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Contador slams team as "rivals" & laments “It's not big names that make a great team"

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whiteboytrash

whiteboytrash

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Contador slams team as "rivals" & laments “It's not big names that make a great team"

I think someone on this forum mentioned that the Hog's idea of tactical genius is to say Contador is the leader then use a drugged up Armstrong as teamleader...... poor Conti…..he’s not getting paid and is going to get beat.
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Tour champion faces competition from within Astana team

Spaniard Alberto Contador considers Astana teammates Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer amongst his top rivals for a repeat victory in the Tour de France this July.

"I will have to deal with [Denis] Menchov, [Cadel] Evans, the Schleck brothers, [Carlos] Sastre and my teammates Armstrong and Leipheimer," he told Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport yesterday.
Contador finished the Dauphiné Libéré stage race third overall yesterday. The Giro d'Italia was Armstrong and Leipheimer's last race and they finished 12th and sixth respectively. It was Armstrong's first three-week stage race since he retired after his 2005 Tour de France win.

"The problem does not bother me, the race will settle it. My goal is to do the best possible."

Armstrong, a seven-time Tour de France winner, joined his former team manager Johan Bruyneel at team Astana this winter after a three-year retirement. Contador rose as a top stage racer with wins in all three Grand Tours (2007 Tour, 2008 Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España). The two champions have only raced 160 kilometres together this year, at the Castilla y León prior to Armstrong's crash.

"The situation is the same as before, we have been together very little: the Canary Island camp and one day of racing. That's it."

Astana will be one of the favourite teams with a total of eight Tour wins and Leipheimer's third in 2007, but Bruyneel will have to manage his stars.

"Our team, if you consider the names, is the strongest, but it's not big names that make a great team. Saxo Bank, for example, has less famous names, but is just as strong."
 
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slcbiker

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I don't know that I'd call that a slam. Just stating the facts. He's on a team with a number of GC contenders. All along he and Lance have both been saying the the strongest in the race will end up the team leader.
Based on Levi's showing in the Giro, I'd say he's overraced. I'd be surprised if he ends up as more than a super-domestique.
 
53x11 in DC

53x11 in DC

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slcbiker said:
I don't know that I'd call that a slam. Just stating the facts. He's on a team with a number of GC contenders. All along he and Lance have both been saying the the strongest in the race will end up the team leader.
Based on Levi's showing in the Giro, I'd say he's overraced. I'd be surprised if he ends up as more than a super-domestique.
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Agreed - that's a big-time overreaction, WBT.
 
A

Anonymous

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53x11 in DC said:
Agreed - that's a big-time overreaction, WBT.
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I don't know about that. He may be restraining his comments, but I think it is clear to him and everyone else that he will be riding the Tour as a one manned team....unless Valverde somehow gets in.
 
BikeCentric

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I think what Contador is lamenting is that he's going to start Le Tour down two team-mates at minimum. LL and LA will save themselves as legit GC contenders untill such a point as it is clear that they are no longer in the running. This point could come late in the race, and leaves Berto without their services untill then.

Contador clearly thinks he has earned the right to be an unquestioned team leader and with 3 Grand Tour victories (one of each) who can blame him?
 
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Anonymous

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BikeCentric said:
I think what Contador is lamenting is that he's going to start Le Tour down two team-mates at minimum. LL and LA will save themselves as legit GC contenders untill such a point as it is clear that they are no longer in the running. This point could come late in the race, and leaves Berto without their services untill then.

Contador clearly thinks he has earned the right to be an unquestioned team leader and with 3 Grand Tour victories (one of each) who can blame him?
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This would be the first time that Armstrong rode the Tour without demanding the complete supplication and loyalty of everyone on the team.....and well, I am guessing that The Hog may bring along more than just LL as a domestique for Mr Armstrong. I think Contador might get his rest day refil dumped down the toilet in front of him......
 
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ndpuck

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whiteboytrash said:
I think someone on this forum mentioned that the Hog's idea of tactical genius is to say Contador is the leader then use a drugged up Armstrong as teamleader...... poor Conti…..he’s not getting paid and is going to get beat.
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A bit of an over-reaction.

