Cycling: Contador, Armstrong trade barbs after Tour
Associated Press
MADRID � Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong are sniping again after a fragile truce during the Tour de France.
Contador, who secured his second Tour win on Sunday in Paris, said he had no admiration for the American as a person and tensions between the two had a negative effect on the Astana team. Armstrong, the seven-time champion who finished third in his first Tour since 2005, responded that Contador should �drop this drivel.�
�My relationship with Lance Armstrong is zero,� Contador said late Monday in his hometown of Pinto outside Madrid. �He�s a great rider and he did a great Tour. Another thing is on a personal level, where I have never admired him and never will.�
Armstrong, who had criticized Contador as being inexperienced earlier this year, responded with his own salvo on Twitter.
�Hey pistolero, there is no �I� in �team�. what did I say in March? Lots to learn. Restated,� Armstrong wrote.
The �pistolero� remark stems from Contador�s habit of celebrating victories by shooting an imaginary pistol.
�Seeing these comments from AC (Alberto Contador). If I were him I�d drop this drivel and start thanking his team. w/o them, he doesn�t win,� Armstrong added. �A champion is also measured on how much he respect his teammates and opponents.�
Contador and Armstrong entered this year�s Tour jousting for position as the Astana team leader � an unusual situation in cycling, where team�s normally have a clear No. 1 rider who is supported by the rest of the squad.
While Armstrong briefly held a slight edge over the Spaniard in the first week, Contador proved too strong in the mountains and was able to pull away for a decisive edge in the Alps.
On a couple of occasions, Armstrong questioned Contador�s tactics during the race, saying they went against the good of the team.
�It was a tense situation,� said Contador, who also won the race in 2007. �We didn�t have fluid communication despite the fact that we were the two main riders on the team. And this meant the rest of the cyclists and the technical staff also felt a bit of tension.�
Armstrong is launching his own U.S.-based team for next year, while Contador�s future with Astana remains uncertain.
�Wherever I go I will look for a teammate who is with me 100 percent,� Contador said.