Professional Cycling For the Fans - Kloeden's reaction to Stage 17 of TDF

Sanchez was given honorary Basque status by the team.

kloden probably won't say anything until he signs a contract for next season. No sense in burning any bridges until you know who will be signing your paychecks.
+1

Well, here's what Contador himself says:


22/07/09 20:08 GMT+2

Stage 17
Hi, everybody – Today would’ve been a day to be happy about the situation in the general, but I feel like **** since my teammate Klöden slipped off the back of the leading group after pulling. I talked to him earlier about attacking, and he gave me the OK. I did, the Schleck brothers responded, but Andreas couldn’t. When I saw it, I stopped, but he wasn’t able to get back. Apart from that, we improved the situation in the general with this stage, and physically, I’m feeling good. One less day!!

(Taken from his blog: http://www.albertocontador.es/blog.php )

That would certainley clear alot of things up, IMO they were done attacking.

i share that opinion. i believe that was like the 4th attack with no real result and the summit was just a couple hundred meters away. AC is not a good team mate. but that doesnt really matter, cause his team was working for him. (beside LA) would have been great for a Astana podium sweep but i dont think Kloden could have held his position on the podium after seeing AS up Ventoux

Why is this still being talked about months after the race is over? People like to talk about how they are cycling fans but in the end they are nothing more than "one a year Tour de France fans only when Lance is involved bandwagoners."

Anybody notice that the Vuelta is going on right now and the Worlds are next week?

Why is this still being talked about months after the race is over? People like to talk about how they are cycling fans but in the end they are nothing more than "one a year Tour de France fans only when Lance is involved bandwagoners."

Anybody notice that the Vuelta is going on right now and the Worlds are next week?
Yes, Lance Armstrong is great.

Anybody notice that the Vuelta is going on right now and the Worlds are next week?

I tried to watch the Vuelta but i kept falling asleep

Hey, Howzit. Who's the babe in your avatar?



Does she like bivalves?

I tried to watch the Vuelta but i kept falling asleep

Yes, you made my point exactly...People like to talk about how they are cycling fans but in the end they are nothing more than "once a year Tour de France fans only when Lance is involved bandwagoners."

No Lance, no interest.

I tried to watch the Vuelta but i kept falling asleep

I do sometimes when I'm tired and can't keep my eyes open, but it's not because nothing is going on in the vuelta ...good heavens!
and I would never announce such a mishap in public.

Yes, you made my point exactly...People like to talk about how they are cycling fans but in the end they are nothing more than "one a year Tour de France fans only when Lance is involved bandwagoners."

No Lance, no interest.

Haha so true. Especially the haters.

From my perspective Kloden was the 2nd strongest rider on Astana. He showed it in the initial ITT and in the intial mountain stages, this while riding tempo as a domestique, wasting valuable energy that would have been better served riding for himself than for a rider (Armstrong) who after his uncharacteristic poor showing in the ITT should have resigned himself to assisting those that were obviously on better form (Contador and Kloden). Of course Bruyneel's entire strategy was centered around getting Armstrong as high on the podium as possible, regardless of what compromises had to be made in the placings of anyone else on the team.

Contador's final placement is a testament to him recognizing this, based on obvious lack of attention being given him by the head honcho Bruyneel, from the very beginning of the season all the way through the Tour. Bruyneel made only cameo appearances at all the important races that Contador was in prior to the Tour (Paris-Nice, Tour of the Basque Country and Dauphine) leaving the DS duties to one of his assistants, this while making certain that he was in charge at all of the events that Armstrong was taking part. He even chose to ride behind Armstrong in the team car on the Annecy ITT instead of the yellow jersey wearing at the time Contador. It would seem to me a younger rider needs more support than a seasoned veteran like Armstrong. To add insult to injury he allowed all the juvenile disruptive twittering to go on, not to mention the other underhanded efforts made to disrupt the focus of Contador by Armstrong that have been well documented since the end of the Tour.

Getting back to Kloden, he was quoted as saying that Contador told him that he wanted to attack, to which Kloden responded with something like: "Go ahead". Contador had the presence of mind to inform Kloden of his intentions seemingly in a manner of a less experienced rider asking a veteran rider for his advice. Regardless of what actually was said between the 2, it is my contention that one should always be looking for ways to put time into your opponents because you don't know what lays up ahead (on future stages). With stomach viruses being common among pro riders in stage races (Basso Giro 2006?), what cushion you have is never enough. If a rider has the legs to test his opponents with an attack to see if they can answer they should do it. The Schlecks couldn't dislodge Contador at that point, I'm sure much to their dismay. Nor had they or anyone else in the race, an answer to Contador in mountains. It is in the mountains that a rider like Contador gains time on his opponents. To have a stategy that neutralizes this extraordinary asset, and if you look at each and everytime Contador attacked and the response from Bruyneel and Armstrong, it became quite obvious that the strategy from day one was to maximize Armstrong's chances of success. Contador succeeded inspite of all these obstacles.

If it was Bruyneel's sincere plan to sweep the podium then he should have not used Kloden as a mule because all the grunt work he put in early in the race surely effected his performances on the later mountain stages. Even inspite of this he was still able to better Armstrong in the final ITT.

All this bs about Contador not being a good team player really shows one's apparent bias. The vibe even from the outside was such that this was going to be Armstrong's team. Every indication, from Bruyneel giving the media trailing an early season Armstrong training ride the 8 fingers to symbolize Armstrong to win his 8th Tour, to the above mentioned partiality that he showed every event Armstrong entered at the expense of Contador's races, were only signs that if Contador wanted to win the Tour he'd have to do it his way. He knew it would be a battle from within the team and from the Schlecks, Sastre, Menchov, Evans etc...

AC had to put time on his contenders and did so with the help of Andy and Frank.
Still have no idea why was LA supposed to be on the podium?

it is my contention that one should always be looking for ways to put time into your opponents because you don't know what lays up ahead (on future stages). With stomach viruses being common among pro riders in stage races (Basso Giro 2006?), what cushion you have is never enough.

Correct. I'll leave it at that.