He's leaving Team Borat and hooking up with Radio Shack http://www.livestrong.com/lance-arm...wsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=090723 I'm interested to see who else joins him. Contador has pissed off so many of his teammates and coaches with his tactics this Tour, even though he's the best cyclist of his generation, I don't think many stick with him.
I think Contador feels it's his time, and Armstrong performing well has eclipsed what should be his time in the spotlight. However, what he did to Kloden and to the entire team yesterday was unforgivable. And he did it to fuck Armstrong who stayed back to watch Wiggins.
Yeah, that was totally bush league by Contador. He may be a great champion, and he is certainly the class of this field, but he's not a great sportsman. Now that Lance is leaving for sure, I'd like to see him, Kloden, Wiggins, and the Schlecks work to crack Contador on the Mont Ventoux. They won't do that, but I would not blame them if they did.
I guess the Team Nike LiveStrong he'd be heading was just a rumor. This was a nasty fall the other day .. [video=youtube;qZiim-stdcU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZiim-stdcU[/video]
Jens is one of my favorite riders on the circuit. That guy, no matter how hopeless, will attack the peloton day after day after day. I'm glad his injuries were not as severe as they were originally thought to be.
Radio Shack closed hundreds of stores a few years ago but they can afford this? http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11409391/
On a scale of 1-10, how much the American public cares about bike racing: If Lance Armstrong is in contention: 3 If Lance Armstrong is not in contention: 1
He's leading the Tour, which means in flat and mountain stages you play defense. The Schleck brothers of Team Saxo Bank, Contador and Andres Kloden (an Astana teammate and who was in 4th place) were riding together at the front. Armstrong (who was in second) was 30 seconds behind with Bradley Wiggins (who was in 3rd) making sure Wiggins didn't make a move. Astana had the opportunity to place three riders on the podium. All Contador had to do was play defense. Instead he attacked, and the only rider dropped was Kloden, his teammate. Additionally, because Armstrong didn't want to drag up Wiggins, he couldn't accelerate either. The result was going into today's time trial, Andy and Frank Schleck were 2nd and 3rd instead of 5th and 6th. Contador basically gave the Schleck brothers two minutes each and could cost Astana not just one, but two podium spots. It was basically a big "fuck you" to the rest of the team. Kloden turned himself inside out to keep pace with the Schlecks and to protect Contador, and Alberto showed him no gratitude. Kloden deserved to win the stage, and instead Contador gave it to Team Saxo Bank.
Why? Andy Schleck will be a favorite to win the tour, but I doubt he'd want to help Contador. Perhaps Lance can persuade Andy to jump ship and help him make one last push, then become Radio Shack's lead rider in the Tour in '11? Or possibly even in '10 if Armstrong shows he doesn't have the time trial edge that he used to have over the field?
The worst part of it was that Armstrong COULD have accelerated much sooner than he did, and I feel he could have pulled himself back to the lead group or even attacked the group early had he not been on Wiggins' wheel for 6k of that 7k climb. Once Brunyeel gave Armstrong the OK to attack, he left Wiggins in the dust, but he only had 1k to build a lead and try to reel back in Contador and the others. Had he accelerated without worrying about dragging Wiggins, he'd be in the #2 spot right now. Totally selfless riding by Armstrong and Kloden, and Contador repays them by pulling the Schlecks up the mountain on an acceleration when neither of those two were going to make a move as long as Kloden was still with Contador. I imagine the Team Borat meeting had some pretty thick tension in it this morning.
