Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[damian13ster]

Re: Re:

Please, no persona offenses. Argue the post, not the poster. Your post lacked mention of year 2013, in which Alberto targeted only TdF and showed up in terrible shape. Hence it didn't represent facts. And those are that so far in the Tours that both cyclists have targeted, Froome appeared in great shape in all of them, while Contador didn't. So what is the basis of your statement in which you stated that Alberto has better chance of showing up in great form, based on their past Tours? Of course it is possible that he will show up in better form, but your argument based on past TdFs was factually wrong.

 

[rhubroma]

Re: Re:

Please, no persona offenses. Argue the post, not the poster. Your post lacked mention of year 2013, in which Alberto targeted only TdF and showed up in terrible shape. Hence it didn't represent facts. And those are that so far in the Tours that both cyclists have targeted, Froome appeared in great shape in all of them, while Contador didn't. So what is the basis of your statement in which you stated that Alberto has better chance of showing up in great form, based on their past Tours? Of course it is possible that he will show up in better form, but your argument based on past TdFs was factually wrong.

Dude you are a weak unit. I noted the exception of 2013, when it was pointed out thank you. I stand by the rest of my post. Alberto has equal chance of showing up in great form without the Giro in his legs. I don't count 2013 as indicative of anything, other than the fact that he wasn't right mentally and was caught off gaurd by a guy he hadn't raced against in the previous Tour (which affected his preparation mentally and physically for all the well known reasons) and who he had already soundly beaten in the Vuelta. Before that Froome wasn't even on his radar, since the only indication of his quality as a racer would have been hanging on to a vehicle in the Giro to finish the stage.

Indeed nobody in their right mind would have credibly given the Briton a chance for the massive transformation in his career, unlike AC who was great also as a young racer.

At any rate, I expect AC to be in assassin mode come July. Anything less and I'll start giving credibility to conspiracy theories connected with the slimmy business of cycling. Indeed last year allready smelled fishy. You heard it first here.

 

[Brullnux]

Re:

Quintana ain't gonna wake up earlier. But Aru might just do what he did at last years Giro and attack, attack, attack never mind. And that's actually Contador's big chance to caught out a vulnerable Froome at some point of the Tour!

just my 2 cents.

I agree, i feel Aru is The unknown quantity among the main racers. Apart from Contador, none of them have really raced 3 weeks battling it out with him. I mean, Quintana did at the Giro but 2 years ago, and he wasn't among the GC leaders at the Vuelta last year.

Also, he is the most quickly developing. Quintana has pretty much reached his peak, he'll keep improving but very slowly, Aru has not got there yet and will get there in a couple of years. Over the past 3 years no one has improved as quickly as Aru has. Or at least, I don't think so.

 

[yaco]

Re: Re:

Quintana ain't gonna wake up earlier. But Aru might just do what he did at last years Giro and attack, attack, attack never mind. And that's actually Contador's big chance to caught out a vulnerable Froome at some point of the Tour!

just my 2 cents.

I agree, i feel Aru is The unknown quantity among the main racers. Apart from Contador, none of them have really raced 3 weeks battling it out with him. I mean, Quintana did at the Giro but 2 years ago, and he wasn't among the GC leaders at the Vuelta last year.

Also, he is the most quickly developing. Quintana has pretty much reached his peak, he'll keep improving but very slowly, Aru has not got there yet and will get there in a couple of years. Over the past 3 years no one has improved as quickly as Aru has. Or at least, I don't think so.

Aru needs to pace himself during the TDF - he is the type of rider who will go full throttle nearly all the time, and sometimes put himself into the red. Sometimes he needs to accept losing 20 or 30 seconds in a stage and regroup the next day.

 

[MatParker1711]

Re:

Quintana ain't gonna wake up earlier. But Aru might just do what he did at last years Giro and attack, attack, attack never mind. And that's actually Contador's big chance to caught out a vulnerable Froome at some point of the Tour!

just my 2 cents.

Sky has a significantly better roster of climbing domestiques than tinkoff though.

