05.07.10 | Grand Tours Should Stay in Europe (plus Tour of California Roster Announcement)
For the Dutch (original) version of this blog, please visit De Telegraaf website.
The Giro d'Italia starts tomorrow in Amsterdam. On January 23rd I told the Giro organizers (RCS) that Team RadioShack would not be present at the start due to commitments to our American sponsor RadioShack. We have to start the Amgen Tour of California with our best team. I found it inappropriate to start with a B-team in the Giro. There are too many strong teams at the Giro and I think that you always have to start with ambition in a Grand Tour, which lasts three weeks. To enter a race, it's important to have clear objectives, which must be communicated clearly to the team and each individual rider. If you don't have these objectives, why enter a race? Our decision apparently was not very welcomed. A few weeks later, our team was not invited to Tirreno-Adriatico, which is also organized by RCS.
Of course without our participation, my focus is elsewhere. Honestly, I hardly know what the 2010 course looks like. Compared to last year and year's past, there doesn't seem to be as many big names participating. No Lance Armstrong from 2009, no Alberto Contador from 2008. We even miss the complete podium of last year!! Denis Menchov focuses entirely on the Tour, while Danilo DiLuca and Franco Pellizotti are out because of doping-related cases.
I expect the coming weeks to be a duel between Cadel Evans and Ivan Basso. In theory Evans is the big favorite, but I ask myself whether his BMC Team will be strong enough to support him. Never underestimate the power or weakness of a team. A good outsider could also be Carlos Sastre. He is at his best during the third week, and as far as I know, that third Giro week is really hard and looks decisive. Don’t underestimate Sastre.
Many people wonder if the Amgen Tour of California can be – in the future – a competitor for the Giro d'Italia. Personally I don't think so. California currently has only eight "big" teams. The rest of the field is completed with domestic or regional teams. Many riders prefer to stay in Europe as opposed to travel to the US in May and get accustomed to the 9 hour time difference. On top of that, you have the history and tradition of a three week Grand Tour, as opposed to a relatively new race. That's nothing against the Tour of California - As we've seen in the past, it's a great race with it's own advantages and appeal. For teams with an American-based sponsor (like ourselves), the interests are really high in California. We will start there with Levi Leipheimer, who is going for his very impressive fourth straight victory, and three other Americans - Lance Armstrong, Chris Horner and Jason McCartney. Add Jani Brajkovic, Dmitriy Muravyev, Yaroslav Popovych and Chechu Rubiera to the mix and we have a strong team! HTC Columbia brings Mark Cavendish; SaxoBank Cancellara, Schleck and Voigt; while Rabobank – having a lot of offices on the West Coast - comes with a strong roster too. BMC is stronger than they've ever been before with George Hincapie. This will certainly be the most competitive field since the race started in 2006.
Speaking of the Giro and racing in America - The Giro is considering to start the 2012 edition in Washington DC. Personally, I believe this is not a good idea. I am a strong believer in globalization, but bringing a Grand Tour to another continent is not beneficial for the teams and riders. We need to balance the interests of everyone, but not to the point where you are transfering on a plane for 7 plus hours, on top of a significant time change. A Grand Tour of three weeks is already very demanding. The travels, the jetlag, logistically it is all over the top. I understand we need to commercialize our sport, but not at the expense of riders' health. There must be other ways for us to make the sport more appealing to fans and sponsors. But in the end, organizers do what they want. They never listen to riders or teams. When will we all work together for the greater good?
4.13.10 | The Ups Outweigh the Downs
Normally I write these blogs about our team, but I can't ignore a big congratulations to Fabian Cancellara. For those of us working in the sport, you sometimes need to put the competitiveness aside and just recognize two amazing performances on two consecutive weekends in two of the hardest one day races in the world. I must say - In races where the smallest mistake can be costly, it was nice to see the strongest rider win and then win again. Chapeau. Hopefully you had a chance to watch the past two weekends. Crowds were phenomenal. It was the highest ever watched Tour of Flanders in Belgium. I would imagine a big part of that has to do with Belgian superstar Tom Boonen and the presence of Lance, but regardless of who, it's a great sign for our sport. If you watched the races, or better yet were there, then hopefully you noticed how difficult these races truly are. I think it's one of the great aspects of our sport - each race has a uniqueness to it, a different set of challenges, roads, weather, strategies, competitors, etc. The Tour de France and Paris-Roubaix are races in the same sport, but can they be more different? Yes, they take place in the same country, but after that, the similarities are few and far between. The interesting thing this year is that the Tour de France has included some of those Spring Classic elements when it goes through Holland and Belgium. Compared to the last few years, I expect there's going to be a lot of stress and battling for position within the group during that first week. It's these differences and new challenges that keep old folks like me interested and invigorated. I'm not trying to coach 11 men on the same size pitch with freshly cut grass in a 90 minute time period. That's not a knock against football, it's just recognizing the uniqueness of our sport and the challenges that constantly are changing.
As for Team RadioShack, this week had it's ups and downs. Fortunately the ups outweighed the downs. A nice chunk of the team got hit with a bad stomach bug. I was one of the victims and I'll spare you the details. It's hard to race or even drive a car when you have nothing in the tank. I think all of us who had it are getting back to our normal routine. Enough said. I'll tell you what was some good medicine though - Tiago's TT victory at La Sarthe followed by Chris Horner's TT victory and overall at the Tour of the Basque Country. Tiago's a great talent and has certainly been very impressive. He's been working very hard and has a great mentor in Jose Azevedo. It's great to see him make a smooth transition to the ProTour, be a reliable teammate and produce. Now I know from the Twitter and Facebook posts that there's a group pushing for him to make the Tour team. Do I believe he will be there one year? Yes. Is this the year? No. And there's a couple reasons for that. The easy answer is that we can only take nine riders and when you look at our roster, there's a bunch of riders who already have the Tour experience or completed numerous Giros and Vueltas and are ready for the next "step." But truthfully, Tiago needs to gain more experience. And that's not a bad thing. Developing into a Tour rider just takes time and luckily we're not in a position where we need to rush that development. He's slotted to do the Vuelta and we'll continue to work with him so he's learning, developing and improving. We want to see him be a strong teammate and continue to develop. If he produces like he did last week - even better, but we're trying to give him small objectives and keep a narrow focus where he can handle the appropriate challenges we put forward.
Now I know when I mention the Tour, everyone is looking for me to comment on Chris Horner's situation, especially after last year. It's still a bit too premature for me to name the nine guys as we still have a couple more months left of racing. I will say that I was very very impressed with Chris' performance in the Basque Country. It's an extremely hard race and Chris was right there battling with Tour contenders - Valverde, Schleck, Gesink, Sanchez, Wiggins - and beat them all. Like a good bottle of wine, Chris seems to be getting better with age. In terms of performance and form, he's even better than last year. A good thing that I'm also seeing is that Chris is staying upright. Knock on wood!! Chris is certainly a very smart rider, who understands tactics, but I think last year he got caught being in situations where it was a bit more dangerous. Of course sometimes you can't avoid crashes or riders going down in front of you, but there's also positions in the peloton that are so called "less of a risk." On a less serious note, I couldn't help but laugh seeing Chris in that Basque hat. I think we should require him to wear that on the plane back to the US.
Speaking of the US, I'm happy to announce that we've added another race to the calendar. As they say, "back by popular demand" - The SRAM Tour of Gila. It's a late addition, but we need to get some of our Americans racing before the AMGEN Tour of California. Plus, it's a race that SRAM has put a lot of support behind, so we're happy that it fits within our schedule to support them and cycling in the US. So look for us at the end of the month in New Mexico.
We're back in Belgium this Wednesday at De Brabantse Pijl and also in Spain for the Vuelta a Castilla y Leon. Here's the rosters. Good news in that Gert Steegmans is returning to action at Castilla y Leon. It's been a good recovery for him, but at the same time a big disappointment that he missed Flanders and Roubaix. Cancellara was the best, but there's no doubt that our team would have been stronger with Gert.
I'll end with an interesting fact: The SECOND place finisher of the Masters Golf Tournament ($810,000) makes about $200,000 more than the OVERALL winner of the Tour de France (450,000 Euros = $610,000). I'm not criticizing golf here, but I think it brings up an important question on the state of our sport. I've received some intereting comments on Twitter and Facebook and would be curious to hear expanded viewpoints in more of a forum setting. I think if we are going to continue to evolve and improve the sport (for everyone involved - fans, sponsors, riders, teams, events), it's going to take a combined effort with feedback from the various groups. What do you think? How can we improve the sport. Curious to hear your thoughts. You can respond here.
Talk soon -
JB
3.22.10 | Today's Media
This is not meant to be an attack against the media. For me, talking to the media is part of the job and most of the times, it's a good part. I admit that sometimes it's the last thing I want to do. Some days I'm just tired and wanting 10 minutes for myself, but I recognize that the majority of the media, whether it be print, online, video or radio, simply just want to tell the story to you, inform you what's going on at the race, behind-the-scenes or in our heads. I truly believe they're a vital component for the growth of our sport. But in the same respect, the media, like everyone else, need to be accountable for their actions. And thanks to Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and blogs, there are additional ways for me to connect with you, and you to directly connect with me, other fans and the media.
Over the last few months, I've really seen the power that the fans hold. One clear example - Over $135,000 raised for LIVESTRONG and World Bicycle Relief thanks to people spreading The Fat Cyclist's message. And then last week, we saw a great uprising in the cycling community, which led to Lance going on the radio and making a statement on behalf of all the cyclists throughout the world. I think Lance, like the rest of us, was informed of Tony Kornheiser's comments on twitter. In a matter of minutes, a virtual public gathering was formed on Twitter, Facebook, blogs and forums. People from different countries who didn't even know each other were banding together (not to mention, many of us didn't even know who Tony Kornheiser was, myself included) - all for the love of the bike. It was pretty cool to see the comments on my Facebook page and how people were providing addresses and phone numbers to Tony's show. Someone even wrote that ESPN eventually pulled that segment from the online radio list. I think that's pretty amazing how it all happened and culminated with cycling's ambassador going on and giving Tony (and other listeners) a little educational session. I don't know Tony, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt that he's sorry. I hope that the sorry is not "sorry" for being caught by cycling fans worldwide, but a genuine "sorry" that what he said was just plain wrong and that his comments had absolutely no regard for another human life. But in the end, we need more than "sorrys" - we need attitude and behavioral changes. If Tony and other listeners are now more mindful, careful and respectful of cyclists on the road, then I'll say that's a victory for us!
But there's one thing that I can guarantee Tony and many others have learned. He's accountable for every word he says. This is a good thing. The media can no longer blindly create news or make irrational comments without repercussions. You, me, we all now have a public forum to respond. And that forum, as we've seen in the past, is pretty powerful. I bet Tony had no clue how loud our voice was!
