Okay, Let's Get Something Straight

I was fine and dandy with Contador winning the Tour de France. I was even okay with Lance being third.

But I am NOT okay with Contador being a disrespectful little PUNK about the situation. I was willing to let his arrogance and nose-thumbing at members of his team.

Today he said he doesn't respect and will not speak to Lance Armstrong. That's rich coming from him. I could say that he won his first Tour by a stroke of luck (the race leader was kicked out of the race on an infringement concerning where he'd been during training), leaving Contador in the lead for the last three days.

This kid is 11 years younger and clearly much less experienced than Armstrong. The older a professional bike rider becomes, the more he relies on strategy and his team and not entirely on his own strength.

This is where Contador is failing most-he doesn't credit the men that got him where he is. He doesn't credit the work they did to get him where he was. He's trying to take all the glory for himself.

So, here's my note to Alberto Contador: Start laying credit where credit is due. You did win, but without your TEAM, you would just be another rider in another race. There's no I in team, buddy. Someday, you may have to ride again and depend on the people you are dissing, and it could all be over in a heartbeat. You could crash on the ride and it could be a career-ender. You need friends. Stop being an idiot. Instead of causing animosity, learn from the older riders how you can be better, how you can work WITH your team instead of leaving them behind.

I don't care if you're the best bike rider on the planet, you are nothing without your team and you are nothing without respect for your elders.

Lance has earned the respect many times over through years of effort and hard work, and he could teach this shrimp a few things. Lance used to be like this when he was younger. According to his memoirs, he had Marco Pantani so mad at him at the end of a race that Pantani was screaming at his team to rein him in. But Lance learned, he grew up, he stopped being angry and impulsive and started racing with strategy. He gives credit where credit is due.

There is a massive difference between a bike rider who believes he's God and a bike rider who's riding because he loves the challenge, who loves riding his bike and is happy with third place.

Already, I am set for next year's race. And I won't be cheering for Alberto Contador.

Ta,
Bec