# Team Radio Shack: Levi & Kloden, no Contador



## iliveonnitro (Feb 19, 2006)

"But Armstrong expects to come to the Tour with a strong team, including current Astana teammates Levi Leipheimer and Andreas Kloeden, and together they could challenge Contador."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jFa1M-4e6-Ibh2-coLreo0hIRcEQD99LN4I80


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## olr1 (Apr 2, 2005)

Challenge him to what exactly?

A duel?
A drinking competition?
A who-can-roll-down-hill fastest competition?
A Pie eating contest?
A sausage eating competition?
A tug-of-war?

He has just kicked the best in the world in the ass on a bike....


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## gegarrenton (Jul 10, 2009)

Well, that isn't Lance's quote above, but the author of the article. Lance seemed fairly effusive in his praise of Contador, moreso than I would have figured actually.


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## tonytourist (Jan 21, 2009)

It seems that Contador doesn't want to ride on another team with Lance, read this article: http://tour-de-france.velonews.com/article/95937/contador-looks-to-paris
_Q: Have you decided what you will do in 2010?

AC: What’s sure is that I will have a lot of hassle to see what will be my future. For sure, it will be on a different team than Lance. We’ll see what we can do, whether it’s a new team or find a team that is 100 percent behind me to confront this race to win it again. _

_Q: Will Armstrong be one of your top rivals next year?

AC: *Of course, next year he’ll have another important role to play like he did this year. He’ll be one of the clear candidates for the overall and he will be a tough rival. *_


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## OldEndicottHiway (Jul 16, 2007)

He gave serious props to The Flea. Realistic props, actually, and nice to see. Both are great champions. 

I like the last sentence in the article regarding his final statement to the critics in the press. 

Yoiks!


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## OldEndicottHiway (Jul 16, 2007)

tonytourist said:


> It seems that Contador doesn't want to ride on another team with Lance, read this article: http://tour-de-france.velonews.com/article/95937/contador-looks-to-paris
> _Q: Have you decided what you will do in 2010?
> 
> AC: What’s sure is that I will have a lot of hassle to see what will be my future. For sure, it will be on a different team than Lance. We’ll see what we can do, whether it’s a new team or find a team that is 100 percent behind me to confront this race to win it again. _
> ...



Nice to see Flea playing nice as well. With a little seasoning which I'm seeing, at least at face value throughout this tour... he could grow on me. A champion and team leader needs to have a little bit of the eff you mentality, and I like that, but tempered. Looks like he's headed in that direction.


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## Snakebitten (Jun 26, 2008)

olr1 said:


> Challenge him to what exactly?
> 
> A duel?
> A drinking competition?
> ...



Hopefully not a duel of pistols. You know who would win that lol.

Seriously though he could be a serious threat to Conty and Conty knows that especially seeing LA up close this year. Team RS sounds like it will be a serious team. Hopefully Conty ends up on a good team so we can have a real battle between these two and there teams. Im having goose bumps just thinking about the next TDF with improved SaxoBank, Liquigas possibly, Garmin and now Radio Shack....Cant wait.


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## OldEndicottHiway (Jul 16, 2007)

iliveonnitro said:


> "But Armstrong expects to come to the Tour with a strong team, including current Astana teammates Levi Leipheimer and Andreas Kloeden, and together they could challenge Contador."
> 
> http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jFa1M-4e6-Ibh2-coLreo0hIRcEQD99LN4I80



Will be very interesting to see how the full team shakes out.


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## barry1021 (Nov 27, 2005)

tonytourist said:


> It seems that Contador doesn't want to ride on another team with Lance, read this article: http://tour-de-france.velonews.com/article/95937/contador-looks-to-paris
> _Q: Have you decided what you will do in 2010?
> 
> AC: What’s sure is that I will have a lot of hassle to see what will be my future. For sure, it will be on a different team than Lance. We’ll see what we can do, whether it’s a new team or find a team that is 100 percent behind me to confront this race to win it again. _
> ...