Last night, as I do every night, I was checking the cycling news. Like many of you, I have my daily websites. It's always interesting to see how different countries cover the sport. I came across an interesting title last night on CyclingNews.com - "RadioShack not invited to 2010 Giro d'Italia." Here's a very popular cycling website, which I'm sure many of you have visited in the past. Overall I think they do a nice job of compiling the news, but then again, if the news isn't accurate it probably defeats the point. To accurately clarify the situation - Yes, we won't be participating in the Giro, but the truth is that we communicated this to the Giro organizers, RCS. I like the Giro, I think it's a great race, but to be quite honest, we are putting all our focus on the Amgen Tour of California and don't have objectives for the Giro. Now you may be saying, "Wouldn't you rather win a Grand Tour compared to a week long stage race in the USA?" Fair question, but California holds a lot more value to us than the Giro. With our main sponsor RadioShack, as well as our other partners (Nissan, Trek, SRAM, Nike, Giro, etc) having a strong US connection, California automatically becomes more important to our partners and therefore the team. Not to mention we are registered as an American team, so it's important to our ownership group as well. Of course, you also have to factor in that we have the three-time Amgen Tour of California champion and I think it's fair to say that every cyclist and team want to be in the best possible position to defend that title. I've always believed that to enter a race there needs to be objectives - for both the overall team and individuals. Now we may not always achieve those objectives, but we're not just going to enter races to enter races. I communicated this a number of months ago to RCS. Simply that this year's Giro did not fit within the team's objectives and plans. If anything, I think this showed respect to RCS and the Giro in that they could put in a team that had specific race objectives. But RCS did not like this news and instead decided that Team RadioShack would not be invited to Tirreno-Adriatico. Hopefully we will not be "punished" for future RCS races. They have a great organization and we enjoy participating in many of the races they put on. So that's a little clarification on the situation and I hope that Cyclingnews and other publications do a better job in reporting the news. Like I said earlier, this isn't necessarily an attack on the media, but more of reminder that accuracy is key and everyone is held accountable.
A deeper issue still remains on our sport's organization and lack of power within the teams and riders. But that's a blog (or maybe a book) for another day. It's something I'm passionate about it and hopefully I can be involved in the reforms that our sport needs.
A busy, but exciting week lies ahead! I know everyone is looking forward to the Critérium International and seeing Lance and Alberto race together for the first time this year. I wouldn't necessarily call it a preview to July because Lance isn't at his peak form, but for sure the fans will be excited to see those two on the same roads! Don't forget there's some great racing going on in Spain with the Volta Ciclista a Cataluna and in Belgium with the GP Waregem, E3 Prijs Vlaanderen Harelbeke. Then we have Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday as we build up to the following week's Tour of Flanders. We'll be missing Gert Steegmans, but hopefully our other Classics specialists will rise to the challenge!
Hope to see you out at the races.
Thanks for checking in.
JB
2.03.10 | In & Around Spain
Sitting on the train going back to Madrid from Malaga and I realized that it's been a while since I last wrote my blog. I did some webisodes at the Tour Down Under, but I think the last time I actually wrote something was when I challenged The Fat Cyclist and his friends. And I think by now we all know how that turned out!
Before I go on, I have to say that within Spain, the train is the way to travel. Fast, easy and comfortable. Of course a plane goes much faster, but when you factor in the time you need for checking-in, waiting for your bags, etc. there really is little difference. You can literally get to the station 5 minutes before the train departs and it's very rare that there are any delays. So if you are visiting Spain and want to travel to all these cities, my advice - go by train!
I had a good talk yesterday with Cereal Partners Worldwide - a joint venture between Nestle & General Mills. A very diverse and motivated group from all over Europe and it was interesting to hear many of the similarities between managing an international cycling team and their company. So now heading back home for a couple days before I head to Calpe for training camp. For those wondering where Calpe is - on the East coast of Spain between Valencia & Alicante. We'll have one new addition at training camp - Fumy Beppu. As you may recall, we originally announced that Fumy was on our roster, but then were informed that he was still under contract with Skil-Shimano. Without going into too much detail, there was a misinterpretation of the contract between Fumy and Skil-Shimano. As I told Fumy and the manager of Skil-Shimano - it was up to them to work out these details and determine if Fumy would ride for Skil-Shimano in 2010. I would not get involved until everything was resolved between themselves. The other day I received an official letter stating that Fumy no longer had obligations to Skil-Shimano and could join our team. Having worked with Fumy during the Discovery Channel Team days, I know he is a skilled and hard-working rider; a welcome addition to our team. So now our roster is officially complete! Fumy knows our organization and many of the riders and staff so it will be relatively easy to get him up to speed at camp. With the Tour Down Under behind us, we'll use this camp to start focusing on Paris-Nice and the Classics season. This will be the best Classics team we've had in quite some time - Steegmans, Rosseler aka Lord of the Rings, Rast, Vaitkus, Muravyev. Certainly we won't be the favorites, but I think this is a solid, experienced and motivated group. Having won two stages at the Tour de France a couple years back, not to mention being the lead out for Tom Boonen, Gert has what it takes to win at the highest level. He had a rough year last year, but I think he feels comfortable in this environment and can put his focus on racing and getting some good results. Like I said, we won't be the favorites, but don't count us out when the road turns to cobbles.
Another big thing on my mind is Christian's baptism at the end of the month. Before I go to camp Eva and I are going to Valencia (where she is originally from) to put together the final details. We just had Victoria's birthday party this past weekend, so one party down, one more to go. A funny story about that party. I decided to surprise the kids and bought fireworks for the finale. Let's just say that the kids weren't the only ones surprised. I thought they were "baby" fireworks, but it ended up being an impressive display that even got the neighbors outside and wondering what was going on at casa de Bruyneel. I know better for next time!
Well it's been an early morning so I'm going to take a short nap before I hit the ground running in Madrid. I'll check in with you on twitter and Facebook.
Until then, take care.
JB
12.07.09 | Dear Fat Cyclist - Part II
Dear Fat Cyclist -
I don't know you personally, but I'm very very impressed with what you and your friends have done in a very short time. I always want to see my riders succeed, and the same goes for you, but I never thought you would accomplish the two goals so quickly!
I must say - you have a very clever and generous fundraising strategy. You could have easily taken the signed Trek Madone 6 series powered by SRAM bike for yourself, but you used that and a SuperFly bike (which you got on your own) as giveaways.
So Fatty, we will see you at camp!!! And to be honest, I'm very much looking forward to seeing your cycling talents. If they're anything like your fundraising skills, then maybe it's time for you to quit your day job!?!
So congratulations to you and everyone who has helped you along the way!! World Bicycle Relief and LIVESTRONG are two causes that I'm very supportive of and it's been nice to see such a great response!!
But that's not the only reason I'm writing.
We were talking about you this morning at the breakfast table. I saw you were approaching $25,000 for each organization and everyone was telling me that I couldn't let you just stop there. One rider said, "It would be like me winning Stage 3 and then stopping! Make him go for MORE!!" It's tough to argue with that logic. So I made another call - This time to Trek Travel President Tania Worgull to see if she wanted to set a new goal for you. And it just so happens she did! So here we go ... The BIG prize!
By Friday December 11, 12:00 PM US Mountain Standard/Tucson, AZ Time you must have met the following criteria
- A Grand Total minimum of $50,000 for World Bicycle Relief
AND
- A Grand Total minimum of $50,000 for LIVESTRONG
If those two criteria are met by the stated deadline, Trek Travel will donate one 2010 Paris Finishing Package to witness the finale of the Tour de France!! And yes, airfare will be taken care of.
Now how about THAT for a prize?!?!
Fundraising page links stay the same. You just need to get $50,000 for each organization (and you're already over halfway there with the amount you raised so far).
World Bicycle Relief - http://grassroots.kintera.org/Creative/fatcyclist or http://bit.ly/8lbpeD
LIVESTRONG - http://www.livestrong.org/grassroots2009/sendfattytocamp or http://bit.ly/8CHHgi
Keep doing what you're doing and I'm confident one of your Team Fatty friends will be in Paris come July!
Good Luck -
Johan
12.04.09 | Dear Fat Cyclist
Dear Fat Cyclist -
I got your letter. You have some strong arguments and bring up some very interesting points. So you really think you have what it takes to ride with Lance, Levi and Andreas (to name just a few)???
Well it just so happens that your letter came at the right time as I'm holding Team RadioShack's first training camp next week in Tucson, AZ. And since I'm in the holiday spirit, I'm going to give you your chance to show me AND the world if you have what it takes to make it to the top level of the sport!
BUT there are conditions!!! The riders on the team have all earned their spot. They've trained hard, won races, served as good teammates and worked extra hard. So your letter is good, but we need that extra effort out of you. And it will take the help of your entire group of friends.
Here's how it's going to work.
By Friday December 11, 12:00 PM US Mountain Standard/Tucson, AZ Time you must have met the following criteria
- Raised a minimum of $10,000 for World Bicycle Relief
AND
- Raised a minimum of $10,000 for LIVESTRONG
If those two criteria are met by the stated deadline, I will fly you out to Arizona and you will have the one opportunity to ride with Team RadioShack on Sunday, December 13.
But I have a bonus for you!
- If you raise a minimum of $25,000 for World Bicycle Relief AND $25,000 for LIVESTRONG, you"ll get a brand new Trek Madone 6 Series bike powered by SRAM Red.
Here's the good thing, I already had my friends at World Bicycle Relief and LIVESTRONG create an easy fundraising page for you. Here are the links to each.
World Bicycle Relief - http://grassroots.kintera.org/Creative/fatcyclist or http://bit.ly/8lbpeD
LIVESTRONG - http://www.livestrong.org/grassroots2009/sendfattytocamp or http://bit.ly/8CHHgi
Fat Cyclist, this one-time offer applies to YOU and ONLY YOU ... It's time to put all those skills you have to work. I expect to see you at camp!
Good Luck -
Johan
11.30.09 | Team RadioShack 2010 - Get Ready!! Get Excited!!
It’s hard to believe that this time next week (December 7), Team RadioShack will be in Tucson, Arizona and going on the first training ride in preparation for the 2010 season. It seems like the off-season gets shorter and shorter each year or maybe I just get busier and busier?!?
If you watch my YouTube videos, follow me on Twitter or read my World Bicycle Relief blogs on Bicycling.com, then you probably have a very good idea of what’s been going on the past few months. Too much to give a full recap, so just check out the videos and blogs. I also launched a Facebook Fanpage today because I reached the 5,000 friends limit on my personal profile. So I’ll be posting some videos and pictures here and giving updates as well. Another easy way to connect with you! Be sure to check out the trivia question and pictures I posted … Oldies! I showed Victoria the other day and she said “What happened to you?” And it wasn’t in a positive way! I’m quite a bit bigger now, but I guess it’s pretty normal when you go from 6 hours on the bike to 6 hours in a car! On a positive note, I am back to riding my bike. As many of you know, it’s a great way to stay or get in-shape! But don’t worry, I’m not coming out of retirement like Lance! Just enjoying myself and thinking about the good ‘ole days when I went very fast on the bike!
Before I get into Team RadioShack, I want to tell you about my brief visit to Nike’s European Logistics Center. I had the opportunity to talk to over 1,500 employees about leadership and my philosophies on winning. I’ve posted a brief video on YouTube, but what you don’t see on the video is the unbelievable supply chain management system they have going on. I wasn’t allowed to film or take pictures of this system, so you’ll just have to go by my written account. I’ve never thought about all the clothing and shoes that end up in malls or stores, but ALL Nike products in Europe, Middle East and Africa goes through this central distribution center in Laakdal, Belgium (yes, as a Belgian I’m very proud of this). It’s hard for me to describe or even fully understand the complex system they have, but it’s like numerous conveyer belts or “highways”, with boxes speeding, getting on, getting off, stopping at different areas, going to and from transportation trucks. I have never seen anything like this and probably never will (it doesn’t get much bigger than Nike). Two facts – 250,000 pairs of shoes and 700,000 apparel items ship out of this facility EVERY day. Talk about creating an efficient and effective system … And what impresses me even more - they are always trying to find better ways to make it more efficient! So if you live in Europe, Middle East and Africa and see Nike clothing in a store – remember this story and Laakdal, Belgium!
