The official debate: Should Contador have waited for Schleck?

[Anonymous]

He was gapped, coz Andy caught him sleeping, like it happened on a stage (dont remember the #) when Purito won. AC didnt bonk, Vino went, coz he saw Alberto not reacting in time, its what teammates do, rather than organize a neutral finish.

Uhh, lessee. How many friggin times did AS look back? If AC was caught napping... on a stage where Saxo blew themselves up.... when AS had stated he was going to attack.... when the climb was at it's steepest.

You are asking me to believe AC to be an idiot. I don't believe he is.

 

[saganftw]

im amazed some of you dont realize it doesnt matter if it was andys fault or not because contador didnt know andy has problem...he attacked anyway...now i guess his radio suddenly broke down (or too much noise around?) so he couldnt hear his manager telling him andy has mechanical problem

 

[Biological Entity]

my question is if AC had really been on the attack would Menchov had caught him? maybe Sanchez...on those slopes you have to keep going

AC did not have the legs today which is why he was drifting backwards. He says he had no idea that AS had a mechanical so we know he did NOT wait. That was him on the limit.

I think AS probably would have massacred him today in a fair fight.

 

[michaeld]

Contador or Menchov will beat AS by more than 35 seconds, and we'll all see that this stage is a wash. Thursday the game is on, Bordeaux TT will confirm the GC.

 

[hrotha]

Well, Schleck has "anger in his stomach" and will get "revenge".

Waa, waa, waa...

Of course, thanks to Riis's Tactics(TM), Andy now only has one chance to make up time on Contador. And he needs at least a minute, and maybe up to two minutes to be more or less comfortable, for the last TT.

Bjarne, Andy... this is why you don't let mountain stages go to waste without trying to gain something from them while you can.

 

[IndyJoe]

The problem was not that he didn't sit up and wait, the problem was that he went ALL OUT!!!! HE WENT AS HARD AS HE COULD TO TAKE ADVANTAGE!!!

That's the problem. He could've stayed with Vino. He could've waited for the others, and jumped on their wheels. He was the one that initiated the counter, and it was a complete chickensh** move.

 

[michaeld]

...now i guess his radio suddenly broke down (or too much noise around?) so he couldnt hear his manager telling him andy has mechanical problem

Or else the manager is screaming in to the radio 'ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK'

 

[Denkoff]

Gogogogo i want alp dhuez

 

[Denkoff]

))))))))))) atack, atack, atack )))))))))

 

[nia O'Malley]

Does someone know why Vino finished with Andy and not Alberto?

 

[Ilaria]

Andy said: The jersey deserves honor

and Contador didn't have. He should be ashamed to wear it because of a mechanical!!
http://allezandy.blogspot.com/2010/07/tdf-15-andy-today-you-won-your-tour.html

 

[saganftw]

Does someone know why Vino finished with Andy and not Alberto?

because when he saw whats goin on he slowed down and lost the wheel of three musketeers up front

 

[funnytanlines]

http://www.bikeradar.com/racing/racestage/report/97th-tour-de-france-stage-15-749

"Saxo Bank team manager Bjarne Riis, meanwhile, appeared to side with Contador.

"I didn't see it but it's all part of racing circumstances," said the Dane. "I think he (Contador) waited at the start, and then he went. That's just part of racing.""

 

[Dr. Maserati]

Watch the replay. Conta looks right at Schleck, already off his bike, as he goes by. News flash #2-- they all have radios. Even if his eyes weren't working, his radio was. He attacked, and continued to do so, for twenty minutes with full intent.

No - AC definitley did not look right at AS.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1E45QiV60o

He would have known that AS chain had slipped but probably did not expect AS to panick and delay putting it on by first waiting for his team car.

Still think AC that there was no-need for AC to wait - but he didn't need to attack, just follow others lead.

 

[HL2037]

Maybe anger in the belly is what Andy needs.

 

[phlatties]

seemed like bad tactics for the riis tribe. as far as the "attack", whatever you whining maggots. Anger in his belly? better than that weird lovefest they had going the day before. Now he has no choice but to pin it up the hill and see if AC can hang. either way it's a win win for pure racing fans. I'll be curious how Saxo plans. 8 secs? maybe greg should've slowed down for laurent's saddle sores for 8 secs.