Yes, Contador would say that he has competition from within his own team. Might as well throw Zubeldia in there as well, he's been on the podium before.

That said, Levi proved with his climbing performance at the Giro that he couldn't keep up with Menchov in the mt's, let alone Contador. And Lance doesn't have enough in the tank to go for the overall. He'll try to win a stage (perhaps on Ventoux, to make up for the Pantani incident), but that's all.

It's not like Astana is not going to work for Contador. Johan (and the rest of the team) realizes that their best bet for overall victory is to put their cards with Alberto. AC can hold his own in the TT and then blow them out of the water in the climbs. If Lance and Levi have GC hopes, they'll be quickly dropped after the first mountain stage, literally.
 
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Mellow Velo

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Still look like Astana won't be at the Tour, as such.
Sporza seem to think they are certain to lose their licence, tomorrow.
http://www.sporza.be/cm/sporza/wielrennen/090615_uci_50_verdachte_renners

I know this non-payment of monies runs on and on, but come 5pm tomorrow...
In which case, whatever team rises out of the ashes, to collect Pat's PT present, will certainly not be behind Contador.

It's not an over-reaction. He's simply and finally coming to terms with the truth of his situation.
Maybe, by marking Evans for Valverde, last week, he was just setting the groundwork.
 
jaylew

jaylew

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Mellow Velo said:
It's not an over-reaction. He's simply and finally coming to terms with the truth of his situation.
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Maybe not by Contador, but this thread sure is an overreaction.

This Astana thing is just weird. Didn't I just read somewhere that the teams situation had been solidified for the rest of the year?
 
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Sheltowee

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jaylew said:
Maybe not by Contador, but this thread sure is an overreaction.

This Astana thing is just weird. Didn't I just read somewhere that the teams situation had been solidified for the rest of the year?
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You are right with both statements. The money is there--at least it was Saturday and the thread is an overreaction. Contador and Johan are being clever and throwing out misinformation with the hope that his opponents will get bug-eyed and swallow this slop. It's tactics. You think Riijs is believing any of this. No. This little morsel of psuedo malcontent was meant for Andy Schleck. My guess is that he won't be buying. Watch. Armstrong and Levi will ride their butts off for Contador and he will win the race. After all "You Might As Well Win."
 
Alpe d'Huez

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I'm sure we'll see the team there. They'll just be called HP/Livestrong/Mellow Johnny's/Nike/Trek/SRAM/Astana or something like that. Considering JB and Lances connections to the UCI, and who their team fields, there is just no way they won't be there. I also have a very strong feeling this may come down to a fight between Astana and JB/LA over the PT license.

I too think WBT overreacted a little, or actually, extrapolated a little. But I have to admit, if I were Contador I'd be a little concerned about having very few teammates. As I (and others) said months ago, It's going to be interesting to see JB's strategy. As Contador likes to get into breaks, attack a lot, and mix things up. While Lance (and Levi, and Kloden and Horner) like to ride like a train and try to speed drop everyone until the last few km of mountain stages.
 
A

Anonymous

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Zoncolan said:
OMG. I could only watch until Hitler said he'll have the Americans tested 3 times a day. Talk about brainwash!
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You should have finished it, there was a cornucopia of jingoistic stupidity on display.
 
Jamsque

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krebs303 said:
from the credits at the end looks like it was made by that fool with the longhorn helmet that runs along the side of the road
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The vid is stupid, but I have grown to quite like the longhorn helmet guy. He's kind of like a Texan Didi Senft. He had a good showing at the Tour of California this spring and followed it up with a solid performance at the Giro.
 
craig1985

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Jamsque said:
The vid is stupid, but I have grown to quite like the longhorn helmet guy. He's kind of like a Texan Didi Senft. He had a good showing at the Tour of California this spring and followed it up with a solid performance at the Giro.
Click to expand...

Which is all well and good except he is from Seattle.
 
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