Ok, back to Team RadioShack now. A couple weeks ago, I met with the other Sports Directors to go over the race, rider and staff schedules for the 2010 season. It’s just a big day-long discussion around a table at our service course in Brakel, Belgium. Before we fill the schedules in, we talk about our team goals (winning the Tour is obviously one … Surprise!) and what riders we think are best to meet those team goals, then factor in each rider’s training, rest and where we need them to peak. The rider schedules are certainly not final. We have meetings with each rider to talk about their individual schedule and goals. It’s all about finding the balance between team and rider goals, which in turn gives you the greatest chance to win. I think too many teams focus on just the team and neglect the individuals who are actually making things happen for the team. So we have draft #1 complete and I’m sure, as always, there will be changes before and during the season.
As for the Sports Directors ... The guys in the car next year will be me, Dirk, Alain, Eki and Jose “Ace” Acevedo. You’ll notice that Sean Yates is missing from the list. Sean’s been a great asset to the team, but had a great opportunity and offer to work for Team Sky. It’s tough to lose someone like Sean, but personally for Sean this is a great opportunity and I actually encouraged him to take the position and continue to contribute to Great Britain cycling, something that is very important to both Sean and Team Sky. But for us, the Ace will be a great asset. It will take some time, as it does for everyone, to make the transition from rider to ProTour sports director, but I’m confident that Jose can read the race from the car and be a great leader. It will be nice to see him grow, similar to the way Eki did a few years ago.
Looking ahead to next week's camp. It will be very, very busy – filled with training rides, sponsor meetings, photo shoots, tech meetings, rider meetings and team-building activities. My main goal is that we create strong bonds, a great atmosphere and get both riders and our sponsors motivated, excited and ready for what we hope is a year filled with many victories. Get ready!! Get excited! I certainly am!!
Talk to you from Arizona (hoping for great weather!)
JB
P.S. – I’ll be posting pictures, videos and more from training camp, so be sure to check back.
10.07.09 | Looking Towards the Off-Season
As many of you already know, my off-seasons aren’t really spent on my couch or in bed. Some days, I wish they were, but the truth is, I would get pretty bored … And quickly. So as the cycling season winds down for 2009, I thought I would take some time and update you on what lies ahead.
But before I get into that, I want to thank everyone for their well wishes during my illness in August and September. It was just a very bad virus that really got to me and left me very tired. I would wake up, take Victoria to school and immediately go back to bed till the early afternoon. It was very frustrating, but luckily I am feeling better and now going into the office instead of back to bed!
So now that I have my energy back, I’m getting back on airplanes, meeting people and accomplishing what needs to be accomplished. It all begins (or should I say “starts again”) this weekend in Nice with a speech to a group of CEOs in the medical industry. It’ll be a small, but influential gathering of people from throughout the world. It’s one of the things that I enjoy most these days – sharing my story and applying it to other areas in life or business. Now you may be asking what my life as a cyclist and sports director has to do with being a CEO of a medical corporation. Well on the surface, probably not much. But when you look deeper, there’s a lot of common themes or parallels. To name just a few – motivating people based on their personalities, finding and managing talented people, working with a diverse group of international people, learning from “losing” or disappointing experiences. So I’m looking forward to that and hope the CEOs will find great value in my talk and our interactive session.
Next week the travel doesn’t get any lighter, with a trip to Paris for the annual Tour de France presentation. The rumor mill is swirling on next year’s route and I’m looking forward to the official announcement. After that, I’ll head directly to Austin with Lance as I continue to prepare and shape our exciting project – Team RadioShack. The riders and staff, or as I like to call it, “the core” have been put into place. Now it’s just a matter of getting all the other details (which are equally very important) together, and ultimately getting the entire unit functioning both effectively and efficiently.
And before you know it, it’ll be time to head to Africa and lead World Bicycle Relief’s Million Dollar Ride. Eva and I have both been to Africa before, but never before like this! Needless to say, we’re both quite excited. I know many of you won’t be able to join us, so I’ll do my best to share this experience with you via pictures, blogs and maybe even some video. Hopefully you’ll be able to see and feel the true power of the bicycle!
Tired yet?!?! Well, it doesn’t stop there. For starters, there’ll be a training camp in early December, and with my trip to Africa ending in mid-November, that doesn’t leave much down-time in between … Which will be spent on another exciting project called “Win Your Race.” About a year ago, I received a phone call from a gentleman named Carl Van de Velde. Now if you don’t live in the Benelux region (and if you are asking what is Benelux – BE-lgium NE-therlands LU-xembourg), then you may not be all too familiar with Carl. Carl is the #1 Belgian peak performance coach. Many people know Anthony Robbins - Carl is somewhat similar, but at the same time different and unique from Tony. I’m not trying to compare the two – just give you a general idea. Carl has been very successful in helping people get the best out of themselves. He’s coached many CEOs and employees and probably is best-known for his work with Kim Clijsters, who had one of the most successful comebacks in 2009 by winning the US Tennis Open. I think we all know another person who had quite the comeback! Getting back to the story - Carl said he heard about my speeches and asked if I would want to combine both of our philosophies on life and business into one event. I thought this sounded interesting – I’ve respected Carl and his coaching style, read some of his books and have even incorporated his wisdom into my own daily life. And from that call and some follow-up meetings, we created Win Your Race – Life & Business Coaching Seminar. For those of you who attend our seminar on March 24 in Rotterdam, I think you’ll gain a lot of value - Our philosophies are quite synergistic, yet we both have different experiences to share. I’ll certainly talk more about the event as we get closer, however you can learn more about it, as well as my partner Carl, on the Win Your Race website.
Well I’m starting to wonder if this is my longest blog to date? Maybe. Hopefully you’ve read this far and I haven’t put anyone to sleep! I think I’ve written enough for now, plus it’s almost 4:00 in the afternoon Madrid time. For me, it’s the most important time of the day – picking up Victoria from school. So with that, I’ll sign off for now.
Regards –
Johan
09.18.09 | Coming to an End
After reading Wednesday's story in Telesport about the Astana Cycling Team being on the edge of the abyss, I feel it’s time to look back, from my perspective, on the two complex years I’ve had with Team Astana.
Let's go back to 2007 - Full of ambition I took over the Team (after the Discovery Channel Team folded) having the hard job to change the image of the team from negative and polluted to beloved and being one of the world's most popular teams. A challenge that I was proud to take on. After only six months, we were successful in both - performance and image. Even today, I am still most proud of what we’ve accomplished.
We continued working and as many of you know, won the three Grand Tours: Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España, as well as a lot of other races. The image of the team was excellent! The only time our image suffered was during the period from April to July 2009, when the hard working riders and staff were not compensated. This of course was not the fault of the team itself, but I was still embarrassed and quite humiliated by the situation. It's not easy telling the staff and riders that another month has gone by without pay. By putting considerable pressure on our title sponsor, we were able to reverse the situation and start in the Tour de France. Though the situation was "resolved," the repurcussions were very harmful to my future with the team.
As many of you may have guessed, I will leave Team Astana on December 31. With this departure will come mixed feelings. In a sportive way, we accomplished something phenomenal and the team became loved by many - in Kazakhstan and throughout the world. However the frustrated feeling I have is dominant. In 2008 the financial issues already existed, but I was able to keep it out of the press. I always had to fight some people about not respecting agreements. When you take a step back and look at it, the Astana Team had no less than four managers in four years, and I think this only indicates that something is fundamentally wrong.
It’s a real pity because I really think this Kazakh cycling project is beautiful and has a lot of potential for the sport and country. I don’t want to blame the Kazakhs in general. Most of them have the best intentions, especially the Ministry of Sport who is committed in an incredibly positive way. However, around the cycling team, there are two or three people causing constant problems and thwarting our plans. Because of their power I was always fighting a losing battle. In the end it cost me my health. The last months I was physically knocked out. It's no longer worth jeopardizing my health.
For me, the press conference of Alexandr Vinokourov at the beginning of the Tour was the last straw. He claimed that I had to leave the team if I wouldn’t allow him to join Team Astana. However, when I accepted my job as manager of this Team, it was my clear demand that I would never be obliged to accept him in the team - this was agreed upon by the Kazakhs.
It all ended different as I wished. Vinokourov is on the team now and that is exactly the reason why I am leaving. I will finish the season and my last day with the team will be December 31, 2009. I am staying till the end of the year because I am the head of a group of people whose job I want to guarantee. They too need to be paid till the end of the year.
I guess the question many of you still have - is whether the Astana Cycling Team has a future? To be honest - I do not know. I do want to emphasize that all my praise goes to Rini Wagtmans. With only good intentions, he ironed out a lot of inequalities. When he can take over my management job, I believe the Team can survive. He knows the country and he knows how the system works. He understands cycling. It will not be easy but Rini can count on my support in the coming months. One of the conditions for Team Astana’s ProTour license is that there should be a credible management in 2010. This is the first and most urgent move that needs to be made. If Vinokourov believes he can take over the team, I wish him luck.
I do not want to end this blog on a bad note. I do want to thank all my family, friends, riders, staff and most importantly, you the fans, who have supported the Astana Cycling Team for the past two years. Your support has not gone unnoticed!
08.19.09 | The Million Dollar Ride
Laying on the beach here in the south of Spain, I’m already thinking about my next adventure. July certainly was filled with its fair share of excitement and now August is the annual vacation month for me and my family. But every year, after a week or so laying on the beach, there comes a time when I start thinking of “What’s next for me to accomplish or do?”
Back in early Spring I received a call from F.K. Day who is the Executive Vice President of SRAM, but also proudly serves as President of World Bicycle Relief. He and his wife are two of the most passionate people I’ve met (I would also include Lance in this group) who have dedicated their lives to changing the world and helping others. From time to time, F.K. will call and update me on the latest happenings with World Bicycle Relief. It’s very interesting to hear F.K.’s stories on just how a simple bike can drastically change someone’s life and better yet, save people. Before I became a Board Member of World Bicycle Relief last year, I’ll admit that having a bike was something I took for granted. I grew up on a bike and have been surrounded my entire life with some of the most expensive and nicest bikes in the world. But when reading the stories or looking at the pictures, it doesn’t take long to change that mindset - to realize how useful a bike can be and how people’s lives have improved because of two wheels and the work of World Bicycle Relief.
Getting back to F.K.’s call – He told me that he was getting tired of telling me the stories, sending me pictures and small video clips. He wanted me to REALLY experience the power of the bicycle – to lead a group of people on an adventure throughout Africa to not only witness the work of World Bicycle Relief, but also be actively involved – building and distributing bikes, seeing first-hand how the bike enables students to get an education, or how AIDS/HIV caregivers use the bike to visit their patients more frequently. For me, this is something that I’ve wanted to do since F.K. sat in my house and explained the World Bicycle Relief mission back in 2008. It’s one thing to be affiliated with an organization, but it’s another thing to be an active team member, and I am honored to have this opportunity. So on October 30, Eva and I will arrive in Zambia – we’ll spend some time exploring beautiful Africa and going on bike rides with our guests, but the most important thing we’ll do is help F.K. and World Bicycle Relief succeed in their mission of changing the world, one bike at a time!
