of the ropes of pro racing in a team that helps him but puts him under no undue pressure.

Personally, I believe that Sky should have come in at Pro Continental level and built from there, with a view to going Pro Tour – and snaffling Cav? Brad? Ben? - for 2011. That way, there would have been room to manoeuvre, time to build and much, much less pressure.

Ben found the Tumble climb in the British Champs tough going.

As it stands, they’ve done what we expected – recruited all the ex-Academy/Plan guys they could get hold of; and also a strong all rounder in Boasson Hagen, just in case they couldn’t get a big British star.

But there’s the rub, for the team to get the kind of exposure and publicity that an name like Sky needs, wants and craves, the star has to have a nice simple English name. Even The Comic [Cycling Weekly Magazine] is making negative noises; ‘this is a super squad that still lacks a serious GC contender or a major British presence,’ they said in the November 26th issue.

Katyusha insist that Ben will ride with them in 2010.

On the one hand, the team played the line that; ‘yes, there’s money available, but not silly money, we’ll be paying market value and no more.’ But then the tales circulate that they were willing to give Garmin two million dollars to buy Brad out and then pay him eight million for a six year contract.

Probably exaggerations, but then we hear that they’ve poached a guy from Formula One to look after the team vehicle fleet – this hardly smacks of ‘prudence’ as my fellow Kirkcaldy boy, Gogs Brown would say.

On the track, you don’t really need to make friends and the GB steam roller has certainly flattened all opposition on the boards.

But the road is different, friends are essential, irrespective of how fat your cheque book is; whilst there are few presents in pro road racing, you have to have allies, or at least have as few people as possible who’ll want to chase you down at inopportune moments. Ask George Hincapie; seemingly headed for yellow on the Tour stage eventually won by Ivanov, Garmin decided that they didn’t want a Columbia man in yellow and launched a chase.

Before a wheel has been turned in anger, Sky are now in a position where two powerful teams – Garmin and Katyusha – will do them no favours and go out of their way to stop the English team from winning.

Apart from that, they’ve propelled Ben Swift into the centre of a media storm and an awkward situation. If he stays with the Russian squad, there’s a real risk that Katyusha won’t race him; and if he goes to Sky, there will be a huge weight of expectation upon him to perform – I just hope he’s ready for that.

Just one more t'ing sir

And under the 'just one more t'ing, sir' rule, whilst mentioning Cycling Weekly; 'the recent Dortmund and Munich Six-Days have not done as well as they once did,' that's very true in the case of Dortmund - it was cancelled.

Bert is on Specialized next season.

Next move Bert signs for Astana for a large wage rise and a possible extension to his contract and it looks like Astana will be on Specialized bikes next year too. It all looked too well organised, Specialized were hedging their bets, get a Tour winner on their bikes and loose Flanders and Roubaix wins and better still push Trek off that top step in Paris after…how many years?

We wont have to wait long to see the fireworks between Contador and his ex team-mate; Armstrong. I use the term “team-mate” loosely as I’m sure Contador and Armstrong wouldn’t use it after their conflict at the Tour. The two will meet in February in the Volta a Algarve; it’s been on the Americans Tour build-up calendar for years, including introducing a time trial just for him. Alberto now also wants to start his season on the Portuguese coast, it probably won’t prove anything that early in the year, but it will make for some interesting photos.

Alberto said this week in “La Gazzetta dello Sport” that he had to buy his own wheels at the Tour.

"Sucedió antes de la contrarreloj de Montecarlo. Para mí no había las ruedas mejores. Así que parece imposible, pero me las tuve que comprar yo".

Basically before the time trial in Montecarlo he didn’t have the best wheels and had to buy his own, Bruyneel didn’t give him the good wheels. This was followed by there being no team car to take him to the time trial in Annecy, they were all being used to ferry Radio Shack VIP’s. Contador was taken in the car of his brother/manager and girlfriend; Macarena. Annecy was close to the funeral!

We will know for sure if Astana gets a Pro-Tour licence tomorrow.

Triki Beltrán.

Manuel “Triki” Beltrán will not become the sports councillor in Jaén Town Hall. The executive of the PSOE (Socialist Party) have put the brakes on the move. Triki’s brother; Ascensión Beltrán is a PP (Conservative Party) councillor and behind his brothers job position. It was said that nepotism was flagrant.

If you had forgotten, Manuel Beltrán was sanctioned for two years when found positive for EPO at the 2008 Tour de France joining the list of positive ex-Armstrong team riders including Heras, Hamilton, Landis…..

