Should Contador have let Schleck win?

[sartoris]

In my opinion, yes. He's ingratiated himself with all the haters. AC's was a champion's gesture: he could have won the stage so easily.

This goes to show how wrong where all those who crucified him after the "chain" incident.

PD: Did you see Contador slowing down the peloton after Samuel Sanchez's crash? Only Sastre went away, and he paid dearly his effrontery.

 

[ericthesportsman6]

He should have gone for it, this a proffesional sport, not 4th grade baseball. You don't need to appease AS with a consolation prize.

 

[hrotha]

About Sastre... What the hell? It's easy to slow down the race when you couldn't care less anyway, but for everyone looking for a stage win that could mean giving up on your chances. Sastre wasn't riding for the GC anyway, so why should he wait? All this waiting thing has gone too far.

 

[shouldawouldacoulda]

In my opinion, yes. He's ingratiated himself with all the haters. AC's was a champion's gesture: he could have won the stage so easily.

Agreed.

Although, I'd never say winning a TDF stage is easy

Contador showed class today. He gave it a big dig, and when Andy marked him I think he was willing to concede. I think he would have tried again, but I think they were both a bit nervous about the spectators!

Did you see the fans, crazy!! It is really cool to see, but on the final of a summit finish like that they need barriers in the final 3km so the riders can feel secure enough to race.

Today the motos had to ride so close to protect Schleck and Contador that both were pretty much boxed in. I don't think either cared to much... but had they not been there we may have seen some more action in the final 2-3kms.

 

[ansimi]

I think they can be gentlemen and friends and still compete. I would have liked to have seen Contador go for it and really show what he can do. My memories of him as an exciting rider are fading.

 

[saganftw]

i think AC feels a bit guilty after chaingate, if he took the stage after andy pulling 40 minutes up front some fans would have attacked him

 

[sartoris]

My support and admiration for Contador has a reason, apart from being a Spaniard like me:

- I followed his career from the beginning. What the guy's had to go through is not known by most of the cycling fans (I'm talking about his illness, how close he was to death and his will to overcome all difficulties). Hats off!

- He's always been loved by the peloton, and had to experience difficult situations on both Tour wins (Rasmussen disqualification and Armstrong ego).

- I think we Spanish speakers can get a closer idea about his real personality from listening to him and knowing more about his personal life than most people in other countries (He's a media icon round here, as you well know).

- Hence, my disappointment for all the noise around the "chain" incident the other day. He's proven today that he also knows what fair-play is.

As AC himself stated the other day for the Spanish TV, he is foreseeing a duel with AS to be fought over the next few years and there's no way they can't be friends out of the road.

Cheers!

 

[nia O'Malley]

Some overall winners give away stages, some do not. It's up to the rider himself, it's not exactly a rare occurence, that's the way it is in the Tour.

 

[theswordsman]

I didn't like it. France can gamble on these things now, and people in other countries do. The odds on Contador would have been short anyway, but I feel sorry for people who bet on him expecting to try his hardest. After the big brouhaha the other day, Alberto said what translated as "we reached an agreement". It bugged me because I had read LA Confidentiel the night before.

“I’m satisfied with the stage win but I also wanted to turn white into yellow but unfortunately it wasn’t possible. I really tried hard, you have to believe me about that. I changed rhythm and I tried everything but I think we’re on the same level on the climbs. Alberto attacked and I could go with him – it was a quick response – but in the end he didn’t sprint to win the stage because I did the most work. I have a lot of respect for that, it shows that he’s a great champion.
“I tried to find out how he was feeling. You need to look at someone to see how he was coping. I think you can find out a lot if you look someone in the eyes. He didn’t have the sunglasses on today so it was possible to see, that’s why I looked so many times. But he always looked good and that’s kind of what killed me.
“El Pistolero is strong, huh? I could no drop him. He was always there. I wanted to find out if he was getting weak but he didn’t succumb. He even attacked me to show, ‘Hey, listen young boy, I’m still here! You better stop playing these games with me.’
“I’m super happy to win this stage today – it’s the Queen stage of this year’s Tour. To win on the Tourmalet is like a win on Alpe d’Huez.
“When I turned to talk to him, I said: ‘You pass?’ And he didn’t. I would have done the same. Why should he pass me? In the end, he let me win the stage and I’m super happy.”

http://www.letour.fr/2010/TDF/LIVE/us/1700/journal_etape.html

 

[icefire]

Indurain had more class than AC when he let others a stage win. Big Mig pretended to sprint so his contender had to attack to take the win.

 

[Fourier]

It would be interesting to know how Vino and the Kazakh sponsors feel about AC giving away the stage.
Although in all fairness, he'll win the TDF.

 

[Publicus]

I didn't like it. France can gamble on these things now, and people in other countries do. The odds on Contador would have been short anyway, but I feel sorry for people who bet on him expecting to try his hardest. After the big brouhaha the other day, Alberto said what translated as "we reached an agreement". It bugged me because I had read LA Confidentiel the night before.


http://www.letour.fr/2010/TDF/LIVE/us/1700/journal_etape.html

Are you talking about the Col de Madeleine? That was a tactically smart decision at the time. There was no agreement today. AC gifted him the stage win (just like he did last year on stage 17 to Frank) because Andy did substantially all of the work (the both padded their cushion over Menchov and Sanchez). It would have been great if AC dropped him with 4KM to go, but it wasn't in the cards. Andy left everything he had on that stage and AC wasn't about to go so deep as to jeopardize the overall victory (he's going to need to distance himself in the TT). It may not leave a great taste in your's and other's mouths, but it was a tactically smart race by AC, and a great effort by Andy.

