Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[Matteo.]

He looks lean anyway , but his face...uhm.
Maybe it was only a bad day , i don't expect great things tomorrow but Malhao wil be crucial

 

[sir fly]

Re:

Still nothing, normally we would have heard an excuse by now, shocking

There's this

I can see the disappointment.
I'm waiting to hear what caused it.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

Given how much illness has been flying around, I'm surprised no one's suggested he's a victim of the Spanish flu

Would he not have told a reporter "Yeah, bad result but not unexpected, I've been a bit under the weather since last week" in that case?

 

[Carols]

Re:

Still nothing, normally we would have heard an excuse by now, shocking

There's this

He looks totally spent and his age .

Better days ahead though, hopefully.

 

[Electress]

Let's not hit the panic button, overreact, because Bertie hasn't bludgeoned the field to death. It's still early in the ballgame. All that matters is that he's at his best in July, right?

This.

I mean, I'm disappointed, but the guy is human. In a weird way, I take a little bit of comfort that something is so obviously not right…rather than he's just a bit meh. Suggests that there might be a specific reason for it. But maybe I'm doing mental gymnastics trying to make myself feel better. Who knows.

He could probably could do with a burger.

 

[Tonton]

Let's not hit the panic button, overreact, because Bertie hasn't bludgeoned the field to death. It's still early in the ballgame. All that matters is that he's at his best in July, right?

This.

I mean, I'm disappointed, but the guy is human. In a weird way, I take a little bit of comfort that something is so obviously not right…rather than he's just a bit meh. Suggests that there might be a specific reason for it. But maybe I'm doing mental gymnastics trying to make myself feel better. Who knows.

He could probably could do with a burger.

A little meat goes a long way . I just read Pinot's post race comments in l'Equipe, and what I gather is that Thibaut (and everyone else) spent a lot of energy trying to get shelter from the wind all day, that his muscles are aching and that he feels spent. Bertie looks exactly like that. According to Pinot, in the final, the road was easier with side winds, it was about power more than pure climbing. Which BTW may also explain Panzer's excellent performance. Tough day, even tougher if you're building up and nowhere near in top shape.

 

[Jelantik]

well, at least he knows where he stands as far as his form and TDF is still 6 months away. But I won't indulge myself by saying.. the form will be there. (said that, done that in the past). I will just enjoying whatever he shows up this year. *bring the popcorn*

 

[sir fly]

While we're waiting for the statement, I'll try to spin it the way we'll like it.
Already in the first half of the stage he wasn't feeling well, so ordered his team to step at the front, keep him safe and preparing the bluff on the Pomba.
The bluff proved to be perfectly executed since everybody thought he feels well, making them reluctant to attack and gain more time.

Throw in the wind and first race, and you have a hope again.

He outsmarted them all again!

 

[Jelantik]

Alberto has completed 20 ° to 24 "

Loses time to Aru and everyone else who counts.

I know it's his first race but my expectations were higher. Back to earth!

earth calling alberto.. nanu..nanu... LOL

 

[Jelantik]

Re:

I wonder why Contador is the type of rider who has to start really strong for the year while so many others who have won GTs lately have been horrible bar Froome.

Evans, Aru, Rodriguez, Nibali do not even show anything until Tirreno time

But Froome competed with 2 WT team in his first race. Not many contenders who can push him around. Algarve, Alberto got more competitors and some have raced already. Not that I'm making an excuse. Just to put things in perspective to compare these two on their first season race.

 

[bladerunner]

Re: Re:

I wonder why Contador is the type of rider who has to start really strong for the year while so many others who have won GTs lately have been horrible bar Froome.

Evans, Aru, Rodriguez, Nibali do not even show anything until Tirreno time

But Froome competed with 2 WT team in his first race. Not many contenders who can push him around. Algarve, Alberto got more competitors and some have raced already. Not that I'm making an excuse. Just to put things in perspective to compare these two on their first season race.

At his peak, he won Algarve in 2009 and 2010 without trying too hard. Forward to 2016, Contador is wasting too much time thinking about his new team for 2017. When did anyone last see Contador finish behind Tony Martin on a uphill finish? Well, that is what happened today.

