Scott SoCal said:Whoa now.... you know how much I care about you so I'm trying to bring you back from the edge.
You have a man-crush on el pistolero perhaps? You cheatin' on me????![]()
Hey, I never said we were exclusive.
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Scott SoCal said:Whoa now.... you know how much I care about you so I'm trying to bring you back from the edge.
You have a man-crush on el pistolero perhaps? You cheatin' on me????![]()
So, did he apologize just to be polite?Scott SoCal said:Both are great riders and I believe LA apologized to their faces. But was he wrong? Nope.
BikeCentric said:This whole thing is entering bizarro world - I see a full-scale PR offensive against Contador rolled out here. I don't think I've ever seen a TDF champion treated like this and I'm no fan of Contador. This is what happens when you offend and usurp "the face of cycling" (Lance Armstrong) I guess.
Also why does Eki expect Contador to say something nice about the team when asked about Lance Armstrong specifically? One thing is for sure I do think LA has guaranteed himself to NOT be receiving a cut of the winners pot from AC, not that he needs it!![]()
Wheels Go Round and Round said:then why didn't AC say anything to the other team mates that helped him win? Because that jack@ss said he could win it by himself.
Can't wait to see how his team treats him next yr![]()
Dr. Maserati said:This is the article with Contadors press conference translated from Spanish to English by someone who speaks Spanish - that 'Publicus' was referring too.
http://www.steephill.tv/2009/entries/contador-post-tdf-news-conference/
Publicus said:Obviously this non-troversy has probably consumed far more of our collective time than is truly warranted, but I went back and read the full translated quote after someone posted a link in another thread. I found one passage that hasn't really been discussed, with the focus mainly on the perceived "blasting" and Lance's twits.
Here's the quote:
Maybe I'm reading too much into that single underlined phrase, but that certainly SEEMS like an acknowledgement of Lance's efforts as a teammate. Not a pure "thanks," but one cannot seriously argue that he did not acknowledge Lance's role in his victory this year. Which brings me back to Lance's original tweets:
and
Neither of these tweets actually makes any sense in light of Contador's actual statement. He's acknowledged Lance's role in this year's victory, which is the only thing Lance seemed concerned about.
I'd be interested to get the perspective of 95rpm, Mambo#5, Scott SoCal and any other stalwart Lance defender to explain (and frankly defend) Lance's twits in light of the above statement.
First of all, all the comments about Alberto not thanking the team are in reference to Alberto never thanking the team at any point (something that has been out there at least 24 hours now and still not corrected or denied so is more and more likely to be true), not just in this press conference he made in Spain. Even if he thanked them publicly after he left France, that's not really thanking them.Publicus said:Obviously this non-troversy has probably consumed far more of our collective time than is truly warranted, but I went back and read the full translated quote after someone posted a link in another thread. I found one passage that hasn't really been discussed, with the focus mainly on the perceived "blasting" and Lance's twits.
Here's the quote:
My relationship with Lance is zero. Independently of his character, he's a great champion. He's won seven tours and played a big role in this one. But it's different when we speak on a personal level. I have never really admired him that much, or ever will. But as a cyclist he's a great champion.
Maybe I'm reading too much into that single underlined phrase, but that certainly SEEMS like an acknowledgement of Lance's efforts as a teammate. Not a pure "thanks," but one cannot seriously argue that he did not acknowledge Lance's role in his victory this year.
LA's tweets make perfect sense in the light of AC's actual statement. AC's comments don't acknowledge Lance's role in this year's victory, nor any other team member's role, which IS what Lance (and Eki, Wilcockson, JB, etc.) are talking about.Publicus said:Which brings me back to Lance's original tweets:
Seeing these comments from AC. If I were him I'd drop this drivel and start thanking his team. w/o them, he doesn't win.
and
hey pistolero, there is no "i" in "team". what did i say in March? Lots to learn. Restated.
Neither of these tweets actually makes any sense in light of Contador's actual statement. He's acknowledged Lance's role in this year's victory, which is the only thing Lance seemed concerned about.
I'm not a stalwart defender of Lance or anyone else.Publicus said:I'd be interested to get the perspective of 95rpm, Mambo#5, Scott SoCal and any other stalwart Lance defender to explain (and frankly defend) Lance's twits in light of the above statement.
Ninety5rpm said:I am a stalwart defender of logic, reason, objectivity, justice and fairness,
Ninety5rpm said:I'm not a stalwart defender of Lance or anyone else.
I am a stalwart defender of logic, reason, objectivity, justice and fairness, which is why I responded to refute this ridiculous argument.
Ninety5rpm said:First of all, all the comments about Alberto not thanking the team are in reference to Alberto never thanking the team at any point (something that has been out there at least 24 hours now and still not corrected or denied so is more and more likely to be true), not just in this press conference he made in Spain. Even if he thanked them publicly after he left France, that's not really thanking them.
As to this comment, it's not thanking the team at all, as it only references Lance. Equally important, in the given context ("won seven tours and ...") the "played a big role" clause refers to him getting 3rd place, and says nothing about his role, much less anyone else's, in helping AC achieve his win.
