Choose Your Side In The Great Cycling Rivalry

Tour de France winner Alberto Contador is celebrating his big victory by throwing "teammate" Lance Armstrong under the bus, instead of pushing him under an actual moving bus, which would have made the race infinitely more exciting.

In this final update before we all stop caring about cycling for another year, the sport may have finally found the key to its future success—a hero and a villain. But which one is which? I can probably guess how most of the readers of this site feel, but the truth is that most Americans still love Lance Armstrong. A lot. And most of the world hates America and its champion. A lot. If that's not a recipe for smash mouth, cutthroat, in-you-face bike riding I don't know what is.

Contador arrived back in his homeland to the strains of his national anthem—which Tour officials forgot to play when he accepted his trophy—and then quickly mouthed off about his non-friend Lance, who was obviously not that helpful.

He is a great rider and has completed a great race, but it is another thing on a personal level, where I have never had great admiration for him and I never will."

Lance fired back via his only form of communication, Twitter:

Seeing these comments from AC. If I were him I'd drop this drivel and start thanking his team. w/o them, he doesn't win.

hey pistolero, there is no "i" in "team". what did i say in March? Lots to learn. Restated.

Burn? I guess. Anyway, in just 11 short months both men will be back in France with new teams and then the cycling smackdown is on. If only they would give the riders wifflebats to smack each other with as they dodge spectators on 45-degree inclines, then we'd have a real sport.

With Tour Over, Contador Reveals Dislike for Armstrong [NY Times] AFP: Armstrong hits back at Contador criticism [AFP] Armstrong sets the stage to be a Tour de France force in 2010 [USA Today]