 

[Brullnux]

Re: Re:

Quintana ain't gonna wake up earlier. But Aru might just do what he did at last years Giro and attack, attack, attack never mind. And that's actually Contador's big chance to caught out a vulnerable Froome at some point of the Tour!

just my 2 cents.

Sky has a significantly better roster of climbing domestiques than tinkoff though.

If Aru goes struggles early then he'll want Contador to win, so then he basically has all of Astana too, ofc Vino won't be happy, but Aru could get his team to help him, but then helps Alberto.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

Quintana ain't gonna wake up earlier. But Aru might just do what he did at last years Giro and attack, attack, attack never mind. And that's actually Contador's big chance to caught out a vulnerable Froome at some point of the Tour!

just my 2 cents.

Sky has a significantly better roster of climbing domestiques than tinkoff though.

If Aru goes struggles early then he'll want Contador to win, so then he basically has all of Astana too, ofc Vino won't be happy, but Aru could get his team to help him, but then helps Alberto.

I don't think Aru would actually help Contador (unless he struggles very badly and podium is way out of reach), but I could see them forming an alliance when Aru could podium GC/win a stage and Contador can win the race.
I think Mortirolo last year again showed Alberto has many friends in the peloton (or Oleg called to offer them $$$)

 

[Gigs_98]

Re: Re:

Quintana ain't gonna wake up earlier. But Aru might just do what he did at last years Giro and attack, attack, attack never mind. And that's actually Contador's big chance to caught out a vulnerable Froome at some point of the Tour!

just my 2 cents.

Sky has a significantly better roster of climbing domestiques than tinkoff though.

normally your Team isnt one of the Most important factor if you want to beat sky. Either froome leeds and uses his Team to Defend the lead so contador doesnt Need his Team that much or AC leads and froome will still try to control the Race and do what they did in the Vuelta 2014. Contadors Team is still important but I just dont think his weaker Team will be a big disadvantage

 

[LaFlorecita]

Oh oh I've got a great feeling about this year. It's going to be amazing

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

normally your Team isnt one of the Most important factor if you want to beat sky. Either froome leeds and uses his Team to Defend the lead so contador doesnt Need his Team that much or AC leads and froome will still try to control the Race and do what they did in the Vuelta 2014. Contadors Team is still important but I just dont think his weaker Team will be a big disadvantage

I agree with that. Sky will control the race no matter what. Once Froome attacks all his teammates will be gone. Contador just has to follow Froome and then counter (easier said than done, I know).

 

[Campervan man]

Re:

Oh oh I've got a great feeling about this year. It's going to be amazing

Let's hope so the Tour would benefit from a non Froome win, but also an Alberto win against a top shape Froome would be epic. Look at the previous damage on that knee though. I pray the Tours a close contest for all three podium spots.

 

[Electress]

I'll be interested to see how Froome takes to being defending champion again. He did not like it much in 2014 (where he was not at the Tsf in the same mental or physical shape as AC IMO. I think one has also to consider that he'll be a father - it may inspire him but it might also alter priorities and preparation.

I agree on Aru vs Quintana. I just don't see Quintana having the game - he's a conservative rider. And hasn't lived up to the hype of early development. Aru isn't always wise but he'll attack and fight to the end. He'll be one to watch because he isn't so predictable.

AC looks in pretty good shape. I think it might be to his advantage that he's not being hyped as a huge favourite.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Re:

I

I agree on Aru vs Quintana. I just don't see Quintana having the game - he's a conservative rider. And hasn't lived up to the hype of early development.

Quintana is indeed quite a conservative rider. Or at least he's the most conservative of the "big 4" GC men. But I can't really agree that he hasn't lived up to the hype. In the last three years he has won the Giro and come second to Froome twice in the Tour. That's an excellent record for someone who is more a specialist climber than a balanced GC rider. On the evidence of last year he may well be the very best climber, at the very worst he's been in a class of two on recent years performances.

