I'm not putting any money on him holding back if Levi shows the slightest weakness. And it's pretty obvious that by handing Leipheimer the ToC, Armstrong's leaving the door wide open to take the lead for one of the grander tours. He can rely on the media to point out how generous he was in February if he finds he's fit enough to try to ride Levi into the ground in May or July. Will he do the same with Contador, handing him the Giro or the Vuelta, and then forget all about both of them on Alpe d'Huez?
But... okay. Okay!!! I will admit that he's being something like gracious here, and even kind of fun to talk to. He really does love this stuff. He's got a good side.
There I said it.
And while I don't take back any of my reservations about him, I will also confess he's acting like a grown-up this time around. So far. It's only February.
(Just for the record: I'm all in favor of honest competition, and wish Armstrong the best. What would anger me would be him using his star power to push aside Levi and Contador, who between them were already one champion too many for one team. If he's going to do that, he should have joined -- or started -- another team. That's all.
No comments:
Post a Comment