A year without Pistolero part DOS ?

With headlines everyday about Alberto Contador and his possible suspension, I have started to ponder a year or two without the Pistolero.  We did the same type of pondering last year, and some of the predictions about his riding proved to be true. The year of the Pistolero or Not?

As I have admitted in previous blogs, I have had a like him/ hate him sports fan perspective on Conta.  With Chain Gate, my initial reaction was that it was Bush league and had no place in the top level of the sport.

At the time I thought Chain Gate was a horrible display, and I was rooting for the lanky one to take back the time on Conta. Then the TDF played out and Andy's SCHLECKnd attitude brought me full circle with the Spaniard.  Sometimes sports force you to root for one athlete over the other - Bird or Magic, Brady or Manning, Lance or Jan.  Conta vs Andy.... it's very easy for me to pull for the guy that WANTS it and shows he knows how to finish.  In truth, Andy Schleck got me back on the Contador bandwagon with being a bit on the SOFT side. With time to think about it, many of us would have done the same thing as Alberto.  We are human and flawed....many of us are a bit more Conta down deep than Andy.  Whether we like to admit it or not, our inner "black hat" is a bit more likely to come out than our "white"one.

The Schlecks are a bit on the soft side (Marshmallow Peeps kinda soft)  when it comes to having a killer instinct

As most of us do, I think a lot while out riding.  With some time to reflect on Contador's 2011 season, I realized/remembered a few things.

*Dramatic story of a near death experience, to Grand Tour winner (As fans, we like those stories... especially in A-Merika!)
* Regardless of the help needed (Rasmussen ejection) or how close some of the victories were, he has won 5 GRAND TOURS... All 3 Grand Tours not just 1 of them multiple times. Really let that one sink in! That is the combined GC wins of Ivan Basso & Denis Menchov.

* He and his team got screwed out of the TDF in 08 (Anti-Astana/ Anti-Johan/Lance or whatever the reason) Without him we had the MOST forgettable Tour in....um.... a long.... LONG TIME! Who won that again?!? Carlos...zzzzzz

* I thought the cobbles at the 2010 edition of the Tour would end him, instead he did a very solid job with  them and went on to another win!  He wanted no part of riding that type of race, but he prepared and used it to gain some time instead of lose time.

* He is damn good for TV viewing!  As a sports fan, there are athletes you love & ones you love to hate.  Either way, you tune in to watch them.  He is one of those guys & I think the sport needs him for engagement sake.  Overall,  he is more like Lance than most US fans might realize and that means he is one to watch (to root for or against).  He has a wicked desire to win, he is a smart athlete that knows how to seize the moment even if it might require damage control later. He would rather be off the podium if he isn't on the top step.  He is egocentric, he is not a nice guy on the bike, and he will do whatever it takes. Yep, Lance was all of those things as well....and as I have stated many times I liked every bit it from LA (No Gifts, The Look,  Simeoni gate)!

I will say this and own it: Doped or not guilty, I hope he is riding in top form next year!  I want to watch Conta vs Cadel vs Schleck vs Wiggo at the TDF!


If Conta is 2nd TDF winner stripped in the last 5 years that means, This is now the 2nd times in the last 100 years!  Does this mean that cycling is closing the gap on the dopers, or are they throwing out a sacrificial lamb?  As Floyd Landis explained in our Twitter exchanges earlier this year, Alberto is not the most likable and is a big name, so a good target.  He lacks the "cancer shield" Lance carried so he is fair game.  Would it make the sport any cleaner?  Would it really make any rider pause and not take drugs?  Did the Festina affair or Op Puerto really do that?

I know what some of you are asking "Don't I want a clean sport?" I do! But I am also an optimistic realist, I know that there are 70 year old Masters racers doping and the French Cat 3 kid that was positive for 12 different drugs.  It has been part of the sport since 1900 will always be there. I do want a clearer sport, but I know it will never be squeaky clean and 100% "Pure". No twibbon band is going to change someone's mind that is that close to their dreams & financial security.

Honestly who are we to judge one rider against another?  Contador's winning margins are less that past Grand Tour winners like Lance, Basso, Merckx, etc.  So is that some kind of proof that he is clean or pretty clean? Our current favorite riders can all be tied directly or by 1 degree to a doping team, teammate, Dr. or director.  For example: Cadel Evans (time with T-Mobile 03-04), Andy Schleck (Riding for Riis & his brothers payments to Fuentez, etc), Cav having a missed test in 2011.

Either way I am looking forward to the 2012 season!  I am just rooting for a season with a certain Spaniard racing it!


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Tough choices for GC contenders: Which race is winnable?

Are the GC Contenders finally getting it?  For years I have wondered why certain riders continue to chase the dream of winning the Tour, instead of focusing on winning the Giro or the Vuelta.  I know the Tour is THE RACE for almost every young cyclist in the world, but that also makes it an unrealistic goal for 99%  of them.  

