Lance Armstrong vs Alberto Contador Part 5

Links to Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, CyL, Disingenuous, Lance Cries in His DrinkS, The Real Lance, Does Lance Think You're Stupid?

Regardless of how tasteless the accusation may be, Lance Armstrong IS a cancer within Astana. If you feel less squeamish about some other term, then substitute the word “disease” or perhaps the word “poison” (which I’ve used before).

Of course, Armstrong is not all of one thing or all of another. He is neither a devil nor a saint, but a fascinating mix of both.

Both physically and mentally, he is a phenomenal racer. He has gifts and talents that combine to make him the absolute badest badass in a sport that is loaded with them. The story of how he went from cancer patient to Tour de France legend is amazing.

He is, for millions in or associated with the cancer community, an idol, a hero, a champion, a blessing, occasionally even a savior.

And he doesn’t always get a fair shake. It doesn’t matter how many times the physical anomalies that help to make him a naturally great cyclist are published. There are still people who think he’s a doper.

Maybe he is. I can’t say that he isn’t or hasn’t been. But I can say that if anyone in the world has no need to dope, it’s Lance Armstrong.

But Lance is also a self-righteous, self-centered megalomaniac and all the good he does and all the bullshit he‘s forced to face as a celebrity and an athletic demigod don‘t change, erase or reduce that.

Take for instance Lance’s encounter with “The LiveClean Devil”.

In the now famous photos and video Lance is seen shoving the man to the ground.

Now there is no doubt that whoever the guy is, he’s an asshole. Dressed in a devil costume made in the colors of Lance’s LiveStrong Foundation and carrying a pitchfork resembling two giant hypodermic needles, he ran along a stretch of road made dangerous by the mud and snow and the nearness of the speeding peloton.

He was ridiculing Lance, accusing him, with out words but still loudly, of being a dirty racer. Worse, in mocking Lance in such a way he was clearly also mocking the entire LiveStrong organization and everyone who it and Lance strive to serve and save.

It was an utterly classless act.

But, the man did absolutely nothing to cause Lance, nor anyone associated with Lance, any type of harm whatsoever. Yet, Lance physically assaulted him.

Not only that, but Lance simultaneously put the man’s health and life as well as the health and life of every rider behind him in the peloton at risk when he shoved the jerk down on the nonexistent shoulder, where he easily could have stumbled into the path of the racing cyclists.

To be honest, I was happy to see the guy knocked down, by anyone. But that doesn’t change the fact that Lance should have been arrested and charged with assault, nor that he has proven himself to be malicious and physically abusive.

Now you have Alberto Contador.

He wins the 2007 Tour de France (TdF) then has to sit out the 2008 TdF because his Astana team is being punished for things that happened before he was even a member.

So he used 2008 to his advantage, picking up victories in the other Grand Tours, the Giro D’Italia and the Veulta a Espana, which he would not have done if the TdF had been his focus again.

So 2009 is going to be his big return. Um, ok, check that. It would have been, if Lance didn’t decide to unretire.

Now, Lance could ride with another team. He’s a volunteer with Astana and is free to leave at any time, to sign with anyone he chooses. But he wishes to ride with Johan Bruyneel.

And that’s understandable, because Bruyneel is possibly the greatest coach in the history of cycling and he has a long history with Lance.

But where does that leave Contador?

If you believe the company line it leaves him in a fair and open battle for the position of team leader at the TdF. But that’s just talk.

In reality he has no chance whatsoever of leading Astana there.

1. Paraphrasing Lance, he has let it be known that he intends to peak for the TdF, that he’s aiming to be at 90% and finish off the podium at the Giro, which runs just weeks before the TdF.

2. Teammate Levi Leiheimer as said that he hopes to ride in support of Lance at the TdF.

3. Contador rode with little or no support from his team at the recent, Pari - Nice stage race. He usually seemed to be racing more a series of criterions than a team stage race.

4. Lance is more frequently sniping at Contador on Twitter and in the mainstream press, implying that Alberto is too immature and inexperienced, undermining faith in Contador’s ability as a cyclist and a leader.

5. Let’s face it, when in a head to head vs. Lance, Contador is not such a natural, inspirational leader. But Lance really beats this drum.

6. Even coach Bruyneel has taken a shot at Contador in the press. If open public criticism from Lance undermines Alberto, how badly does it hurt when his coach, a man considered brilliant at his job, bashes him?

Alberto Contador has attempted to have some class, sticking with the team line, saying he’d be happy to compete with Lance. But he is cutting his own throat, here.

By not forcing the issue of a contract buy out or some other means of parting Astana early, Alberto makes it that much more difficult to get in synch with another team ahead of the TdF. Every day he waits puts him in a weaker and weaker position.

In the mean time, Lance sits on top of the world, able to stay and lead, or leave and find glory on a team of his choosing, controlling all the cards.

As for Johan Bruyneel, he’s making the dumbest move of his coaching career.

Lance is a short term investment with a shelf life of three years tops; not more than two years with any real hope of victory. While Alberto is a stud still at least five years away from his racing prime and already a TdF champion.

If Johan had an ounce of integrity he’d be cutting Lance loose, salving Alberto’s wounds and gearing up for a ten year run like nothing the cycling world has ever seen before.

CLARIFICATION:

While I absolutely believe in the destructive, unhealthy nature of Lance Armstrong's presence in the Astana professional cycling team, both to the team and to Alberto Contador's season and career, I do NOT agree with Mr. Kimmage when he says that Lance is a cancer to the body of professional cycling itself.

Lance Armstrong is the single most powerful and beneficial force the world of professional cycling and more broadly cycling in general has ever had the honor of association with. He brings more people to the sport on all levels of participation and interest than any other individual or entity can even hope to compare with.

If he should ever sever ties with the sport entirely and for good, we will all be much worse off for it.