2009 TDF stage 17 - Bourg-Saint-Maurice Le Grand-Bornand 169.5 km - Page 4

beloki · #46 07-22.-2009

exactly where was Lance then in the split pelaton. Was he waiting for AC?Remember this Lance has said this a few times when he was 2 seconds back. I am better than I was when I won 3-4 tours. So this thing about his age all of a sudeen is an excuse. Like I said Lance isn't climbing with guys like Ulrich and Basso and Kloden their tempo climbers. they fit perfect for Lance because they didn't have accelerations like AC and Lance wa sthebetter TT other than Ulrich. Guys like AC and Mayo have accelerations. It's just that Mayo was a horiible TT
The Schleck brothers have acceleration but no TT. If AC wasnt in this tour than Lance would win and he would be the lance of old. There is one big difference though

Alberto Contador

Lonnie Utah · #47 07-22.-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by David_Zen

He's gone but I agree, he didn't have to attack. Could have stayed and help Kloden. Maybe Kloden is going to drop back now and help Armstrong.

Quote:

Originally Posted by slovakguy

sort of quintessential armstrong-ride right past the guy who dragged his ass up the mountain on sunday just to put time into him. klodi needs a new team.

Did you watch the same race I did? LA was the consummate teammate today. Kloden didn't pull Lance up the hill, he pulled Contador up the hill. Lance sacrificed himself and his overall position to stay with and crack Wiggins. That was for the good of the team. Lance was isolated and alone. Lance was killing it on the decent to catch (and help) Kloden. When Lance and Nibali caught Kloden, the three rode in a group until the very end when Nibali attacked the two astana riders at the finish. LA simply covered the final attack. That is way different than dropping Kloden on a climb as your post implies.

If anyone should be thrown under the bus it's Contador(k). His unnecessary and selfish attack was what isolated himself and dropped Kloden. It was a move to stamp his authority on the race, which failed horribly. It was a very stupid race tactic. It was for selfish glory, before thinking about what was best for the team. What happens when contador has a mechanical or a puncture on the decent? You loose big time until the team car or Kloden gets there. Stupid, stupid, stupid move by the young rider. I hope Johann bent his ear at the dinner table tonight...

beloki · #48 07-22.-2009

Lance is one of the most selfish I have I have ever seen. In every interview before the alps he was saying We will see who's the strongest, we will see who the team leader is. I came to win the tour. Dont be suprised after tomorrows time trial that astana sets up some stage win for Lance in Mt Ventoux

Andrija · #49 07-22.-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by beloki

Lance is one of the most selfish I have I have ever seen. In every interview before the alps he was saying We will see who's the strongest, we will see who the team leader is. I came to win the tour. Dont be suprised after tomorrows time trial that astana sets up some stage win for Lance in Mt Ventoux

I also think that Mont Ventoux is one for Armstrong. I'm not sure how will they do it, but it will bring him the podium finish and victory which he misses in his career.

beloki · #50 07-22.-2009

Its going to have to be ironed out between him and AC. I really believe that Lance can't ever leave AC behind. I dont believe anyone could ever drop AC when AC is like this. Remember this tour is not that hard. There isnt that many mountain top finishes which fits AC like a glove. The Pyrennes were easier than the past.NO Alp D'HUez. I think this gap between AC and the rest would be even larger

Lonnie Utah · #51 07-22.-2009

From Velonews...

Contador defends his attack, but even Johan Bruyneel doesn't sound too pleased. - VeloNews

Quote:

Contador defends his attack, but even Johan Bruyneel doesn't sound too pleased.
By Andrew Hood
Published: Jul. 22, 2009
Alberto Contador attacked once on the Col de la Colombière near the end of Wednesday’s queen stage, but it didn’t make anyone happy on the Astana Team.
Contador’s surge with about 2km to go to the Colombière didn’t gap the victorious Schleck brothers, but it popped Astana’s Andreas Klöden out of the back of the elite, four-man group.
Klöden eventually lost 2:27 to the Schlecks and opened the door for the Schlecks to slip into second and third.
Astana team boss Johan Bruyneel was none too pleased with his young pupil, suggesting that Contador’s aggression might have cost the team a chance to sweep the final podium in Paris.
“I told him you don’t have to attack to win the Tour de France today, because the difference was there to Wiggins,” Bruyneel said after the stage. “It’s a bit of a pity that Andreas couldn’t hang on, because I think we could have been first, second and third on GC, and instead, we are first, fourth and fifth.”
Bruyneel said Contador’s punch played into the hands of the Schleck brothers, upping the tempo and leaving Klöden isolated for the final two kilometers to the summit.
“I had advice not to do. He didn’t need to go,” Bruyneel said. “It was clear that the Schleck brothers would go full gas to the summit.
Klöden was immediately gapped by 20 seconds as the Schleck brothers chased down Contador. Realizing that Klöden was on the ropes, the Schlecks went even harder. At the summit, Klöden was 1:15 back and lost even more time on the descent.
Klöden, who rarely speaks with reporters, did not have anything to say at the finish line, so it’s hard to gauge his reaction. He was able to stay with the Schlecks until Contador attacked, but he was also clearly struggling on the upper reaches of the climb and the 15km descent.

