Armstrong / contador must attack each other - sunday

[The GCW]

Sunday and the ramainder of the Tour, Armstrong and Contador should attack each other.

At this point, I don't want to hear Armstrong commenting that He will not attack Contador if He makes an attack first.

Armstrong must also attack even if Contador attacks so planet Earth may see who is the strongest.

Contadore indicated He will not attack Armstrong if Armstrong attacks 1st - but I don't believe it.

Also it leaves open the thought that all Contador must do is attack 1st to contain Armstrong.

Sunday's MTN top finish may not even require both to attack each other. It may simply come down to riding and seeing who can stay with the leader. I don't want to see Contadore out front and Astana ask Armstong to sit back so that other contenders don't catch up.

Take the chains off Contador and Armstrong and let's see what happens.

That's what fans have been talking about for months now.

Let's see it.

 

[mr. tibbs]

Sunday and the ramainder of the Tour, Armstrong and Contador should attack each other.

At this point, I don't want to hear Armstrong commenting that He will not attack Contador if He makes an attack first.

Armstrong must also attack even if Contador attacks so planet Earth may see who is the strongest.

Contadore indicated He will not attack Armstrong if Armstrong attacks 1st - but I don't believe it.

Also it leaves open the thought that all Contador must do is attack 1st to contain Armstrong.

Sunday's MTN top finish may not even require both to attack each other. It may simply come down to riding and seeing who can stay with the leader. I don't want to see Contadore out front and Astana ask Armstong to sit back so that other contenders don't catch up.

Take the chains off Contador and Armstrong and let's see what happens.

That's what fans have been talking about for months now.

Let's see it.

YESYESYES! But I think the only way this would happen is if Contador rolls to the start line in a Caisse d'Epargne kit on Sunday.

 

[jaylew]

I hope we see some fireworks but I don't think we'll see anything but small gaps, if any, among the favorites. The stage is not that hard and the finishing climb is quite mild.

 

[Zen Master]

Armstrong must also attack even if Contador attacks so planet Earth may see who is the strongest.

Would you please be so kind as to explain to me what Lance Armstrong have with " Who is the strongest " contest ?!!
" Who is the oldest " perhaps...

 

[Publicus]

Sunday and the ramainder of the Tour, Armstrong and Contador should attack each other.

At this point, I don't want to hear Armstrong commenting that He will not attack Contador if He makes an attack first.

Armstrong must also attack even if Contador attacks so planet Earth may see who is the strongest.

Contadore indicated He will not attack Armstrong if Armstrong attacks 1st - but I don't believe it.

Also it leaves open the thought that all Contador must do is attack 1st to contain Armstrong.

Sunday's MTN top finish may not even require both to attack each other. It may simply come down to riding and seeing who can stay with the leader. I don't want to see Contadore out front and Astana ask Armstong to sit back so that other contenders don't catch up.

Take the chains off Contador and Armstrong and let's see what happens.

That's what fans have been talking about for months now.

Let's see it.

Being the geek that I am I sat down last night and watched video of Lance from 2005, 2004, 2000 and 1999. I also watched some video of Contador from last year (Angliru) and earlier this year (Paris Nice, Pais).

It's not even close. I think a stage featuring 1999 Lance and 2009 Contador would be a lot of fun, but 2009 Lance just doesn't turn the pedals they way he did in 2005, which was markedly different than the way he rode in 1999/2000.

If your mythical battle occurs, it won't be pretty. Not in the high mountains.

 

[euphrades]

Contadore indicated He will not attack Armstrong if Armstrong attacks 1st - but I don't believe it.

Contador may ride with his instinct and heart, and is not as good at reading a race as Armstrong yet, but he will not be chasing Lance down if Lance attacks. This would mark him for the rest of his career and he knows this.

 

[Publicus]

Contador may ride with his instinct and heart, and is not as good at reading a race as Armstrong yet, but he will not be chasing Lance down if Lance attacks. This would mark him for the rest of his career and he knows this.

Agreed. He's not going to cut off his nose to spite his face.

 

[euphrades]

Agreed. He's not going to cut off his nose to spite his face.

I love the analogy!!!!

 

[Murphyscu]

Let him rest in peace, what does Michael Jackson have to do with cycling.

 

[BeachBum]

...but he will not be chasing Lance down if Lance attacks. This would mark him for the rest of his career and he knows this.

The only people that will be upset if Alberto chases down an attack by Lance are the Lance fans. The Lance haters and lots of other people (like the entire population of Spain) would love it.

Does anybody think that another team wouldn't take Alberto if he wins the Tour after he chased down Lance?! If Alberto can win the Tour, he's not gonna worry too much about the reaction if he had to climb over Lance to do it.

 

[Rupert]

Astana vs the World

I would like to see the Lance vs Alberto battle happen after they've eliminated everyone else from contention. Unless one or the other of them fails, I wouldn't be surprised to see a "gloves off" battle on the Ventoux, especially if they can drop everyone else first. I don't think either of them will jeopardize the team win to beat the other. A Contador/Armstrong 1/2 GC finish is very possible I think, unless one of them really stumbles before the Ventoux. I expect that Contador will be better on the Ventoux, and it remains to be seen whether Lance beats Schleck/Evans/etc on the final big climbs (maybe only Sunday and the Ventoux matter much, and there's the TT) to allow a clear showdown with Alberto. I do agree that the Lance who rips everyone's legs off decisively is a thing of the past.

