Lance will be back next year with his own team who are willing to back him. He won't have to deal with Contador.
Contador couldn't have done it without his team. Without Contador, Astana could've backed Lance for the win.
Contador is the better rider, for sure. No doubt. Lance has a stronger will and determination. Who will win next year? It's gonna be interesting for sure. Atleast there is some drama back in the tour. It's been gone for a while.
Can someone explain to me how someone like Schumacher who is still in excellent shape at 40 is "too old" for F1? I can't comprehend how an athletic man who works out every day could not handle a F1 car. Is it slower reflexes? Heart not as strong?
@Mouser_UK: Lots of signs point to Alonso being a good fit for Ferrari, at least for the Valencia race:
The Spaniards want to see Alonso,
Valencia want to keep attendance high and the GP in the future,
Renault have a race ban,
Massa is injured,
Schumi is comfortable with his retirement,
Ferrari have always wanted Alonso,
It's the weekend,
There's a new Ferrari road car,
Krewson is the new Jalopnik Deputy Editor,
And
Nascar's getting the ugliest Mustang ever.
B) Schumacher isn't going to want to race against his buddy Ross Brawn's team. Schumacher acknowledges that without Brawn's strategies he wouldn't have been nearly as successful as he was.
Why not just consolidate all of Scud's resources into Kimi's car. Rushing Massa back into the seat will probably cause more dmg than good AND putting in a rusty driver (no matter how good he was in a past life) or a newbie may just put Massa's car at risk for little reward.
tl:dr Kimi is on a roll and make sure you keep making it work.
I'd like to see Marc Gene taking the place of Massa until or if he doesn't recover. He's won LeMans, that has to count, doesn't it?. And besides he is the nicest spaniard in F1, if you know what I mean.
During the last GP they showed a video of him driving around (slowly) in his 908 Race Car in his home town in Catalunya and parking it in the service area of the local Peugeot dealer, a bit like a parade but on open roads.
"One, yet even in spite of his fearsome physique, he was soundly beaten by younger and hungrier racers to finish third in this year's Tour. A result which would be a wonderful achievement for anyone—but not for a seven-time champion, for whom it is a public embarrassment."
I don't think that is entirely a fair comparison. Contador went on a solo attack despite team orders and put the team in a position where they had to live with him as team leader. Those close to cycling knows, whoever is in the lead and has a chance to win is the leader and the entire team works to see that person on the top podium step at the conclusion of the race.
Contador is young and impatient. He simply couldn't wait until later in the tour for Johan Bruyneel to give the green light. He charged off for his own personal glory out of pride, vanity and selfishness. And after that, the team could've just said "f you", instead they worked for him and saw him to the finish.
Now, instead acting like a gracious champion and thank the team (even if he doesn't feel like it) he is out there on the press circuit talking trash. This will not be taken lightly in the world of professional cycling and the effects will be glaring come next season. Contador is sowing his own demise.
In contrast, Schummi is a great champion who thanked everyone responsible for his success every chance he got.
Contador on the other hand, is just a douche and a half.
@F_munk: Interesting take. Although I'd take a step back and wonder--if you have a guy on your team who can go out and win a TdF given the right support, the whole effort should have been centered around that from the beginning. The results speak for themselves--if Contador's team had something else in mind than what ultimately transpired, that's just crappy strategy that was thankfully overridden (pardon the pun) by a guy who was there to WIN THE DAMN RACE. I can't imagine Lance was there for anything else.
You guys have misread what I said. I never doubted Contador's ability to win over Lance. In professional cycling, when you have more than one strong contender on the team (this wasn't the first time), the team manager usually pick the man at a particular time to take charge. I can't say who Bruyneel would've picked, but being a professional and an expert in the sport, Bruyneel would not have picked Lance over Contador if the latter proved himself to be the better rider. After all, a win for Contador, is also a win for Bruyneel. Bruyneel would not back a loser solely on past history or friendship. My point is that Contador's solo attack forced Bruyneel and the rest of the team to stick to a certain script sooner than they had wanted. What other plans they had in mind, we will never know. Compare this to the year when LeMond (the often overlooked star who probably did more for American cycling than Lance) was told to slow down so his weaker, French teammate (Hinault) could win. That's one issue.
The main issue is Contador's behavior is far inferior to Schummacher as a team member and champion. In the case of the tour, it is not an individual sport. This is not your Sunday morning cycling club race. It's a team effort. It took a team to give Contador the title. Think of how the team decimated the field in the team time trial. He would've had a harder time if Astana had flunked that stage. The stunt he is pulling right now is not fit for a true champion of the Tour de France. But a nervous, insecure man who thinks it's all about him.
As for Lance being an asshole, well... we can all be assholes when we want to, but that's besides the point. I'm neither a hater or lover of Lance. What I've written is about Contador's character and worthiness as champion in comparison to Schumacher.
The sensible thing to do is put Gene or Badoer in the seat. Neither one of them is an up and coming youngster but they both know the F60 systems inside and out. They know the mechanics and they know that their neck muscles will make it through the race. Schumacher would be smart not to take the seat even if it were offered. Contador is a climbing machine. Armstrong didn't have the the legs to keep up on one climb on one stage and then did everything he could to help his teammate win while standing on the podium himself. It is a fine balance and one he performed beautifully.