So, yeah, you are reading too much into that phrase, it is not an acknowledgment of Lance's efforts as a teammate, and one can seriously argue that AC has never acknowledged LA's or any other team member's role in AC's victory this year. Apparently, this guy is a huge a$$ even by LA standards!
LA's tweets make perfect sense in the light of AC's actual statement. AC's comments don't acknowledge Lance's role in this year's victory, nor any other team member's role, which IS what Lance (and Eki, Wilcockson, JB, etc.) are talking about.
I'm not a stalwart defender of Lance or anyone else.
I am a stalwart defender of logic, reason, objectivity, justice and fairness, which is why I responded to refute this ridiculous argument.
Aguirre said:I cannot believe the bunch of lyers in Astana. We all know how close Eki is from LA, so Eki trusts his friend...
Well, here a valuable document by Haimar Zubeldia today in Basque press, a rider who goes with Radio Shack, he says today:
Haimar Zubeldia says:
A estas alturas, lo que diga yo de Contador sólo va a servir para afirmar lo bueno que es. Cada carrera que estoy con él alucino más. En Contador todo es bueno. En la montaña no tiene rival. En Verbier me sorprendió el tiempo que sacó en los seis kilómetros finales. Al terminar las etapas iba habitación por habitación para darte las gracias por el trabajo
This means that at the end of each stage Contador was going room after room giving thanks to teammates
full link: http://www.diariovasco.com/20090729/deportes/ciclismo/relacion-contador-armstrong-sido-20090729.html
saphblue said:Lance has a bit of a history of ****ing matches with teammates, ex-teammates, other riders, ex-riders. That doesn't mean that he started them or is responsible, but anyone who's followed the sport knows about them. I wonder if other riders (non-US, non-Lance friends) sort of sigh and think "here we go again".
Some people just don't know when to stop. ...Ninety5rpm said:LA's tweets make perfect sense in the light of AC's actual statement. AC's comments don't acknowledge Lance's role in this year's victory, nor any other team member's role, which IS what Lance (and Eki, Wilcockson, JB, etc.) are talking about.
I agree, and I have not taken one side or the other in favor of anyone.Parrot23 said:LOL,Everyone thinks they are
Both sides are human beings and fallible; so why aren't you listing the pluses and minuses of both sides.
No one comes out well in this. Taking one side or the other seems a little irrational/dogmatic.
Aguirre said:I cannot believe the bunch of lyers in Astana. We all know how close Eki is from LA, so Eki trusts his friend...
Well, here a valuable document by Haimar Zubeldia today in Basque press, a rider who goes with Radio Shack, he says today:
Haimar Zubeldia says:
A estas alturas, lo que diga yo de Contador sólo va a servir para afirmar lo bueno que es. Cada carrera que estoy con él alucino más. En Contador todo es bueno. En la montaña no tiene rival. En Verbier me sorprendió el tiempo que sacó en los seis kilómetros finales. Al terminar las etapas iba habitación por habitación para darte las gracias por el trabajo
This means that at the end of each stage Contador was going room after room giving thanks to teammates
full link: http://www.diariovasco.com/20090729/deportes/ciclismo/relacion-contador-armstrong-sido-20090729.html
Well, that is interesting. Would like some confirmation of this.Aguirre said:I cannot believe the bunch of lyers in Astana. We all know how close Eki is from LA, so Eki trusts his friend...
Well, here a valuable document by Haimar Zubeldia today in Basque press, a rider who goes with Radio Shack, he says today:
Haimar Zubeldia says:
A estas alturas, lo que diga yo de Contador sólo va a servir para afirmar lo bueno que es. Cada carrera que estoy con él alucino más. En Contador todo es bueno. En la montaña no tiene rival. En Verbier me sorprendió el tiempo que sacó en los seis kilómetros finales. Al terminar las etapas iba habitación por habitación para darte las gracias por el trabajo
This means that at the end of each stage Contador was going room after room giving thanks to teammates
full link: http://www.diariovasco.com/20090729/deportes/ciclismo/relacion-contador-armstrong-sido-20090729.html
Ninety5rpm said:Still, thanks in private are easy to claim and hard to prove or disprove, but thanks to the team in public are certainly in order, and that is much easier to reliably witness and document.You mean by doing things like spending the evening at your own team's post-Tour dinner and party to show your support and appreciation for the team mates who helped you to third place in the race?![]()
Ninety5rpm said:Well, that is interesting. Would like some confirmation of this.
Still, thanks in private are easy to claim and hard to prove or disprove, but thanks to the team in public are certainly in order, and that is much easier to reliably witness and document. Also, Lance's, JB's, JW's and Eki's comments were all made in public about AC's public statement, so that is arguably the context they were talking about.
pmcg76 said:[...]I guess the obvious defence is Zubeldia is Spanish/Basque.[...]
Ninety5rpm said:Well, that is interesting. Would like some confirmation of this.
Still, thanks in private are easy to claim and hard to prove or disprove, but thanks to the team in public are certainly in order, and that is much easier to reliably witness and document. Also, Lance's, JB's, JW's and Eki's comments were all made in public about AC's public statement, so that is arguably the context they were talking about.
Señor_Contador said:Basques are not Spanish.