Astana team manager Johan Bruyneel is hoping that Levi Leipheimer can do a ride in Thursday's decisive Giro d'Italia time trial and perhaps take the pink jersey, despite crashing at speed during the stage to Arenzano.
Bruyneel also predicted that Armstrong could do well and perhaps even be a contender.
?I think both (Levi and Lance) are going to be good. Lance feels good, Levi is, until today?s crash, in my opinion, the best time trialist in the world this year,? Bruyneel said.
?Levi hasn?t lost a single time trial this year. But tomorrow is different, It?s a big Tour, it?s long, it?s a lot of climbing and for him the crash today was not a good thing. But I think he?ll be up there. Levi has a good chance of winning the time trial.?
?I don?t want to make a prognostic about Lance but I expect him to be in the front. I don?t know if that?s top five or top three or seventh or eighth. I don?t know that. But he?s definitely going to give it all.?
Bruyneel knows that the time trial will be one of the hardest even raced in modern times.
?It?s long, very long. It?s one of the longest time trials everyone will have done. The speed will be low because it?s a hard course. It will be a one and a half hours of time trialing, that?s half an hour more than usual. That?s new for everybody and not a lot of people have done such a long time triaI. It?ll be interesting to see??
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The secret of victory?
?Go fast uphill. Don?t crash downhill and be consistent. Over 60km you have to be consistent,? Bruyneel said.
?You cannot start too fast then slow at the end. It?ll be better to start slow and speed up at the end. I think the winner is going to be a combination between a real time trial specialist and a climber and the one who has the best of those two qualities will win the time trial.?
That sound like a perfect description of Bradley Wiggins to us.
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Giro d'Italia 2009 links
Stage reports
Stage 11: Cavendish romps to second Giro stage win
Stage 10: Di Luca lays down the gauntlet
Giro rest day review (May 18)
Stage nine: Cavendish blitzes rivals to win in Milan
Stage eight: Siutsou makes it two in a row for Columbia-Highroad
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