tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post6647990786915621538..comments2024-03-28T12:29:39.157-07:00Comments on Graphic Firing Table: Away in the Hollow ShipsFDChiefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10607785969510234092noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-26894903639964360642010-07-22T10:24:43.702-07:002010-07-22T10:24:43.702-07:00BD: I'd be more sympathetic to the "But M...BD: I'd be more sympathetic to the "But Menchov and Sanchez were racing..." argument if the sequence of events hadn't been:<br /><br />1. Schleck attacks<br />2. Vino attacks<br />3. Contador attacks<br />4. <i>roughly simultaneously:</i> Schleck loses his chain AND Menchov and Sanchez attack.<br /><br />Based on the visuals I have no doubt that 1) Contador knew about the mechanical, and 2) if he had sat up Menchov and Sanchez (who were still behind him as he passed Schleck) would have sat up, too.<br /><br />Again, I'm not trying to pass the Judgment of the Gods on Contador. He did what he did, he's not in the race to be some sort of Spotless Knight. But to me, now, he will have to beat Schleck by more than 40 seconds in the TT to prove to ME - just me, not anyone else - that he deserves to be in yellow on the Champs-Élysées.<br /><br />As for the man himeself, I suspect you're right, but I've always had a hard time reading Contador. Part of it is his demeanor and part of it is the Spanish; it's hard to tell if he's being smart or funny or irascible when he's being filtered through the interpreters, who are usually terrible.FDChiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10607785969510234092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-56885688981181438322010-07-22T09:54:04.255-07:002010-07-22T09:54:04.255-07:00Re:#2 There are multiple interpretations of chaing...Re:#2 There are multiple interpretations of chaingate, the more sympathetic is that Schleck initiated the attack and Contador, Menchov and Sanchez were responding and fully committed by the time his chain dropped so Contador was forced to continue since he had no guarantee that Menchov and Sanchez would also back off. Personally I am inclined to give the benefit of the doubt to Contador, mechanicals happen and sometimes you can pause and sometimes you can't. In this case I think losing time to Menchov and Sanchez was too great a risk. Personally I don't expect the guys I'm racing to stop if I drop a chain or crash lightly, but I race at a lower level for lower stakes.<br />As an aside Contador reminds me of Michael Schumacher, the same robotic efficiency and bland personality.Big Daddynoreply@blogger.com