- Johan Bruyneel
- Levi Leipheimer
- Yaroslav Popovych
- Andreas Kloden
- Viatcheslav Ekimov
- Chris Horner
- Dirk Demol
- Sergio Paulinho
Granted, some of those are bigger names than others, but all have played an essential role in Astana's success and their departure leaves the Khazak squad a shell of the team it once was. Contador has managed to hang on to Haimar Zubeldia, and the two appear to be the only Astana employees unable to weasel out of their 2010 contracts. With two riders (Contador and Vinokourov) who have a proven track record of not getting along with their teammates, an almost totally new team as well as a completely new support squad Astana's struggles will likely extend well beyond their recent financial woes. A big part of Lance's successful formula has been to minimize variables and distractions, two things Astana will likely possess in spades in the 2010 season. Armstrong and his teammates, however, will likely only have to change kits and go about business as usual.
Of course, neither team has received confirmation of their UCI Pro Tour license for 2010 yet, which makes the whole Astana/RadioShack saga that much more interesting. The UCI doesn't just hand out Pro Tour licenses to any upstart team that wants one, but with the big guns on RadioShack's roster the UCI will be under pressure to grant them one. Furthermore, Astana's financial difficulties in 2009 could jeopardize their shot at 2010 Pro Tour spot. To further complicate matters the UCI has proven that it has no problem barring big names and former champions from racing the Tour de France, so what will happen with the 'Shack and the Astana ghost train is anybody's guess.
Beneath all of this is the much more interesting story (interesting to me at least) of Armstrong's pull and "star power" if you will. What's happening with the current dismantling of Astana is the equivalent of Michael Jordan saying to the Chicago Bulls in 1997, "You know what? I'm gone, and I'm taking Phil, Scottie, Dennis Rodman, Steve Kerr and Tony Kukoc with me. Ok, well, maybe not Kukoc, we'll see if Horace Grant still wants to play." Keep in mind that the former Astana crew listed above all had at least one year remaining on their contract, which they had to break in order to join up with RadioShack. Armstrong (especially since he's basically riding for free) seems to have unlimited ability to do pretty much whatever the heck he wants, whether it's beating up on some domestic riders in Nevada, destroying the Leadville 100 record or cannibalizing his most legitimate opponent's team. Does any other figure in pro sports enjoy the kind of free agency that Armstrong seems to have?
It's well known that Armstrong keeps a close-knit circle of riders, coaches, and staff around him. The amazing part to me is his ability to keep that group largely intact and the mobility that he and his group enjoy, enabling them to jump teams, land sponsors and finagle their way into races (witness the three-man "Mellow Johnny's" team that dismantled domestic pro teams at this year's Gila) pretty much at will. Of course the groupe Armstrong suffers various permutations each time it's reassembled - such as the loss of George Hincapie to Columbia or most recently Zubeldia - but Armstrong & Co. have been pretty much running the same game with the same players for nearly a decade.
Edit - about 3 hours after I posted this RadioShack was issued a a four year Pro Tour license by the UCI.
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