I not only wanted to share this in hope that you’ll consider joining me, Eva, F.K. and others at World Bicycle Relief on this amazing journey, but also in hope that you’ll visit the World Bicycle Relief website to read the stories and see the great work being done on a daily basis. We’re all fans of cycling, many of you even ride, but next time you watch our sport or go on a ride, just do me a favor - think about how lucky we are to have a bike in our lives and the power it holds for many throughout the world!
Thanks for reading and for your continued support –
Johan
08.01.09 | Taking the 9th
Translated from Telegraaf's Johan Bruyneel Column
A few years ago, I never would have imagined winning my 9th Yellow Jersey. Seven times with Lance Armstrong, now twice with Alberto Contador. Without any doubt this is our best Tour de France. In 2007 we had Alberto and Levi Leipheimer on the final podium, but this year we had Alberto and Lance finish one and three, Andreas Klöden finishes 6th, we win three stages and the overall teams classification!! Needless to say, I am more than satisfied. I am proud that we could fulfill our role as favorites and overcome all the external pressure.
The most important step towards the victory this year was the team time trial. Before that day Sastre, Evans, Menchov and the Schlecks were our main contenders. After that stage only Frank and Andy Schleck were left. That moment, we never thought of Bradley Wiggins, without any doubt the biggest surprise of this Tour.
Now to the part everyone wants to hear. A lot has been written and said about the war between Lance and Alberto. I always knew that the race would decide who would be the leader of the team. That Contador finally was the strongest is not even a surprise. From the beginning of the season he made it clear that the Tour was his main goal. From the start in Monaco, he showed his ambitions. I know that some people thought that since I have a special relationship with Lance, that I would make decisions that influenced the race for Lance, however this is the contrary. My main concern was winning the Tour de France - whether it be with Alberto, Lance, Levi or Andreas.
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I normally don't talk about private discussions I have with riders or staff, but in the train from Avignon to Paris, I spoke with Alberto. He told me that he appreciated the way the race was directed from the team car. I also had many discussions with Lance during the Tour. He recognized that Alberto was better and agreed that we should try to go for a stage win and take the yellow jersey with Alberto in the stage to Verbier.
For me it is logical that Alberto does not want to share the leadership in the team and that he will not be teammates with Lance. When I first discussed the plans with Lance for his comeback, Lance told me that he would understand if I chose Contador over him. "With Contador you are ‘good’ for five, six years." Lance’s comeback could offer me maybe only one interesting year. Immediately I answered that I found his comeback after four years of inactivity so unique and intriguing on so many levels that I wanted to be part of it.
Looking back now, it’s amazing that he finished 3rd . Already before the Ventoux stage, he told us that he didnt plan to lose one second to Frank Schleck or Bradley Wiggins. On that hard climb we saw again what an athlete Lance Armstrong is. Our biggest fear before the Tour was that – at his age - he would not be able to recover very well in a big Tour. On the contrary we saw that he improved every day… In the first mountain stages, he was a bit slow in his answers to attacks of the others but on the Ventoux, the old Armstrong was back.
Now people want to know if Lance can win the Tour next year? I don’t know. I think his comeback is already a big success. I’ve never expected that, after four years, he would end on the Tour podium. And he was there on the podium together with the best stage race rider of the world and the biggest talent ...
06.04.09 | Looking Back, Looking Forward
While I love my sport and going to races, I must say, it's good to be home!! Now with two little ones, it always becomes increasingly harder to leave! So I spent the last few days catching up with my family ... My family of four!! My son Christian is doing well and it is amazing how big he has gotten over the last three and a half weeks. And my princess Victoria is finishing up with another year of school. Where has the time gone?!? And of course Eva is happy to have me back. It's not easy caring for two alone. Everyone talks about how stressful my job is, but I think moms and full-time parents in general deserve a lot of credit too!!
Well the Giro has come and gone. A bit of a different result than last year, but overall I am pleased. Surely, there is some disappointment, as we were hoping Levi's strong 2009 form would carry into May, but he never found the legs to compete on the climbs with Menchov, Di Luca, and a few others. Speaking of Menchov, Congratulations to Denis and Rabobank on an impressive Giro. The TT win he had over Levi put him in Pink and he did a nice job of keeping the jersey the rest of the way. Speaking of that TT. To quote Lance, that was "epic." If you haven't watched the stage yet, I highly suggest you do.
I do think the biggest disappointment wasn't Levi, but rather losing Chris Horner to another injury. After a year of injuries, Chris showed up motivated and in great condition. He was a very big key to Levi's chances of winning or a podium placing. Chris is a big talent and really can do anything asked - chase on the flats, go up the climbs with the leaders, provide good morale and team atmosphere, etc. If he recovers nicely, he'll definitely be a strong candidate for the Tour team. Simply put - he's the type of guy you want to take with you to war! Ok, enough about the disappointments ... Let's focus on some positives that come to mind!
Jani Brajkovic - 2008 didn't go as we planned with Jani, but this Giro confirms to me that this is the Jani we've seen in the past. And with some improvement. He really rode well in the mountains and his TT performance in the "epic" stage is quite notable!
Yaroslav Popovych - We missed him last year and I think he must have missed us too! He's riding with the same passion and intensity that we all came to love. And he always has a smile on his face. Ok, maybe not when he was passed by Sastre on Monte Petrano, but that was a valiant effort in some of the most extreme conditions I've seen.
Andrey Zeits - I think A LOT of people were surprised when I chose him for the Giro team. But let me tell you, this kid is a talent. First Grand Tour completed and nicely done!!
Winning the Team Classification - Surely, everyone wants stage and overall wins, but this is something that we shouldn't put aside. We brought a strong team to the Giro and it showed. We just didn't have that one rider who could go the distance in the stage or overall race. Still nothing to be ashamed of.
And I'll leave the commentary everyone wants for last ...
Lance Armstrong - People want to see wins and Lance wants to see wins too, however I think we can all be pleased with Lance's development over the last three weeks. He had to shake off some cobwebs in the early part of the race (due to many factors ...retirement, crash, no big mountain training, etc), however by week three, Lance's form was really coming around. I'm actually impressed by the progress and if June goes well, he'll show up to the Tour in his best form of 2009.
So that's a little analysis of the Giro for you. It's getting time to pick up Victoria from school, but I know I can't just leave this blog without talking about the sponsorship situation.
First, this whole situation is very unfortunate and extremely disappointing. We should not be thinking in May or June "When are we going to get paid for our work?", "Do our sponsors still support us?" While bike racing is fun and we enjoy doing it, it is still a job, as riders and staff have many obligations, make numerous sacrifices, and ultimately need to support themselves and their families. The riders and staff have handled the situation with class, going about their jobs as if they were getting paid, working hard for themselves and each other. I'm very proud of this group and all the adversity they've faced in the last two years.
To be quite honest, we are in a phase of the unknown. Am I confident that we'll be racing in July - yes. Do I know what sponsor we'll be representing - no. We are still trying to work everything out with the Kazakhs. They signed a contract and are now not honoring the terms. This is surely a frustrating situation for all of us involved, including you the fans. I ask and hope that you can continue to support our great team. You are keeping us fighting and we sincerely appreciate all the kind words of encouragement! More as soon as I know ...
Take Care -
JB
5.15.09 | A Proper Explanation
Translated from Telegraaf's Johan Bruyneel Column
Since the beginning of the year, our team has had to deal with delays in payment from Kazakhstan. Up till now the situation is that the Kazakh Cycling Federation (KCF) has only paid two months of salary to the management company that runs the team. The only explanation we get from Kazakhstan is that the sponsors aren’t paying because of the economic crisis. They say they are trying to find a solution, but for me it is unclear which action they will take.
The UCI told me that the KCF has a deadline of May 31st to make good on the payments; otherwise the ProTour license will be revoked. We cannot do anything else other than to wait until the end of the Giro.
Of course, I haven’t stopped working on this. I am also trying to find a solution to carry on with this team from June 1st. Last year we managed to resurrect Team Astana. In a short period of time we made it one of the most loved cycling teams. This team structure cannot be lost!
For me personally I am in the same situation as the riders. I am not the owner of the team, and I am on the pay roll. From the beginning of the year payments to me are also late or not paid at all. For me it would be easy to stop. After the 2007 Tour I announced my retirement from the sport of cycling but then this promising project arose. I brought to Astana the infrastructure of the US Postal and Discovery Channel staff. These people still form the basis of the team. I cannot imagine breaking up this group.
There are some options as we approach May 31st. The KCF can fulfill their obligations and we will go on with this team and these sponsors. If not, their license will be claimed and Astana Cycling Team will be no more. If that happens, from then on I will have to find another solution to keep this team alive.
At the moment we are negotiating with some marketing agencies and global companies. When the news was leaked that there were payment troubles in our team, a lot of companies got in contact with me. Our biggest advantage is that we have the most marketable athlete on our team. You cannot wish to have a better representative of the sport. He opens doors to the industry. Especially in the US, a lot of companies desire to link their name to him. Even if Lance himself does not have to deal with the payment troubles since he rides without a salary, he suffers seeing his teammates not being paid. Although everybody is still motivated to continue together, it certainly weighs on the team.
I am confident that this team will be at the start of the Tour de France 2009 in Monaco: maybe under another flag or with another sponsor name, but we will be there. Just before the Tour de France, the biggest sporting event of the year, companies have the unique possibility to link their name to cycling and to jump into the middle of the season with Alberto Contador, Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer and many others as their ambassadors.
What an opportunity….
4.25.09 | The Need for Unity
Translated from Telegraaf's Johan Bruyneel Column (Dutch Link)
The structure of cycling should be examined, otherwise it will be difficult to overcome the current problems. The doping cases and recent wars in professional cycling are responsible for the crisis in our sport. They have left deep scars.
This year there are few new major sponsors and for next year it doesn’t look very promising. Team budgets will have to go down.
In my eyes, a large portion of the problem is caused by the structure of professional cycling. You have three parties: UCI as government, the organizers and the teams/riders. In that triangle, the correct proportions are missing. Because of this the teams/riders always have to accept what the other parties impose to them. In other sports, like tennis or Formula One, the system is much more balanced and more clear. This makes it all more understandable for the public as well.
I am devoted to improve the position of the teams/riders. As a first step all teams need to be united. This is not easy as the other powerful parties have interest in our group staying divided. Of course we are competitors of each other’s teams, but we must find some consensus.
Why do doping rumors about cycling appear first in the media and not in many other sports? It is precisely because we are not organized. As we have no defense mechanism, we are an easy victim. It is easy for some media to attack cycling. How many names were associated with a doping affair via the media in the past two years while there was never any evidence?
Look how “Le Monde” was tackled by Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. The French newspaper had a story about the Spanish football clubs being clients of the blood bank of Eufemiano Fuentes. I have lived for several years in Madrid and I know how these clubs hate each other but... they are smart enough to support each other when their same interests have to be defended. Together they attacked “Le Monde.” A claim of 300,000 euros was imposed to the newspaper. I am convinced that the media will think twice before they will again attack some Spanish football clubs.
In cycling such cooperation is currently unthinkable. However it cannot be so difficult to create an association that works for common interests of the teams. Unfortunately all teams only look at themselves. One man’s meat is another man’s poison. If one is in misery, the other laughing parties see fewer opponents. When it really matters, you're always alone. I noticed it last year when my Team Astana was refused in many races.