He has been a Great Great Grand Tour rider of his generation but I'm afraid age has caught up with him and he has not been focusing enough on the one thing that matters to him - Le Tour. I would dearly like to see the Olde Contador come back to fight with Froome in July but it is clear that the rest of the pack has surpassed Contador.

 

[SevenTimeTdfChamp]

Re: Re:

I wonder why Contador is the type of rider who has to start really strong for the year while so many others who have won GTs lately have been horrible bar Froome.

Evans, Aru, Rodriguez, Nibali do not even show anything until Tirreno time

But Froome competed with 2 WT team in his first race. Not many contenders who can push him around. Algarve, Alberto got more competitors and some have raced already. Not that I'm making an excuse. Just to put things in perspective to compare these two on their first season race.

At his peak, he won Algarve in 2009 and 2010 without trying too hard. Forward to 2016, Contador is wasting too much time thinking about his new team for 2017. He has been a Great Great Grand Tour rider of his generation but I'm afraid age has caught up with him and he has not been focusing enough on the one thing that matters to him - Le Tour. I would dearly like to see the Olde Contador come back to fight with Froome in July but it is clear that the rest of the pack has surpassed Contador.

"it is clear that the rest of the pack has surpassed Contador" Really ? after his first race day of the season? Yeah he isnt a young man anymoore who can just lay on a beach some were and go on the win the giro but i dont think he needs to be the old Contador anymoore. Look at the 2015 giro .. he won that race on pure expirence.. Plus the guys he i raceing against in Algarve has moore raceing days in their legs and Contador said him selv that his numbers have never been better at this point of the season.. Dont loose hope yet guys

 

[LaFlorecita]

http://ciclismo.as.com/ciclismo/2016/02/18/mas_ciclismo/1455823401_809128.html

Says he lacked rhythm and cadence and he hopes to be better for P-N. Says the wind was hard for him and in the final km he did not have enough speed in his legs to stay with the best.

 

[LaFlorecita]

“I think Alberto was going well", added sport director Sean Yates, "but he took too much wind. It was a long day, a very windy day and he tried his way until the final climb but in the end the strongest man won and he was excluded. We had hoped for better."

 

[sir fly]

O.K....
He's slightly underprepared and aware of it. Nothing dramatic, yet.

 

[PremierAndrew]

Anyone got a link for the highlights? Can't find anything but a 10 sec vid of the finish

 

[rhubroma]

That Alberto finished 9 sec behind Tony Martin means that cycling is upside down, in the sense that now even monster men can hang and accellerate on short climbs. The TT will thus be interesting.

 

[calleking]

The climb wasn't very steep or long and with a headwind some guys with lots of power will do decent. From what I understood in spanish media Tinkoff pushed hard on the penultimate climb and he took some wind there. When they hit the last climb he wasn't able to follow the surges and couldn't really draft behind anyone. I still expected a bit more but we'll see how things turn out tomorrow. Perhaps he has been working on his threshold wattage mostly and not shorter/harder efforts.

 

[Jakub]

Well actually it was a shock.

 

[HelloDolly]

He needs to eat more ....too thin and looks tired from it...its a long way to JUly....eat more now

 

[rm7]

Surely he isn't as bad as the result indicates. Something went wrong. Seriously, look at the guys in front of him.....

Having said that, it's also sound as an excuse that he wasn't as good as he thought he would be. When have you ever heard a topclass climber saying "i took too much wind". Come on....

Btw he haven't really been racing since the Tour last year. It's 7 months since his last real race. A lot of the other guys raced to the end of the season and started earlier than him.

Doesn't think the TT will tell a lot, but it could be an indicator for his general form, but not his climbing form.

 

[sir fly]

Paris - Nice should definitely show if he'll struggle throughout the season, or is on time with the build up.
March is important intermediate indicator for a rider who rides (races) the way he rides.

 

[johnymax]

I'm not worried about Alberto. Even if he doesn't win the Tour he'll bring spectacle to the races. It's still early but I'm sure he'll be in the mix for the win in every race he enters. So just enjoy his ride while we can.

 

[Tonton]

He'd better win the Tour or Froome will win it and I'll jump out the window.

 

[TMP402]

I don't think Benoot being in front of him is such an insult. Benoot can climb - as he showed in the Dauphiné. It's not like being behind Stannard or something.