Lance Armstrong confirmed today via his Twitter account that Dr. Allen Lim will be moving over to his RadioShack team for the 2010 season. Lim, who earned his Ph.D. in Integrative Physiology at the University of Colorado at Boulder, is known for his innovative ideas like such as space boots and ice vests to improve an athlete's performance on the bike.
While Armstrong indicated he's happy to have Lim on board, the move of this magnitude will leave some big shoes to be filled at the Garmin-Transitions team. Lim has been deeply involved in Jonathan Vaughters' Slipstream Sports project, being more than just the Sports Physiologist, but also adding an element of energy and enthusiasm to his work that will be incredibly difficult to replace.
Now Lim's task will be to focus on how he can help 38-year-old seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong arrive back on the top step of the podium in Paris this coming July.
RadioShack manager Johan Bruyneel, one of the sport's most diligent and tactical minds, along with Armstrong, have certainly thought this decision through. In Lim, the pair have hired an individual capable of finding, or perhaps inventing, that extra edge needed to prevail over Spaniard Alberto Contador and his Astana team in the Tour de France.
The move is a surprise on many levels. As mentioned, Lim was an integral part of the Garmin team, who now finds himself on the other side of the fence in the intense rivalry between his former boss Vaughters and Lance Armstrong.