Contador upset at the Criterium
March 30, 2010, Tuesday
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TWICE Tour de France champion Alberto Contador missed out on an opportunity to intimidate bitter rival and former teammate Lance Armstrong when he suffered a rare upset at the Criterium International.
The Spaniard cracked during the final ascent in Saturday's hilly opening stage, citing allergy problems, and although Armstrong still finished far behind, he was not impressed.
"I was not going to compete with him," said the American, who was a member of the Astana team last season with Contador. "I know that, he knows that, you know that. There is no mystery there, no surprise."
Asked if they were on speaking terms, Armstrong laughed: "Hmmm, I don't know."
The seven-time Tour champion looked relaxed as he soaked up the sun at the Porto Vecchio bay in Corsica after Sunday's final time trial.
But after finishing 47th overall in the two-day race, Armstrong knew he was way off his peak form three months before the start of the Tour de France in Rotterdam on July 3.
Pierrick Fedrigo of France won the two-day event. British time-trial expert David Millar won the third and final leg of the weekend race.
Contador, who started the competition saying he had no message for Armstrong, made up for Saturday's mishap by taking second place in the final time trial, 17 seconds ahead of Armstrong.
"Seventeen seconds was enough but we should not give too much importance to that," Contador said.
He had expected to deliver more on Saturday.
"Just before it was time for him to attack he felt his legs were not responding," Astana team manager Yvon Sanquer said.
"He could not breathe well, he had an allergy problem so he preferred to let go."
Armstrong was unsympathetic and felt Contador's gamble to compete in the two-day Corsica race, instead of his usual stop at the Tour of Catalunya failed to pay off.
"If it was a provocation (against me), then it backfired. If it was a simple schedule change because this race suited him better then that was his prerogative," said Armstrong.
"I don't know the problem, but it did not work out."
The Spaniard cracked during the final ascent in Saturday's hilly opening stage, citing allergy problems, and although Armstrong still finished far behind, he was not impressed.
"I was not going to compete with him," said the American, who was a member of the Astana team last season with Contador. "I know that, he knows that, you know that. There is no mystery there, no surprise."
Asked if they were on speaking terms, Armstrong laughed: "Hmmm, I don't know."
The seven-time Tour champion looked relaxed as he soaked up the sun at the Porto Vecchio bay in Corsica after Sunday's final time trial.
But after finishing 47th overall in the two-day race, Armstrong knew he was way off his peak form three months before the start of the Tour de France in Rotterdam on July 3.
Pierrick Fedrigo of France won the two-day event. British time-trial expert David Millar won the third and final leg of the weekend race.
Contador, who started the competition saying he had no message for Armstrong, made up for Saturday's mishap by taking second place in the final time trial, 17 seconds ahead of Armstrong.
"Seventeen seconds was enough but we should not give too much importance to that," Contador said.
He had expected to deliver more on Saturday.
"Just before it was time for him to attack he felt his legs were not responding," Astana team manager Yvon Sanquer said.
"He could not breathe well, he had an allergy problem so he preferred to let go."
Armstrong was unsympathetic and felt Contador's gamble to compete in the two-day Corsica race, instead of his usual stop at the Tour of Catalunya failed to pay off.
"If it was a provocation (against me), then it backfired. If it was a simple schedule change because this race suited him better then that was his prerogative," said Armstrong.
"I don't know the problem, but it did not work out."
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