To beat Alberto Contador, Lance Armstrong has to be better than he was when he won his seven Tour de France. From 1999 to 2005, his main adversary where either good on the climbs but average in the time trials like Richard Virenque and Marco Pantani; good on the time trials but not as explosive on the climbs as LA like Jan Ullrich or Alex Zulle; could do both but not as good like Joseba Beloki. LA had never had a Bernard Hinault to Greg Lemond, a Luis Ocana to Eddy Merckx, riders who could mount a strong challenge on the bike and not hope that LA has an accident to win.
Definitely, Contador is on a different level than all the guys that have tried to beat LA. The Spaniard is more explosive on the climbs. While Armstrong gambles on one major attack to distance his rivals, Contador is capable of multiple accelerations to demoralize his rivals. Contador may not be a specialist in the time trials like World Champion Fabian Cancellara but he can beat the Swiss at his own game!
While LA is clearly stronger this year than last, winning the Tour this July or even getting on the podium is not a simple task. Facts don’t lie, LA is 38 while Contador is 27. Remember, we’re talking cycling here, not golf.
If there is a chink in the armor of Contador, it’s his team, ASTANA. The supporting staff is all new and inexperienced, the supporting riders are not as well oiled and reliable like LA’s team at RADIOSHACK. And the biggest star in the team, at least in the eyes of the sponsor, is not even Contador but Kazakh Alexander Vinokourov, a convicted doper and the biggest cycling hero in his country, Kazakhstan. It should be remembered that when Contador won the 2007 TdF, Vinokourov was a major rival. While latter is saying all the right things about supporting Contador in the Tour, it still remains to be seen if he and the team, which he claims is his “baby”, really do. Still, advantage, Contador. But what a major upset it will be if LA will be in yellow in Paris!
SUPER BOWL XLIV MARDI GRAS!
Personally, I would have wanted the Arizona Cardinals to win SB XLIV but I’m still happy that a team, the LA Clippers of the NFL, could finally win the Big One! The Big Easy has finally a winner in the New Orleans Saints, after beating the fancied Indianapolis Colts, 31-17. The only downer was that the game wasn’t shown “live”, no thanks to our cable TV providers. However, you can download the game from www.btjunkie.com and watch it without commercials from start to finish!
RACE RESULTS
CAT B 15 LAPS 34KM MANDAUE REKLA
1- TATA TY, 2- DANNY SIMBAON, 3- JV ARANETA, 4- LITO QUEBEC, 5- TATA CODINA
Finally, bon voyage to “taga-Sugbu” BRETT and JENNY HARRINGTON who’ll be leaving for Melbourne tomorrow!!! ……Thanks to OZ RACING for taking care of our CAT A riders……. When are the authorities going to fix the non-functioning traffic lights at the intersections of P. del Rosario and Pelaez and Junquera?