Howzit

Or how about he attacked Cadel Evans, Sastre and Denis Menchov.
Was hoping you knew a little more about cycling than you are demonstrating.

Kelrod

Because they were in control and did not need to attack....the others have to make up the time. It's a long race and I think they are fortunate they do not have to defend the yellow jersey right now. Although at times they ride like they they have it.

Howzit

It is your understanding that in a race when you can attack and know you can gain time, you should "stop yourself" because you know you are in control?

It is also your understanding that if you know you can gain time over everyone in the race you should not do it because you are "in control"?

Dont listen to commentary as fact or gospel. They are there to entertain the viewer.

When you know you can gain time, even just a second in a race, you should gain time.

Is the Tour based on how much time you dont need to attack because you are in control these days rather than accumulated time?

Thats a news flash to me.

merlinextraligh

The reason Astana didn't want the yellow jersey is not that not having it takes an oneous to control the race off them. They still have the same interest in controlling the race.

It's the fact that having AG2R in Yellow, gives them 9 allies to help control the race.

julian

Astana is in complete control of this race. They are usually at the front dictating the pace or just off the front, looking to cover evey move. They have the strongest team by far.

erader

what about that headwind schleck, armstrong and levi talked about? didn't seem to phase contrador. contrador is a marked man. i think schleck and the others would have went if they could. if you're saying they let him go i just don't believe that.

ed rader

julian

Perhaps they couldn't go with them. I guess the big question is can Armstrong hang with him? I think that one 20 second advantage over 1.2 miles doesn't mean that much in the overall scheme of things. It will shake out in the last week.
Do you really think it would have been wise for Levi and Lance to go with him?
It seems like you guys want to crown AC as the champion because of his first TT and his one breakaway. This is a 3 week tour. I am not saying AC isn't going to win it. He could win it handily, but I am hoping for a very close race going into Ventoux. But I think you Lance haters want to see him buried, humiliated and beaten.

erader

i think AC is the team leader. he wears #21. when lance was winning tours he would have also stamped his authority in the mountains.

levi and lance could not go with contador.

i think AC's move was meant to regain time on armstrong who declared "all bets off" on stage three. i was glad to see contador regain the time and on spanish soil.

if contador cracks i hope lance steps up and wins the tour. i will root for him. yes, i'd rather see lance crushed and humiliated than win the tour by intimidation and deception.

ed rader

julian

Well I am glad that you KNOW what Levi and Lance are or are not capable of. You make it sound like AC is the second coming of Jesus on a bike. For pete's sake the chicken was handily beating him before he got booted. There is no way Lance can win by intimidation and deception. If that was the case, anyone with a mean look would be entering the tour. Intimidation is gained by out TTing or out climbing your rivals. If Armstrong doesn't have his legs then he can bluster all he wants and it ain't going to make a hill of beans of difference.
If I had to put money on the tour I would bet on AC, but I have been really shocked at Armstrong's form so far.

erader

the chicken is ancient history. AC has won every GT he has contested. any other team with contador as captain would not have even taken lance's call.

so you like lance but would bet on AC? sounds like you win either way !

ed rader

40 Cent

I agree. The Bruyneel/Armstrong junta is bs. Imagine in 2001 Bruyneel had invited a former tour hero to the team and outwardly favored him over Armstrong and left it so conveniently vague who was team leader. Meanwhile he was -- and is again -- sitting on a TdF franchise that's the envy of any coach...the veritable Phil Jackson of cycling directors. Why mess that up?

grinderbob

Well said.

Why did people say he is not a team player? Attacking at that time might cause his teammates time, but they chose not to follow, either they could not, or they believed there were still 2 weeks left. But why would anyone give away 20 sec when you had the chance, especially when you are widely regarded as the leader, and you are gaining 20 sec against other contenders from other teams?

If it were Lance attacking, everyone would just shut up and praise: at the age of 37 and 4 years out of the sport, Lance is showing his colors once again.

daxr

Andy "I couldn't follow Contador on Arcalis because it was windy" Schleck. Just saying...

fordmanvt

They could have caught him, but was a tactical choice not to chase given the short distance and having Lance on their wheel. They would put in lots more effort, and with Lance hanging with them, they gain nothing.

Mash Master

man, we need some juiced up riders that go on a scary breakaway :-)

Pharmr

easy to say now.

erader

!

who'd you get that from, lance?

they were all mumbling something about a headwind and schleck, after giving it a go, was whining like a jilted fraulein because contador caught a draft off the motorbikes.

they could have caught him my eye!



ed rader

rmwkokomo

You left out the part of the quote where he claimed AC was being sheltered from the wind by the vehicles in front of him - an advantage the chasers were too far away to share.

julian

Not even a hopped up Porsche could have caught AC that day. Arcalis will go down in the annals of TDF history! 1.2 miles of the most dominating hill climbing display since the beginning of time! A 20 second whipping that will never be forgotten!
Geeeeaz, you guys are too much.

daxr

At least someone was delivering a whipping. I don't even care who anymore, the tour needs more of it - its putting me to sleep!

gregf83 

Not a chance. They wouldn't gain anything on Lance but they also wouldn't lose 20 secs to the GC favorite. If they had the legs they would have stayed on AC's wheel.

diphthong

the chicken was handily beating everyone because the other teams inconceivably let him get 5+ minutes
up the road. remember how angry christophe moreau was that day as he constantly tried to get everyone
to chase? moreau seemed to be the only rider smart enough to consider rasmussen dangerous. that old dog
knew that rasmussen was potentially winning the tour right then and no one would help him minimize the
damage. the other contenders were primarily wheelsucking a majority of the last climb. rasmussen essentially
pulled a 1998 pantani col de galibier move on everyone. the rest of the field finally figured out what moreau
already knew-the tour was over when they saw the chicken putting in a top 15 time trial.

i think contador
would have won the 07 tour anyway if the other teams hadn't wildly overestimated their ability to
control rasmussen downroad (much of the thinking was that he would give away most/all of his mountain gains in the tt's).
surprising that they blew it so badly given the facts that rasmussen was a known quantity and we had
just seen the pereiro (previous top ten) & landis breakaways which defined the 06 race. hindsight is 20/20
but still, you don't give away significant time to anyone, much less someone as accomplished as
rasmussen, pereiro or landis. it's a receipe for game over.


with armstrong back in the peleton, it's less likely for
a similar scenario to unfold. watching the 2006-2008 races, which had some really boneheaded tactical
manuevers/mistakes by most teams, undoubtedly gave lance fuel for the fire. no wonder he thinks he can
win. i don't blame him. if i had his form, experience and team, i'd feel the same way.

diphthong

forgot about that untimely flat tire contador suffered on the last ascent on that pivotal
2007 rasmussen escape stage. think he was primed to have a go much like iban mayo
eventually did. contador set a hellish pace coming back to join the group at the finish
and would likely have used that energy to significantly gap the other contenders had
his luck been better.

julian

AC fanboys are too much!

USAZorro

Fanmen to you.