There was zero chance of that happening. from the day Lance unretired at Astana


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## Hawayyan (Feb 26, 2002)

*However it shakes out...*

I feel the new Radio Shack team will be the Postal/Discovery Channel mentality of old. There will be no aspirations for anyone to accomplish anything other than the sole purpose of delivering Armstrong to the yellow jersey.


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

Hawayyan said:


> I feel the new Radio Shack team will be the Postal/Discovery Channel mentality of old. There will be no aspirations for anyone to accomplish anything other than the sole purpose of delivering Armstrong to the yellow jersey.


I'm sure Armstrong will do everything in his power to get two of his teammates on the podium with him


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## olr1 (Apr 2, 2005)

Until Team Radio Shack can climb faster than Contador they will be racing for second place.....then there's the Shleck issue.....


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## Hawayyan (Feb 26, 2002)

*That's what I was thinking*

I think that Contador could have put a whole lot more time into Armstrong and Andy, if it hadn't been for the TEAM LEADER being held back to "assist other team mates in reaching the podium". I personally think him being held back was so that he didn't embarrass Armstrong by putting about 20 minutes per climbing stage into him.

I think that if given full support as a team leader, he could absolutely have destroyed the field.


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## FondriestFan (May 19, 2005)

den bakker said:


> I'm sure Armstrong will do everything in his power to get two of his teammates on the podium with him


LOL. I'm sure that will be the case. 

Next year, we'll be hearing from the Lance die-hards how only the yellow jersey matters.


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## QUiTSPiNiNArOuND (Mar 15, 2002)

The best situation I see is bringing in some young gc hopefuls to the tour with him as well as some old hands for experience. Do the same old Lance Train and see how far that goes. Lance's game needs to really go up if he really expects to challenge next year though.


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## obfg (Jul 18, 2004)

Snakebitten said:


> Hopefully not a duel of pistols. You know who would win that lol.
> 
> .



Greg Lemond's brother-in-law?

Sorry.


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## cbuchanan (Mar 6, 2006)

obfg said:


> Greg Lemond's brother-in-law?
> 
> Sorry.


Ouch, that was a little on the cold side.


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## jptaylorsg (Apr 24, 2003)

OldEndicottHiway said:


> A champion and team leader needs to have a little bit of the eff you mentality, and I like that, but tempered. Looks like he's headed in that direction.


If this is what you're looking for, than how did you ever become such a big fan of Lance?

Not poking you. Seriously. Lance has never tempered his alpha dog-ness. He couldn't even temper it when he was supposed to be beta dog and was getting his ass handed to him by his team leader.

Skipping the team dinner when your team has just sewn up the TDF and your own podium spot? WTF is that? The dude's a douche. A bad guy and a bad teammate. He's also a great rider and an ambassador for the fight against cancer, but where's the double-standard coming from?

What exactly has Contador done not to earn your respect? He made a bad tactical move in stage 17 that hurt his teammate, who might have been able to hang on if he hadn't done it - all evidence to the contrary. What did Contador do then? He said, "I thought Kloden could go with me, and I wanted him to win the stage, so I went. He couldn't. IT WAS A MISTAKE."
Sounds like a real dirtbag.

You know what Bruyneel said to the team on that stage? "You don't have to attack to keep the jersey." Not "Don't attack." Not "The team strategy is to sit in and belabor the pipe dream that Lance and Kloden have a prayer of beating A. Schleck." Not "You're a bad teammate if you choose to ride your bike as fast as you can in this bike race."

So he made a mistake, and then he said he did. Immediately. The end. And he's been dragged across the coals for it ever since while riding the most impressive TDF in many years and calling Lance his idol the whole way. All that after being lied to and then being thrown under the bus by an usurping egomaniac the whole way. Yeah. I see your point. Clearly a bad guy with a lot to learn about being team leader. All he needs to learn is to pick a team that knows who its leader is and sticks by him.


