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Lance's Twit: how ironic

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Mar 18, 2009
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Wow - almost a meeting of minds with Bagster, Amsterhammer and TFF! I agree with y'all. Lance did well in the Giro and even better in the TdF. Third place and a podium finish as a 37 yo and after three years away from the professional peloton is an amazing performance. He showed he was up there with the best in the mountains, very solid in the TT, and a good tactician. I also agree with Amsterhammer and TFF that it would have been better if it was left on the road and the political infighting and the twittering were not so prominent. But, yes, well done Lance (and Contador, the Schlecks, Cav and Thor, Pelizotti, and Wiggins).
 
elapid said:
Wow - almost a meeting of minds with Bagster, Amsterhammer and TFF! I agree with y'all. Lance did well in the Giro and even better in the TdF. Third place and a podium finish as a 37 yo and after three years away from the professional peloton is an amazing performance. He showed he was up there with the best in the mountains, very solid in the TT, and a good tactician. I also agree with Amsterhammer and TFF that it would have been better if it was left on the road and the political infighting and the twittering were not so prominent. But, yes, well done Lance (and Contador, the Schlecks, Cav and Thor, Pelizotti, and Wiggins).

+1 100% Just a shame he had to keep acting the a$$. I kept hoping it was all a put up, but that doesn't seem to be the case.
 
Jul 21, 2009
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wayfool said:
I think twitter is a useful tool to capture your initial reaction, and it sounds like that's what Levi was doing. That being said, I think if Levi was being malicious, he wouldn't have posted the tweets:

@rkrug20 I AM a fan of Alberto but that was not a good move8:43 AM Jul 22nd from Tweetie in reply to rkrug20

AC said in post race interview he had asked Andreas if he was up 4 the attack and got an ok. AC was upset he got left.. (via @theprecipice)9:06 AM Jul 22nd from Tweetie

I can tell you that AC and AK speak to each other in English, so it's easily possible there was a misunderstanding. I'm sure we will see9:12 AM Jul 22nd from Tweetie

Alberto talks about distancing Andreas and he doesn't feel good about it. http://bit.ly/wBqot (via @TeamAstana)2:48 PM Jul 22nd from Tweetie

That sounds to me like somebody trying to impose his agenda (AC needs to listen to JB) through tweeter. An agenda that given the internal tensions, is loaded and tendentious. It doesn't sound like a domestique that is supporting his team leader's decision-making on the road.
 
Jul 22, 2009
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That domestique placed much higher than many many other team's GC leaders. And did so without endangering the position of the yellow jersey.
 
Jul 21, 2009
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Bagster said:
Why is it that people like you can't just say that Armstrong rode a really great tour, competed well against guys 10+ years his junior and at the end of the day accepted his third place with grace. In doing so he smoked Cadel, Sastre and Menchov and showed he is still one of the top five best stage racers in the world. Why do you and others like you always have to slag riders off. LA showed today he is up with the best. He was stronger than Frank Schleck. Andy and AC were obviously a class above everyone else and could have ridden away if they chose but they chose to play the team game and support their respective podium hopes, thats what team cycling is all about.

I can say all those things. But why do you have a problem with me expressing my views and finding a pretty obvious irony on Lance's behavior? Don't like dissent? Tough luck.
 
Jul 21, 2009
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scribe said:
Armstrong will absolutely control the Peloton, as he has since 2000, and will fortify it with a completely loyal team. Talent does not alone make a leader. I will be watching Contador with interest. He clearly cannot gain the trust and confidence of his teammates or team directors.

I seriously doubt that. He chose to distance himself from a backstabbing teammate and director. But that was due to very unusual circumstances. As long as their names are not LA and JB, he will be just fine with 95% of directors and teammates out there
 
Jul 24, 2009
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fulcrum said:
A few days ago, Lance posted the following on Twitter:

RT @LeviLeipheimer: If Andreas finishes 4th in GC by less than 2' from 3rd, we know where he lost it. . .

