Under the category of more silly gamesmanship on the pro tour, now Alberto Contador is saying Andy Schleck, who hasn’t even been racing due to recurring knee pain, is his biggest threat in the Tour de France 2010. We’re big Schleck fans and would love to see Andy win. But the knee thing is tremendous cause for pause. It just seems like Andy is getting off to too late a start in his season to give any kind of assurance that his knee problems are solved.
Andy has set up tomorrow’s Amstel Gold as a statement race. His results may provide some guidance.
The flip side is Bert’s omission of Lance Armstrong. Lance’s season has been slow on the uptick as well, with stomach viruses and various other ailments leading him to opt out of commitments.
But how Contador can dismiss Schleck’s health issues while lending Lance’s problems enough weight to dismiss him is a real puzzler. You can always make too much out of the unsaid. But if Contador was truly being politic at this, er, well, stage, he’d be acknowledging Lance as well as Bert.