 

[dacooley]

the only potential problem is Quintana's really able to win the tour in a conservative style with few brilliant attacks in the mountains. i find it quite possible.

 

[Miburo]

Quintana is a pussy, this guy is lucky contador isn't the same age as him cause otherwise he wouldn't have won *** in his career.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

Quintana is a pussy, this guy is lucky contador isn't the same age as him cause otherwise he wouldn't have won **** in his career.

I prefer Aru as a rider, he just attacks attacks attacks

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

AC looks in pretty good shape. I think it might be to his advantage that he's not being hyped as a huge favourite.

I think so too, but that might change if he has a good spring campaign.

 

[Pricey_sky]

Re: Re:

AC looks in pretty good shape. I think it might be to his advantage that he's not being hyped as a huge favourite.

I think so too, but that might change if he has a good spring campaign.

Yeah I agree, if he starts off really well and gets a few good wins he will go favourite. I'm interested to see how the contenders shape up in the early part of the season.

 

[Kwibus]

Re:

Did you guys see Alberto used the image I created of his 9 GT wins in his tweet?

Edit:

Nice one LaFlo.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

I'll be interested to see how Froome takes to being defending champion again. He did not like it much in 2014 (where he was not at the Tsf in the same mental or physical shape as AC IMO. I think one has also to consider that he'll be a father - it may inspire him but it might also alter priorities and preparation.

I agree on Aru vs Quintana. I just don't see Quintana having the game - he's a conservative rider. And hasn't lived up to the hype of early development. Aru isn't always wise but he'll attack and fight to the end. He'll be one to watch because he isn't so predictable.

AC looks in pretty good shape. I think it might be to his advantage that he's not being hyped as a huge favourite.

Let me rephrase the last sentence: Lets hope he doesn't read in the Alberto Contador-thread on the CN Forum.

 

[Kwibus]

Re: Re:

Quintana ain't gonna wake up earlier. But Aru might just do what he did at last years Giro and attack, attack, attack never mind. And that's actually Contador's big chance to caught out a vulnerable Froome at some point of the Tour!

just my 2 cents.

I agree, i feel Aru is The unknown quantity among the main racers. Apart from Contador, none of them have really raced 3 weeks battling it out with him. I mean, Quintana did at the Giro but 2 years ago, and he wasn't among the GC leaders at the Vuelta last year.

Also, he is the most quickly developing. Quintana has pretty much reached his peak, he'll keep improving but very slowly, Aru has not got there yet and will get there in a couple of years. Over the past 3 years no one has improved as quickly as Aru has. Or at least, I don't think so.

Aru needs to pace himself during the TDF - he is the type of rider who will go full throttle nearly all the time, and sometimes put himself into the red. Sometimes he needs to accept losing 20 or 30 seconds in a stage and regroup the next day.

I hope he will never do that and that he will stay aggresive/offensive like he has done so far. Taking risks! We need those riders so badly!

 

[Valv.Piti]

Yeah, Aru could be the key. At least to a very good race. I still think the Tour 2015 was relatively good, I liked the 4 last mountain stages since they were raced super hard on the climbs leading up to the final climb and the PSM-stage was the collision we all had waited for.

 

[Angliru]

Re:

Quintana is a pussy, this guy is lucky contador isn't the same age as him cause otherwise he wouldn't have won **** in his career.

Why must you go so far over the top? How can he be what you say, being 2nd in Tour twice, winning a Giro, all before he is even 26 years old? What had you done with your life at 26 to make you so damn high and mighty?

 

[portugal11]

Re:

Quintana is a pussy, this guy is lucky contador isn't the same age as him cause otherwise he wouldn't have won **** in his career.

Finally a guy with a brain

 

[dacooley]

Re:

Quintana is a pussy, this guy is lucky contador isn't the same age as him cause otherwise he wouldn't have won **** in his career.

the opposite side of the medal is that bertie's career is very fortunate too, if contador had the opponents of nairito's and froome's calibre throughout his whole career he wouldn't have won 10 grand tours that's for sure.