Posted on 07/27/2009 2:50:12 PM PDT by Red in Blue PA
(CNN) -- Tour de France winner Alberto Contador has launched a stinging attack on Astana teammate Lance Armstrong after returning as a hero to his native town of Pinto near Madrid.
Lance Armstrong (right) looks on after Alberto Contador is handed the Tour de France trophy in Paris.
Contador told a news conference that relations between the two riders were tense throughout the race, making the atmosphere very difficult for the team as a whole.
Although not giving specific reasons why, Contador admitted the situation has affected his relationship with the American.
"My relationship with Lance Armstrong is non-existent. Even if he is a great champion, I have never had admiration for him and I never will," the 26-year-old Spaniard admitted.
"It was a delicate situation, very tense, the two riders who had most weight on the team did not have an easy relationship and that puts the rest of the technical staff and the riders in an uncomfortable position," he added.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Thank you both for pointing that out & settting the record straight.
Ya know, it's bizarre how there are people on this forum who want to keep that lie alive for some odd reason. He didn't even hook up with Sheryl Crow until after he'd already broken up with his wife & yet, as surely as the sun rises, the same people keep showing up every year to plaster that defamation on every thread (& it's a slam on all three involved, really: Lance, Crow and Kristin - he's on very good terms with her, btw, & these slanders are hurtful to their children, dammit!)
Well I guess a tweet is the equivalent of an in stone engraving then. Lance is not a neophyte in playing the media. The Radio Shack story took all of the oxygen out of Contador acheivement. Lance could have said - I will let Alberto have his day in the sun - and the Radio Shack deal announcement can wait a day. But...
It is my understanding she lives across the street from him now.
And more from Lance on Twitter: “hey pistolero, there is no “i” in “team”. what did i say in March? Lots to learn. Restated.”
You know, even if I was the best rider in the world and the guy was past his prime, I think I would go easy on upsetting LA. It rarely comes out well for those who do it.
The announcement was planned several days ahead. Don't think it took away from Contador's 'day in the sun'.
No matter what was said behind closed doors, when they were riding Lance was a team player and Alberto was not.
Lance is a great champion, but it is clear to me after watching this year’s Tour that he’ll never be able to beat Contador. The Lance of 5 years ago certainly would be the heavy favorite, but next year he will be even closer to 40 and this sport is way too grueling for that age. Contador is not tactically very bright, but his physical abilities at this point in time are just way beyond what an aging Armstrong will be able to contend with. Only Andy Schleck should be considered a Contador threat next year.
Bears no longer have issues at QB.
Eagles suck!
Does he not realize that every other talented rider out there is listening to him at that press conference and putting themselves in Lance's place being on the receiving end of his hypersensitive ego?
Somebody who loves Alberto & wants to see him succeed needs to take him aside and explain to him that if he wants to attract the quality athletes he will need to help him win as many championships as Lance or Eddy have, and command their loyalty, he should suck it up like a big boy pronto & learn to be magnanimous even when he doesn't feel like it.
Nobody likes sore winners any more than they like sore losers, and they sure as heck don't want to get stuck on a team slogging it out on the most grueling athletic competition ever devised for 21 days for a pissy little twit who won't appreciate the sacrifices they'll be required to make for him and who can only be expected to balk selfishly at having to give back anything at all in return for their efforts.
Granted we know where his allegiance lies but, ever more tweets this time from Axel Merckx: “A champion is also measured on how much he respect his teammates and opponents. You can win a race on your own not a grand tour.”
I can't understand athletes who trash talk. Why give your opponents another reason to whip your butt? It's terrible d strategy, IMO.
(Actually,come to think of it, ya know what? That's the only other 'sport' I have any expertise with & I bet he really would be pretty darn good there too, lol!)
Yeah it would be good for him to learn some humility in the off season. Although I can’t say I wouldn’t like to see it hammered home in the Alps next year.
Unlikely. If winning more than 5 was anything other than extremely difficult, it would have been done more than once. Remember Indurain? He was as dominant as you can be, but 5 years is a long time to be the best. When his time was up, it was up, just like many before him. A cyclist's prime seems to be about 5 years, no matter how old they are when the reach it. That's what makes Armstrong's record so amazing. That he seem to still be a near dominant climber after three years of is incredible.
I think Lance's chances of beating Cantador again are very slim, based simply on age, but the chance of somebody else doing it in the next 5 years is very great.
Remember too that the over all result would have been much closer if the two hadn't been team mates. Twice Lance dropped back a bit in mountain top finishes, and of course he never attacked Contador. Both times he finished behind him, he probably wouldn't have if he were on a rival team of Contador. But unless he can somehow rebuild his time trial prowess, he'll never catch him. And time is against him.
Possible, but not likely. There have been other riders who reeled off multiple Tours in a row. Contador has a way to go before he can even be mentioned in the same breath with those guys.
But I take your point about the Giro and Vuelta. It's those races that are a drag on Armstrong's reputation.
If Armstrong believed he had a realistic chance of winning, he would have tried to do so. Contador was going to win, with or without Armstrong. It’s a beter argument that Armstrong would have never made it to the final podium without Contador and their team.
Armstrong will be lucky to finish in the top ten next year. He had a great, great career; but he is finished as a real threat in the TDF.
Agree. Even at 38, I believe he will win if he wants it and trains like he has in the past. His work ethic is second to none.
On the 3rd stage, Contador didn't sniff out the wind change and got caught in the pack. Then, he didn't put in any effort to try to close, according to some blogs from Europe I was reading.
Bruyneel let Popovych and Zubeldia stay with Lance rather than have them go back and get Contador.
Contador made up the time on the break in the Pyrenees, and broke again on Grand Bornand, dropping kloeden, but pulling out the Schleck boys, thereby blowing an Astana 1, 2, 3 in the GC.
Sounds to me like right absolutely correct. Contador got his nose bent out of shape, but not just the other day.
Contador is talented, but may not be able to get a team around him because of his behavior.
But sometimes it's best to keep the apples with the apples and the oranges with the oranges. I grew up listening to and loving the music of Bruce Springsteen. I knew nothing of his politics. Yet, here he is a devout misguided democrat, but his music is still the same. I still love it.
Concerning Johan
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johan_Bruyneel
“Johan Bruyneel (born August 23, 1964, Izegem, Belgium) is a former road bicycle racer in professional cycling and a directeur sportif for UCI ProTeam Astana. Retiring from racing in 1998, he became director of Team Discovery (formerly U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team), a US-based UCI ProTour cycling team. He produced nine Tour De France wins with Lance Armstrong from 1999-2005 and Alberto Contador in 2007 and 2009. Following the 2007 season, the team disbanded and Bruyneel became the director of the Astana Team beginning in 2008.”
Now let me make this very clear. Alberto is amazing, he can hold his own in the mountains and in a time trial. Granted, I think he made a couple of mistakes that he did not need to. He would have one without them. It must have been so frustrating from Andy and Frank, knowing that there was nothing they could do.
But, all things being equal I would have to put money both ways. The tour de France is much more than just the rider, the team makes a huge difference. Do I think Lance could beat Alberto, yes I do, that is if he had a stronger team.
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