Eki frustrated by AC's comments

[Publicus]

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.

 

[balkou]

Both are great riders and I believe LA apologized to their faces. But was he wrong? Nope.

So, did he apologize just to be polite?

 

[Señor_Contador]

Before Ekimov and his possie start talking the man down they should worry about picking their riders up at the top of the mountain stages and driving them to the hotel.

What we know to be a fact is that after the Mont Ventoux stage Alberto was purposely left behind by the team and was driven to the hotel by his own brother.

I tell you, that would've never happen to me twice (like it did to Alberto) because, after the first time, I'd make sure Johan, Ekimov and the rest of the LA *****es would get their teeth realigned.

 

[Wheels Go Round and Round]

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!

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]

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]

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

How do you know this? Are you basing this solely on Lance and his fellow travelers' twits? He acknowledges Lance's role in this Tour in the initial statement. I would presume that his teammates were thanked at the dinner Saturday night, but that's just a supposition on my part. Lance, being the consummate teammate, didn't celebrate with the team so maybe he's just in the dark.

So please enlighten us as to how you make this unqualified statement.

 

[Publicus]

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/

Thanks Dr. Maserati (btw, love the avatar. Every time I see it, I hear the characters voice )

 

[Angliru]

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.

Good luck with that!

 

[saphblue]

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".

 

[Ninety5rpm]

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.

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!

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.

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'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.

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.

 

[Parrot23]

I am a stalwart defender of logic, reason, objectivity, justice and fairness,

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.

 

[Dr. Maserati]

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.

Thats great to know - could you have a crack at this one.

lancearmstrong hey pistolero, there is no "i" in "team". what did i say in March? Lots to learn. Restated.

 

[Anonymous]

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.

I completely agree. I'll admit I was rooting for Lance. 37, 3+ years out of competition, he's younger than me but gives me some perspective of what may be possible for an average masters bike racer/husband/business owner, etc. So in that vein I will say that I'm not the MOST objective observer out there BUT, I also race my bike. I have been for 20+ years. I've been fascinated with the TdF since the LeMond/Hinault saga. I go to Belgium in the spring to ride and watch Flanders/Ghent/Roubaix. All this does not necessarily make me an expert on anything but I still reserve the right to observe.

All that said I think Lance is acting over-the-top, no doubt. Why provide motivation to someone as talented as el pistolero? Makes no sense.

HOWEVER, if I'm el pistlero, I too am keeping my mouth shut as there is no cyclist that has ever been better than LA at making up sh!t to be mad about and using it as motivation to throttle his opponents.

One last thing. If LA wins next year, or anyone other than el pistolero, it will be because of his (AC) lack of race tactics, lack of discipline, lack of team cohesion, lack of team depth and lack of a savvy DS. All of which he apparently thinks he does not need.

 

[Aguirre]

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

 

[Dr. Maserati]

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

You are missing the point here - unless Zubeldia twitters it then it is not true.

 

[Zen Master]

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".

= high conflict personality

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.

Some people just don't know when to stop. ...
Tour is over Ninety5rpm who fückin' cares about Lance's childlish twitting, the only thing that matters is on this picture

Better luck next year !?

 

[Ninety5rpm]

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.

I agree, and I have not taken one side or the other in favor of anyone.

I posted about this statement: "one cannot seriously argue that [AC] did not acknowledge Lance's role in his victory this year."

The only side I took was with respect to that statement: that it was false, and argued accordingly.

 

[pmcg76]

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

Excellent work, love to hear now what people think of AC personally thanking his team-mates. He was obviously skipping Lances room but then he didnt do much work for AC. I guess the obvious defence is Zubeldia is Spanish/Basque. Nevertheless, he was a team-mate so this contradicts what Lance, his stooges and fans have been saying for some time. Maybe you should start a thread with this link/translation so we can end this nonsense.

 

[Ninety5rpm]

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.
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.

 

[Nobody you know]

Top athletes seem to have such big, yet weak, egos. Like little boys on the playground daring each other to do some daring act. "I know you are, but what am I?"

 

[kiwirider]

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?

 

[pmcg76]

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.

This is proof there is no winning with people, a team-mate has confirmed AC thanked his team-mates personally, for their work but he now has to state it on twitter or something so it can be heard by certain people who have criticised AC since March. The whole argument is you can say what you want in public, it dont make it true and having your closest friends, collegaues agree with you dont make it the truth either, especailly if you are trying to drive an agenda.

I have wondered why if AC was such a bad team-mate, why did anybody on the Astana team go to the winners dinner other than Lance. My experience of 25 yrs plus following cycling is that if a team-mate is that disliked, nobody would have gone to the winners dinner other than Alberto. Find it hard to believe that AC would not have thanked his team-mates at said dinner.

 

[Señor_Contador]

[...]I guess the obvious defence is Zubeldia is Spanish/Basque.[...]

Basques are not Spanish.

 

[saphblue]

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.

And, I would like confirmation of what those folks are saying on Twitter. I'd love to see a full translation of Contador's various news conferences and interviews during and after the Tour. That's something that is nearly impossible to come by in the U.S. The questions/answers that get the most play were those in relation to Armstrong and team dynamics. Again, did anyone else listen to his comments on the podium? I thought he thanked the team. Anyone? Bueller?

 

[TRDean]

Basques are not Spanish.

This begs a question from me...Basque is a region of Spain correct? Do they speak a different Spanish dialect? Do they not consider themselves Spanish, and if so why not?

Thanks Senor!!!