How anyone, be them Phil Ligget or anyone else, could think that the tactics employed by Alberto Contador, Denis Menchov and Sammy Sanchez in today's stage 15 in the Tour de France were anything but classless should have their head examined. After experiencing a horribly timed mechanical toward the top of the final day's climb, Andy Schleck watched as the race went up the road without him, costing him his overall lead in the race. He now sits a handful of seconds out of yellow behind Alberto Contador.
Schleck looked poised to drop Contador yet again at the moment of his mechanical problem, showing once again that he is superior to Contador on the toughest climbs. There are still some very difficult stages remaining (especially stage 17) and Schleck will have the chance to take time back on Contador in the coming days, but the fact remains that he lost about 30 seconds today through no fault of his own. The fact that Contador especially didn't wait for him to reconnect with the front of the group is simply wrong.
Alberto Contador was being dropped again by Andy Schleck just as the mechanical happened. There is no doubt that Contador is strong and perhaps would have closed the gap to Schleck had the mechanical not happened, but to see the Spaniard rise out of the saddle and accelerate just as Schleck was experienceing his equipment malfunction was hard to watch . . . and it cheapens Contador's lead in the race. Should the Spaniard win this year's race by less than a minute, those who watched will remember that he is not truly the winner of the 2010 Tour.
In the past, with few exceptions in recent history, whenever a protagonist had a mechanical, his rivals have been gracious, at least giving him a chance to reconnect with the front of the race before attacking. Lance Armstrong was on both sides of the arguement during his string of 7 Tour wins. When Jan Ullrich crashed off the road on the descent of the Col de Peyresourde in the 2001 Tour, Armstrong waited for him before eventually riding away from the German for another amazing stage win. Armstrong's sporting gesture made his victory that much sweeter on that day, and neither Ullrich or anyone else could question the validity of his win. It was the right thing to do, and it only helped to augment Armstrong's dominance over his German rival.
Ullrich for his part would repay Armstrong's favor a couple of years later, but to his detriment. As Armstrong, Ullrich and Iban Mayo climbed together in the 2005 Tour, Armstrong was famously hooked by a fan's mussette bag and went down hard in the 2003 Tour. Ullrich waited and was eventually dropped, losing his chance at possibly winning a second Tour title. When asked about why he waited, Ullrich's response was a simple one: "Of course, I would wait," Ullrich said Tuesday morning at his hotel here, where Stage 16 begins today. "If I would have won this race by taking advantage of someone's bad luck, then the race was not worth winning." Winning fair and square should be paramount in the mind of a true athlete, but this message has clearly been lost on Contador who chose instead to leave Schleck behind in search of the yellow jersey.
Winning with honor should be the only option for any athlete, but clearly Contador and his break companions didn't feel that way. It will be remembered the way that Contador acted when faced with a tough decision. And although less culpable, Denis Menchov and Sammy Sanchez too should have known to wait for Schleck. All in all, it is a sad outcome for all three riders, who will now have to face the scrutiny of the world's media for the rest of the Tour. Now for Schleck, it is time to take no prisoners out on the road. Should Contador or anyone else suffer bad luck, it is now Schleck's duty to twist the knife, showing no mercy as he tries to take back the time that was stole from him. Karma has an interesting way of evening things out, and it will be interesting to see if Contador suffers any problems in the coming days. One can only hope that he will, allowing him to get a taste of what poor sportsmanship feels like.
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15 comments:
Great article spoken from a champions heart and I totally agree. It just shows what I had expected all along, Contador is a less than honorable man. May he bask in the glory of himself. He deserves no respect.
Great article spoken from a Champions heart and I totally agree with you. It just shows what I had expected all along, Contador is a less than honorable man. May he bask in the glory of himself. He deserves no respect.
Give me a freakin break with this ettiquette crap!!! This is a race for Tour champion, they're rivals not teammates, and Andy drew first blood by attacking first! Andy and all his fans are a bunch of cry-babies. He wouldve done the same thing, because he needed to take more time on Contador! Hypocrates!
what about the tactic of team saxo bank neutralizing the entire tour de france in stage 2 to wait for their team leader andy schleck? yes, the entire peloton was in a spot of bother that day with crashing abound, but certainly they had the interests of schleck. i don't think that it was a classy move by the attacking trio, per se, but at the same time it is a race. what i like less is the attack in mende that took a stage win from a teammate...and didn't garner a stage win for the team.
Excellent comment.
Karma does have an interesting way of biting you as AC and company waited for Frank and Andy on Stage 2 only to get hammered when caught behind Frank's crash on stage 3. Why didn't Saxo wait then... becasue Andy was putting time into AC or others at no fault of theirs. You are correct - KARMA
I disagree that Contador was being dropped. Footage shows that he was boxed in the pack they were with. Vino was able to immediatly follow and Contador was not that far behind. I think it is unfair to call the incident a true mechanical (such as a puncture) as it was brought about by his own doing. Therefore, I think that it was OK for Contador adn the others to continue to ride. Besides, Andy would have lost less time if he wouldnt've panicked.
The only explanation is a complete lack of character.
Yes, karma, as the anonymous commenter said, is a bitch :). The only thing I would throw at Contador is not being open about it a claiming he didn't know. It's a race and Schleck himself didn't wait after the massive fall that cut off Armstrong and Contador earlier this Tour. It's a pity Spaniards are always shown in a bad light in France...
This article was right on. This only demonstrates the lack of respect and lack of honor that has replaced true sportsmanship in sports today. Perhaps those who think it is ok to take advantage of others misfortunes need a lesson in ethics. The three riders who put the pedal to the metal after Andy lost his chain showed neither. It was a sad for for sports and a sad day for the Tour de France. If your children were watching this stage of the tour, it would be a good demonstration of what NOT to do. Attacking your opponent when they experience a mechanical problem is not the same as attacking them when they are capable of responding. Contador is NO Champion!
Tour de France Alberto Contador Andy Schleck "My Chain Slipped" parody http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot1bka0AR-o
Schleck rode too quickly over a bump in the pavement, which knocked off his chain. He stopped, twice, to put it back on. The mechanical failure was his own fault. But if Contador were a sportsman and not an opportunist, he would have waited, as have so many great champions in the past. He does not race in that manner. Indeed, as he demonstrated last year, he is not even a sportsman with regard to his own team and will attack even them when the opportunity presents itself. By conducting himself on the bike in this manner, Contador will slowly erode the loyalty and honor due to a yellow jersey wearer -- both when he wears it and when others do. That erosion, I suspect, someday will cost him.
a dropped chain is not a crash therefor there is no need to wait for any body. rider error is what caused the chain to drop.so this is not some sissy training bike ride down the street and back. besides contador doesnt give a damn about what you think . he has 3 tour wins plus 2 more and you have none.you can whine and whine about it but he doesnt care hes got his millions and you have togo to work everyday. if i was schleck and contador stopped for me i would yell out tocontador to take off and dont wait for me. i didnt crash but my mechanic is now fired. .having a mechanical is the last thing you need in the tour so you better be sure you got a competent mechainc. because a dropped chain is not a crash. schleck didnt crash and schleck didnt hit the ground. contador is not going to be a cancellara and tell the whole peloton to stop. contador is here to win and win he did,!!!
AS attacked first then slipped his chain. AC was countering that move and did not at first realize that AS had his misfortune.
AC had to follow both Menchov and Sanchez. Plus this is a race and not about waiting for anyone anytime there is an 'incident or situation.'
Gonzo6423
Andy attacked while cross chained to the extreme. Do that and any properly functioning drivetrain could drop a chain. He made a bad choice, took a risk and paid for it, as he should have.
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