Hopefully Ferrari is smart enough to know that Schumi went out on top. If they're not, hopefully he is.
Not saying I don't enjoy watching the guy race, but like Jordan in the 45 or Favre in NY it just wouldn't be the same.
07/29/09
Villeneuve will fill in for the Stig and the Stig will take over for Massa
so it is written, so it shall be done!
07/29/09
Contador couldn't have done it without his team. Without Contador, Astana could've backed Lance for the win.
Contador is the better rider, for sure. No doubt. Lance has a stronger will and determination. Who will win next year? It's gonna be interesting for sure. Atleast there is some drama back in the tour. It's been gone for a while.
07/28/09
07/28/09
07/28/09
07/28/09
07/29/09
Peter if Kimi can get 3rd Shumi can certainly drive at least as well as that.
You probably should also have mentioned Henry Surtees who died the week end before in a similar acident in a GP2 race
07/29/09
The Spaniards want to see Alonso,
Valencia want to keep attendance high and the GP in the future,
Renault have a race ban,
Massa is injured,
Schumi is comfortable with his retirement,
Ferrari have always wanted Alonso,
It's the weekend,
There's a new Ferrari road car,
Krewson is the new Jalopnik Deputy Editor,
And
Nascar's getting the ugliest Mustang ever.
See? The signs line up perfectly!
07/28/09
Nah. Michael looked at his face and decided he'd go to something more suited to his nature and his name.
07/28/09
A) That's what the reserve drivers are for.
B) Schumacher isn't going to want to race against his buddy Ross Brawn's team. Schumacher acknowledges that without Brawn's strategies he wouldn't have been nearly as successful as he was.
07/28/09
tl:dr Kimi is on a roll and make sure you keep making it work.
07/28/09
07/28/09
I think we're missing the obvious pick.
07/28/09
During the last GP they showed a video of him driving around (slowly) in his 908 Race Car in his home town in Catalunya and parking it in the service area of the local Peugeot dealer, a bit like a parade but on open roads.
07/28/09
07/28/09
I don't think that is entirely a fair comparison. Contador went on a solo attack despite team orders and put the team in a position where they had to live with him as team leader. Those close to cycling knows, whoever is in the lead and has a chance to win is the leader and the entire team works to see that person on the top podium step at the conclusion of the race.
Contador is young and impatient. He simply couldn't wait until later in the tour for Johan Bruyneel to give the green light. He charged off for his own personal glory out of pride, vanity and selfishness. And after that, the team could've just said "f you", instead they worked for him and saw him to the finish.
Now, instead acting like a gracious champion and thank the team (even if he doesn't feel like it) he is out there on the press circuit talking trash. This will not be taken lightly in the world of professional cycling and the effects will be glaring come next season. Contador is sowing his own demise.
In contrast, Schummi is a great champion who thanked everyone responsible for his success every chance he got.
Contador on the other hand, is just a douche and a half.
07/28/09
07/28/09
You guys have misread what I said. I never doubted Contador's ability to win over Lance. In professional cycling, when you have more than one strong contender on the team (this wasn't the first time), the team manager usually pick the man at a particular time to take charge. I can't say who Bruyneel would've picked, but being a professional and an expert in the sport, Bruyneel would not have picked Lance over Contador if the latter proved himself to be the better rider. After all, a win for Contador, is also a win for Bruyneel. Bruyneel would not back a loser solely on past history or friendship. My point is that Contador's solo attack forced Bruyneel and the rest of the team to stick to a certain script sooner than they had wanted. What other plans they had in mind, we will never know. Compare this to the year when LeMond (the often overlooked star who probably did more for American cycling than Lance) was told to slow down so his weaker, French teammate (Hinault) could win. That's one issue.
The main issue is Contador's behavior is far inferior to Schummacher as a team member and champion. In the case of the tour, it is not an individual sport. This is not your Sunday morning cycling club race. It's a team effort. It took a team to give Contador the title. Think of how the team decimated the field in the team time trial. He would've had a harder time if Astana had flunked that stage. The stunt he is pulling right now is not fit for a true champion of the Tour de France. But a nervous, insecure man who thinks it's all about him.
As for Lance being an asshole, well... we can all be assholes when we want to, but that's besides the point. I'm neither a hater or lover of Lance. What I've written is about Contador's character and worthiness as champion in comparison to Schumacher.
07/28/09
P.S. This typo ridden article provides some good points/insight regarding Contador.
http://tour-de-france.velonews.com/article/96116/where-will-contador-land
07/28/09
(swooning)
07/28/09
07/28/09
Contador is a climbing machine. Armstrong didn't have the the legs to keep up on one climb on one stage and then did everything he could to help his teammate win while standing on the podium himself. It is a fine balance and one he performed beautifully.
07/28/09
Not saying I don't enjoy watching the guy race, but like Jordan in the 45 or Favre in NY it just wouldn't be the same.