Should Contador Have Held Back for Schleck?

[dhk2]

The boos surprised me a bit too. It would have been a great sporting gesture to wait, and it may not have changed the outcome of the stage anyway. If it had, or in the event Contador ends up losing the Tour to Schleck by 15 seconds, he would go down in Tour history as the champion who placed sportsmanship and fairplay above his personal gain. He's already got two Tour wins, so by waiting in my mind he'd actually "win" in the eyes of fans regardless of this year's outcome.

Of course, in the heat of battle, doubt if he really had time to think about his legacy to the cycling world. Overall, guess I'm not as quick to condemn Contador as many here.

 

[swampy1970]

What you fail to mention in this case is that Vino was up the road and a GC threat. In that case you cannot wait. If it's the lead group, or no GC threat up the road, you wait.

The best quote I have seen on it so far.. Cervélo team owner Gerard Vroomen: “Contador just gained a great chance to win, but he lost the chance to win greatly.”

Maybe schleck should dump the stupid rear mech 'upgrade' with sprocket sized pulley wheels and stick to what works. If you pick stupid random sh1t to put on the bike then don't complain when weird stuff happens.

It was a mechanical problem. You don't wait for mechanicals - it just a case of tough sh1t and you deal with it.

You put the case that vino was up the road... But I didn't see anyone else stop and wait for Andy. If Alberto had stopped do you really think menchov and co would have waited? No, neither do I.

 

[Cobblestones]

A lot is made of these unwritten rules, but what is neglected is that Schleck was on the attack on the most critical part of the stage. It wasn't a tempo ride of the MJ group somewhere on the flat leading up to the climb or so.

I don't think I know a single example where someone waited under these circumstances (please correct me if you remember something). Basically, Schleck attacked and had dropped Contador a bit who tried to make contact with him. I don't think he was under any obligation to wait for him.

Anyway, that's my opinion. YMMV.

 

[genedan]

The really sad thing is that seeing the way Schleck was able to get back on the bike a get back into the race makes me wonder how much time he might have been able to put on Contador today if not for the chain slip, as he had a lot of juice left.

I think Andy attacked way too late to be able to gain any time at all. Vinokourov would have chased him down and in my opinion Contador would have made contact before the descent. There was only a kilometer left in that climb, and with Sanchez in pursuit, I doubt Andy would have been able to maintain a gap on the way down.

One of the handicaps is the lack of strength of Saxo Bank. They took it way too easy on the earlier climbs and arrived at the foot of the Port de Bales with too many riders still in contact. Robbie McEwen was still there! Contador also had 7 teammates on the foot of the climb - thus, Andy was unable to make any major attack early on the climb as he would have been chased down. Therefore, he had to attack later, but at that time there wouldn't have been enough hill left to open up a gap.

 

[GT Fanatic]

Ya snooze, ya lose. It ain't a pretty way to win, but winning is winning. There are plenty of sports where someone screws up and a win is dished out. It happens all the time in auto racing when somebody blows up at 1/4 lap to the finish line, and even in the NFL; the game goes into O/T and the receiving team scores. The kicking team is left holding the bag without even getting an opportunity to even things up.

Is Contador a coward? That's for each person to decide on his/her own. PERSONALLY, I wouldn't want to win under those circumstances; I would want to EARN my win. Personally, I couldn't be proud of winning due to someone else's inability to compete.

As a cyclist, Contador has my admiration, but as a competitor, I haven't the slightest ounce of respect for him.

 

[steve]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdOJLuePexs]YouTube - Alberto Contador explains his feelings about Andy Schleck and himself after Stage 15[/ame]

 

[roadhouse]

YouTube - Alberto Contador explains his feelings about Andy Schleck and himself after Stage 15

no one cares any longer Contador, you are a disgrace to professional cycling, first with your abononation of the word 'team' last year and forever etching your backstabbing abilities with your poisoned and distasteful disregard for honest competition today.
Whether or not you win this years Tour De France, you will always only be remembered for this.

I hope you have lit the fire under Shcleck's ass so bright it burns your tonsils.

 

[roadhouse]

and still you are nothing compared to Lance, all looking like a one eyed retarded duck out of water with its webbed feet sewn together with your gawd awful climbing, don't you ever forget it, chump.