 

[Rupert]

Old Age and Treachery

There's the adage (I heard re. Rugby) that "Old age and treachery defeat youth and fitness" which surely applies here. Part of the "treachery" is Lance's experience and tactical sense, as much as actual treachery. A classic battle, I'd say.

 

[euphrades]

The only people that will be upset if Alberto chases down an attack by Lance are the Lance fans. The Lance haters and lots of other people (like the entire population of Spain) would love it.

Does anybody think that another team wouldn't take Alberto if he wins the Tour after he chased down Lance?! If Alberto can win the Tour, he's not gonna worry too much about the reaction if he had to climb over Lance to do it.

I hope you aren't mistaking my comment to being a fanboy......because that would be a mistake.

As for another team picking up Contador absolutely, but it will be the alliances that are built as part of multi-team breakaways. I know that I have been in races and breakaways with riders that we refused to help because they violated the unwritten rules. Trust me I can see lots of comments being made by Eddy Merckx, Hinault, and others saying how wrong that was if he chased down Lance. Again Contador won't do it.

 

[TrapperJohn]

I think Contador will attack. He's going to be the leader on whatever team he goes to, and the AC/LA pairing is a very unusual situation. It's not like an upstart is challenging an established leader. Doubt anyone in the peloton would hold it against him if he were to attack. Some might even like it.

Just wish someone would do something dramatic. Right now, the GC looks like one big game of chicken. You go. No, you go.

 

[rhubroma]

Contador may ride with his instinct and heart, and is not as good at reading a race as Armstrong yet, but he will not be chasing Lance down if Lance attacks. This would mark him for the rest of his career and he knows this.

So, as usual, Lance da Gotfader...Well the others would have to run him off the road in a mafia strike. Cause nobody's gonna be able to stay with AC uphill in the next 5-7 years. He should follow Hinault's recomendation, and just attach and say to hell with the rules. He has had to put up with Armstrong out of retirement for long enough.

 

[md2020]

It won't start sunday and it won't be Armstrong and Contador necessarily attacking each other. The TT will have some say but I doubt the gap between the two will be much. If one of them manages the first attack on Ventoux (ahead of the skinniest Schleck, Sastre, Evans, ...) the other will wait for the counter attacks and will follow.

IMO, in the end Ventoux will decide regardless of attacks. My sense is that if Lance goes first it will need to be early and he'll be caught and dropped by the summit. If Contador goes first, I think he's gone (a la Sastre last year). Either way, I think Contador's climbing strength will win out.

 

[BroDeal]

Contador may ride with his instinct and heart, and is not as good at reading a race as Armstrong yet, but he will not be chasing Lance down if Lance attacks. This would mark him for the rest of his career and he knows this.

If Armstrong were so good at reading a race then Bruyneel would not be opposing the elimination of radios.

 

[Bakunin]

I don't race, so someone please help me here.

Each day Lance says Astana will not attack because they don't need too. Yet, Contador said at the presser that he will not attack LA. By that he means, if Lance flys up the road, the others have to chase him down -- he will not. Yes or no?

But if Sastre, the Garmin boys, Andy S, and Evans go up the road, Contador will cover that regardless of what the old man does.

Now given that Lance sits in third, why would he attack Contador unless he intends to launch Alberto later. (I know they both want to win, but Popo/HZ's pulling when the group split cancels out Alberto's weak assertion that he was countering the attack by the Silence rider).

Do they want to settle this in the ITT, and then respect each other's position climbing Ventoux?

 

[ilillillli]

i think they're going to try and keep nocentini in yellow through paris and then ride tempo until the pyrnees in 2010... that's where the selection begins.

 

[euphrades]

If Armstrong were so good at reading a race then Bruyneel would not be opposing the elimination of radios.

I think many of the riders would disagree with you on that one. I think I remember Andy Schleck being quoted as saying that Armstrong is one of the smartest riders in the Tour.....

 

[Amsterhammer]

If Armstrong were so good at reading a race then Bruyneel would not be opposing the elimination of radios.

Sniffs.....wrinkles nose....declines rotten bait......

 

[Publicus]

i think they're going to try and keep nocentini in yellow through paris and then ride tempo until the pyrnees in 2010... that's where the selection begins.

LOL. Sadly this sounds entirely possible.

 

[BroDeal]

I think many of the riders would disagree with you on that one. I think I remember Andy Schleck being quoted as saying that Armstrong is one of the smartest riders in the Tour.....

If he were that astute then the race radio ban would benefit him. Bruyneel should be calling for radio elmination for the rest of the Tour.

 

[Coach Hawk]

LOL! I read the thread title and my brain went to NEXT Sunday and I was visiualing them attacking each other on the ride into Paris. Doh!

 

[ilillillli]

LOL! I read the thread title and my brain went to NEXT Sunday and I was visiualing them attacking each other on the ride into Paris. Doh!

actually this seems entirely plausible. it seems as if they'll still be only 2 seconds apart. a crosswind will decide the tour.