Boy...that's the big question isn't it? Alberto Contador is now 1:37 ahead of Lance as of today.
I think their coach, Johan Bruyneel, is far too strategic to have a leader of the team identified at this point. Here's what I would do: Let Armstrong and Contador and Kloden alternate attacks in the Alps on Tuesday and Wednesday so that their competitors have to respond to three times as many attacks.......thus wearing them out over the next two days before the individual time trial on Thursday. I'd make sure to have Lance and Alberto and Kloden all end the day on Wednesday in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd with Lance and Alberto about tied for first place. Then on Thursday I'd "let the best man win" from the Astana team in the individual time trial on Thursday. (This removes any team politics from the situation and sets the two riders up to race against the clock rather than one another.) He that wins the time trial on Thursday will be supported and protected until they take on the BIGGEST mountain of the tour on Saturday......Mont Ventoux. None of their competitors will have any juice or motivation to attack on that monster climb.
I think their coach, Johan Bruyneel, is far too strategic to have a leader of the team identified at this point. Here's what I would do: Let Armstrong and Contador and Kloden alternate attacks in the Alps on Tuesday and Wednesday so that their competitors have to respond to three times as many attacks.......thus wearing them out over the next two days before the individual time trial on Thursday. I'd make sure to have Lance and Alberto and Kloden all end the day on Wednesday in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd with Lance and Alberto about tied for first place. Then on Thursday I'd "let the best man win" from the Astana team in the individual time trial on Thursday. (This removes any team politics from the situation and sets the two riders up to race against the clock rather than one another.) He that wins the time trial on Thursday will be supported and protected until they take on the BIGGEST mountain of the tour on Saturday......Mont Ventoux. None of their competitors will have any juice or motivation to attack on that monster climb.
So.....in my opinion we don't yet know who will win.....I'd watch very closely tomorrow and Wednesday to see if team Astana can keep alternating attacks to wear out their competitors which are, by name: Evans, Sastre, Van de Velde, Wiggins, and Schleck at this point.
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Unless something happens to Contador (look what happened to Levi) Lance is done and will play the part of loyal domestique. Lance doesn't want to put the cycling community through the LeMond-Hinault soap opera from 1986. Lance clearly is hanging w/ the top riders, but team strategy has Contador as GC. Unless illness, mechanical, or crash plays out, Contador clearly looks like Armstrong did in his prime between 2000-2004 (although he ruled the game from '99-'05). Armstrong is hitting his major agenda of public awareness/branding of Livestrong. Whatever the results, it's good to see the buzz back in cycling w/ Armstrong leading the way. He clearly is in his element.
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