The Vuelta in particular looks to be the race that is the most wide open.  So should riders like Wiggo, 

Nabali, Leipheimer, or Horner make this race their primary goal for 2012?  Sounds like Igor Anton has already made this decision. Don't forget everyone's favorite Op Puerto character, Valpitti, is also back in 2012.  

What about the Giro?  It can be argued this is the toughest course year in, year out, but the TDF contenders often skip this race. So this race could be won by some of those that are consistently in the top 5 of the TDF.  Van den Broeck, Gesink, and Vande Velde.  Sounds like Ivan Basso has finally decided to give up his TDF dream and is looking to win his 3rd Giro. 

In the end, it has to be a mix of chasing a dream and being realistic.  Some riders are rewarded with their persistence, take Cadel for example, and others never quite get there, like Poulidor.  So what about Andy Schleck?  Should he take a closer look at these 3 races and figure out which one he is most suited for?  After seeing the TDF route and the amount of TT kilometers, he will be very lucky to get SCHLECKnd (we make this tee so we are pulling for him on this one!) or even SCHLird this year.  I think for many fans of these riders, a pink or red jersey on the wall is better than a yellow one in a dream.  

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The LEAST interesting cyclist in the world

I saw that Carlos Sastre is in the break at the Vuelta today and I start thinking about how this made me feel...to be honest I felt like I just took a sedetive.  I am sure Carlos is a nice enough guy, but he is also the most boring rider in the peloton.  He is the the opposite of this man:

"When I am lying in bed with 3 women and must finally fall asleep, I watch the 08 TDF. I am out like a like in 10 min."

I'm not sure why his attacks look like they are in slow motion? I'm also not quite sure why he Phil & Paul refer to him as a "climber" when he get dropped as soon as the road tips up? Carlos is pretty much the San Antonio Spurs of cycling (with less hardware).  Just for fun ask people who won the 2008 TDF then just watch them?  They will pause, then realize that wasn't the one Floyd won/got stripped of, Must be Contador...no wait he didn't race....ummm...Sastre? Still not sure what kind of pictures/info he had on Riis, that allowed him to win the TDF?

I think some time riding with Rock Racing would have done Carlos some big favors and loosened him up a bit. Cipo could have mentored him on having a bit of panache.  At this point even if he tried this trick, I am afraid I might not be able to watch it for more than 3k.

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Fixing the Vuelta

It's that time of year again - the 3rd biggest stage race in Pro Cycling!  Can't wait to see FRANDY Schleck, Evans, Basso and others battle it out in ..... Colorado?! Who is racing the "traditional" 3rd biggest Grand Tour?  Nabali is there and others GC guys like Menchov and Sastre.  Sold yet? Cav and Boonen are there, but that only draws attention to the flat stages.

The biggest problem plaguing the Vuelta this year is the USA Pro Challenge with it's stacked start list of TDF level talent.  So we thought we would do our part to help the Vuelta get back some ratings:

•  Webcam of Contador watching the Vuelta on TV from a bunglo in Fiji.  As he does things like send a text message or drink a fruity umbrella beverage it would be considerably more exciting than watching Carlos Sastre go all out on a climb.  He might give the camera the occasional Pistolero or go swim with some dolphins to spice it up "Muie quinte!"

• Due to the location and time of year, snow can't be a factor in creating must watch TV. So leverage something this country already has down - the running of the bulls.  Let the bulls lose from a side alley as the peloton has 5k to go in a sprint stage.  GC guys will be mixing it up with Cav to avoid  El Toro! The wearer of the Leaders RED jersey will drop some serious watts to save himself.
• Let Rock Racing Team 2 in with a last minute "special invitation". Skull kits, Lambos, and strippers will lift ratings and add to the road side party! You would hear comments like this:  "I just caught a bag of Haribo candy from the caravan!" "Who cares, I just got a lapper from that Rock Racing chick, Saphire!!!"
• Carlos Sastre & Denis Menchov should be required to ride handcuffed together.  Apart these two are liking watching old men play chess in the park...chained together, they are way more interesting.

• Hire Joe Rogan to host Feed Zone Fear Factor for fun like this: Announcers in the booth,"A Crash near the feed zone, wonder what caused it?" Joe Rogan, "Looks like  Beñat Intxausti Elorriaga got a scorpion and a bull dong in his feed bag."

While we don't love the Spanish Cycling Federation, Spain is a cool country.  We also respect the history of the race, and hope it moves on the calendar or does something to lure the top talent back.

* We'd like to state one more time that we wish Levi would go back and ride the Vuelta and win the damn thing!  He has finished 2nd and 3rd and could stand on the top step if he made this his focus for the season.  Like it or not, the Vuelta has more history in the sport than ATOC and winning it would make his career.




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