We now have a Tour de France narrative that isn’t just Pistolero Contador v. Lance; it’s @lancearmstrong v. #whatatool (that’s a hash tag, it’s like a bookmark on Twitter) @vaughters — Lance tweeted that he wouldn’t be forgetting this comment anytime soon:
In 2009, the tactics worked in his favour and Astana were soft-pedalling a bit to not embarrass Lance [Armstrong].
The quote from Vaughters appeared in a TimesOnline article about Wiggins leaving Vaughter’s team for Sky, a new British-based team. If you’re unfamiliar with the intricacies of cycling, Vaughters just called Lance weak, which is like questioning his manhood. More accurately it’s like calling John Wayne a Communist or calling him a pussy or calling Reagan a Democrat — you get the idea.
Last year in our commentary, we asked what young, champion bicycle rider wasn’t a Pistolero, including Lance who stole the win in a surprise move, at the Worlds back in the day …
In this Twitter smacktalk, Vaughter’s the Villain hasn’t atoned for denying George the win at the Tour last year. Vaughters may diss Lance, their rivalries run deep, but we hope he learned to leave big George alone.
Photo: Getty Images
If not, the interwebs will come at him again.
Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid
I met Vaughters two years ago at the USPro Champs — his vibe is plaid. That’s film-noir parody plaid, not some hipster fashion plaid. It fits a villian well. Could add a handlebar mustached for le Tour.
We don’t see much of what goes down on the road on TV, but you can expect Lance will make sure Vaughters regrets calling him weak in le Tour.
Mr. Clean Cycling versus the only innocent man from the golden age of doping? I’ll have to favor argyle over the rainbow.
Argyle v. rainbow is good comment.