Contador about to leave the tour?

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

not ramblings - i tend to agree with this. You can only beat the competition that's there, and accidents/dnf's are a part of racing.

Cuddles been saying for years that he just needs that 'bit of luck'. Armstrong always mentions that he's never crashed etc... and always seemed to have his luck (not 2010 mind)... You can manufacture your own 'luck' by positioning, but when your number's up, it's up.
although, at the moment, this edition is most likely to be a last man standing type gig. Who knows, we could still see the schlecks have a prang somewhere and lose time to Contador - they got lucky with Riis using the malliot juane to their advantage last year, but you never know what's around the corner.

'that bit of luck' taking out all the competition I guess.

Still lady luck has left andy unscratched, so I'm guessing this run of luck wont be enough.

anyway I agree nothing can be taken away from the winner.

 

[Cimber]

please not everything contador says bad about himself is lies or mindgames. he is human afterall. He certainly doesnt have great form due to fatigue and injury. Grimacing to bluff the other competitors is just pure lame.

Armstrong would like to have a word with you regarding the bolded part But otherwise I agree in this case.

 

[Bavarianrider]

Anyway, my theory is that Contador and Riis are playing the Schlecks and the rest of us and he's actually in very good form.

This has crossed my mind as well -

Why would tehy do so? All this sandbagging theories are crap in my opinion. What should be the benefit of it?

 

[Archibald]

'that bit of luck' taking out all the competition I guess.

it is this time, but for Cuddles last year it was his broken elbow... riders will take that luck in whatever way they get it.

 

[dlwssonic]

Armstrong would like to have a word with you regarding the bolded part But otherwise I agree in this case.

I thought armstrong just sat at the back which was ok. But making weird pained faked faces to make your competition think you are in trouble is just stupid.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

TBH I'm surprised Contador would even say that he has knee issues, as it will mean Leopard will now test him out. It's like Robbie McEwen riding the '04 Tour with a cracked vertebrae (IIRC) and now telling anybody because he didn't want his rivals for the green jersey to make life hard for him.

he's probably faking them and thus hoping the schlecks will attack and contador only has to follow and eat andy up in the timetrial, while andy destroys contadors possible itt opponents like kloden and evans for him in the mountains

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

I thought armstrong just sat at the back which was ok. But making weird pained faked faces to make your competition think you are in trouble is just stupid.

No, Armstrong was making pained faces as well. I guess he can live with the fact that you think it's lame, considering he won the stage.

 

[ImmaculateKadence]

Whoever wins this Tour will be the winner by default. Pedestrians and slick tarmac have whittled the field of GC candidates down considerably. Will really suck if it is Andy or Cuddles first GT win (because in a way it won't mean as much if they had beaten guys on the road (IMO)).

But even with the crashes, they still would have won on the road because they stayed safe; that's part of winning. True the race has been marred by crashes, and sometimes it's just bad luck, but that has to be expected on narrow wet roads, and as a favorite you have to prepare. Evans and the Schlecks to this point have done a stellar job at being in the safest position.

As much as I dislike Contador as a rider, I still want him in the Tour. If he's not racing people, people will inevitably feel Schleck or Evans winning is less significant because Contador wasn't there. Even though they have both ridden a far better Tour up to this point.

 

[veganrob]

If AC can't continue, and Andy or Evans win, I would liken it to the Rockets winning while Jordan was "playing baseball". Yes injuries are part of the game but I want to see all the players at their best to make it legit.

 

[Captain_Cavman]

Well the 1999 was valued cos Lance kept winning 6 more in a row. If Andy wins this one and then Bertie comes back next year and beat the crap out of him then Andy's win was the one year Contador was hurt /did the giro. But if Andy wins this year and also beats an inform Bertie next year then it will be valued just as Lance's 1999 win.

But I agree that in time people tend to forget the story behind the win, but I still remember how Contador won in 2007.

2007 is a different scenario to what we're talking about here, as is 2006. If Contador is ahead on the road after the mountains and then pulls out, or is pulled, then the comparison is fair. If he pulls out now, it isn't.

 

[Cimber]

I thought armstrong just sat at the back which was ok. But making weird pained faked faces to make your competition think you are in trouble is just stupid.

As I remember it Armstrong did actually made "faces"

Anyways here here is some info and reports:

"As Armstrong headed into the mountains halfway through the Tour, fans anxiously looked for a sign that he had the race under control. The two-time champion grimaced in apparent agony and trailed Ullrich all the way from Aix-les-Bains to the foot of L'Alpe d'Huez."

http://articles.latimes.com/2001/jul/29/sports/sp-27996

http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/results/2001/tour01/results/results_stage_10.shtml

Cant find a video atm.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

But even with the crashes, they still would have won on the road because they stayed safe; that's part of winning. True the race has been marred by crashes, and sometimes it's just bad luck, but that has to be expected on narrow wet roads, and as a favorite you have to prepare. Evans and the Schlecks to this point have done a stellar job at being in the safest position.

As much as I dislike Contador as a rider, I still want him in the Tour. If he's not racing people, people will inevitably feel Schleck or Evans winning is less significant because Contador wasn't there. Even though they have both ridden a far better Tour up to this point.

