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Slapshot 3
Site Admin
Joined: 06 Oct 2006
Posts: 2530
Location: Scotland
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 Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2009 7:11 pm Post subject: Contador admits Difficulties in Astana |
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From CN
| Quote: | Contador admits Tour difficult with Armstrong
Tour winner and Armstrong part waysSpaniard Alberto Contador admitted on Saturday that it was tough to win his second Tour de France riding in the same team as Lance Armstrong.
"It was tough to cope with because we both wanted to win the race and that just does not work within the same team," said Contador. "I had prepared for a difficult Tour and it paid off."
Contador won the Tour de France today, as the final stage concluded in Paris. He finished 4:11 ahead of Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) and 5:24 in front of his Astana teammate Armstrong.
Armstrong had nearly taken the race lead from Fabian Cancellara when Astana won the team time trial on stage four in Montpellier. At that stage the American was 22-hundredths of a second shy of the race leader's yellow jersey.
The two shared the leadership role until the end of the first week. Contador rode clear of his rivals, and Armstrong, on the Arcalís mountaintop finish in Andorra. He gained 21 seconds on the classification favourites, but Armstrong and Astana's director Johan Bruyneel said he disobeyed orders.
Tension built within the team. "Without a doubt, the day after Andorra was the toughest," Contador said.
One week later, on the next mountaintop finish, he established himself as the team's sole leader. Contador attacked with 5.6 kilometres remaining on the Tour's stage to Verbier, Switzerland, to gain 43 seconds and the leader's yellow jersey.
The rivalry between the two former Tour winners started last September when Armstrong announced his comeback to cycling, within the same team as Contador. Armstrong won his seven Tours under the direction of Bruyneel, but after he retired in 2005, Contador came to the team and won the 2007 Tour.
"The preparation for this win was rather tricky, I had elements working against me, but I kept focused," said Contador. "Do I think Bruyneel wanted Armstrong to win the Tour? That is a very good question."
Bruyneel will part ways with Contador and head a new team with Armstrong for 2010. Armstrong announced on Thursday that American company, RadioShack, would sponsor the team for two years.
"One thing is certain. I will be on a different team than Lance Armstrong. I have some different options, maybe there will be a team built around me.
"I had not known Armstrong would come back to cycling. When he came back, I already had a contract in place. It's a pity to part ways now, but maybe in the future we will meet again."
Contador has one more year in his contract with the Kazakh companies that sponsor Astana, but he may seek exit from it in order to join another team. He and Armstrong will likely meet again in next year's Tour de France, but as rivals.
"He will certainly be a dangerous rival," said Contador. "He already showed this year that he is a clear candidate and he will again be a clear candidate next year |
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Enchantress
Joined: 23 Jul 2009
Posts: 320
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| Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2009 10:46 pm Post subject: |
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To be a fly on the Astana team wall 
Even a novice GT watcher would have noticed the tension on that squad.
When PHarmstrong got his 40 seconds early on, he made sure to say that you'd have to be an idiot to have missed that break.
When AC got his first stage win (and yellow), it was obvious he was quite fired up and almost mad.
I suppose the brilliant stroke in this for LA & JB is that they can, at least to naive media types, explain it all away as AC not being a team player - hence LA did not win. |
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cadence
Joined: 24 Nov 2007
Posts: 332
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| Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2009 10:56 pm Post subject: |
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| Enchantress wrote: |
I suppose the brilliant stroke in this for LA & JB is that they can, at least to naive media types, explain it all away as AC not being a team player - hence LA did not win. |
Armstrong has stated publicly the best rider won, he's not tried to make any excuses. He's even gone so far to say AC could have beaten him in his prime. |
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Boogerd_Fan
Joined: 07 Oct 2006
Posts: 1550
Location: Bratislava, Slovakia
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| Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2009 11:00 pm Post subject: |
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| cadence wrote: | | Enchantress wrote: |
I suppose the brilliant stroke in this for LA & JB is that they can, at least to naive media types, explain it all away as AC not being a team player - hence LA did not win. |
Armstrong has stated publicly the best rider won, he's not tried to make any excuses. He's even gone so far to say AC could have beaten him in his prime. |
Wouldn't you, if you had LOST.
The undefeatable, became the vulnerable aged second best.
The LOL to anyone but fanboys was the first 10 days worth of ballshit spoon fed to anybody who would listen about how he had the Tour in his control.
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Slapshot 3
Site Admin
Joined: 06 Oct 2006
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Location: Scotland
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| Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2009 11:13 pm Post subject: |
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The bitterness continues....someone want to give this guy lesson in how to be magnanimous when you lose
from Velonews
| Quote: | Armstrong skips party honoring Contador
Lance Armstrong admitted on Sunday that he did not join his teammates in celebrating Alberto Contador's Tour de France triumph on Saturday night, preferring instead to go for drinks with the backers of his future outfit, Team RadioShack.