It turns out that Andreas finished 6th 6:42 behind Contador.

The day Armstrong posted those words, sharing Levi's thoughts and critisizing AC, Kloden lost 2:27 to Contador, although only about 2:18 can be attributed to Contador's attack (that's the time Lance and Nibali lost that day).

So if it weren't for that, Kloden would now be 4:24 secons behind Alberto in the GC and Lance would be outside the podium in 4th.

So despite what Liggett said on Versus today, Contador didn't cost Astana the 1-2-3. Kloden and Lance not being able to keep up with Andy did.

And all this is without factoring in that Lance pretty much used Kloden as his personal domestique. Possibly costing Kloden more than the 13 seconds he would have been behind Andy.

Which brings up the question of whether Lance's neediness cost Astana a podium 1-2. It also raises the question of whether Lance demands leader status within the team to the detriment of guys that are actually stronger than him on the road.

AGREED!!!
It is such a shame that Phil Ligget (and his whole team) is so one sided. Saying Contador does not have the brains of Lance Armstrong??? He has proven that he is the strongest both physically and mentally. He was able to break through the pressure put on him by Armstrong for three weeks. He ignored the criticism that he "hurt" the team. Why was that never mentioned when Armstrong dropped Levi, Landis or Hamilton when he was riding for himself. Saying that Contador doesn't have the intelligence to build a strong team??? Bruyneel builds/built the team not Armstrong. Shame on the commentators for being so one sided (and frequently not recognizing the riders during stages). I HOPE I don't have the listen to the same next year.
 
Jul 22, 2009
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pankadog said:
AGREED!!!
It is such a shame that Phil Ligget (and his whole team) is so one sided. Saying Contador does not have the brains of Lance Armstrong??? He has proven that he is the strongest both physically and mentally.

Every single rider with a shot at next year's tour will work to exploit Contador's tactical weaknesses. It is clear to all, not just the commentators.
 
ggusta said:
A little class and he could amplify his legacy. Instead he has turned 3rd place - an astounding accomplishment - into a lesser memory.

agree, he minimized his own accomplishment to some degree.

all he needs to do now is say that he regrets saying some of the things he has said and discussing it so publicly. that he let his emotions get the better of him. i doubt that he will.

i don't expect perfection. i do expect maturity, especially with hindsight.
 
wayfool said:
I think twitter is a useful tool to capture your initial reaction, and it sounds like that's what Levi was doing. That being said, I think if Levi was being malicious, he wouldn't have posted the tweets:

@rkrug20 I AM a fan of Alberto but that was not a good move8:43 AM Jul 22nd from Tweetie in reply to rkrug20

AC said in post race interview he had asked Andreas if he was up 4 the attack and got an ok. AC was upset he got left.. (via @theprecipice)9:06 AM Jul 22nd from Tweetie

I can tell you that AC and AK speak to each other in English, so it's easily possible there was a misunderstanding. I'm sure we will see9:12 AM Jul 22nd from Tweetie

Alberto talks about distancing Andreas and he doesn't feel good about it. http://bit.ly/wBqot (via @TeamAstana)2:48 PM Jul 22nd from Tweetie

i'm already "following" LL on twitter and have already read these...

how about this? you are a public figure. think before you tweet anything so that you don't have to post 4 positive tweets to try and cover up the damage you did with the one you should never have sent.
 
Jul 21, 2009
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scribe said:
Every single rider with a shot at next year's tour will work to exploit Contador's tactical weaknesses. It is clear to all, not just the commentators.

Probably with the same degree of success they had this year. Quite a weakness that is! In the meantime, you can make sure climbers will make good note of Lance's inability to respond to harsh accelerations and overall lack of awareness when defending against such attacks...
 
Jun 29, 2009
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lean said:
i'm already "following" LL on twitter and have already read these...

how about this? you are a public figure. think before you tweet anything so that you don't have to post 4 positive tweets to try and cover up the damage you did with the one you should never have sent.