How exactly has Schleck "ridden a far better Tour"? You mean he's avoided a crash, or what? Contador dropped him for several seconds on one stage. Schleck rode Cancellara's wheel in the TTT.

 

[Cimber]

2007 is an utterly different scenario to what we're talking about here, as is 2006. If Contador is ahead on the road after the mountains and then pulls out, or is pulled, then the comparison is fair. If he pulls out now, it isn't.

My answer would be pretty much this:

If AC can't continue, and Andy or Evans win, I would liken it to the Rockets winning while Jordan was "playing baseball". Yes injuries are part of the game but I want to see all the players at their best to make it legit.

 

[Bavarianrider]

As I remember it Armstrong did actually made "faces"

Anyways here here is some info and reports:

"As Armstrong headed into the mountains halfway through the Tour, fans anxiously looked for a sign that he had the race under control. The two-time champion grimaced in apparent agony and trailed Ullrich all the way from Aix-les-Bains to the foot of L'Alpe d'Huez."

http://articles.latimes.com/2001/jul/29/sports/sp-27996

http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/results/2001/tour01/results/results_stage_10.shtml

Cant find a video atm.

Well what Armstrongs bluffing didn't make any sense too. What was the benifit for him? He would have toasted everyone, with or without the bluff. Armstrong wanted to humiliate his opponents he wanted them to look like "clowns". That's why he did those things. Don't think that Contador has such intentions.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Well what Armstrongs bluffing didn't make any sense too. What was the benifit for him? He would have toasted everyone, with or without the bluff. Armstrong wanted to humiliate his opponents he wanted them to look like "clowns". That's why he did those things. Don't think that Contador has such intentions.

he saved his teammates that way.

 

[Cimber]

Well what Armstrongs bluffing didn't make any sense too. What was the benifit for him? He would have toasted everyone, with or without the bluff. Armstrong wanted to humiliate his opponents he wanted them to look like "clowns". That's why he did those things. Don't think that Contador has such intentions.

As the article states the aim, which they accomplished, was to make Telekom work hard the whole day.

I agree, though, that Contador isnt faking.

 

[tobsie]

No worries, still in the tour - for now.

 

[Captain_Cavman]

My answer would be pretty much this:

So essentially, no-one can deserve to win this Tour except Contador. Because if anyone beats him the win is devalued because of injuries/Giro?

 

[ImmaculateKadence]

How exactly has Schleck "ridden a far better Tour"? You mean he's avoided a crash, or what? Contador dropped him for several seconds on one stage. Schleck rode Cancellara's wheel in the TTT.

Well he's about a 1:30 up and hasn't spent anytime on the floor. He's also answered every move Contador has made, save for about 8 seconds, when he wasn't even concerned with chasing. After a week, having over a minute advantage with no knee injuries, I'd say that's riding better.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

Well he's about a 1:30 up and hasn't spent anytime on the floor. He's also answered every move Contador has made, save for about 8 seconds, when he wasn't even concerned with chasing. After a week, having over a minute advantage with no knee injuries, I'd say that's riding better.

You think following Contador's wheel and only getting dropped once is riding better? Seriously. To be riding better, he'd have to DROP Contador, not the other way around.

 

[Cimber]

Well he's about a 1:30 up and hasn't spent anytime on the floor. He's also answered every move Contador has made, save for about 8 seconds, when he wasn't even concerned with chasing. After a week, having over a minute advantage with no knee injuries, I'd say that's riding better.

or being luckier. Cos he did crash on the stage where Contandor lost time, and he finished together with Contador, but it was at the 2,5km mark so he didnt lose time and he was lucky to not get hurt by the crash.

Ofc its not pure luck - his team has done very well - but luck is also a big factor, esp. on a route like we have seen in the first week where all the riders always try to be at the front.

 

[dlwssonic]

You think following Contador's wheel and only getting dropped once is riding better? Seriously. To be riding better, he'd have to DROP Contador, not the other way around.

I really believe he will do that on luz ardiden. because of contadors fatigue and injury though.

 

[simoni]

please not everything contador says bad about himself is lies or mindgames. he is human afterall. He certainly doesnt have great form due to fatigue and injury. Grimacing to bluff the other competitors is just pure lame.

Certainly? The facts are we know nothing about Contadors form other than he has had a bit of dab on two uphill finished. He was still good enough to nearly beat Evans on the Mur in spite of all that straining.

Maybe he is struggling. But I find that difficult to believe. Just as likely he's doing it to save his team (which isn't the best) on the first days in the mountains. I think we can expect BMC and Leopard to take some responsibility (Europcar certainly won't be able to). Its unlikely now Saxo will have to pull until the alps - its in his interest to stay below the radar (if thats possible for him). And why would he be so open about his injuries and form if he wasn't playing games?

PS - I'm no fan or apologist of Contador - he shouldn't even be in the race in my view. And yes, it is lame. But its worked before.

 

[sublimit]

Any minor podium position is now devalued too because of the lack of Wiggns (how it was spelt by the Daily Telegraph a few days ago)


Seriously whichever rider wins deserves it unless its Andy Schleck.

 

[The Hitch]

So whats up with this press conference. DId it happen? Is there a stream?