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## moonmoth (Nov 8, 2008)

I wonder how Radio Shack would attempt to win over an AC-led team?


Hope that the 2010 Tour has a TTT and gain a few minutes that way?
Let him do his accelerations but gradually catch up to him while he tires out? Saw this just a litttle this year on the Andorra Arcalis 
Attack repeatedly on the climbs? The Schlecks tried this with no luck and admittedly Radio Shack would have to have some attackers. Leipheimer, Kloden, Evans don't really fit that job description.


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## jptaylorsg (Apr 24, 2003)

One way Lance has managed to be magnanimous is by giving Contador his due even while trying to undermine him:

"
Of 26-year-old Contador, Armstrong said: "I think his performance this year would have beaten my performances in '01, and '04 and '05."

He added that the Spaniard was even better than Jan Ullrich, one of Armstrong's biggest rivals during the years that he won the Tour.

"Absolutely," he said. "Far better."

Armstrong, however, expects to perform better in 2010, and perhaps even beat Contador.

"I'm staying positive," Armstrong said. "My level will be a little better next year. If he has the same level next year that he has this year, (it will be) difficult to beat him. That's just a fact, a scientific fact."
"
I looked askew at the "scientific fact" comment, but I don't think it was a subtle dig considering how much crap LA has endured on the testing front.


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## lalahsghost (Aug 27, 2007)

Big Wheel battle down the Alps d' Huez!!!


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## Circlip (Jul 26, 2005)

Live feed from Team RadioShack's race radios in the 2010 TdF;

_*Lance:*_ OK Klodi, when I ditch you a few k's from the finish, it's very important that you keep giving it whatever you have. Not only is it very important for the sponsors to see you in 3rd plac on the GC in Paris, but if something happens to me like a crash or hunger knock, it's critical that you are in well positioned to take up the team leadership and go for the yellow. Don't worry at all about saving your legs so that you can drag my ass up to the summit again tomorrow. We have to keep the team goals in mind, even if that means my GC placing isn't top priority.

_*Klodi:*_ Seriously boss?

_*Lance:*_ No I'm not f*&king serious you idiot! If your SRM reads a watt over 200 for the rest of the stage after I drop you, you'll be doing courier deliveries around Cologne on fixie by this time next week.

_*Klodi:*_ That was funny boss. You had me worried for a second there.


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## OldEndicottHiway (Jul 16, 2007)

jptaylorsg said:


> If this is what you're looking for, than how did you ever become such a big fan of Lance?
> 
> Not poking you. Seriously. Lance has never tempered his alpha dog-ness. He couldn't even temper it when he was supposed to be beta dog and was getting his ass handed to him by his team leader.
> 
> ...



Lighten up Francis. It's over. :thumbsup:


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## jptaylorsg (Apr 24, 2003)

OldEndicottHiway said:


> Lighten up Francis. It's over. :thumbsup:


Anyone touches my stuff, and I kill 'em.


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## WeakMite (Feb 20, 2005)

Here's an interesting quote from Contador. (Check this article for context: http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/contador-admits-tour-difficult-with-armstrong )

"I had not known Armstrong would come back to cycling. When he came back, I already had a contract in place. *It's a pity to part ways now, but maybe in the future we will meet again*."


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## jptaylorsg (Apr 24, 2003)

WeakMite said:


> Here's an interesting quote from Contador. (Check this article for context: http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/contador-admits-tour-difficult-with-armstrong )
> 
> "I had not known Armstrong would come back to cycling. When he came back, I already had a contract in place. *It's a pity to part ways now, but maybe in the future we will meet again*."


When was this interview done? In all the wraps of the race from today he is quoted as saying, "We are totally incompatible. He will go his way, and I will go mine."

Doesn't seem like there's much nuance in that.

Unless you mean he's talking about meeting again competing against each other. Interesting quote, though.