After the dust settled, the Schlecks took the psychological advantage of slotting into second and third, at 2:26 and 3:25 back, respectively, while Klöden, who started fourth at 2:17, drifted back to fifth at 4:44 back.
Those two minutes will be hard to recover for Klöden, despite being a superior time trialist to the Schlecks.
Lance Armstrong — who started the day second, slipped to fourth, now 3:55 back – also wondered about Contador’s need to attack in that situation.
When asked about Contador’s attack, Armstrong said: “I really wasn’t paying attention. I wanna bite my tongue on that one.”
Armstrong made a strong surge late in the stage to narrow the gap to the Schlecks, but Contador’s accelerations seemed to spur the Luxembourg brothers along even further. Armstrong caught Klöden on the descent and they came across the line with Vicenzo Nibali (Liquigas).
“I got caught out tactically a bit. I didn’t follow the accelerations and then tactically I have to stay with other teams,” Armstrong said. “I was stuck there with Wiggins and I couldn’t go until the end when it was steeper. In hindsight, I probably should have gone with the earlier accelerations.”
Contador defended his move.
The Spanish climber said the day’s main goal was to get rid of Bradley Wiggins (Garmin-Slipstream), who they considered the most dangerous GC rival.
The British rider was popped early on the final climb and was more than two minutes behind, riding with Armstrong, when Contador decided to punch the accelerator.
Contador had patiently marked the rhythm set by the Schlecks on the Romme and Colombière climbs and clearly had good legs when he made his stab.
Contador shot ahead, checked the reactions from the Schlecks and then dropped back on the wheel when he saw it was Klöden who was the main victim of the aggression.
“It was too bad (about Klöden). I spoke with Bruyneel about it, who told me to speak with Klöden, and he told me that, yes, attack if I wanted to,” Contador said. “I thought that I might be able to go alone or just with Andy, but the only one who stayed behind was Klöden. That’s why I decided to stop, to see if he could come back, but in the end, he lost a lot.”
Contador insisted that he was trying to blow away the Schlecks, and quickly sat up when he realized that Klöden was getting gapped. Contador kept looking back to check on the fading Klöden, but wisely chose to stay with the attacking Schlecks and rode it to the line.
“I wanted to do like I did on Verbier, but there weren’t the same gaps and Klöden was behind, so I decided to wait for him,” Contador said. “In the end, I went to the finish line to conclude in the best manner possible. I am not at all happy about what happened with Klöden.”
The day’s polemic clearly shows Contador’s independence streak during this Tour.
Just like he did at Arcalis and Verbier, Contador is riding his own race.
Follow Andrew Hood’s twitter at twitter.com/eurohoody.

**limerickman** · #52 07-22.-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrija

Besides great ride by Schlecks I have to notice very bad move by Contador... He only helped Schlecks to get rid of Kloden and gain substantial time gaps before TT. Maybe that's exactly what he wanted, although he says Kloden approved the attack.

Agreed.

Just watched the stage : superb ride by the Schleck Bros.

Contador thought that he could break them on the climb and he only ended up breaking Kloden.
If Kloden had been able to stay he could have overhauled Wiggins.

Lonnie Utah · #53 07-22.-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by limerickman

Just watched the stage : superb ride by the Schleck Bros.

The only error I could see was after the 3 reconsolidated, the two should have taken turns counter attacking an isolated Contador over the final part of the climb.

Andrija · #54 07-22.-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lonnie Utah

The only error I could see was after the 3 reconsolidated, the two should have taken turns counter attacking an isolated Contador over the final part of the climb.

They should have tried that, but I'm not sure if they would succeed. Maybe they've realised it's useless so just forced the tempo.

Lonnie Utah · #55 07-22.-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrija

They should have tried that, but I'm not sure if they would succeed. Maybe they've realised it's useless so just forced the tempo.

I think you are right. But you never know until you try.

guncha · #56 07-22.-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by beloki

This would have been Contadors 3rd tour in a row.
Contador has already won the Giro and The Vuelta(which is harder than the Tour de France)Lance has never done that

Rasmussen was the best in Tour de France 07. Ras was uncatchable after the last mountaintop finish of Tour de France 07. If AC will win this tour it will be his first.

thebluetrain · #57 07-22.-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by beloki

Lance is one of the most selfish I have I have ever seen. In every interview before the alps he was saying We will see who's the strongest, we will see who the team leader is. I came to win the tour. Dont be suprised after tomorrows time trial that astana sets up some stage win for Lance in Mt Ventoux

I cant wait till 2010 when Vino returns to Astana and sticks it to AC from behind. Who you going to blame when that happens? LA, JB?

beloki · #58 07-22.-2009

Vino will only see AC behind on the hill tops

Andrija · #59 07-22.-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by thebluetrain

I cant wait till 2010 when Vino returns to Astana and sticks it to AC from behind. Who you going to blame when that happens? LA, JB?

Are you sure he'll stay with Astana?
I'm not. Fernando Alonso's team sounds interesting.

**steve** · #60 07-22.-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrija

Fernando Alonso's team sounds interesting.

So this ones going ahead?

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