Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[Valv.Piti]

Re: Re:

Achieved this Giro, i'm already ready for Dauphinè and then the Tour.
I'm looking forward for the MTT, vamos Alberto!!

Yeah, let's move on to hopefully more serious and fair racing and nothing happens to Alberto. This Giro was a running joke.

What wasn't fair about this Giro?

 

[portugal11]

Re: Re:

Achieved this Giro, i'm already ready for Dauphinè and then the Tour.
I'm looking forward for the MTT, vamos Alberto!!

Yeah, let's move on to hopefully more serious and fair racing and nothing happens to Alberto. This Giro was a running joke.

What wasn't fair about this Giro?

The winner... and valverde making podium

 

[Matteo.]

Re: Re:

Achieved this Giro, i'm already ready for Dauphinè and then the Tour.
I'm looking forward for the MTT, vamos Alberto!!

Yeah, let's move on to hopefully more serious and fair racing and nothing happens to Alberto. This Giro was a running joke.

Yes, you've already said everything mate.
I don't know if he will win the Tour but seeing the spring of Alberto( closed with Pais Vasco), i'm pretty confident he 'll ''play his cards''. I just hope he does not have bad luck as in these last few years. Bad luck that it seems very fit at this time on peloton . Finger crossed

 

[Miburo]

Every race should start like this

 

[Pantani Attacks]

You need to watch this video from time to time just to feel good about cycling again. I wish an updated version was made though.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEXJx-7hHeI

 

[BlurryVII]

Re: Re:

Achieved this Giro, i'm already ready for Dauphinè and then the Tour.
I'm looking forward for the MTT, vamos Alberto!!

Yeah, let's move on to hopefully more serious and fair racing and nothing happens to Alberto. This Giro was a running joke.

What wasn't fair about this Giro?

Uh oh, really? Nothing is unfair to you anyway. Got your money? That's all that matters.

Race leader crashes out in Paris stage with 10 mins lead, you'd argue 2nd place deserves to win especially if it brings you money. Contador goes for Giro-Tour double, still fair, you use Tour 15' to say Quintana kicked his ass. Keep it up. Everything's fair, everything counts.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

You need to watch this video from time to time just to feel good about cycling again. I wish an updated version was made though.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEXJx-7hHeI

I have a list with youtube videos of all the highlights from Alberto's long career, I always like to watch stage 8 of the 2006 Tour de Suisse when I am feeling down

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re: Re:

Achieved this Giro, i'm already ready for Dauphinè and then the Tour.
I'm looking forward for the MTT, vamos Alberto!!

Yeah, let's move on to hopefully more serious and fair racing and nothing happens to Alberto. This Giro was a running joke.

What wasn't fair about this Giro?

Uh oh, really? Nothing is unfair to you anyway. Got your money? That's all that matters.

Race leader crashes out in Paris stage with 10 mins lead, you'd argue 2nd place deserves to win especially if it brings you money. Contador goes for Giro-Tour double, still fair, you use Tour 15' to say Quintana kicked his ***. Keep it up. Everything's fair, everything counts.

You are the definition of an extremist. Calm down, matey. Krujswijk obviously had his limitations on the downhill and payed for it, but it wasn't unfair - descending is part of the game.

 

[BlurryVII]

Re: Re:

Achieved this Giro, i'm already ready for Dauphinè and then the Tour.
I'm looking forward for the MTT, vamos Alberto!!

Yeah, let's move on to hopefully more serious and fair racing and nothing happens to Alberto. This Giro was a running joke.

What wasn't fair about this Giro?

Uh oh, really? Nothing is unfair to you anyway. Got your money? That's all that matters.

Race leader crashes out in Paris stage with 10 mins lead, you'd argue 2nd place deserves to win especially if it brings you money. Contador goes for Giro-Tour double, still fair, you use Tour 15' to say Quintana kicked his ***. Keep it up. Everything's fair, everything counts.

You are the definition of an extremist. Calm down, matey. Krujswijk obviously had his limitations on the downhill and payed for it, but it wasn't unfair - descending is part of the game.

