Which Way Forward?

Well, it's been a bad few days for Our Andy, there's no doubt about that.

My thought now is that the team should take him off the Tour squad list, to remove that pressure: then send him out to every single Pro Conti race they can get him in.

He said himself that he felt like a neo-pro, having had more or less half a year off the bike - and bear in mind that he has been riding since he was, what, 15? He went straight into competitive racing, has never done anything other than race, and has never had more than a short holiday off the bike. And we know that even when on holiday (Curacao, for example) they still ride their bikes most days.

 So he would never have experienced what it's like to be totally unfit.

(Unlike you and I, ha ha)

I think it's too much, to throw him back into the high publicity, high tempo races: yes, I know that other riders have done it, but as we have seen, Andy is struggling, and the constant criticism from the media and the commentators is not helping.

So, my suggestion is to get him racing on quiet, un-televised races at a lower level, where he will quickly feel that he is stronger and better than most of those around him.This will raise his confidence, he can then slot back into the A team, and who knows, he may even perk up in time for the Tour.

But unless he is really feeling good, I would rather see him miss this year's Tour, and maybe go with Frankie for the Vuelta instead.

Makes you wonder what on earth RadioShambles are going to do for the Tour, doesn't it? No Frankie, possibly no Andy: Horner and Kloeden are still hanging on the Lance Armstrong hook, and may yet be hauled off to answer doping charges: they don't have a lot of options, do they? Can't say that I am sympathetic, as I have very little regard for Mr Becca and Mr Bruyneel (who seems to have disappeared without trace, which is not a bad thing), and I still resent our Leopards being shoved into the Shack team without so much as a consultation.

How long is Andy's contract, does anyone know?