"To be honest, I went out for dinner with the RadioShack guys and I had a few extra glasses of wine than I would have normally done," said Armstrong.
The 37-year-old Armstrong finished third overall after Sunday's 21st and final stage, nearly five and a half minutes behind Contador, who took the yellow jersey on stage 15 to Verbiers and kept it all the way to Paris.
Armstrong had been in contention to wear the yellow jersey early on, having been in the general classification's top five since the third stage, but was made to work for his third place in the final days after late challenges from Garmin's Bradley Wiggins and Saxo Bank's Fränk Schleck.
Contador and runner-up Andy Schleck proved strongest in the mountains, and Armstrong said he had no complaints.
"I came here to do my best and I came across some guys who were clearly better than me," he said. "I don't have any regrets. I got put out a couple of times, but considering my age and recent racing, it's not a bad performance overall."
Next year he hopes to return to the Tour with his new team. But for now, Armstrong said, hes ready for a break.
"I am ready to go home. It's been a long three weeks as usual," he said. "It's stressful and there are a lot of commitments outside of riding the bike race.
"I am ready to go on vacation for sure." |
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It's just my opinion, if you don't like it....TOUGH
Look, I keep telling you I'm in shape...Round is a shape |
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cadence
Joined: 24 Nov 2007
Posts: 332
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| Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2009 11:16 pm Post subject: |
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Id wager most Lance fans, at least those on this side of the pond, know little about cycling, they are not watching the sport they are rooting for a participant. If the participant is losing badly and or out of contention, so will be their interest in the race. No viewership no sponsors, no sponsors no money, so Lance is marketed
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It was a strange tour, strangest Ive seen, hopefully next year there will be more than one week of racing. |
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Enchantress
Joined: 23 Jul 2009
Posts: 320
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| Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2009 11:34 pm Post subject: |
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| cadence wrote: | | Enchantress wrote: |
I suppose the brilliant stroke in this for LA & JB is that they can, at least to naive media types, explain it all away as AC not being a team player - hence LA did not win. |
Armstrong has stated publicly the best rider won, he's not tried to make any excuses. He's even gone so far to say AC could have beaten him in his prime. |
They themselves may know that but we both know that's not how it will appear in the media. I'm certain you can already here the obsequious duo of paul & phil starting off next years tour with the LA hype and how now with his own team he's out to win, etc etc.
What's confusing is how PHarmstrong in one muted breath says AC could have beat him in his prime. Yet how a soon to be 39 year old PHarmstrong who is well past his prime proposes to beat AC is yet unknown to me.
As for more than one week of racing, yes I agree, let's hope so. Except well, I thought it was more like one day of racing - verbier, and finito! |
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kathy
Joined: 17 May 2007
Posts: 7092
Location: Formerly Hen Wlad fy Nhadau, now, Murcia, Spain
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| Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 10:42 am Post subject: |
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Quote from Alberto in As.com today - 'Lance and I are incompatible and will go our separate ways in 2010'
BTW, they played the Danish national anthem instead of the Spanish one when he stood on the podium 
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Fabian Cancellara (2008) |
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ventoux
Joined: 09 Oct 2006
Posts: 475
Location: Ireland
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| Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 11:34 am Post subject: |
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| cadence wrote: | | ... hopefully next year there will be more than one week of racing. |
Where the hell did you see a week of racing... 
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smarauder68
Joined: 09 Mar 2007
Posts: 4154
Location: San Antonio, TX
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| Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 11:57 am Post subject: |
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| Enchantress wrote: | | cadence wrote: | | Enchantress wrote: |
I suppose the brilliant stroke in this for LA & JB is that they can, at least to naive media types, explain it all away as AC not being a team player - hence LA did not win. |
Armstrong has stated publicly the best rider won, he's not tried to make any excuses. He's even gone so far to say AC could have beaten him in his prime. |
They themselves may know that but we both know that's not how it will appear in the media. I'm certain you can already here the obsequious duo of paul & phil starting off next years tour with the LA hype and how now with his own team he's out to win, etc etc.
What's confusing is how PHarmstrong in one muted breath says AC could have beat him in his prime. Yet how a soon to be 39 year old PHarmstrong who is well past his prime proposes to beat AC is yet unknown to me.
As for more than one week of racing, yes I agree, let's hope so. Except well, I thought it was more like one day of racing - verbier, and finito! |
I think Armstrong thinks he can recapture his TT magic with a full year to train up...He also reckons he was only 85 or 90% for this tour after the collabone break in the spring.