It's people like you who compell people like LL to make 4 more positive tweets. Just because these riders are public figures doesn't mean they need to act pretentiously. Let them be free to post their thoughts regardless of the ramifications, which is the inherent purpose of twitter. And get over your politically correct expectations.
 
Jul 22, 2009
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scribe said:
Every single rider with a shot at next year's tour will work to exploit Contador's tactical weaknesses. It is clear to all, not just the commentators.

How is winning every possible stage a "tactical weakness"? Hell, Eddie Merkx was and is glorified for that. How do you think he got the knickname "the cannibal"?

Apart from the obvious... the kid is doing something right, because he's won 4 of the last 5 major tours out there. Maybe, just maybe, what everyone thinks is a weakness is not really so but exactly the opposite, a strength.

I mean, Andy Schleck is losing the mountain battle everytime he lets Contador go or he is not able to drop him. Pretty soon he will create such a mental barrier in his head that he will actually see it as an impossible task and lose the TdF before he enters it.

This happened with LA too. Look, everyone kept on thinking Lance was coming back and some people still do, they have a right to, but the race is somewhere else now. The problem is that Lance has inflicted some serious mental lashings and some people still fear him. That doesn't take away from the fact that that dog is all bark and no bite.

Capisci?
 
May 13, 2009
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scribe said:
Armstrong will absolutely control the Peloton, as he has since 2000, and will fortify it with a completely loyal team. Talent does not alone make a leader. I will be watching Contador with interest. He clearly cannot gain the trust and confidence of his teammates or team directors.



You know, is very hard when one of the riders is sleeping with the director:D

Cause the director's judgment becomes a little $ubjective :eek:
 
Jul 22, 2009
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Señor_Contador said:
How is winning every possible stage a "tactical weakness"? Hell, Eddie Merkx was and is glorified for that. How do you think he got the knickname "the cannibal"?

Apart from the obvious... the kid is doing something right, because he's won 4 of the last 5 major tours out there. Maybe, just maybe, what everyone thinks is a weakness is not really so but exactly the opposite, a strength.

I mean, Andy Schleck is losing the mountain battle everytime he lets Contador go or he is not able to drop him. Pretty soon he will create such a mental barrier in his head that he will actually see it as an impossible task and lose the TdF before he enters it.

This happened with LA too. Look, everyone kept on thinking Lance was coming back and some people still do, they have a right to, but the race is somewhere else now. The problem is that Lance has inflicted some serious mental lashings and some people still fear him. That doesn't take away from the fact that that dog is all bark and no bite.

Capisci?

The Merckx era is entirely different than now. A strong team with close GC contenders will prevail over a selfish individual. I would look for Radioshack to be built around this premise, without Armstrong as the leader :eek:.
 
klodifan said:
It's people like you who compell people like LL to make 4 more positive tweets. Just because these riders are public figures doesn't mean they need to act pretentiously. Let them be free to post their thoughts regardless of the ramifications, which is the inherent purpose of twitter. And get over your politically correct expectations.

I could care less about political correctness. I do care about the long term success of the sport of cycling and since you're on this forum I assume you do to.

LL and LA (who RT'd), represent cycling to much of the world. When the best cyclists come across as impulsive, manipulative, and incapable of handling celebrity the cycling community as a whole suffers. The RadioShacks of this world start to rethink signing checks for a bad representative to ride a bike.
 
Jun 29, 2009
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lean said:
I could care less about political correctness. I do care about the long term success of the sport of cycling and since you're on this forum I assume you do to.

LL and LA (who RT'd), represent cycling to much of the world. When the best cyclists come across as impulsive, manipulative, and incapable of handling celebrity the cycling community as a whole suffers. The RadioShacks of this world start to rethink signing checks for a bad representative to ride a bike.