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## BigWaveMark (Jul 27, 2009)

OldEndicottHiway said:


> Lighten up Francis. It's over. :thumbsup:


OldEndicottHiway --- this makes you "the big toe".


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## harlond (May 30, 2005)

jptaylorsg said:


> One way Lance has managed to be magnanimous is by giving Contador his due even while trying to undermine him:
> 
> "
> Of 26-year-old Contador, Armstrong said: "I think his performance this year would have beaten my performances in '01, and '04 and '05."
> ...


Isn't this the same sort of stuff LA used to say about Ullrich? He's tried the "he's got a lot to learn" gambit and it didn't work, so I figure now he's going with the "he's the most talented" gambit to up the pressure. I wouldn't say it worked on Ullrich for the reason that LA was much more talented than Ullrich, but it's worth trying on AC.


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## waldo425 (Sep 22, 2008)

cbuchanan said:


> Ouch, that was a little on the cold side.


I'm glad someone beat me to that one, haha


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## waldo425 (Sep 22, 2008)

No Contador? Well <i>thats</i> a shocker.


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## jptaylorsg (Apr 24, 2003)

harlond said:


> Isn't this the same sort of stuff LA used to say about Ullrich? He's tried the "he's got a lot to learn" gambit and it didn't work, so I figure now he's going with the "he's the most talented" gambit to up the pressure. I wouldn't say it worked on Ullrich for the reason that LA was much more talented than Ullrich, but it's worth trying on AC.


There's probably a little something to this, but I always took his compliments of Ullrich as subtle digs at a guy he always beat. Kind of like saying, "He's the most talented cyclist in the peleton" (and still I dominate him).

In the case of Contador, the things he's saying are pretty much agreed upon. I think it's fairly safe to say that Contador has surpassed Ullrich as a cyclist at this point. Lance has been pretty open from the start about his respect for Contador's abilities.

Of course, only LA can really comment on whether Contador could have won those three Tours he mentions.


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## OldEndicottHiway (Jul 16, 2007)

BigWaveMark said:


> OldEndicottHiway --- this makes you "the big toe".



I can assure you, I in no way resemble a _toe._


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## kef3844 (May 30, 2008)

jptaylorsg said:


> If this is what you're looking for, than how did you ever become such a big fan of Lance?
> 
> Not poking you. Seriously. Lance has never tempered his alpha dog-ness. He couldn't even temper it when he was supposed to be beta dog and was getting his ass handed to him by his team leader.
> 
> ...


Awesome post!


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## iliveonnitro (Feb 19, 2006)

So they both respect each other in terms of their accomplishments and riding ability, but obviously still hate one another.

Lance: I was better than you are now.
Contador: I am kicking your ass, old man.

Next year, Contador will surely dominate. Even with Lance as the team leader, I won't be surprised to see a 10+ minute gap when Contador doesn't hold back in the mountains.

Either way, I'll root for Andy Schleck. There's too much drama between these two guys.


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## cbuchanan (Mar 6, 2006)

iliveonnitro said:


> So they both respect each other in terms of their accomplishments and riding ability, but obviously still hate one another.
> 
> *Lance: I was better than you are now.
> Contador: I am kicking your ass, old man.*
> ...


:lol: :lol: It cannot be said any better than that....very well put.


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## Italophile (Jun 11, 2004)

iliveonnitro said:


> ...Next year, Contador will surely dominate. Even with Lance as the team leader, I won't be surprised to see a 10+ minute gap when Contador doesn't hold back in the mountains.
> 
> Either way, I'll root for Andy Schleck. There's too much drama between these two guys.


I have no trouble rooting for multiple riders. One aspect of cycling I enjoy is the surprising performances that get my heart racing. Wiggins and Nibali this year, along with the French stage winners. I dig the whole enchilada. No, make that a crêpe. :thumbsup:


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## ProRoad (Oct 13, 2008)

I just hope something actually happens on those mountain stages, no matter who wins..


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