Tour de France 2010 and the rivalry defined by a dropped chain

Sports run on rivalries. From basketball, to boxing and everything in between, the binary narrative of two of the world's best fighting it out for victory, with vitriol and a healthy dose of low-grade hatred lubricating the contest, is the bee's knees for sports fans globally. Cycling is no different.

Photo by Tim de Waele/Getty Images

Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard exiting the podium at the end of the 2022 Tour de France. If the last two Tours are any indication, this pairing might be cyclings next great rivalry

Our sport, with both battling teams and individuals, has a history that is as defined by interpersonal sporting contests as individual dominance. For instance, it is hard to speak of Gino Bartali, even with all his personal glory, without thinking of his defining duels with Fausto Coppi. Likewise, what would Antiquil be without being trailed by his competitive shadow Raymond Poulidor?

In modern cycling, we might not have the same fierce battles of two legends bound by years of history, but we have had the flash of what could have been one of those types of rivalries. For three years, and one tour in particular, an era defining conflict between Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck enlivened cycling and inspired a new generation after the tumult of the 2000s started to wane.

GCN+

Nicholas Roche, Dan Lloyd and William Fotheringham discussing the rivalry in the GCN studio

In a recent instalment of the GCN+ Rivals documentary series, Dan Lloyd, journalist William Fotheringham and Nicholas Roche delve into the rivalries crescendo during the 2010 Tour de France, intertwined with conversations from Schleck and Contador and with a recurring cameo from Jens Voigt. Through these characters and effective use of race footage montage, the documentary brings the viewer right back to the intrigue and excitement of the 2009, 2010 and 2011 Tours and the unique battle between the two riders.

“If you look at the great rivalries you have two or three genuinely outstanding long term rivals, genuine personality clashes,” Fotheringham said in the documentary, putting the rivalry in the larger context of pro cycling. “And then you have a huge number of what I call contingent ones, ones which happened because two riders of differing characters and abilities found themselves opposed. I certainly wouldn't downplay the Contador v. Schleck rivalry, but it's one of those contingent rivalries.”

Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

Contador and Schleck on the final podium in Paris. While two never ran back the showdown in the same ferocity of 2010, the next year was once again a race to remember in part due to their tenacity

What the rivalry was lacking in the timespan of the great cycling rivals was made up for in the ferocity and polemic of the 2010 Tour de France. From Contador crashing on the cobbles of stage 3, and of course Contador’s attack while Schleck dropped his chain on stage 15, the 2010 Tour had all the ingredients for a great rivalry baked into just 21 stages.

Or, as Fortheringham qualified: “I don't think we should underestimate this one. It was a lot of fun while it lasted.”

Check out the trailer for the new documentary Rivals: Schleck vs Contador above and be sure to subscribe to GCN+ to watch a deep archive of bespoke cycling documentaries, as well as live racing from across the calendar and around the world.