Even in the meetings of the AIGCP, which should be an association that defends common interests, teams shoot at each other more than they work together. That’s the reason why I quit the association last year. In the races we have to be competitors, but please, let us work together in the positioning of our sport in crisis. Until now the teams remain the weak link.
That the situation in cycling is completely wrong became very clear last year when the Tour de France completely excluded the UCI. Of course more than 60 percent of the exposure for the entire sport of cycling is achieved in the Tour de France, therefore these three weeks are so important for the team sponsors. But this cannot mean that the UCI loses all control of that race. Otherwise it will go completely wrong. The only party with the power to oblige the organizers to accept the responsibility was the AIGCP. Unfortunately, there was no unity.
Today, with 10 to 14 teams, we are looking for a new kind of cooperation. We’ve learned from our past but it will still be difficult. As long as teams continue to depend on 95 percent of their revenues from sponsorship, it will remain difficult to find a consensus. It is understandable as well that the other parties will try again to undermine our unity, but we will persevere. I believe in our project
4.3.09 | Cycling Needs Armstrong
Translated from Telegraaf's Johan Bruyneel Column (Dutch Link)
What kind of phenomenon Lance Armstrong is, became clear to me the first months of this year. When he carefully told me that he was thinking of a comeback after three years of inactivity, I thought he had become insane. I didn’t expect such a thing at all. But when I realized that he really meant it, I did not only see a nice challenge to work with him again, I found as well new opportunities for cycling.
Since ‘LA’ announced his comeback in September 2008, the team was constantly in the headlines. In the races in which he participated, there were more people than ever. The public in the Tour Down Under was more than enthusiastic. The event became the biggest sports event of South Australia. In the Tour of California the public interest was similar to stages in the Tour de France. In Castilla y León you could see the impact of Lance on smaller races. The start and finish were always in small towns but there were more than a hundred journalists from all over the world.
The positive effect of Lance’s comeback is that he brings cycling more in the picture. The sport needs that! Since he left, the sport received less worldwide attentions. Only the Tour de France is a race that gets international recognition. When you compare cycling to other sports like Formula One, tennis (Grand Slams) and soccer (Champions League), cycling is far behind. A lot of people in our sport are always against globalization as they only protect their own interest. Their too narrow and traditional way of thinking prevents progress. In the long term, globalization offers long term benefits for everyone.
I am subscribed to various sports marketing newsletters. I read a lot of times that, despite the economic crisis, deals of tens of millions are closed in big sports. But in cycling nothing happens. This proves that we have to look further than Europe to develop our sport. Thirty years ago there was only professional cycling in France, Belgium, Italy, Spain and Holland. Now not only the professional riders, but also their (multinational) sponsors come from all over the world.
Lance Armstrong is currently the only person in the cycling world that is famous worldwide. He is more than a cyclist, he is a brand. The impact of his presence in his first races of 2009 proved it. Cycling needs people like Lance Armstrong.
A quick Lance Armstrong update:
Since he broke his collarbone in Castilla y León, Lance is doing better each day. He trains every day in Austin on his indoor bike and will ride outdoor next week. Contrary to the first diagnosis in Spain, his fracture appeared to be a bit more complicated. What is important is that theoperation went fine and Lance was never inactive. He continued training. Our experience tells us that the recovery period for a sportsman is shorter. It can go fast. Participation to the Giro d’Italia will be possible though he will have to start there with other ambitions than before. To compete for a podium place will be a tough mission, but I am convinced that, thanks to the Giro, he can make a big progression towards the Tour de France.
1.8.08 | Heading Down Under
It is one month to the day since the end of the Team Astana training camp in Tenerife, Spain. Suffice to say I've been super-busy. For everyone involved in professional cycling December is the time of year to retreat to family life, hide from the media for a while, and get back to basics. Eva, Victoria and I were hosting a party of 15 for Christmas (which is a lot for our modest house in Madrid!) and all the joys and challenges of the holiday season were our priority. Now we are a week into 2009, but the training camp at Tenerife was so successful it deserves a look back.
This camp was the only chance for the entire Astana team to get together before the start of the season. All told we have 27 riders, including Lance, Popovych, Levi, Contador, Haimar Zubeldia and all the new Kazakhs. Everyone has a unique program of racing and training so by the time we get to our second training camp after the Tour Down Under in January, we will already have a few guys with other commitments. After that, well, it's the full-on season and the whole team won't come together until next fall. So Tenerife was an opportunity for team bonding, as well as important discussions of strategy, team anti-doping protocol, press relations, and, um...surfing.
Read more of Johan's Bicycling.com blog ...
11.26.08 | BIG NEWS!!!
Well, it’s no secret that this year has been very rewarding. Maybe that’s even an understatement! But I have some new news to share with you … Actually, it’s the greatest news of the year … And that being said, I think this calls for a new paragraph ....
The Bruyneel family of three will become FOUR in early 2009, right around the Tour of Flanders!! Eva and I couldn’t be prouder to have the opportunity to become parents for the second time and we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our little one. And of course Victoria is too. Already preparing to be a big sister - touching mommy’s stomach and talking to the baby. So the busy year of 2009 just got a little busier, but this is certainly the busy we all like!
In other news, we are getting ready for our upcoming training camp in Tenerife. I am very excited that 99% of the team will be there. I think we will only be missing one mechanic and one soigneur, but all the riders will be there, including the neo-pro Kazakhs. It’s most important for these new riders to adapt to the ProTour life and the way we go about doing things. Personally, the December camp is one of my favorite times of the year. It’s so rare to have all the riders together that we really try to get a lot accomplished ... And I don’t necessarily mean only on the bike! The time off the bike may even be more important during this camp. This is where the team starts coming together, bonding and putting team and individual goals down on paper and then setting a plan to accomplish them. We’ll also have some group activities, sponsor meetings and of course media days – all standard. It’s hard to believe that a great 2008 is coming to an end, but 2009 is already filled with excitement and I truly hope you will continue to support us next year!
Well, that's it for tonight ... A short one, but for me, a very proud one!
I’ll try to write from the island … Thanks for taking the time.
Johan
11.11.08 | Busy in Belgium!
Hello –
On the plane back to Madrid and I thought I would take some time to fill you in on the past few days in Belgium. Victoria is playing with her stuffed animal dog that comes with a small cage. It is the latest toy she loves to play with, but I imagine it will only be a few more days till she finds something new! And Eva is playing with her as well, so this seems like a good time for a brief update. But you never know when my tray table may become part of the action!!
I talk about Victoria quite a bit, but much to people’s disappointment, never have any updated photos to share. Well, here is a great one we took this past weekend! People say she looks just like me, and as a proud parent that puts the biggest smile on my face!
So Victoria and Eva came along on the book tour trip to spend some quality time with grandma, aunts, uncles and cousins. I have a pretty big family so it’s always fun for her … Running around and playing with her older cousins. And of course it’s great for me as well to see my mom and siblings. So it worked out well … A book tour and family reunion in one trip!
The weekend was quite busy, but Eva, Victoria and I spent today (Tuesday) in Brussels just relaxing. We were actually going to take Victoria to some fun children activities and do a little shopping, but we forgot that everything was closed due to the holiday (honoring the completion of the World War). Though it didn’t go as planned, I must say that it ended up being a nice day … Sleeping in late and just relaxing in the room. Always good to recharge the batteries!!
As for the book tour – I am very pleased!. It’s not often that I’m back in Belgium, so we took advantage of the time and opportunity. We did a number of national tv programs and radio … Talking about the book, but of course people want to know about Lance, Alberto and the rest of the team. There was an interesting radio show on Sunday morning that touched on numerous cycling and non-cycling topics. They even called up my mom and legendary mechanic Julien De Vriese for some additional stories.
I would like to thank all the people who came out to support me at the Centrum Ronde van Vlaanderen, Antwerp Bookfair and Izegem Bookfair. It was very special to see so many familiar faces, including members of the Team Astana staff, as well as friends and neighbors from my hometown of Izegem. I must say that it was a bit sentimental going to the Izegem bookfair. I remember attending the fair with my parents when I was a little boy and here I am a few decades later signing my very own book. I walked into the room and immediately had flashbacks … Funny, but I remember the room being much bigger back then! My mom and family attended and I think my mom had a permanent smile on her face throughout the entire interview and signing! Maybe I should hire her because she did a good job of telling all of Izegem that I would be there! Now that I have Victoria in my life, I completely understand a parent’s joy and pride.
Monday was spent at the service course in Brakel meeting with the Sports Directors. A good opportunity for everyone to get together and discuss the 2009 season, including what races the team will participate in. We also discussed a PRELIMINARY rider schedule. I put preliminary in caps, because it will change a few more times before the season begins. But at the very least, it gives us a good basis when we go to camp (in a few weeks) and discuss where we think each rider can excel and help not only himself, but also the team. We spend quite a bit of time with each rider at camp talking about both personal and team goals. I’ve always found that talking individually with each rider before the season is extremely beneficial and helps eliminate false expectations. Plus it’s always easier to listen to concerns before the season starts, as opposed to a day before a race starts! In the end, it just comes down to simple communication … Maybe easier said then done for most, but it’s really something that I found to be successful!
Ok, we’re in our final approach into Madrid … Laptops off, seats in the upright position and tray tables stowed and locked.
We’ll talk soon.
Thanks –
Johan
10.21.08 | Goodbye 2008, Hello 2009
I realized last night that I haven’t sent in a blog in quite some time … The last one coming after the Vuelta, so I thought it would be good to check-in.
Let’s see … There’s not a whole lot that has happened since then - A few meetings, but mainly at home or in the office. I guess it’s been one of the more “quieter” months of 2008, but I’m sure that won’t last for long! Speaking of quieter … So is the house (at least during the day). Victoria is back in school and is enjoying herself, which I hope is an indication of what’s to come in the future. Her teachers say she is very bright and loves to learn! Eva and I couldn’t be prouder!
So the 2008 season is over, with Team Astana finishing quite strong with a second place finish at the Giro di Lombardia. It’s nice to see us perform well in the one-day races. It’s also good to see Jani put together a number of strong performances. There are no doubts that he is a talented rider and we will continue to work with him to maximize his potential.
The season may be over for some, but to be honest, I feel like 2009 has already started. If you’re on the management side, there’s no real “off-season.” Those couple months without races need to be filled with heavy planning and intensive preparation for the next season. A rider’s schedule is a little better, but not much. It’s not long before they’re back on the bike and training for 2009. I may be biased, but I think this is another reason why our sport is the most intensive sport out there. Many other sports have much longer off-seasons, allowing more time for both the athletes and staff to recharge the batteries and prepare for the next seasons. I certainly don’t want to sound like I’m complaining … Just acknowledging a point that I often feel is neglected.
I had a good meeting last week with Mr. Akhmetov, who is the most influential person in Kazakhstan cycling and the team. He’s very happy with how far we’ve come in the last year and I thanked him for giving me the trust and confidence to lead his team. We’re all looking forward to the 2009 season and are hoping to build on this year’s success!
And something else I’m looking forward to in 2009, which I failed to mention in my last posting – Working with Dirk Demol. Dirk is a great sports director, but an even better person and I’m glad he will join me at Team Astana. If you followed our teams the past decade then you know there’s no doubting his experience and knowledge when it comes to racing, especially the Classics! Just another piece to the puzzle that will make us a stronger team!
