I suppose everyone knows the saying that a player is only as good as the team around him. Alberto Contador has yet again proved that he is the best in the world, but it certainly doesn't hurt that he has one of the strongest domestiques (if not THE strongest) in the business around him. In case you are still don't know who I am talking about, it is Daniel Navarro. Navarro proved his small weight in gold throughout both mountain ranges throughout this year's Tour and may have been the silent driving force of Contador's third Tour. Navarro brings a few unique elements to the table that are not shown by very many domestiques throughout cycling. The first of which is his blazing tempo. He absolutely obliterates the field as soon as he moves to the front and brings the pain to rival teams like Saxo Bank, Rabobank, Radioshack, etc. He is usually one of the last Astana riders to take the point, but his amazing rhythm decimates nearly all of the support of Contador's rivals, allowing his teammate to make his move without worrying about being challenged by anyone except his competitors themselves. The second unique aspect of Navarro is that he could keep this pace up for extremely long periods of time. He was especially effective in stage 8 when he destroyed himself and his opponents all the way through the Alpine mountains and allowing his man Contador a shot to win. I have watched Navarro throughout the entire Tour, and I must say that I am a fan. This man is worth every penny he makes and more, and should be getting some well-deserved popularity over the next few months.
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