From the pages of VeloNews: Friendly Fire, Inside the Armstrong-Contador showdown at the 2009 Tour de France

Final insults

Though he wasn’t to win the race, Armstrong seemed intent on stealing the spotlight.

The decision to announce the new team — RadioShack — on the day of the decisive time trial at Annecy was measured to maximize publicity during the race, when the world’s media is focused on the Tour.

But it also underscored divisions within the team. Armstrong and Bruyneel were taking with them the core of the Astana team: Levi Leipheimer, Chris Horner, Haimar Zubeldia, Yaroslav Popovych and Andreas Klöden. The RadioShack email announcement from the Armstrong camp was sent no more than 30 seconds after Contador’s post-race press conference had ended, leaving journalists writing on deadline torn between writing about the stage winner or writing about the future of the sport’s biggest name.

Once again, it was the Contador clan standing apart.

And there was more. A series of apparent snubs and provocations that came to light in the Spanish media in the fallout after the race revealed more of the depth of the split. One story had Armstrong snatching away a water bottle that a Spanish rider was passing to Contador on Mont Ventoux, but when Armstrong took a sip and passed it to Contador, Contador refused to drink it.

Another story that hit cyber-space was that Astana team cars were busy ferrying members of Armstrong’s family to the airport just as Contador needed a ride to the start of the decisive time trial at Annecy. That was true, but Contador had already arranged a ride with his brother, Fran.

Stories that Contador was left stranded atop Mont Ventoux without a team car also proved hollow. Tour officials were forced to cancel a planned helicopter descent due to high winds, so Contador improvised and arranged a ride down with his brother, simply because there were only a handful of team vehicles atop the towering mountain.

Still, there was never much warmth between Contador and Armstrong throughout the Tour. According to sources close to the team, both kept to their familiar circle of friends and associates and rarely mixed.

Contador could never fully confide in the team, sources said, and was suspicious that Armstrong was trying to keep his options of victory open going into the Annecy time trial, so that’s why Contador felt compelled to attack every chance he could.

At the end of the day, the unwritten rule that the strongest rider wins the Tour proved true again, something even Armstrong admitted after Ventoux.

“There wasn’t anything else I could do,” Armstrong said. “Alberto was far superior to anyone else in the race this year. Perhaps tactically, I made a few passive calls in terms of decision-making and that made the difference between second and third.”

By the time the Tour arrived in Paris the next day, Contador was unable to fully enjoy his day in the French soleil. This time, Tour officials botched the ceremony and played the Danish national anthem instead of Spain’s (they got it right and played the correct song when Astana won the team’s prize).

“I thought they were trying to screw up the moment with the hymn,” Contador said. “The second Tour victory is just as special but it’s different due to the difficulties. Sharing leadership with Lance was one more complication. To win this Tour required physical and psychological strength.”

Spanish observers were indignant when it appeared that Armstrong didn’t look Contador in the eye when he shook his hand as he stepped on the third place spot, but happily greeted runner-up Andy Schleck.

Spanish papers were full of vitriol against Armstrong. Stories described in detail Armstrong’s alleged insults — real or imagined — against Contador and portrayed him a sore loser.

Upon reaching Spanish soil, Contador was heralded as a hero and was feted by Prime Minister José Luís Zapatero and welcomed home by a huge rally in his hometown of Pinto.

Surrounded by the warmth and outpouring of support after enduring a month of intense stress, Contador finally let his true feelings out.

“My relationship with Lance is zero. I think despite whatever his character is, he’s still a great champion. He’s won seven Tours and played a big part in this one, too,” Contador said. “But it’s different to speak at a personal level. I have never really admired him that much, or ever will.”

Armstrong fired back with his favorite new weapon, Twitter: “Seeing these comments from AC. If I were him I’d drop this drivel and starting thanking his team. w/o them he doesn’t win.” In another: “hey pistolero, there is no ‘I’ in ‘team.’ What did I say in March? Lots to learn. Restated.”

The tug-of-war and psychological battle between the two champions harkened back to the mythical rivalries between Coppi and Bartali or LeMond and Hinault, but at the end of three weeks, Contador proved who was the strongest, winning stages and taking time in all the decisive moments.

Perhaps Bruyneel — who revealed his loyalties when he drove behind Armstrong, instead of yellow jersey Contador at the Annecy time trial — put it most diplomatically.

“I knew it was going to be difficult for the two of them to get along, but I am happy that we could get through these three weeks. Despite what everyone said, we demonstrated that we were the strongest team,” Bruyneel said.

“It’s still too early to talk about next year. I will be with Lance, but right now, Contador is the best and he showed it. If Armstrong wants to beat him, he has a lot of work ahead of him.”

The 2009 Tour will be remembered for many things — Armstrong’s comeback, Contador’s assertion as the sport’s new king and Mark Cavendish’s unrivaled supremacy in the sprints — but it’s the enmity between Armstrong and Contador that made the 96th Tour quite unlike any recent edition.

For seven unrivaled years, Armstrong was the master at playing all the angles. One of his strengths was his ability to play a multi-level chess match at all levels of the sport, both on and off the road, turning allegiances, jealousies and self-interests from rival teams, governing bodies, race organizers and the media all toward his benefit.

That sophisticated juggling act was short-circuited by a Spanish momma’s boy who ended the myth of Armstrong’s invincibility.

“I told myself that I’d be close, and I thought I could (win), but this thought process was hatched based on last summer’s Tour,” Armstrong said.

“I said, I think I can do this. I think I can ride that fast. The level I had this year would have done very well at that Tour. But this Tour is not that Tour. I came across Alberto, who was super, super, and Andy was in the right places at the right time. That doesn’t add up to victory. But that’s sports.”

Next July should be very interesting indeed. One can only imagine Armstrong will want to have the last word.

FILED UNDER: News / Road / Tour de France TAGS: Alberto Contador / Lance Armstrong

Andrew Hood

Hood cut his journalistic teeth at Colorado dailies before the web boom opened the door to European cycling in the mid-1990s. Hood's covered every Tour since 1996 and has been VeloNews' European correspondent since 2002. He lives in Leon, Spain, when he's not chasing bike races.

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