He had an almost 5 min lead on Nib, had he not crashed, he'd have won. The best man didn't win, simple as that. In that sense, the Giro wasn't fair.

"Descending is part of the game", Crashes are part of the game too, it doesn't make the result fair.

 

[Valv.Piti]

I think many would disagree with your assessment about it not being 'fair', me included, but there is no doubt about Kruijswijk was the strongest up until he crashed. But unfortunately, being able to handle your bike in tricky situations, staying upright, catching the right echelons and such things is a must when riding GT's - being better than your opposition in those areas but not necessarily demolishing them uphill at every given opportunity doesn't make it unfair IMO.

Anyways, no more of this. We will never agree on anything.

 

[damian13ster]

Results are fair. To win you need to be the best rider in a race that includes ascents, descents, tts, flat, etc. Nibali was the best, Kruijswijk wasn't. As simple as that. If you try to follow the best on a downhill without having skills to do so, you might get burned. Kruijswijk lost because his own overconfidence and stupidity. He didn't need to follow the wheel there but got hot-headed

 

[Baldinger]

If Nibali had taken SK out by pushing him out from a cliff then it wouldn't be a fair win. But he did not.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Okay if we could just take these discussions where they belong.. people are discussing Nibali in the Contador thread and Contador in the Nibali thread

 

[BlurryVII]

Re:

Results are fair. To win you need to be the best rider in a race that includes ascents, descents, tts, flat, etc. Nibali was the best, Kruijswijk wasn't. As simple as that. If you try to follow the best on a downhill without having skills to do so, you might get burned. Kruijswijk lost because his own overconfidence and stupidity. He didn't need to follow the wheel there but got hot-headed

So that one unlucky mistake on SK's part, makes Nibali the best and results fair. Just like when Contador tried to reach for his back pocket and hit that bump at the wrong moment. Automatically made Nibali the best in that Tour cause Contador doesn't know how to ride a bike lol. Sure thing.

It's called luck and it's random. Nibali has crashed plenty of times in his career, just never happened to him in a GT iirc, while bad luck striking his main rivals in 3 of the 4 GTs he won.

 

[Gigs_98]

Let's hope that Contador rides the giro next year and we finally get a fight between Contador and Nibali both in top shape...although no, considering this years giro I would actually prefer both to be not in top shape so they can do a 100 km attack together

 

[portugal11]

Re: Re:

Results are fair. To win you need to be the best rider in a race that includes ascents, descents, tts, flat, etc. Nibali was the best, Kruijswijk wasn't. As simple as that. If you try to follow the best on a downhill without having skills to do so, you might get burned. Kruijswijk lost because his own overconfidence and stupidity. He didn't need to follow the wheel there but got hot-headed

So that one unlucky mistake on SK's part, makes Nibali the best and results fair. Just like when Contador tried to reach for his back pocket and hit that bump at the wrong moment. Automatically made Nibali the best in that Tour cause Contador doesn't know how to ride a bike lol. Sure thing.

It's called luck and it's random. Nibali has crashed plenty of times in his career, just never happened to him in a GT iirc, while bad luck striking his main rivals in 3 of the 4 GTs he won.

You are so right, thanks god that i'm not the only one

 

[damian13ster]

Re: Re:

Results are fair. To win you need to be the best rider in a race that includes ascents, descents, tts, flat, etc. Nibali was the best, Kruijswijk wasn't. As simple as that. If you try to follow the best on a downhill without having skills to do so, you might get burned. Kruijswijk lost because his own overconfidence and stupidity. He didn't need to follow the wheel there but got hot-headed

So that one unlucky mistake on SK's part, makes Nibali the best and results fair. Just like when Contador tried to reach for his back pocket and hit that bump at the wrong moment. Automatically made Nibali the best in that Tour cause Contador doesn't know how to ride a bike lol. Sure thing.

It's called luck and it's random. Nibali has crashed plenty of times in his career, just never happened to him in a GT iirc, while bad luck striking his main rivals in 3 of the 4 GTs he won.

