having the team with the strongest mountain legs is certainly an advantage. in the final mountaintop finish kilometers, the strongest legged team has done its work. the team's gc rider is left to slug it out with his rivals. though strong legs are necessary for the win, the strongest legs don't always win.
physically cracking is one thing: legs gone, shoulders rocking, pedaling squares, labored breathing - time to sing "goodnight irene" and limit time loss.
it is a beautifully sad thing to see a rider - sometimes the stronger rider - psychologically broken by his rival. strong legs, smooth pedaling, measured breathing can collapse in a second if the psyche is broken: one moment the body is saying "yes, yes, yes!" next moment, the broken psyche has ruined it all. physically, nothing has changed. but ahhhhhhhhhh, the mind can be an incomprehensibly powerful thing.
it is one of the most appealing elements of the sport to me. the strong psyche that keeps one riding through pain, through exhaustion, though legs positively burning with third degree lactic acid pain is the same mind that can turn moments of doubt into crushing defeat.
in my *opinion*, contador is leagues above his gc competition in the psychological warfare department. in my *opinion*, contador cannot be psycholgically broken - a huge advantage over andy, frank, and cadel. i do NOT mean this in any sort of disparaging way - it is just how i see it.
question: how many meters can contador surge ahead of andy in the time it takes andy to turn around looking for frank?
so: along with the first of the high mountains, i say "let the *serious* psychological gc race begin!"
note to hitch: as challenging as it may be to top your epically spectacular (**##!** canceled) crostis stage thread in this years giro....ya' think it's time to get crackin' on stage 19?
note to self: whoah! two posts in one evening...quite the chatty cathy i am tonight!
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