I disagree. The drama adds more attention to the cycling world which elevates sponsorship profile. Without "impulsive, manipulative" tweets and interviews to media, the first two weeks of the tour were an abysmal snoozefest. What's the old saying? No publicity is bad publicity? Or something like that. Seriously, its not like the tweets referred to taboo topics like man boy love.
 
klodifan said:
I disagree. The drama adds more attention to the cycling world which elevates sponsorship profile. Without "impulsive, manipulative" tweets and interviews to media, the first two weeks of the tour were an abysmal snoozefest. What's the old saying? No publicity is bad publicity? Or something like that. Seriously, its not like the tweets referred to taboo topics like man boy love.

it can work both ways but long term success and esteem is based upon taking the moral high road.

i also theorize that "drama" and the accompanying extra media exposure can benefit an athlete with a lower profile, not the marquee names. eg Dennis Rodman vs Michael Jordan? it's a good sideshow to the main attraction. i may be over-analyzing now.
 
klodifan said:
I disagree. The drama adds more attention to the cycling world which elevates sponsorship profile. Without "impulsive, manipulative" tweets and interviews to media, the first two weeks of the tour were an abysmal snoozefest. What's the old saying? No publicity is bad publicity? Or something like that. Seriously, its not like the tweets referred to taboo topics like man boy love.
I think goes: There is no such thing as bad publicity.
lean said:
it can work both ways but long term success and esteem is based upon taking the moral high road.

i also theorize that "drama" and the accompanying extra media exposure can benefit an athlete with a lower profile, not the marquee names. Ie Dennis Rodman vs Michael Jordan? it's a good sideshow to the main attraction. i may be over-analyzing now.

Other than the 3 weeks of the tour having cyclists included in the great " are professional athletes role models " debate would be more exposure than cycling typically gets around here.
 
scribe said:
I will be watching Contador with interest. He clearly cannot gain the trust and confidence of his teammates or team directors.

Granted you watched a split team Astana this year but you would not have made that statement if you'd ever watched a race Contador attended in the past. He's always been a clear team leader until this Tour when things got a big ambiguous. As far as "gaining the confidence of his teammates and directors" I don't know what more one could ask of a rider who has won each of the last Grand Tours he has entered.

I guess we need to label you a "Contador Hateboy"? Strange that someone who whines about "haters" so much displays the very same characteristics he cries about.
 
klodifan said:
I disagree. The drama adds more attention to the cycling world which elevates sponsorship profile. Without "impulsive, manipulative" tweets and interviews to media, the first two weeks of the tour were an abysmal snoozefest. What's the old saying? No publicity is bad publicity? Or something like that. Seriously, its not like the tweets referred to taboo topics like man boy love.

The thing is we're not ALL drama queens who want to watch soap-opera squabbles between immature racers. Some of us just want to watch good professional racing but to each his own.
 
Jul 22, 2009
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BikeCentric said:
Granted you watched a split team Astana this year but you would not have made that statement if you'd ever watched a race Contador attended in the past. He's always been a clear team leader until this Tour when things got a big ambiguous. As far as "gaining the confidence of his teammates and directors" I don't know what more one could ask of a rider who has won each of the last Grand Tours he has entered.

I guess we need to label you a "Contador Hateboy"? Strange that someone who whines about "haters" so much displays the very same characteristics he cries about.

I have never called someone a hater. Find a single post. I will never resort to sophomoric forum nonsense.

I think Contador will be hard pressed to place himself in a good team situation. And will watch with interest. That's it!
 

Dr. Maserati

BANNED
Jun 19, 2009
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scribe said:
He clearly cannot gain the trust and confidence of his teammates or team directors.

I think on this point it is that Contador had lost all confidence and trust in his teammates and team director.

The Tweet de France was an interesting sideshow but all it really did was to confirm what I think everybody knew - that the Astana team was divided.

Political correctness is not really the issue - hey the more juicy gossip the better - however they are meant to be teammates and act professionally.
 
scribe said:
I think Contador will be hard pressed to place himself in a good team situation. And will watch with interest. That's it!

Why would you think that? Contador can write his own ticket. There is no team (other than Armstrong's new old fogies retirement team) that would not want Contador. He is a step above everyone.

Fernando Alonso should take his sponsors and partner with an existing team for next year.