 

[forty four]

if alberto did this knowingly it lowers him in my book and i was starting to like him more because of how he handled la not saying much a quiet guy which is admirable. his move if deliberate today is classless imo.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

http://www.bikeradar.com/racing/racestage/report/97th-tour-de-france-stage-15-749

"Saxo Bank team manager Bjarne Riis, meanwhile, appeared to side with Contador.

"I didn't see it but it's all part of racing circumstances," said the Dane. "I think he (Contador) waited at the start, and then he went. That's just part of racing.""

lol @ the schleck defenders. not even riis agrees with you.

 

[Biological Entity]

http://www.bikeradar.com/racing/racestage/report/97th-tour-de-france-stage-15-749

"Saxo Bank team manager Bjarne Riis, meanwhile, appeared to side with Contador.

"I didn't see it but it's all part of racing circumstances," said the Dane. "I think he (Contador) waited at the start, and then he went. That's just part of racing.""

That's interesting, because we now know from AC that he did not wait. He said he had no idea about the mechanical. I think he will change his opinion.

 

[Anonymous]

It's not schleck who should counter contador. it is the other way around. andy schleck is a bunch of chickensh*t and got what was coming his way surplassing with the gears he was asking for them to jam because his chain was strung way too loose. any guy that's ever been on a bike knows this.

You don't ride, do you?

 

[nia O'Malley]

because when he saw whats goin on he slowed down and lost the wheel of three musketeers up front

So it was voluntary then?

Though of course waiting makes no difference to him so he has it easy looking grand. Still, nice.

 

[Angliru]

If Contador was confident of winning the Tour this year then he would have waited. Now his Tour win this year will be tainted in my eyes

I don't understand how it can be tainted when Andy was gifted minutes when Cancellara neutralized one of the early stages (#2?) which in effect saved the Tour for Andy. Additionally Contador could've attacked Andy Sunday when he foolishly drifted back to his team car for food and hydration before the summit of the penultimate climb. It's really quite doubtful that had Contador attacked at that moment with the advantage he had in numbers (support) versus what Andy had at that moment (C.A. Sorenson), Andy would have undoubtedly lost at minimum 30 seconds and thus his overall lead in the race.

Since I have yet to view today's stage and I'm assuming this thread is based on what transpired today, I can only comment on what I'm reading in the posts.

 

[MKirilenko]

Uhh, lessee. How many friggin times did AS look back? If AC was caught napping... on a stage where Saxo blew themselves up.... when AS had stated he was going to attack.... when the climb was at it's steepest.

You are asking me to believe AC to be an idiot. I don't believe he is.

Oh, ok. Then he bonked or had no answer for Schleck, but a second later, by some miracle, he felt so strong to attack leaving Menchov and others behind, even Vino who followed Schleck. I agree, it was AC's mistake to sleep like that, but you cant really be implying that, if Schleck havent stopped, AC wouldnt have tried to catch him?

 

[Publicus]

This is a sh1tty write up by Cycling News.

When this quintet was reeled in, Schleck launched a more emphatic attack and quickly opened up a gap. Contador was initially unable to respond but just as it seemed as though Schleck was about to deliver a major blow in the race for yellow the Luxembourger slipped his chain. While he stood at the roadside trying to get his bike sorted out, Contador blasted past him with Sanchez and Menchov on his wheel. For the first time in the stage, the Spaniard had abandoned the game of cat and mouse with Schleck, and in the least appealing of manners.

I don't care your opinion on what happened as result of these events, but this is not what happened. Cycling News this is just crappy journalism.

 

[Triathlete]

I have lost my respect for Alberto Contador. Winning like that is without honour. I expected a champion like him to show some class. If he were to be in Schleck's shoes, I think he would be very angry too. Shame on contador. Tramposo.
To all the Armstrong haters out there, no matter how much u criticize him, I'm sure Armstrong would have waited if he were to be in Contador's shoes today. just like Jan ulrich waited for him back in 2003.