Says Ed:

Beltran's demise; should we be happy that another "doper" has been caught?

Or should we feel sad and empty, because a man who was 15 years a pro; the team mate par excellence and who wept openly and without embarrassment when he had to abandon the Vuelta, has ended his career like this?

The wrong way to go out, amigo - but I'd still buy you a beer.

Some more sad news

Agustin Sagasti.

Sad news to hear of the death of another cyclist due to depression after the suicide of Belgian Dimitri De Fauw.

Basque rider; Agustin Sagasti (now 39 years old) was found by his mother at his house in Munguia (Vizcaya).

Sagasti rode for Euskaltel and won a stage of the Vuelta de la Pais Vasco in 1994, but he had had a difficult life. As a child he suffered from Polio and was advised to cycle for his health, then when he was 24 years old he crashed into a car during a stage of the Tour of the Mining Valleys (Asturias) in 1995.

At first he was in a coma and had many operations on his arm and leg over a year. He received 70 million pesetas compensation for not being able to continue his occupation as a professional cyclist. It must all have been too much.

‘Are you going to have a rant about this Sky carry on, on that site of yours?’ enquires Viktor.

‘Damn right!’ says I.

Sylvain Calzati.

All pro cyclists demand respect, it’s easy to forget that even the guy who finishes stone last in any pro race has to be pretty good to get a pro contract in the first place; but the two French riders just signed by Sky leave me a tad puzzled.

Sylvain Calzati won the Tour de l’Avenir in 2004 and took a stage win in the ‘real’ Tour in 2006, that apart, his palmares are sketchy.

A team can’t be all winners; that’s why you have riders like Michael Barry and Matt Hayman, beasts of a boys.

Nicolas Portal is a puzzler too, Caisse D’Epargne don’t employ duds, but he missed most of 2009, due, I believe, to a heart problem.

Both choices seem strange; it looks awfully like they are struggling to fill the roster to me – or maybe I’m looking at it in too simplistic a fashion?

At VeloResults, we thought that the “Astana stays Pro Tour; Bert goes to Garmin; Brad goes to Sky” master plan was a done deal – but it seems that JV, over at Garmin just wouldn’t play ball.

Word is that Sky offered him £2 million to release Bradley; but Vaughters wasn’t having it.

The saga isn’t over yet – Astana don’t have their licence yet, but neither do Sky; apparently this could be due to something minor.

Nicolas Portal.

The bureaucrats at the UCI go over every piece of paper with a magnifying glass and a simple bank sort code in the wrong place can stall documents from clearing.

However it’s hard to blame them for being ‘picky’ after Coast, Linda McCartney, H20 and all the rest.

Interestingly, on a standard UCI Pro Tour contract, it’s possible for a rider to buy himself out of a two year contract, after one year for 60% of his second year salary – this has happened this year and is relatively common place if a rider ‘blooms’ and begins to get bigger results – and offers.

This suggests that Bradley’s contract with Wigan (sorry, Garmin) must have additional clauses in it.

The failure of Sky to nab Brad or Cav is a major glitch in their game plan, albeit le Tour seems to be distinctly non Brad and Cav friendly, anyway.

The Tour (and anything that Chris Hoy rides) is the only race that Joe Public understands and which gets serious media attention.

The colour photos of the two Britons which appeared in the Guardian on a daily basis during the Tour gave way to minimal Vuelta and late season classic coverage, never mind photos.

The Milk Race was a classic example, whilst crowds were big; the real major media interest didn’t come until Bill Nickson triumphed.

Simon Gerrans.

The story at the time was that the Milk Marketing Board were wringing their hands when Bill won it, they were going to pull the plug because they were tired of all the dour foreigners with unpronounceable names who kept topping the podium – when ever-smiling, ‘boy next door’ Bill won it, they had to keep it going.  [Ironically, the Liverpool man's win ushered in the era of even more unpronounceable names winning the race; six Russians and a Pole in consecutive years, interrupted only by American Matt Eaton in 1983 - Editor.]

Mark Bell takes the win in Blackpool in front of big crowds.

Boasson Hagen is a great talent, Lovqvist too, and Gerrans must win a hilly classic, soon.

I think too that some of the British riders have good rides within them; Froome has the bravado and class to win moyenne mountain stage in a Grand Tour.

Steve Cummings should go back to quality rider who win two serious Italian races in 2008.

But the Tour’s the thing and if ‘Wiggo’ could wear that maillot jaune – even for one day – then Rupert Murdoch’s millions would be well spent.

