Congratulations to Alberto Contador for winning the 2009 Tour de France. I was disappointed to see the award ceremony, because Lance Armstrong didn't appear gracious in defeat. In fact, he was the opposite of gracious. He didn't even look at Contador as they stood side by side on the podium, and when the ceremony ended, Lance walked abruptly off stage without acknowledging Contador's presence. I would have expected more graciousness from a great champion. Did anyone else see the ceremony? Am I reading too much into it? I think back to the times when Jan Ullrich finished second to Lance. Ullrich was always gracious in defeat. He had class.
This year's Tour, while exciting at times, must go down as a disappointment. I can't imagine anything more stupid than allowing Lance to join a team that already had a Tour winner. This is not how it is supposed to be in cycling. There should one clear leader per team. Everyone from the director to the other riders to the supporting staff should be utterly devoted to this person, the way courtiers are devoted to a king or queen. All strategies and tactics should revolve around this person.
If Lance and Contador had been on different teams, things would have played out differently. There were times during this Tour when Lance had to stay behind. Contador had attacked and Lance could not chase him down because of the unwritten rule that you don't chase down a teammate. Contador knew this, of course, and took full advantage of it. Am I saying that Lance would have beaten Contador? No. He may not have. The point is, we'll never know, because Lance was compromised from day one.
Now that Lance has a new team, sponsored by Radio Shack, I hope he gets the manager of his choice (probably Johan Bruyneel) and a stable of devoted riders, such as George Hincapie and Levi Leipheimer. They need to go back to the old ways of reconnoitering the stages and focusing on winning the Tour. If Lance stays healthy and trains properly, as I'm sure he will, it will be an exciting Tour in 2010. Andy Schleck has proved that he can climb with the best of them and that his time-trialing skills are vastly improved. Contador will be back to win a third Tour. I can't wait.
Addendum: For the record, I predicted that Lance would win the Tour. He finished third, 5:24 behind the winner. I predicted that 2008 winner Carlos Sastre would finish second. He finished 17th, 26:21 behind. I predicted that Cadel Evans would finish third. He finished 30th, 45:24 behind. I thought Contador would end up working for Lance and that this would keep him off the podium. As for Andy Schleck, I didn't think his time-trialing was good enough to put him in the top three overall.
Addendum 2: These images give you a sense of the power and beauty of the Tour de France.
Addendum 3: Another act of gracelessness.
Addendum 4: Here is video of the final kilometer. Mark Cavendish is amazing. He's not only the fastest sprinter in the world; he has an indomitable will to win.
Addendum 5: Here is a New York Times story about the final stage. The past four winners of the Tour have been Spaniards: Oscar Pereiro in 2006 (after American Floyd Landis was stripped of the title for drug use), Alberto Contador in 2007, Carlos Sastre in 2008, and Contador again in 2009. In 2007, Contador assumed the Tour lead when Danish cyclist Michael Rasmussen was kicked out for suspected drug use. If Contador suffers Landis's fate, Andy Schleck of Luxembourg will become the winner.
Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. 