 

[steve]

all looking like a one eyed retarded duck out of water with its webbed feet sewn together with your gawd awful climbing

Interesting considering he is one of the best climbers the sport has seen for many years.

 

[roadhouse]

Interesting considering he is one of the best climbers the sport has seen for many years.

next to The Might Mighty Lance Armstrong, like a retarded duck.

 

[cfblakeman]

Contador may win, but he will never be a champion. Champions race against people, not against bike parts.

 

[cfblakeman]

You mean the same Hinault that LeMond waited for one year who then tried to slit LeMond's throat the next year? Yep, there's a good character witness of whether Contador should have raced against broken equipment instead of his competitor. Nice.

 

[Lonnie Utah]

You put the case that vino was up the road...

I was speaking of the stage in 2003 when beloki broke his hip. Do I think that SS and Menchov would have waited if AC sat up. Yes, yes I do. Just a difference of opinion.

Contador responds.
http://www.youtube.com/v/XdOJLuePexs

if AC was a man, he'd skip wearing yellow tomorrow. It's happened before (71, 80, 91 and 05)

 

[HamFrancisco]

Watching that video posted above, there's no way in hell that Contador would have been able to tell what was up with Schleck, as he was giving it full gas. Vino might have had a chance because he was closer and might have been able to hear things jam...

Either way, Schlecks climbing after that made Pantani look slow.

I think you are right. Andy made big attack leaving Contador a ways behind and by the time Contador went by on Andy's left I don't see how he could have known why Andy slowed. Andy looked like my girlfriend with a new manicure trying to put that chain back on.

It's a goofy Tour anyway with cobbles in it... the one day risk of cobbles do not belong in a three week event.

.

 

[Yojimbo_]

Contador made a big mistake - he knew full well what he was doing on the ride and the boos told him how the fans feel about it. His marketability is going to decrease substantially now - there's no way I'd want him as a spokesman for my product after what I saw today.

The only way I can think of for him to make amends is to sit in the time trial start gate for 39 seconds before he leaves. And he should make this known to everyone right away - that way he might be able to recover some of his lost integrity.

 

[swampy1970]

I was speaking of the stage in 2003 when beloki broke his hip. Do I think that SS and Menchov would have waited if AC sat up. Yes, yes I do. Just a difference of opinion.

Contador responds.
http://www.youtube.com/v/XdOJLuePexs

if AC was a man, he'd skip wearing yellow tomorrow. It's happened before (71, 80, 91 and 05)

I know exactly what stage you're on about... Lance goes looking for sheep in a field andnfancies hisnchances at cyclocross.
...
And those situations in the years mentioned that a rider didnt wear yellow werent because of a retarded mechanical problem.

 

[swampy1970]

So, watching the incident again but on the big screen in hi-def and not on youtube, it looks as though a combination of that retarded pulley cage on the rear mech and about 4 links too many in the chain caused his woes. He goes on the attack, gets the gap in a stupid big gear (as shown in the big pic i posted a few pages ago) and then goes for an even smaller sprocket and then the pulley wheels seem to jam against the sprockets, the rear mech throws a wobbler such that the back wheel hops off the deck and the chain drops off the front chainring.

If thats what actually did happen then screw the Contador haters, a self imposed combination of oddball parts and a crappy setup brought self impossed doom. Its been a long time since ive seen so much chain used that the pulley cage is almost as far back as itll go without having the chain grate on the cage after going through the bottom pulley...

Its not contadors job to ensure that schleck has a good bike and can change gears.

 

[LDB]

So we should tell Nascar/Indy drivers they need to stop and wait on the other guy when he has mechanical issues and has to pit? Or should the defense not recover the fumble until they count to ten so the offense has a chance at recovering it? I don't see a reason why there's anything wrong with continuing to ride. That's the point of the event, to ride.

 

[vspa]

is important to race fair,
so later at the hotel guys can have a clear conscious,
for their weekly blood transfusion...

 

[metalstorm]

Contador may win, but he will never be a champion. Champions race against people, not against bike parts.

they all should finish w/the same time while holding hands...

dead on vspa

great point swampy