No but he had the option to try and halt attacks and the cameras would have shown that - he was with all the other contenders when AS attacked so he wasn't giving anything up. If Menchov and Sanchez had blown by the best climber in the world wouln't have had much trouble matching them up to the summit and then he could descend with them as he ended up doing anyway with a clean conscience.

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"Are you sure we're going fast enough?" - Emil Zatopek

same thought here. so predictable.

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CAMPAGNOLO GRAN FONDO NEW YORK

Stage 3: Armstrong was not considered a contender. Contador did not crash, had no flat, no mechanical. No reason to wait.

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T1bicycles
Cycling and Triathlon Accessories
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I'm no Lance fan, far from it I think he is an egomaniacal prick.

With that said I don't know AS or LA as you apparently do so can't attest to what they would have done.

If you watched it happen it's impossible for AC not to have known he had a mechanical. He had to dodge AS in the process of him stopping.

Looks like everyone forgot AS attacked first.

AC - hey man, what happened? Your chain dropped when you attacked me?

AS - yeah man, that sucks

AC - OK, I'll wait. You want to replay it?

AS - sure, thanks man.

Geeee...it's a fucking race...Bad luck for Shleck? Yes, of course. Poor form? BS...I guess everyone on this forum did buy the Lance media machine, saying AC was a bad sport. What a load of crap.

What a douche move...

I would not expect any other behavior from a potential tour winner. You use all weaknesses of your opponents!

Just curious if you watched the same stage 3 as me? AC made out well in the cobbles, LA got pooched (although with his handling, it may have been inevitable). Also there was general consensus that a mechanical on the cobbles was more of a situation normal as opposed to a mechanical happening that affects the race like this one did.

Look back in your history of the tour. During Lances reign it happened, before Lances reign it happened. If the leader of the tour, who is a true contender has a mechanical, then the group he is in waits. ESPECIALLY if they are contenders themselves.

The real winner here is Shimano (PINK FONT)

thats how I see it.

For some it has nothing to do with Lance vs AC. We're also perfectly capable of making up our own minds free of other's (Sherwin's) influence, in fact done well before their comments went to air.

I don't buy that he wasn't aware of what was going on. He was that far back after AS's surge to have time to see what went on. What little he couldn't interpret (his mind being cluttered by wrestling bears and eating gels etc) would have been conveyed to him by team radio very smartly.

AC is the worst culprit, but DM and SS are also to blame.

Remember when Zabriski crashed in the TTT and it put L.A. in yellow? He refused to wear the yellow and race officials said he had to or he could not start. At least L.A. had some class.

I hope that this means that its open season on Contador.

the root of this whole problem is ShitRam

If you're going up a hill and drop your chain...isn't that your own fault?
Personally I wouldn't consider that a mechanical I'd call it poor bike handling/shifting.

granted I don't know exactly what happend as Ive only read some tickers. But if I drop my chain in a race I expect to lose time...that is why you train to not drop a chain.

But i will say that the tour is known for not attacking the yellow with mechanicals...so can see why some think AC is a bit of a dick. But I'm not so sure. If AC was behind and saw Andy drop his chain...why not go. that is a mental error.
If the chain snapped I guess that is different. did that happen?

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Blogging

Why are you intent on attributing to Lancelove to everyone who is critical of AC? I'm a big fan of AC, can't stand LA, but throught that was a dick move. Do you admit now that AC knew AS had a mechanical or are you glossing over that now?

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"Are you sure we're going fast enough?" - Emil Zatopek

I thought it was very poor form.

@CarlSpackler, I think it was more of a case of Menchov and Sanchez following Contador's lead. If AC tried to slow those guys down and they keep the gas on, that would be one thing, but that is not how it played out.

Just saw the replay. No question that AC saw AS's mechanical and gunned it as he passed AS. You can't argue that AC had no choice because of Menchov and Sanchez. They were forced to go because of AC's move. Very low class move by Pistolero. Just not sporting.

Wonder why he just got booed off the podium then? Bunch of Lance nut huggers in France too I guess?

He just did the pistol thing as people were booing when he put on the yellow, DOUCHEBAG!

AC was actually winning me over in the past few days, and I was hoping to see him win. Now I hope he rides off a cliff (not sustaining serious injuries) and loses 10 minutes.

Couldn't agree more. Sad to see the yellow jersey switch due to a fluke, AS was looking like he could do more damage to AC today. AC knows he can't hang in the hills with AS and is willing to do whatever he can, honorable or not, to win. Sad.

They need to redo the Specialized ad with AC and AS....

AS: My bike drops chains.
AC: My bike drops the yellow jersey when he drops chains.

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Suffer Well.

That was bad! ..it will be interesting to see how the rides and fans react to him over the next few days.

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Member of the Litespeed Factory Team
www.litespeed.com

Yep...just saw the replay too, and indeed, no way he wouldn't know.... At that stage Menchov and Sanchez were behind, only Vino was ahead of Shleck (aside from early attackers).
I stand corrected.

At the time (Stage 3), at least a few people thought Armstrong was a contender. He flatted and no one waited.

Contador got caught in a crash and then he limped in with a broken spoke/bad wheel. The bad wheel wasn't noticable to anyone else until the final meters of the race, but he lost time to A. Schleck.

Contador and Armstrong (and a lot of other folks) lost time while Cancellara drilled it to the finish with A. Schleck in tow.

Cobbles, hills, a mechanical is a mechanical. No fun for A. Schleck, that's for sure.

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"Human existence is based upon two pillars: Compassion and knowledge. Compassion without knowledge is ineffective; Knowledge without compassion is inhuman." Victor Weisskopf.