Contador sorry about Schleck chain incident
Source: Agencies |
July 21, 2010, Wednesday
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ALBERTO Contador expressed his regret at snatching the Tour de France yellow jersey after benefiting from rival Andy Schleck's mechanical problem in the 15th stage.
"There is a problem with the circumstances," the Spanish defending champion said in a statement.
"The race was on and maybe I made a mistake. I'm sorry. I'm disappointed in the sense that for me fair play is very important, as I did in the stage of Spa."
In Monday's stage to Bagneres de Luchon, Luxembourg's Schleck attacked in the ascent to the Port de Bales and Contador begun his counter-attack when the Saxo Bank rider's chain came off. He went past him and eventually crossed the line 39 seconds ahead of Schleck, who said Contador, Russian Denis Menchov and Spaniard Samuel Sanchez, who joined forces with the Astana leader, had not played fair.
It might have appeared terribly unjust, but Contador's pilfering of the yellow jersey was all too familiar for cycling's old guard.
"I cannot change the situation even if I'm mad," Schleck told reporters later. "Of course I wouldn't have minded to throw my bike into the fence and just hit someone but you've got to keep yourself under control in situations like this."
Crashes and mechanical failures have been part of Tour folklore as early as 1919, when yellow jersey-holder Eugene Christophe lost the Tour to Belgian Firmin Lambot after being robbed of some 70 minutes due to a broken bike.
The same Christophe all but lost the Tour six years earlier, when riding second overall, he was forced to repair his bike on his own in a local forge not far from where Luxembourg's Schleck saw his chain fall off.
"At my time, when others had mechanical problems, we would just attack," said Laurent Fignon, a Tour winner in 1983 and 1984. "In the heat of the race and in the finale, you can't say to Contador - 'hey, wait for Andy'," added former Belgian professional rider Johan Bruyneel, who groomed Contador to his first two tour triumphs.
"Andy didn't wait for Contador on the cobblestones either, I guess."
Frenchman Jean-Francois Bernard, third in the 1987 Tour de France, was even harsher. "I would have given Contador a rollicking if he had waited for Schleck. That's the race," said Bernard, a pundit for daily L'Equipe's website.
"There is a problem with the circumstances," the Spanish defending champion said in a statement.
"The race was on and maybe I made a mistake. I'm sorry. I'm disappointed in the sense that for me fair play is very important, as I did in the stage of Spa."
In Monday's stage to Bagneres de Luchon, Luxembourg's Schleck attacked in the ascent to the Port de Bales and Contador begun his counter-attack when the Saxo Bank rider's chain came off. He went past him and eventually crossed the line 39 seconds ahead of Schleck, who said Contador, Russian Denis Menchov and Spaniard Samuel Sanchez, who joined forces with the Astana leader, had not played fair.
It might have appeared terribly unjust, but Contador's pilfering of the yellow jersey was all too familiar for cycling's old guard.
"I cannot change the situation even if I'm mad," Schleck told reporters later. "Of course I wouldn't have minded to throw my bike into the fence and just hit someone but you've got to keep yourself under control in situations like this."
Crashes and mechanical failures have been part of Tour folklore as early as 1919, when yellow jersey-holder Eugene Christophe lost the Tour to Belgian Firmin Lambot after being robbed of some 70 minutes due to a broken bike.
The same Christophe all but lost the Tour six years earlier, when riding second overall, he was forced to repair his bike on his own in a local forge not far from where Luxembourg's Schleck saw his chain fall off.
"At my time, when others had mechanical problems, we would just attack," said Laurent Fignon, a Tour winner in 1983 and 1984. "In the heat of the race and in the finale, you can't say to Contador - 'hey, wait for Andy'," added former Belgian professional rider Johan Bruyneel, who groomed Contador to his first two tour triumphs.
"Andy didn't wait for Contador on the cobblestones either, I guess."
Frenchman Jean-Francois Bernard, third in the 1987 Tour de France, was even harsher. "I would have given Contador a rollicking if he had waited for Schleck. That's the race," said Bernard, a pundit for daily L'Equipe's website.
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