Dude, it isn't crap. It's what the team with the strongest rider is supposed to do on the first mountain stage. What was Contador not supposed to put time into his rivals? Ride at Lance's pace and have Astana just drag all the other GC contenders to the finish line together? And if Lance had the legs he had every right to chase him down, as he was ahead of AC still. What was AC supposed to do not use the accelerator and be passive? Plus, as I mentioned before, Nocentini changed everything and Alberto responded accordingly.
What would Hinault have done. Attack those SOB's and race like a friggin man!!! And if Alberto was told not to, then he did right to disobey. And his legs justified his attack, backed by his pedigree, which will will protect him from any criticism from his team mangament which is in the wrong, not he.
The probelm isn't AC, but the big elephant on the couch who decided to join the team to stroke his ego again after Contador was already on it. So the real victom has been Contador. He certainly didn't sign up to have to unjustly share reponsibilities with an over the hill has-been, who just can't accept not being number 1 anymore. Lance had his moment, and Alberto has earned the right to have his. What else does the guy have to do besides win 3 grand tours by 25 years old, to have earned the right to be team leader. So good for Alberto that he droped Lance. Maybe Johan will wake the feck up and take control now of the situation, but I doubt he has the coglioni to do that, so Alberto will have to control his nerves for the rest of a race for which he should have been given undivided and hands down team leadership.
And you would be for the kind of dull, programatic cycling, without any damn sponenaity that used to make cycling so fun to watch before the Posties ruined everything. That was fine when Lance was king, but it will be cramping Alberto's style now. Lance hasn't earned the right to have a team working for him now, because Alberto Contador is better.
Now, look, I know it's hard to accept that Lance isn't the king anymore, but please don't try to pass my intellegent strategic analysis as crap, when it is your silly take on how Astana should have ridden that's poo.