Well, I have a couple more weeks in Spain before I head to Belgium for my first European book tour. Over the last few months you’ve heard a lot about “We Might as Well Win”. It’s the same book, just written in Dutch and called “Alleen Winnen Telt”! If you’re from the region, then you know November is a big book month with the Antwerp Book Fair. It just so happens that it coincides with my hometown's book fair (Izegem) so I’ll stop by there on Sunday, November 8. It will be extra special for me to have my family and friends in attendance. It also made sense to do something at the Centrum Ronde Van Vlaanderan, so we’ll be stopping there on Friday, November 7th! Here is where you can find all the info. On a side note, if you’re ever in Belgium, I highly suggest you visit the Centrum Ronde Van Vlaanderen. It’s quite a special place for us Belgians and all fans of our sport!
Well it’s time to pick Victoria up from school. I’ll check in soon – Johan
09.27.08 | Our Goal ... Accomplished!!
Dear Fans –
My apologies for the delay in posting another blog. As you can imagine, it’s been a very busy week, which started with our 2008 Vuelta victory party. It’s not every year we have a Vuelta victory party so this year we decided to host it at my house! My house is only a 20 minute drive from the finish line in Madrid, so Eva and I thought why not have it here!! All the riders (minus Benjamin since his wife is about to give birth) and staff attended, as well as our sponsors and VIP guests. It was also a pleasure to host Mr. Azat Bekturov and Mr. Nikolai Proskurin, who are part of our Kazakh title sponsor group. I’m happy to say that both had a great time being part of the Vuelta victory and celebrating with us. Mr. Bekturov speaks perfect English and gave a champagne toast to the group, thanking everyone for their hard work and representing Kazakhstan with pride! I don’t see the pictures from the party up on the Team site yet, but hopefully we’ll get them up in the next few days.
I’ll talk more about the final week of the Vuelta in my Bicycling.com blog, but I want to congratulate Alberto, Levi, Andreas, Sergio, Chechu, Assan, Dmitriy, Benjamin and Tomas for an excellent race. And then to our hard-working staff who allow the riders to put all their focus on riding and racing. Normally, I don’t like to single out riders, but I feel it’s important here … An extra special note to Alberto who has accomplished a very rare feat, especially in modern cycling. When I first signed you in 2007, it was my plan to develop you into a champion cyclist. To see you stand on the top of three Grand Tour podiums in a 14 month span is extremely rewarding. And then of course there is Chechu, one of the classiest guys I have met in my 40 plus years. I am truly honored that you have decided to continue your career one more year. You probably will never recognize this, but having you on this team brings so much more than just racing bikes.
Now … I would like to take a moment to offer up a big THANK YOU. We still have a month of racing left, but since early in the season, winning the Vuelta was OUR big goal. I won’t recap why it was the goal …. I think by now everyone knows the history behind this. But I put OUR instead of “the Team’s” because I hope that you - fans - feel that this is your victory as well. It goes beyond the 30 riders and 35 staff we have. Our fans have supported this team through the good times and bad times, and I, along with the entire team certainly recognize this. No one abandoned us when we learned that we weren’t invited to the Giro and the Tour. I look back on 2008 and see how far we have come – a challenging, but yet very special season. I think these experiences only make us stronger as both a team and fanbase.
A few days after the Vuelta, I received an email from some Kazakh fans. Here is an excerpt:
Fans of our Cycling team Astana are writing to you to express our appreciation for the fact that you were not afraid to stand at the post of the manager of the team in very difficult times. You have stabilized the team and led our riders to great new victories! These tremendous successes will give a big boost to the development and promotion of cycling in Kazakhstan! We thank you for opening the Russian version of the official Astana web-site, which enables us to receive information directly about the team for greater number of people in Kazakhstan. For those of us who have no opportunity to be spectators at European races, it is very important. This shows that you care, not only about the team, but also about the fans.
I had to smile when I received this email. There were a lot of doubters early on and to see that the team has restored faith, hope and pride to Kazakhstan is one of the biggest victories!
Switching subjects … Lance joining the team. I won’t write a lot about this now, but I do want to say a few things ... It’s normal that the press is looking for some controversy. To be honest, this team can be in a lot worse situation. In my opinion, having four riders who have all been on the Tour de France podium is not such a bad position to be in!! If anything, it brings some added excitement to this sport. I know some fans have some strong differences of opinion. And that’s fine. The only request I have is that these differences are stated in a respectful and professional manner. It’s no different than a family ... At the end of the day, let’s remember that we all support Team Astana.
Well, it’s time to spend Saturday with the family. I haven’t done that the past few weekends, so it’s my time to refocus. I’ll try to write again soon, updating you on what’s going on in the next few months!
Thanks again and enjoy the weekend … JB
09.13.08 | El Angliru & Lance's Comeback
Well, we just got back from El Angliru. Not an easy time getting down that mountain with all the people lining the climb. Great atmosphere and an amazing job by not only Alberto, but the entire Team Astana. I’m going to save the race analysis commentary for my Bicycling.com blog, which I’ll write in the next couple days. Certainly check back here for the link.
Well, by now the entire world knows about Lance’s comeback to professional cycling. Certainly I’m not writing a blog to tell you about this, however you may be wondering why there is nothing posted on the Team website. Well, to be honest, there’s nothing official to say! And that’s for two reasons. First – Lance and I really need to sit down and talk about everything. And this is not the call that’s going to be a quick one. There’s a lot to discuss. Second and most importantly, I and the rest of Team Astana are focused on winning the Vuelta a España and right now anything else is a potential distraction. And this is not the race we can afford to lose any focus! This has been our major goal from early on and it would be extremely rewarding to have Alberto on that top step in Madrid. After this race is over, we’ll all learn a little more about this situation. Just wanted to let you guys know the latest here.
Thanks again for all the support. The entire Team certainly appreciates it.
We’ll chat soon … Johan
08.24.08 | Birthday Thanks & Gearing Up for the Vuelta
Normally I wouldn’t write about my birthday, but this year I feel the need to recognize some dedicated Team Astana fans who put a lot of effort and hard work into a birthday present. I received a link on Saturday morning and was greeted with a dedicated website wishing me a very Happy Birthday. The site was very well put together with pictures, a video of my career as both a rider and Sports Director (to music as well) and birthday messages. This obviously took a lot of planning, coordination and organization. Thank you to those who put this site together and for all the birthday wishes. From the USA to Kazakhstan and every country in-between and beyond, I am very touched and grateful for all your support.
Now you probably want some birthday details. Unfortunately, you may be very disappointed … The birthday was a fairly low-key day in the Bruyneel household. I’m going to be at the Vuelta quite a bit, so I really just wanted to spend some time with Eva and Victoria. Plus today (Sunday) was the Clásica a los Puertos race so the next day was a working day (more on this later). So Victoria and I spent a good part of Saturday in the pool. She’s quite a fish these days! Not even five years old and she can already swim the length of the pool without the floaties. So it was a special day for me in that I spent time with the family, but not special in the way that something unique or extraordinary happened.
I don’t want to switch to a somber mood, but I would like to send my condolences to any people who have been directly affected by the horrible Spanair tragedy that occurred last Wednesday. For me, this hits very close to home, literally. The Madrid-Barajas airport is no more than 15 minutes away from my
house and even closer to the JBSM office. I was actually in my car when the accident occurred, driving from the office to lunch. I saw the black smoke and then heard the announcement on the radio. Close-by is a local hospital and I heard multiple ambulances leaving. You just get that awful feeling in your stomach and hope that it’s not as bad as it sounds, but of course it usually is. I flew the next day to Madrid to Belgium for a meeting and as we took off I could see the site where the plane went down. For about one kilometer, the grass was totally black – burnt to a crisp. Cars and people everywhere. It was awful, and especially something you don’t want to see when taking off. I fly A LOT and when these things happen I find myself taking a step back and thinking about all the important people in my life. I hope the families are comforted by the positive memories of their loved ones. My thoughts are with you.
I’m not going to talk much about the Vuelta in this blog. We had the Clásica a los Puertos race today, which is about an hour away from my house. It was our last “test” to have a look at the conditions of some of our riders. Levi, who recently returned from Beijing where he won a Bronze Medal in the TT, had a great day and rode solo to the line. Alberto was less than a minute behind. I am quite pleased with the team we are putting together. We’ll most likely announce the roster tomorrow (I know many of you can’t wait to know, but just hang in there), so check back on the Team Astana website for the official announcement. I also know I have some questions to answer from the “Ask Johan” feature. There are a bunch of Vuelta questions, so I thought it was best to wait to answer till we made the roster choices. I’ll post the answers on the Team site sometime this week before the Vuelta.
Ok, my friends. It’s after 9:00 PM here and that means one thing in Spain … Time to get ready for dinner! Thanks again for the birthday wishes … We’ll talk soon
JB
08.06.08 | The Olympics & Hall of Coaches
Hola from the beautiful beaches of Mallorca! Every August, after a hard working month of July, Eva, Victoria and I usually take some family vacation time. And this year, we decided to take a short plane ride to Mallorca. Great weather, beautiful beaches, time to relax, hang out with the family, reflect on the past year and do some planning for the future. Of course, I’m still attached to the blackberry and laptop (I would be lost without them) and keeping close tabs on Team Astana.
Speaking of Team Astana … It’s an Olympic year and we have some of our top riders representing their countries in the Games. I am Belgian, but I also will make it a point to cheer for our Team Astana riders. Best of luck to Levi Leipheimer (USA), Alberto Contador (Spain), Maxim Iglinskiy (Kazakhstan), Andrey Mizurov (Kazakhstan) and Sergey Ivanov (Russia). They’ll be competing against many Tour de France riders so it should be interesting to see how the form matches up. Regardless, I know these riders will represent their countries with pride and honor. I also hope that they have the chance to take in some of the experiences of being an Olympian. A quick story … Back in 1996 I went to Atlanta as a member of the Belgium Olympic Team. I remember everyone asking me what it was like to be in the Olympic village, living the life of an Olympian. And that’s a good question, but I couldn’t tell them. The cycling events were so far out of the city that for training and competition reasons they housed us in the suburbs. Oh well. In the end, I didn’t come away with a medal, but had an enormous amount of pride knowing that I was chosen to represent my country. So hopefully these riders can take the time to enjoy the Olympic Village and the sites of Beijing.
Keeping with the Olympics theme … I wanted to share my first trip to Beijing. Just so happens it’s been my only trip. With all my world travels as both a professional rider and then Team Director, surprisingly my first encounter with Beijing came this past May when I was invited by Nike to their Hall of Coaches program. This program was originally developed to make a contribution to the 2008 Olympic Games by providing Chinese coaches with the necessary tools to develop top Chinese Olympic contenders. I had the opportunity to bring one guest and thought it would be appropriate for Dr. Dag Van Elslande to join me. I’ve known Dag for quite some time now. He’s not only been affiliated with my teams since 2003, but also helps to develop the next best riders at the Johan Bruyneel Cycling Academy. So for his understanding of exercise physiology, training and nutrition, I thought Dag would be an asset to the program … And he certainly was.