I'm not saying he can beat Contador, but I think he can definately lower the gap if he remains injury free and trains just for the tour.
By the end of the tour, Armstrong proved he was the 3rd strongest man in the tour. Pretty amazing considering his injury and layoff. |
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headwind
Joined: 12 Oct 2006
Posts: 2245
Location: Mountains of East Tennessee
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| Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 12:31 pm Post subject: |
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| smarauder68 wrote: |
I think Armstrong thinks he can recapture his TT magic with a full year to train up...He also reckons he was only 85 or 90% for this tour after the collabone break in the spring.
I'm not saying he can beat Contador, but I think he can definately lower the gap if he remains injury free and trains just for the tour.
By the end of the tour, Armstrong proved he was the 3rd strongest man in the tour. Pretty amazing considering his injury and layoff. |
I think thats an overdone assessment, Ive been wrong before. He will be another year older. Time is now seriously against him. Contador is only getting stronger. Schleckette too. On top of that, levi is older. unless new firepower comes in, he wont have the team. As for this year, Kloden dragged his silly ass up everything but Ventoux. His own private pilot fish. Poor Kloden, laying the doped shadow of Ulli, to laying the the dope shadow of Lance...he must make a lot of $.
This years parcours was a joke to boot. If lance ever had a chance, this was it. If the pyrenees come back with a tough string of days then he will be in trouble.
At least thats what my eyes saw. He had no response to Arcalis, and even of he shores up TT some, he wont be able to do the mountains as fast remember that Contador was riding for Lance on Ventoux. Failing that, he probably would have just taken off and added minutes more to the win.
Of the TTs are shroter, and the mountians bigger...lance wont make top 10 next yr. |
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J1A2P3A4
Joined: 06 Oct 2006
Posts: 355
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 1:03 pm Post subject: |
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| headwind wrote: | | Lance won't make top 10 next yr. |
+1
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The Lemondheads
Joined: 13 Jul 2009
Posts: 53
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| Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 1:48 pm Post subject: |
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| J1A2P3A4 wrote: | | headwind wrote: | | Lance won't make top 10 next yr. |
+1 |
Let's wait and see the parcours before we get too optimistically pessimistic about la-la's chances. I predict an opening week run entirely on flat roads with a giant mobile wind-machine travelling alongside to generate a constant cross-wind. No prologue, so yellow jersey for 1st stage awarded by alphabetic order of family name (Yukiya Arashiro mysteriously disqualified on eve of opening ceremony.) Mid-way through second week: 150km TTT after rest day. Final week and finally into the mountains for Tourmalet stage after another rest day: finish originally planned for St Marie de Campan after going over the mountain, but instead the riders will continue to descend on a new road constructed in a mine shaft under the town, descent to continue until such a point as the whole field has regrouped and Cavendish wins the stage. Transfer to Paris. |
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Me, a fan?
Joined: 07 Feb 2009
Posts: 123
Location: up yonder
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Bartali
Joined: 06 Oct 2006
Posts: 7715
Location: Hertfordshire
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| Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 7:56 pm Post subject: |
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He's not happy ....
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SlowRower
Joined: 22 Nov 2006
Posts: 1659
Location: Leeds - Centre of the Universe
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| Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 8:01 pm Post subject: |
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I wonder why Bertie says he never had admiration for Armstrong?
I can see why he hasn't now and never will, though!
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Bartali
Joined: 06 Oct 2006
Posts: 7715
Location: Hertfordshire
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| Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 8:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Probably a bit lost in translation? Probably meant not since his comeback ... or something? |
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SlowRower
Joined: 22 Nov 2006
Posts: 1659
Location: Leeds - Centre of the Universe
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| Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 8:06 pm Post subject: |
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| The Lemondheads wrote: | | ...Cavendish wins the stage. |
I think you're onto something here!
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Nolte
Joined: 15 Oct 2006
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Location: irlande
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| Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 8:09 pm Post subject: |
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| kathy wrote: |
BTW, they played the Danish national anthem instead of the Spanish one when he stood on the podium |
i hadn't noticed until they had said it on euronews this morning when looking at i think marca's front page on the press round up 
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kathy
Joined: 17 May 2007
Posts: 7092
Location: Formerly Hen Wlad fy Nhadau, now, Murcia, Spain
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| Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 9:12 pm Post subject: |
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Well, I could, but there's rather a lot of it!
One interesting bit, Contador was asked if he believed that Brunyeel would have preferred Armstrong to win the Tour. Contador smiled and replied, 'You'd better ask Johan that question, not me!'
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Fabian Cancellara (2008) |
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