You're probably right, but I also don't think Armstrong was in peak form this year. You can't sit out of a sport like cycling for 3.5 years and then get back into top form in just 6 months. I suspect that Armstrong will be a top-5 TT rider next year, which is good enough. Especially since Cancellara isn't really a GC threat.Moses Botbol wrote:I do not think we'll see Armstrong win an individual time trial in a Grand Tour again. Cancellara and Contador are just too fast.
Absolutely. Contador is amazing on a team built and run by Johan, which allows him to be rested and ready to attack in the mountains. But can he do it on someone else's team without the amazing support structure that Johan provides for his team leaders? Even Contador was close to cracking on Mont Ventoux this year - you could see it in his face in a couple of places. Without the rest of the Astana team supporting him this year, Contador wouldn't have been as great as he was, and in fact my bet is that Andy Schleck would have won the Tour. I don't think Contador understands the importance of the team, which leads me to...Moses Botbol wrote:but Contador is just amazing. Imagine if he did not have to hold back his attacks? With the right team, he will beat out Armstrong's records. Contador is 4 for 4 in more than just the TdF. Even Johan said he's never seen a hill climbing talen like Contador and now that he is national time trialiing champion, he's the complete Grand Tour package.
Contador isn't even a team player, let alone a team leader. If he can learn how to be a true team leader, then and only then will he be able to surpass Armstrong's records. He's good enough that even if he never learns he'll probably still win 5 TdFs, but if he wants to make history he's got a lot left to learn.