The three-day event consisted of one press conference for the Chinese media and 4 presentations to the cycling coaches. The press wanted to know everything from coaching Lance to hiring the first Pro-Tour Chinese rider to my viewpoints on Chinese cycling now and in the future … The toughest part of the press conference was getting used to pausing after a few sentences for the translator (by the way, I consider myself a quick learner with languages, but learning Chinese would be an entirely different challenge!). Over the next two days, we spoke to approximately 50 coaches on the topics of:
- Developing training programs for elite cyclists
- Nutrition for the elite cyclist
- Keys to a successful time-trial
- My 45 minute motivational “We Might as Well Win” speech
The coaches were very enthusiastic and showed that they were really willing to learn and take in all the material. Besides talking and answering questions, we also put together a training program for the top female Chinese cyclist Li Meifang. There were recent reports that she was improving quite significantly, but I just learned that she injured herself at the end of July and withdrew from the Olympics … Certainly frustrating for any athlete, but especially for an athlete competing in her home country’s Olympics. I hope we’ll see her back on the bike soon.
I’ve posted some photos in the gallery from the Hall of Coaches … Check ‘em out!
With over 1 billion people in China there has to be some serious cycling talent. It’s just a matter of finding those people and then providing them with the proper education to attain the highest levels of the sport. I hope that Dag and I contributed to helping them achieve this goal … I’m convinced that we will continue to see more Chinese cyclists competing in the pro-peloton …
Back to the Olympics … Now, I’ve received some emails asking who I think will win … To be quite honest, this is one of the hardest races to predict for numerous reasons. (1) With the Tour de France barely in the rear view mirror, it’s a big question mark how the top contenders will perform after the biggest race of the year. (2) As you have read, the environment and weather can be major factors … It’s a new environment for many of the cyclists, so we’ll have to see who can successfully acclimate themselves. And probably the most important (3) Will the riders come together and ride as a team for their country. It’s no secret that the best riders in the world are competing at the Olympics. And many of them are hoping to stand on the podium in Beijing. Most of them are leaders on their respective teams and are not teammates outside of the Olympics. It will be interesting to see who sacrifices themselves for their teammates and overall, their country. Certainly Spain has a strong group of individuals, but it remains to be seen how strong the TEAM is.
Well the family is heading to the beach … I’ll try to write before the Vuelta. Check the Team Astana website in the next week or so for the roster …. I have some decisions to make!
JB
07.28.08 | Back from Le Tour
Well the Tour is over and I’m back home in Madrid (of course not for long, but more on that later). First of all, my congratulations to Carlos Sastre and the entire CSC-Saxo Bank Team for their victories and riding a smart and efficient race.
Being at the Tour the final week was certainly an interesting experience. Actually, I should say that I was at the VERSUS compound which was parked at the finish line of the Tour!! It was weird because I was there, but yet wasn’t. Believe it or not, you never really see the race live. Even at the finish line, we’re often times parked with the other networks behind a bunch of trailers … The podium and hospitality areas need to get the prime position.
What I learned from working on the television side?? … It’s hard work … And I was only there for one week!! The finish line broadcasters (Craig Hummer, Bob Roll, Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwin) all travel to the next finish city after each stage. By the time we wrap up the post-stage filming, get down the mountain with all the typical Tour craziness and get to the hotel, we’re looking at a dinner usually between 11 and midnight. Then of course I check-in with my wife, do some work emails and before you know it, I’m in bed at 2:00 AM. Now you may think that since we’re at the finish line we can start our day pretty late. Wrong! Often times, we had to be at the set as early as 9:00 AM.
As for the television experience … It was great and I have a ton of appreciation for what these guys do day-in and day-out. Craig Hummer is an amazing talent … The words just come out of his mouth like he was preparing for years, when in fact, most of the stuff is on the fly … No “ums,” pauses, or moments of confusion. And then you have Bob Roll, or as many people like to call him Bobke. Well for people who don’t know Bob personally, his TV personality is his real-life personality (maybe even a little toned down on television). He brings such energy and vigor to the race, which I often think is lacking on other international networks! And then of course you have the entire VERSUS production crew who doesn’t get enough credit. These guys and gals work harder than anyone else, just to make sure we are prepared and everything looks great. I went inside the production truck one day and the operation they run is truly amazing. They need to do an entire show on the behind-the-scenes crew just so fans can begin to understand what goes on. So thank you to everyone at VERSUS for inviting me to be a TV analyst on your Tour de France coverage. I had a great time and have a new found appreciation and respect. I hope to have the opportunity to do it again, BUT not next year!! Next year, I want to be in the heart of the action with Team Astana!!
One last thing on the TV experience. My wife asked me the other day, “How’s it different than an interview?” … Well two major differences. (1) An interview has more of a question and answer format, whereas being a tv analyst is more like having a conversation with both questions and unprompted comments. (2) In an interview, you are usually looking directly at the person who is asking the question. As a tv analyst, you are trying to make a connection with the audience watching and will often direct your answer or comment to them, accomplished by looking directly into the camera. So you’re not only having a conversation with Craig and Bob, but also including the tv viewers.
So I think we can all agree that for not having a Team at the Tour, this has been a very busy summer. So what do I plan on doing between now and the Vuelta … Taking a vacation with Eva and Victoria. We’re going to head to the beach and just enjoy ourselves and relax. I’ll be bringing my laptop so I’ll try to write something from a beachfront cabana!!
Adios … JB
07.08.08 | "We Might as Well Win" Book Tour
Greetings from San Diego! Looking over the San Diego Harbor from my hotel balcony, taking in some sun and relaxing. Eva and I decided to take a couple days for ourselves after the book tour. We were just talking about the tour … A week ago we were in NYC, which seems like months ago! In 6 days, we stopped in NYC, Portland, SF, San Jose, Seattle and San Diego.
I would like to thank all the bookstores, bike shops and corporations who hosted the “We Might as Well Win” book tour. And of course all the fans who came out to get their books signed. I won’t recount the entire tour, but I’ll briefly list some highlights.
- Seeing Margie from Nike, who hosted a corporate book signing at their Beaverton headquarters. It’s always great to catch up with old friends and Margie and the entire Nike Corporation were always supportive of the USPS and Discovery Channel Teams. After the event, Eva and I had the opportunity to shop at the Nike Employee Discount store – Safe to say - our suitcases are definitely heavier now than when we first left!
- Speaking at Google was a great experience. The Google campus is quite amazing and I can see why it’s rated the #1 place to work in the US. Pool, gym, beach volleyball, massages, complimentary breakfast, lunch and dinner (and great food) – sounds more like a resort than a place of employment. The joke is that I now need to institute this work atmosphere model at Johan Bruyneel Sports Management. Special thanks to Dylan Casey, former USPS pro cyclist and current Google employee/resort member for hosting me.
- Thom Weisel (owner of Tailwind Sports) invited me and Eva to his house for dinner before my appearance at Book Passage in Corte Madera. We caught up on the USPS & Discovery Channel days and the latest with Team Astana. He’s always been extremely supportive and I’m very thankful for his friendship all these years.
- As I mentioned in a previous blog, when I’m at the races there is so much going on that I don’t have as much time as I’d like to meet the fans. This tour gave me that opportunity and I want to thank everyone who came out, listened to my talk, asked questions and have supported both me personally and the USPS, Discovery Channel and Astana Teams. It was a real pleasure and I hope you are all enjoying the book.
Pictures and articles from the book tour will be posted on the site so stay tuned!
Another bonus was having Eva come with me on the book tour. She had a great time and I appreciate her patience and support. Trust me, it’s very tiring to travel every morning to another city and then do 2-3 appearances plus interviews, but she was great! Some people were asking where Victoria was … Now it certainly wouldn’t be very fun for a 4 year old to tag along on the book tour so she spent some quality time with her grandmother (Eva’s mom) in Valencia. We spoke to her every day and like any child is, having a great time running around the beach and playing in the sand.
Let’s see what’s up next … We are flying back on Tuesday, arriving in Madrid on Wednesday morning. Thursday and Friday at home, then off to the Tour to be a guest commentator on VERSUS with Bob Roll and Craig Hummer. I’m really looking forward to this opportunity and I hope Craig and Bob will enjoy it as well. One last note - Before I leave, I’ll be doing a live chat on Bicycling.com. It’s scheduled for the last hour of Friday’s stage. The information will be posted on my homepage as soon as there are more details. Hopefully you are enjoying my Tour de France blogs … The links to those blogs are posted on the homepage and “In the News” section (click on “About”)
We’ll talk again from Europe. Take Care - JB
07.08.08 | Let's Get it Started!
Here we are, book tour round 2! First stop – the Big Apple!
Eva and I arrived on Sunday afternoon, dropped our bags off and quickly started for Fifth Avenue! Summer sales combined with the weak dollar/strong euro make for some nice shopping! I’ve heard of Europeans flying over to the US solely for a shopping weekend and when you see some of the prices you pay, I see that it’s well worth all the travel costs. One place to note is the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue. Even if you don’t own any Apple products or have no interest in them, I still suggest you drop by this store. It’s a tourist attraction, packed with people playing with the gadgets, people taking pictures and learning about the latest and upcoming products!
As you all know, I wasn’t in NYC to shop … And Monday didn’t leave any time for that! I started off the day doing a CBS interview for their Tour de France show, followed by an interview with the Wall Street Journal and then off to Bloomberg TV for their “Night Talk” show. The CBS show will air this weekend and “Night Talk” is scheduled for Thursday … As they say, “Check your local TV listings for more information!” On top of this website blog, I’m also writing two daily Tour de France blogs – one at Bicycling.com and the other for a Belgian newspaper. So if you’re asking where the Tour de France commentary is, you’ll find it there!
I then spent the evening at Border’s on 57th talking to a standing-room only crowd of New Yorkers. A good start when there’s not a seat left in the house! Hopefully, we’ll keep the streak going on the West Coast!
So this morning we said goodbye to New York and off to the West Coast we go. I’m looking forward to today! I’m going to do a corporate appearance at Nike’s headquarters. It will be fun to catch up with Margie Wargo, who supported the USPS and Discovery Channel Teams the past few years. Margie is now the Marketing Manager for the Lance Armstrong division at Nike. So no worries, Margie is kept quite busy these days! Then in the evening – Powell’s bookstore. From what I hear, this is one of the biggest independent bookstores in the country so I look forward to seeing this mega-store!
More stories to tell soon, but for now a little shut-eye on the way to Portland … Johan
07.05.08 | Champions!!
Back on the blog! I have a lot to share since we last chatted …
Let’s start with Team Astana! Not a bad national champions weekend for us … As you probably read on Team Astana’s website, we now have Andrey Mizurov (Kazakhstan TT), Assan Bazayev (Kazakhstan Road), Sergey Ivanov (Russian Road), Sérgio Paulinho (Portugal TT) and Tomas Vaitkus (Lithuania Road). And the Goose successfully defended his Russian TT title. Can’t complain about that! Now we’re busy at work getting the guys in their new kits …
So last weekend, Alain Gallopin, Geert Duffeleer and I went to Kazakhstan for the Road Championship and to visit our sponsors. Assan Bazayev had a great day and it was nice to see his 6 Kazakh teammates support him in the victory. Alain and I were in a car following the race … And also keeping our eye on the younger Kazakh riders … A very talented bunch. I think you will see some coming up to the Pro Tour level very soon.
After, we had a very nice dinner and party with the sponsor group. And there was plenty to celebrate with Assan and Andrey’s great weekend and the overall success of the 2008 Astana Cycling Team. I know I’ve said this before, but I’m really proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish the last 6 months … And maybe more importantly, how we did it.
