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

With regards to Contador's attack 3km from the top of the last climb, Johan Bruyneel said: "I had advised Alberto not to go because he didn’t need to go. He didn’t need to go because it was clear that the Schlecks would go full gas to the finish. I told him, ‘You don’t have to attack to win the Tour de France today’. It’s a bit of a pity that Andreas couldn’t hold on because we could have been first, second and third on GC but now we are first, fourth and fifth."

He then went on to say:
"But in the end you can’t want it all. Our purpose is to win the Tour and we got a big step forward today. If we want everything we can end up with nothing and that’s not what we want. Second and third are not a goal. If it happens that’s ok but we don’t go after it. Winning the Tour is the goal."

 

I dont know what is going to happen next year with AC, where he will be, but he is going to have a hard time without the support he has now. He will do well, but how well. He has a lot to learn.

 

Lance has said about 3 or 4 times that he is a better and in better shape in this years tour than he was for like 3-4 of his tour wins. Now all of a sudden when Contador has blown by him he says he cant hang with a the young guys. This guy is full of it.This pretty much is the the best Lance we see. Alberto Conatdor is the best climber ever.Johan Brunel the manager of team Astana and who was there for all of Lance's wins even says that Contador is the best climber he has ever seen. So all this crap about Lance can catch him and he was staying back on purpose is a bunch of bs.Lance is not climbing with Ulrich who was a power climber and fit Lance to a tee. Contador accelerates at speeds Lance would never had dealt with. Contador is not a bad tt either. He is the tt champion of Spain and he did beat Lance in the first tt. I expect Lance to cut A LITLLE into Contadors lead tomorrow but dont get me wrong here I dont see Lance wheter at 37 or 30 a better climber then Contador.

Lance just races for one race

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

 

He's best GT rider, so he'll sure do well. But, his behaviour in this Tour won't bring him any friends, just enemies. I'm not saying he's over the line all the time, but he does things which don't go him in favor.

 

It is poetic justice really, the Tour starts, Lance says he will ride for AC. Lance gets in the split peleton and ends up ahead of Contador on the GC, all of a sudden there are "two team leaders", Lance thinks he has a chance to win. Then he gets a severe butt-kicking on all the HC and Cat-1 climbs and realizes "Crap, I can't ride with this kid, he is too much for me!", so he decides it is time to say he can't win the GC and he will ride for AC after all. No Lance, you didn't choose to be a good teammate, you just realized you aren't the team leader that you once thought you were. So as AC said from the start, the road will sort it out, it truly has.

 

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

 

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...

 

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.

 

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

 

From Velonews...

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

 

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.

 

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.

 

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

 

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

 

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?

 

Vino will only see AC behind on the hill tops

 

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