With Lance Armstrong gone, Team Radioshack are hoping that four riders can share responsibility for leading the team in the Tour de France, says Slovenian rider Janez Brajkovic.
Brajkovic will be one of four Radioshack riders who can reasonably target a top-10 finish on the Champs Elysees, with the experienced Andreas Kloeden, Levi Leipheimer and Chris Horner also looking to shine when the race starts on Saturday.
"There's no clear leader; the Pyrenees will show who is good, who is not so good and who is super strong," Brajkovic told Reuters in an interview. "Then I hope we'll all be good and we can all stay with the best, that would be the best scenario."
Seven-times Tour champion Armstrong was the only leader of the team on the race last year. Although the American quickly dropped out of contention for individual glory to finish 23rd overall, Radioshack claimed the team classification and they should do so again this year.
"It's a huge difference (since Armstrong retired) but there is still an awesome atmosphere on the team. We like each other and there is no rider that does not fit in the team," said Brajkovic, 27.
"We start with a different strategy," team manager Johan Bruyneel told Reuters. "There used to be one or two leaders (with Armstrong and Alberto Contador when they were under Bruyneel at Astana). "We don't have a rider to win it but we do have four riders who are strong together."
Last year, Brajkovic proved he could be a good stage-race rider when he beat Contador to win the pre-Tour Criterium du Dauphine and the slender Slovenian climber is now thinking big, having focused his whole season on the Tour.
"It's a big risk; if you focus all the season only on the Tour and it goes wrong, then it's automatically a bad season," Brajkovic said.
"He's a guy who I believe can finish high in a big Tour. He is one of the only riders to beat Alberto on a big race," said Bruyneel, who masterminded Armstrong's seven Tour wins as well as two of Contador's victories.
DEMANDING RACE
"I feel ready to do a good Tour and do the top 10. If it's like last year, there will not be many riders who will be able to follow Contador and Andy (Schleck) but you never know," said Brajkovic.
"I beat Contador in the Dauphine last year, even if he was not at 100 percent. But with the shape of the Dauphine last year, I can do great things."
A three-week race is much more demanding than the week-long Dauphine, though, and Brajkovic could struggle physically.
"He has to eat more ahead of a long race," Radioshack sports director Alain Gallopin told Reuters.
Brajkovic, who weighs 57.5 kilos and is 1.75 metres tall, begged to differ.
"That's my weight. I tried to take it to 60, 61 kilos and I'm stronger then, but I don't climb as well as now. The most important thing is not to lose weight during the three weeks and stay healthy," he said.
Should he emerge as the team's only leader after the first mountain stages, Brajkovic knows he will be supported by Kloeden, Leipheimer and Horner.
"I think we all are professional enough to know what to do," he said.
"We are ambitious and our expectations are high. We want to be a factor and in contention," said Bruyneel.
Contador, however, would probably be out of reach, Brajkovic acknowledged.
"Let's be realistic. When he says he's not at his best, he still took a big break after the Giro," he said.
"He may not be at 100 percent now but the mountains start in almost two weeks and I think he will be ready then. We have to be careful when he says he does not feel ready because if anybody can win the Giro and the Tour in the same year, it's him."
Brajkovic will be one of four Radioshack riders who can reasonably target a top-10 finish on the Champs Elysees, with the experienced Andreas Kloeden, Levi Leipheimer and Chris Horner also looking to shine when the race starts on Saturday.
"There's no clear leader; the Pyrenees will show who is good, who is not so good and who is super strong," Brajkovic told Reuters in an interview. "Then I hope we'll all be good and we can all stay with the best, that would be the best scenario."
Seven-times Tour champion Armstrong was the only leader of the team on the race last year. Although the American quickly dropped out of contention for individual glory to finish 23rd overall, Radioshack claimed the team classification and they should do so again this year.
"It's a huge difference (since Armstrong retired) but there is still an awesome atmosphere on the team. We like each other and there is no rider that does not fit in the team," said Brajkovic, 27.
"We start with a different strategy," team manager Johan Bruyneel told Reuters. "There used to be one or two leaders (with Armstrong and Alberto Contador when they were under Bruyneel at Astana). "We don't have a rider to win it but we do have four riders who are strong together."
Last year, Brajkovic proved he could be a good stage-race rider when he beat Contador to win the pre-Tour Criterium du Dauphine and the slender Slovenian climber is now thinking big, having focused his whole season on the Tour.
"It's a big risk; if you focus all the season only on the Tour and it goes wrong, then it's automatically a bad season," Brajkovic said.
"He's a guy who I believe can finish high in a big Tour. He is one of the only riders to beat Alberto on a big race," said Bruyneel, who masterminded Armstrong's seven Tour wins as well as two of Contador's victories.
DEMANDING RACE
"I feel ready to do a good Tour and do the top 10. If it's like last year, there will not be many riders who will be able to follow Contador and Andy (Schleck) but you never know," said Brajkovic.
"I beat Contador in the Dauphine last year, even if he was not at 100 percent. But with the shape of the Dauphine last year, I can do great things."
A three-week race is much more demanding than the week-long Dauphine, though, and Brajkovic could struggle physically.
"He has to eat more ahead of a long race," Radioshack sports director Alain Gallopin told Reuters.
Brajkovic, who weighs 57.5 kilos and is 1.75 metres tall, begged to differ.
"That's my weight. I tried to take it to 60, 61 kilos and I'm stronger then, but I don't climb as well as now. The most important thing is not to lose weight during the three weeks and stay healthy," he said.
Should he emerge as the team's only leader after the first mountain stages, Brajkovic knows he will be supported by Kloeden, Leipheimer and Horner.
"I think we all are professional enough to know what to do," he said.
"We are ambitious and our expectations are high. We want to be a factor and in contention," said Bruyneel.
Contador, however, would probably be out of reach, Brajkovic acknowledged.
"Let's be realistic. When he says he's not at his best, he still took a big break after the Giro," he said.
"He may not be at 100 percent now but the mountains start in almost two weeks and I think he will be ready then. We have to be careful when he says he does not feel ready because if anybody can win the Giro and the Tour in the same year, it's him."
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