After difficult experience with Astana, Bruyneel ready to lead RadioShack in Tour de France

Bruyneel set to lead RadioShack in Tour de France

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Johan Bruyneel has a new team but an old feeling as he gets ready to go for a 10th Tour de France title this year.

Bruyneel helped lead Lance Armstrong to seven straight Tour de France titles from 1999-2005. He also won eight team Tour titles with USPS and Discovery before winning with Astana last year.

Now, he is the director of Armstrong’s newly formed RadioShack Cycling Team and said he’s happy to have total control after a tough year with Astana.

“It’s my team, it’s the team I built, and it’s going to be a good atmosphere,” Bruyneel said Friday. “That’s the main reason I’m back into my team. Astana has never felt as my team.”

Bruyneel was in Colorado as the featured speaker at the USA Triathlon International Coaching Symposium. During his nearly two-hour speech, he talked about his relationship with Armstrong and his struggles with Astana in 2009.

Despite winning the team title, and coaching overall winner Alberto Contador, it wasn’t a fulfilling experience for Bruyneel. He clashed with Contador and the sponsors, and his loss of control led to his decision to leave the team.

“It was not a very hard decision because of the sometimes stress-filled relationship with Alberto, and the difficulties within the team and with the sponsors of the team. It was a very difficult relationship I had,” he said.

There was tension between Contador and Armstrong, who finished third. Contador said publicly he “never had admiration for Armstrong,” and Armstrong countered that Contador had “lots to learn.”

Bruyneel and Armstrong left Astana to form RadioShack.

“It’s basically the same relationship with the same people. It’s a co-partnership with Lance and his management,” Bruyneel said. “It’s like Discovery and Postal again.”

Bruyneel said Armstrong, even at 38, is motivated to win his eighth Tour. The cancer survivor came out of retirement last year.

“He’s super motivated to beat Alberto, but at the same time he knows it’s going to be difficult,” Bruyneel said. “I think that brings his motivation to a higher level.”