Speaking of champions, I need to mention EuroCup 2008! España!!! Ok, I’ll admit it – I didn’t see the finals, but I have a good excuse … On an airplane flying back from Kazakhstan. I’ll also admit that I’m not a diehard futbol fan (or soccer for any of you Americans), but it’s hard not to get into EuroCup! Regardless, it’s still exciting when the country you live in wins … There’s an electric vibe throughout the entire country. I think you’d have to lack a pulse not to feel it.
While I’m writing this, my daughter Victoria is playing next to me. It’s amazing how quickly she is growing up. Wow! She is so much fun to be around and I love spending time with her. Quite a smart little one as well … Fluent in both Spanish and English. We speak Spanish at home, but we send her to an English speaking school – the best of both worlds. It’s always easier for small children to pick up another language. Just the other day we had a small, but fun party at our house … Her school friends came over to play in the pool and us parents sat around talking … Mainly about our kids! I’ll try to post some pictures one of these days so you can see how big she is getting!
Ok – I was having a parent “moment” there.
Well, here’s a shocker! Getting back on a plane. Destination: USA! Part deux of the “We Might as Well Win” book tour! This time stopping in NYC, Portland, SF, Seattle and San Diego. Something different this go around … Eva will be joining me on the adventure! She enjoys going to the United States, so I thought it would be nice to have her with me. We just added a new location to the mix – San Diego. Eva and I are going to take a mini-vacation … We’re on the west coast and like San Diego, so why not spend a few days down there. I even managed to squeeze in a book signing on Sat, July 12 at the Trek San Diego store. All the details for the events are on the “Book” page. I’ll try to write a few blogs and give you some updates on how things are going and the latest purchases by Eva. Haha. We’ll see if that’s funny by the end of the Tour. Got to keep selling the books!!!
Oh, almost forgot … I’m going to be writing a blog on Bicycling.com during the Tour de France. Providing some daily analysis and commentary. I’m looking forward to it, but during the first week I’m going to the feel the pain of the West Coasters when I have to wake up EARLY!
Looking forward to catching up in the USA … JB
06.24.08 | 5 Days, 5 Cities, 9 Appearances
Believe it or not, book tour #1 is in the books … No pun intended! What a journey – Austin, Philly, DC, Wisconsin and Chicago and now back in Spain. 2 appearances/day, media interviews, early mornings, late nights, but all worth it! I’ve said it before, but thanks again for all who came out, asked questions, and supported my new project. Hopefully you are enjoying the read!!
Here’s a picture of me signing a book … I’m not sure how many I did last week, but I do know it was A LOT! The bookshop owners would joke that I needed to ice my hand between signings.
So back home now in Spain, but not for long … Shocking, I know. Where am I going you ask? On Thursday, Alain Gallopin, Geert Duffeleer (Operations Director) and I are heading to Kazakhstan for the National Championships. If you know anything about Team Astana, then you know that the Kazakhs are big-time cycling enthusiasts, love the sport and have a tremendous amount of national pride. With 8 Kazakh riders on our team, the three of us will go to support them and meet with our title sponsors and Kazakh officials. Right now, Max Iglinskiy wears the Kazakh champs jerseys … With 8 Pro Tour riders on our Team, we stand in good shape to keep it on the Team.
Between now and then, I’ll just be at home spending time with Eva and Victoria … And of course a few interviews mixed in here and there! The good thing is that it’s finally hot enough in Spain to jump into the pool … Which is exactly where I’m heading now …
Talk to you when I get back from Kazakhstan … Johan
06.19.08 | In the Air and On the Tour
Greetings from somewhere in the air towards Wisconsin. Once again a very early morning so I can fly to Wisconsin, do an interview, as well as two signings. When Houghton Mifflin approached me about the book tour, they originally wanted two consecutive weeks. Don’t get me wrong, I’m having a great time, but two consecutive weeks would have been very difficult on the body with these early mornings and late nights.
I’m not going to go into much detail about the places we’ve visited because that info is already on the book tour page. But I will say that the attendance has been great … Large crowds, enthusiastic and high knowledge of the sport! Of course, I get the typical questions about the ASO, my relationship with Lance, Team Astana’s 2008 success. Yesterday, I got a first - Someone in Washington D.C., asked me if I would have taken the position if some other Team (not Lance) asked me to become the Sports Director. I never really thought about that idea before … And now you will have to come to an event to get the real answer!
Ok, kidding … I thought about it for a couple seconds and answered “Yes, I most likely would have.” I think we sometime forget, but I did not inherit a Tour de France champion. Actually it was just the reverse – back then, we were known as the “Bad News Bears” of cycling … And with the “We Might as We’ll Win” formula … Well, you know the rest!
Signing off for now … JB
06.17.08 | Austin Homecoming
It’s been a great start to the book tour! The only downer so far has been today’s pick up … 4:00 AM to catch a 5:30 flight. With Victoria I’m used to waking up early, but not THAT early!
So a great turnout yesterday in Austin. Actually Mellow Johnny’s sold out of my books! My apologies for anyone who didn’t get a book signed there, but they should be getting some more in stock and then they can send it to me to get signed.
I arrived Sunday late afternoon and of course my bags did not make it from my connection in Atlanta. I had this bad feeling when I cleared customs and saw the long line of bags waiting to be put on the conveyer belt … It’s times like that when you just want to physically bring your bag on the plane and put it right next to you. Seems like the “sorry sir, but your bag is still at INSERT AIRPORT” has happened to me quite often lately. Oh well, I guess it happens to all of us and is just one of the risks of traveling.
Getting back to Austin … As I mentioned in my previous post, Austin is a very special place to me for numerous reasons and this trip certainly did not disappoint. It was great to catch up with former colleagues and old friends. My day kicked off with a local television interview, followed by a very nice tour of the Lance Armstrong Foundation from Chris Brewer, known to many as the Fresh Brew. That place keeps growing and now it’s gotten to the point where they have to move into another building in a few months! Certainly a good problem for an organization that does GREAT things.
I think one of the cool experiences so far is getting to meet you guys. And I’m not just saying that either. I see many of you at races, but the atmosphere there is totally different … Dealing with the media, riders, staff, team meetings, etc. Now I can actually focus on the task without those race-day “distractions.” So thanks Austin for being gracious hosts … It’s been a lot of fun … Just hope the mornings aren’t as early as 4:00 AM.
See you in Philly, DC, Wisconsin or Chicago … JB
06.14.08 | Heading to a Different Tour
Hola from Spain …
But not for long! Tomorrow I’m heading to the U.S. to kick-off my book tour … First stop - Austin, Texas! There’s probably no better place to start the tour than the hometown of Mr. 7 Yellow Jerseys. What we accomplished those seven years is very special and I’m very happy to first share my book with the people of Austin!
I’m also looking forward to catching up with old friends in Austin. If you remember, Austin is home to the company that managed the USPS & Discovery Channel Teams, Capital Sports & Entertainment/Tailwind Sports. Bill Stapleton and Bart Knaggs still head up the company and manage Lance’s affairs … Plus countless others who worked for or supported the team. But the one person who I will miss is Lance. Unfortunately, our schedules did not line up and he will be on the road. Lance, busy? Can you believe it? He is about to launch livestrong.com … Don’t be confused, it’s different from the .org site. From what he tells me, it is a cool website that’s going to help change people’s lifestyles. So he has some media commitments in NYC to promote the launch. But I hope we can meet up at a book signing in early July.
Speaking of Lance … The book signing will be at his new bike shop – Mellow Johnny’s. It opened up in early May and I’ve heard great things about the shop – not the typical bike shop. I read Fresh Brew’s article about it on Team Astana’s site and I’m looking forward to seeing it in person. Look’s pretty cool.
After Austin, I head to Philadelphia, where Bill Strickland will join me. Bill was a really influential person when it came to writing the book. I have so many stories and Bill helped me map out the book and choose the stories that went along with the book’s theme – winning (in case you had trouble figuring that out from the title!) We’ve become good friends through the multi-year project and he is another person I look forward to reconnecting with. Then from Philly, it’s off to Washington D.C., then Madison & Milwaukee and then the final stop on the first leg, Chicago. Every day it’s a new city, which makes for some early mornings and flights! The days will be busy with signings and interviews, but hopefully I’ll have some time to sneak out and do some exploring, or as my wife would say – shopping!
Hopefully if you are in or around those cities, you’ll come out. If you’ve never been to a book signing, I’ll obviously sign your book, but I’m going to spend some time in the beginning talking about the book and taking questions. One thing before I forget - I want to thank people for their support … I’ve received a bunch of emails from people asking me to come to their city. I wish I could hit all 50 states, but I have my family and Team Astana job to attend to … So my apologies if you are unable to make the trip, but I hope you still enjoy the read.
As you can see by the length of this blog, I’m pretty excited for the coming week. This is a new adventure for me and I plan to take pics and write some blogs, updating you all (or as they say in Austin, y’all) on the book tour and my travels!
One thing I need to mention before I sign off – the Dauphiné Libéré. Looks like Alejandro Valverde will wrap up the victory tomorrow, with Cadel Evans in second and Team Astana’s Levi Leipheimer in third. I am quite impressed with Levi’s performance, especially coming off the Giro … Winning the prologue and then having a very good time trial. Valverde was unbeatable in the time trial, a very impressive victory. Should be interesting to see how Valverde and Cadel match-up in the coming weeks … More on the Tour another time!
See you in the States –
JB
06.03.08 | Giro Win, Website & Book
Hello Friends –
First of all, welcome to my new website! With all the changes going on in the past year, I thought it was time to have a new “look”. I hope you enjoy the site, taking a stroll back memory lane and checking out my new adventures!
Well, what can I say … It’s hard to describe all the emotions of late. We went from scrambling to get Team Astana ready for the Giro to actually winning it!! I can’t say enough about the Team’s motivation, determination and willingness to fight till the end. Alberto may have won the Giro, but there’s no doubt that it was certainly a TEAM effort, from the riders to the directors, all the way to the support staff! Alberto has definitely shown a great deal of class and I can’t be more confident saying that he is today’s best stage racer in the world. For me. this victory is extra special due to all the challenges we had to overcome and I can’t be more proud of this Team. Team Astana has come a long way!!!
One other thing on the Giro … I arrived in Italy on the last rest day and during the last six days of the race, I was blown away by the fans’ support of Team Astana. Italians, Spaniards, Americans … Cheers for Alberto and the Team were coming from every direction and nationality. Cycling is truly a global sport and no matter your nationality, I sincerely thank you for all your support.
So as many of you already know, my book, "We Might as Well Win," comes out in the US today. I’ve been working with the talented Bill Strickland (great guy!) for a couple years now on this project so to finally see a hard cover book with over 200 pages is pretty damn rewarding. There were so many stories to choose from and with the help of Bill, I think we picked some of the best and that really reveal how we accomplished what we did. I’m happy to say that the feedback so far has been very positive and I hope you, too, will enjoy the read!
Wow, this is becoming quite a lengthy blog! I can’t promise that they’ll always be this long, especially when I’m on the road, but I’m going to do my very best to keep up with the writing. I actually enjoy writing …. It gives me some time to reflect on what’s been going on lately and share my thoughts with you guys.
But while I like writing you guys, I love my daughter Victoria more (can’t fault me for that!) and now it’s time to spend some quality time with her before I head off for the Dauphiné next week and then to the US for my book tour (schedule is on “The Book” page) … More on the book tour later!
Talk Soon –
Johan