Garmin Ltd. announced today that it will continue its title sponsorship of Team Garmin Slipstream through 2013. The GPS maker already was contracted to be the title sponsor of the team until 2010, so this is an additional three years to the contract.

Obviously, this is excellent news for this once upstart Boulder, Co.-based team that just finished its first full year as a Pro Tour team. I've always thought cycling was an excellent investment for Garmin, considering their products' many applications in cycling. It appears the executives at Garmin feel the same way.

“The success of the team spans the globe and surpassed our expectations for the first year and a half of our title sponsorship, bringing Garmin’s reputation for quality, commitment, performance and productivity into countless households in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia,” said Jon Cassat, Garmin’s vice president of communications. “Our objectives were – and continue to be – to integrate our products on sports’ biggest stages and to build global brand awareness. Whether capturing victories around the world, winning national championships or working to develop future generations of talent, Team Garmin has helped us achieve those objectives and has made an impression on billions of potential customers.”

In its two years on the Euro scene, I think Garmin has done extremely well. Especially considering their budget and the fact that the team was cobbled together from an U.S. domestic team without any really big name signings. Hopefully Garmin increases the budget for the next three years and can start attracting top-level talent to their ranks.

I’ve always managed to keep an even keel when it comes to being a cycling fan. I tend to fall in love with the races, not the riders. And when someone asks me who my favorite cyclist is, I usually am stumped for an answer. Sure, I like some riders more than others, but I generally root for the underdog. 

I crave the action, and not necessarily the results of a specific rider. This always keeps me at a comfortable distance during the inevitable Lance Armstrong flame wars. I am pretty ambivalent toward him. I think he’s a great rider, but also kind of an asshat with a lot of question marks. But neither of these feelings put me in the red. Not too many cyclists do.

Except the current leader of the Vuelta a Espana. Alejandro Valverde Belmonte.

He is my Lance. The closer he gets to a Vuelta win, the more I want to make vitriol-filled comments during live race chats.  The more he smiles, the more I want to rail on the illegitimacy of his win and the hypocrisy of all of his fans. 

I never understood the fervent anti-lance contingent. Now I do. 

I’ll try to remain calm for these next two stages, and keep my comments to myself.  But if a bit of my anger and asshattery finds its way into a live chat, I apologize in advance. It just makes me sick to my stomach to see a great race inevitably descend into chaos when valv.piti’s transgressions eventually catch up to him via the hand of CAS. 

Poll

Alejandro Valverde Belmonte makes me...

76%

sick

88 votes

23%

smile

27 votes

115 votes | Poll has closed

I don't think the team has made it official yet, but a David Millar CN diary published today details the team's trip to Holland to start the Tour of Spain. Garmin's lineup looks like this:

• Dan Martin
• Tom Danielson
• Tyler Farrar
• Julian Dean
• David Millar
• Ryder Hesjedal
• Christian Meier
• Svein Tuft
• Martijn Maaskant

According to Millar's diary and a JV tweet earlier this week, they think this team is as competitive as the TdF team. I don't know if I buy that. Two top 10s in the GC and a handful of stage podiums is pretty good. However, if Tyler bags Garmin's first non-TTT grand tour stage win, then I guess that feat alone overrides top 10 GC placements.

 

Top 5 story lines to follow:
1. How the GT rookies fare over three weeks: Dan Martin, Christian Meier and Svein Tuft. I don't expect much from these three guys, and think making to the end is a solid accomplishment.

 

2. Tom Danielson: Returns to the race that made him.

 

3.  Tyler Farrar: Dominated Eneco, but has not fared as successfully against a full-on Columbia train, albeit one steered by Greipel

 

4. Julian Dean: I have to think he's riding for a Garmin contract. Unless he ushers Tyler to at least two stage victories, I think he is forced to find employment elsewhere.

 

5. David Millar: Is he capable of winning races anymore?

Without a doubt, Mark Cavendish is the fastest man in the peloton by about two bike lengths. Combine this with a world-class lead-out train and you have a potent recipe of complete domination by Cavendish on any sprint stage. Remind you of someone else? 

Does Mark Cavendish to sprinting = Lance Armstrong to  the Tour de France?

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Based on all of the rumors, rancor and speculation, Team Astana will implode at the end of this season. At the very least, it will look significantly different. I can’t imagine Alberto or Lance sticking around, and I can see each of these guys taking their favorite domestiques with them to their new teams. What will be left of Team Astana I imagine is Vino and his Kazakh friends. Thus guaranteeing no invites to grand tours or other important races.

So, looking at the current roster, it’s never to early to start speculating on where the various pieces will fall for the 2010 TdF. For the point of this speculative exercise, I’m assuming Armstrong starts a new team and Alberto either goes to CdE or starts a new team, as is rumored today. Also, this is all directed towards the 2010 TdF, and not building a squad for the complete season.

Team Armstrong (new team)

• Lance Armstrong
• Levi Leiphemier
• Jani Brajkovic
• Chris Horner
• Popo

 

Analysis: That is a monster team built with two impressive leaders (levi and lance) that appear to get along well. I also think Levi is one of the few guys Lance would actually ride for.

 

Team Contador (new team)

• Alberto Contador
• Jesus Hernandez
• Daniel Navarro
• Benjamin Noval
• Sergio Paulinho

 

Analysis: Not bad, but not that impressive. Obviously , Bert would seek to fill out the roster with some more heavyweights, but still, I imagine it will be a team of little experience.

 

Caisse d’Eparne (with Contador)

• Alberto Contador
• LL Sanchez
• David Arroyo
• Oscar Pereiro
• Rigoberto Uran
• Rui Costa
• Alejandro Valverde

 

Analysis: Obviously, there is one major question marks on that roster, whether or not valv.piti can ride the Tour next year. Even if he can’t though, you have a solid co-leader with LL Sanchez and experience with Oscar. Plus, Uran and Costa will be a year older with more experience. All in all, a really solid team.

Final Analysis: Contador would be crazy to stick with Astana (unless forced to for the remainder of his contract) or start a new team. If his goal is to rack up TdF victories for the rest of his career, I think his best shot is to go to CdE.

Still, next year’s TdF sets up to be much more exciting with Lance and Contador on opposing teams. Throw in a strong and more experienced A. Schleck on Saxo Bank, as well as a more experienced Cervelo Test Team behind Carlos, and we potentially have four teams with recent experience winning the big show.

The best thing for the 2010 TdF is if Astana implodes, thus eliminating a clearly dominant team and leaving behind four or five really good teams.