http://www.tdf-tours.com/ In speaking with Spyns 2010 Tour de France clients over the past few days, we're all looking forward to the battle between Lance Armstrong and former Astana teammate Alberto Contador. Both raced in the Criterium International this weekend, held in Corsica (France). The results were a tad disappointing.
Double Tour de France winner Alberto Contador missed out on a golden 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 finished a dismal 47th, he wasn't 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 it off: "Hmmm, I don't know." Despite his frosty relationship with Contador, the seven-time Tour de France champion looked relaxed as he soaked up the sun at the Porto Vecchio bay after Sunday's final time trial.
Doubts remain. After finishing 47th overall in the two-day race, Armstrong knew he was way off his peak form just three months before the start of the Tour de France in Rotterdam on July 3. 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. The gamble Backfired "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 clearly unsympathetic and felt Contador's gamble to compete in the two-day Corsica race - which also featured the American - 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 expected him to be super yesterday," the 38-year-old added, declining to elaborate on Contador's allergy problem. "I don't know the problem, but it did not work out."
The next showdown between Armstrong and Contador is likely to be at the 2010 Tour de France and Spyns clients will be front and centre watching the action. "There are two options there, the Dauphine and the Tour of Switzerland, so it might be that there's not another confrontation before July," said Armstrong, who finished more than five minutes behind Contador in last year's Tour. "The drama is good... but what matters is what starts in Rotterdam." We'll be watching the Paris finish, champagne glasses in hand.
Spyns is an active travel company based in Whister, BC (Canada) and Beaujolais France. Spyns offers active holidays to Europe including trips to the 2010 Tour de France. For more information about Spyns 2010 Tour de France tours, please visit http://www.tdf-tours.com/, http://www.spyns.com/, or call 1.888.825.4720.