Who knows, maybe the money men in Kazakhstan will get bored; JV will figure that he can’t ‘raise’ Brailsford any more and Sky’s two mil will pay a big chunk of Bert’s salary at the satnav squadra; then Brad will return home to Man U (sorry, Sky) – it’ll almost be a shame when it’s all sorted out!

It looks like VeloResults' hot tip on 'Bert bolts to Garmin; Brad flies to Sky,' has unwound.

Sky's 'capo,' Rupert Murdoch has deep pockets, but at some stage he has to say- and following on from the musical intro - just like Donna and Babs did; "enough is enough, is enough!"

La Gazzetta dello Sport headlines today, 10th November; "Contad(oro) venti milioni per 4 anni!"

Yes, Bert is on five million euros for four years with our chums from Kazakhstan.

Rupert Murdoch may have a media empire that Citizen Kane could only have dreamed about; but he's not sitting on top of a fair chunk of the world's fossil fuel reserves.

Whilst boys like me get all excited about the deal, what's Bert doing ?

He's swimming in Curacao - I like the man's style!

Bert looks none too happy with the attentions of the dolphin! Tom doesn't appear to mind though.

The Gazzetta also tells us - really or guestimation - what the other main men are paid (in euros; more-or-less the same as Sterling).

• Lance: 10 million (including endorsements)
• Valverde: 2.3 million (but he can't spend any of that in Italy, still)
• Gilbert: 2 million
• Evans: 1.7 million
• Pozzato: 1 milione
• Cunego: 800,000

Ercole Baldini.

The last I heard, Boonen was on seven figures, and so is Cav. [If you bump into me, ask me about Cav's 800 grand barn conversion in the Isle of Man. Just that we're a tad jumpy about those defamation laws, here at VR!]

It's all a long way from the £10,000/annum which Gregor was talking about recently as a realistic minimum wage for a British pro.

Interestingly, they reckon that Ercole Baldini was being paid more that Eddy Merckx was, a decade before the Belgian re-wrote the record books.

Oh, and the Gazzetta adds that Bert's horoscope is good - "the stars are aligned and sex will be good!"

That man has it all!

Ciao, ciao.

I was talking to Ryder for Pez only last night – about his great ride on stage 9, when he was second to Simon Gerrans; then the next text came in; ‘Your man has won!’

When one of the riders that you have built up a relationship with has big win, it’s a nice feeling - not just another cyclist winning another race – something warm, close to the heart.

Nice one, Ryder, you deserve it – you made my day, dude.

Ryder Hesjedal wins big!

‘Sky fever’ – I’ve got it too and we’ll shortly have Scott Sunderland on the site telling us the inside story about the recruitment - as soon as all the names are out.

We’ve been hearing the rumours – and facts – for days now, but in the end we decided to keep quiet about them; we could have landed a few folk in hot water if we’d published them.

And since it’s been printed in the press; the big rumour is that Brad goes to Sky – but here’s the sweetener – Bert goes to Garmin.

But we didn’t tell you.

So, it's official. Or is it?

We knew most of the riders and the bike sponsor around ten days ago; we know honourable equipment sponsor too, but we’re not telling!

We don't like them negative waves either.

The Guardian ran a big piece yesterday on Team Sky, complete with a colour pic of Brad.

But here’s the thing – why so much coverage of Team Sky when the third biggest race on the planet is in full swing and hardly a word is said about it?

Ah yes, of course: it’s not the Tour, there hasn’t been a drugs scandal yet – let’s hope it stays that way – Lance isn’t riding it, and Team Sky isn’t riding it.

It was the Donald Sutherland character, 'Oddball',  in the movie Kelly’s Heroes who didn’t like; ‘them negative waves!”

But I have to say that I hope that this ‘Brad Mania’ is well founded – being fourth in a Grand Tour is one thing, getting on the podium is another, but winning is a different ballgame altogether.

Bert is THE man for the Grand Tours at the moment.

‘Now,’ is Contador’s time – no one can beat him in the Tour; and it’s damn certain that whichever team he goes to, he’ll have a band of dedicated Spaniards around him who won’t have any problems with divided loyalties.

He’s not at the top of his powers yet and he won the 2009 Tour with half a team and in a war zone; rather than the atmosphere of harmony and tranquillity that an athlete ideally needs to excel.

Laurent Dufaux, Christophe Rinero, Christophe Moreau, Santiago Botero; all of these riders have placed fourth in the Tour - Bobby Julich made the podium, but Tour winners...