There was no luck involved here. One is just a skilled descender, and the other one lacks skill in this department and paid for his overconfidence. Kruijswijk just lacked skill (either better bike handling, or being able to assess his own limitations) to win this Giro, as simple as that. He didn't get taken out by another rider, he didn't get hit by a meteorite. He just wasn't good enough at cycling. Same goes with Contador in 2014. Intelligence and assessing one's abilities is a skill required to win a GT

 

[BlurryVII]

Re: Re:

There was no luck involved here. One is just a skilled descender, and the other one lacks skill in this department and paid for his overconfidence. Kruijswijk just lacked skill (either better bike handling, or being able to assess his own limitations) to win this Giro, as simple as that. He didn't get taken out by another rider, he didn't get hit by a meteorite. He just wasn't good enough at cycling. Same goes with Contador in 2014. Intelligence and assessing one's abilities is a skill required to win a GT

Yep, Professional cyclists Alberto Contador and Kruijswijk just weren't good enough at cycling unfortunately. No for real, I forgot Contador was so horrific at descending as well. My bad.

Congrats Nibali, you rode your bike at perfection once again.

 

[damian13ster]

Yep, they weren't good enough to win. Nibali was better in both cases

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

I mean, I am as happy as anyone on this forum that my man Nibbles won, but it is very easy to understand why people think SK was stronger. And since this is an AC thread, I can't wait to see his shape this dauphine

 

[Brullnux]

Re: Re:

Results are fair. To win you need to be the best rider in a race that includes ascents, descents, tts, flat, etc. Nibali was the best, Kruijswijk wasn't. As simple as that. If you try to follow the best on a downhill without having skills to do so, you might get burned. Kruijswijk lost because his own overconfidence and stupidity. He didn't need to follow the wheel there but got hot-headed

So that one unlucky mistake on SK's part, makes Nibali the best and results fair. Just like when Contador tried to reach for his back pocket and hit that bump at the wrong moment. Automatically made Nibali the best in that Tour cause Contador doesn't know how to ride a bike lol. Sure thing.

It's called luck and it's random. Nibali has crashed plenty of times in his career, just never happened to him in a GT iirc, while bad luck striking his main rivals in 3 of the 4 GTs he won.

Crashing is not bad luck. You cannot have an 'unlucky mistake', as a mistake by definition does not include luck. Kruijswijk took a corner completely wrong, no luck included at all. He himself said so.

Contador made a badly timed judgement call in 2014, on a very pot-holed road. He knew there was a chance of him hitting one, but did it. He took a risk, it didn't pay off. 99% of the time they would, but there they didn't. With every single small action in a GT you are taking a risk, just as you are in training and everything else. I don't think it was wise to do so and it was certainly avoidable. It was not as unlucky, say, as a cat running into the middle of the road out of nowhere and making you fall. Contador's can be attributed IMO to a series of things aligning and not a great decision. Some luck maybe, but I do not believe in luck in sport that much per se.

Back on topic, now for Dauphine. I hope the Tour will be as exciting. I dream of some great battles between the top 3 and some beautiful long range attacks from Aru and Pinot especially; thorns in the side of the big guns. You never know too, maybe Nibali will have a go or two as well.

 

[BlurryVII]

Contador, winner of 9 GTs, doesn't know how to assess his own abilities on a bike too, damn I forgot about that as well.

Nope, we said luck has nothing to do with that.

 

[BlurryVII]

Re:

Yep, they weren't lucky enough to win. Nibali was better in both cases

Fixed that for you

 

[damian13ster]

Re:

Contador, winner of 9 GTs, doesn't know how to assess his own abilities on a bike too, damn I forgot about that as well.

Nope, we said luck has nothing to do with that.

Yeah, he felt great in 2014, previous winner already crashed out, the season was going well, Nibali didn't show much before Tour, of course that made Contador feel confident. And confidence can very easily lead to mistakes, such as the ones Kruijswijk and Contador made. They made poor decisions and paid for it. As simple as that. Why is it so hard to understand? GTs are not only about who can push the most W/kg

 

[Red Rick]

Wansn't the strongest, so didn't won unfairly. Uuuuhh Contador 2012 Vuelta? Cmon Blurry, don't be an idiot