 

[joe1265]

both AC and AS are a couple of ***. All this "I apologize", "stop booing, for me" is a bunch of BS!!!

How can The Badger even bring himself to shake these guys hands at the end of the day.

**** - give me Lance and his "THE LOOK", his mind games (which punished Basso into 2nd when he was the strongest of his entire career) and "NO GIFTS"!!!!!

 

[Colm.Murphy]

both AC and AS are a couple of ***. All this "I apologize", "stop booing, for me" is a bunch of BS!!!

How can The Badger even bring himself to shake these guys hands at the end of the day.

**** - give me Lance and his "THE LOOK", his mind games (which punished Basso into 2nd when he was the strongest of his entire career) and "NO GIFTS"!!!!!

Spare us.

"Diplomacy under duress" is what I like to call it, and unless you simply hate your opponent, is the best tactic.

Also known as "Class". Something I cannot find when I look back at Armstrong, except for the time he waited for Ullrich. That, alone, was the singular time I saw Armstrong as a sportsman.

Lance clearly did not "hate" Jan. Alberto does not "hate" Andy.

Class rules the day.

 

[lkransom]

An epic battle. Could have come in hand in hand for all I care. The effort was magnificent and worthy of the 100th year celebration.

 

[Anonymous]

sounds like Phil and Paul

i think AC feels a bit guilty after chaingate, if he took the stage after andy pulling 40 minutes up front some fans would have attacked him

This was not a break away. Andy was not "pulling up front". Andy's tactic was to try to get Bert to totally blow up and loose big time using an extended attack. Bert's job was to let Andy kill himself attacking and not blow up himself. Even if Bert had stayed with the group they were in he would have lost less than two minutes and Fabulous Andy will loosemore than that in the TT.

 

[Dewulf]

i think AC feels a bit guilty after chaingate, if he took the stage after andy pulling 40 minutes up front some fans would have attacked him

Totally. Even though Andy says they've made up, AC knows his PR has still taken a major hit. 'Giving' the stage is probably the best way he could say sorry and repair the damage, but I gotta agree with Icefire...

Indurain had more class than AC when he let others a stage win. Big Mig pretended to sprint so his contender had to attack to take the win.

yet that would have left AC open as mentioned here...

It also would have looked a bit humilating if Contador had tried to attack at the end but was overcome by AS. Better to look as though you gifted him the stage.

Also, did anyone notice the super-cheesy wink AC gave AS after the stage?! Or was it cheeky-smarta** wink?

Personally i think Andy obviously did all the work and matched the attack, so deserved the win. AC probably could have taken it, but not a sure thing, and not fair having wheel sucked (which was the right tactic for GC but not the right way to win a stage if he actually wants to have fans).

 

[erader]

I didn't like it. France can gamble on these things now, and people in other countries do. The odds on Contador would have been short anyway, but I feel sorry for people who bet on him expecting to try his hardest. After the big brouhaha the other day, Alberto said what translated as "we reached an agreement". It bugged me because I had read LA Confidentiel the night before.


http://www.letour.fr/2010/TDF/LIVE/us/1700/journal_etape.html

are you serious?

erader

 

[la.margna]

class move. respect. i get yellow, you the stage. as it should be.

 

[Belokki]

he should have went all out on him to prove he's in yellow for a reason!

As the Badger said: "No gifts!"

It sad to see one of the most explosive riders in the peloton win the TDF without winning a single stage!

 

[VeloFidelis]

There was only one way for Contador to WIN the stage on the Tourmalet, and that was to drop Andy Schleck, and he obviously couldn't do it. Anything else would ultimately have been a loss for AC, regardless of what the "official" results might have been.

 

[shouldawouldacoulda]

he should have went all out on him to prove he's in yellow for a reason!

As the Badger said: "No gifts!"

It sad to see one of the most explosive riders in the peloton win the TDF without winning a single stage!

I think the last person to win the tour, without winning a stage, was Contador's countryman Miguel Indurain. Who became one of the greatest grand tour riders of all time - kinda like Contador is becoming.

 

[shouldawouldacoulda]

I think the last person to win the tour, without winning a stage, was Contador's countryman Miguel Indurain. Who became one of the greatest grand tour riders of all time - kinda like Contador is becoming.

Or was Lemond the last?

 

[Elagabalus]

both AC and AS are a couple of ***. All this "I apologize", "stop booing, for me" is a bunch of BS!!!

How can The Badger even bring himself to shake these guys hands at the end of the day.

**** - give me Lance and his "THE LOOK", his mind games (which punished Basso into 2nd when he was the strongest of his entire career) and "NO GIFTS"!!!!!

And please, give me Ullrich to attack Lance when Lance has a mechanical!!

 

[bobmcpartland]

class move. respect. i get yellow, you the stage. as it should be.

100% agree with you