Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[BlurryVII]

The thing with the Giro 08' is that he got better towards the end of the race and was able to defend his jersey, he was struggling much more in the first 2 weeks which makes your point even more wrong.

 

[PremierAndrew]

Re: Re:

2013 hilly tt was a sign of fading as well, though he won the tt due to a tactical error from the others.

If thats what fading means, I think Froome will be in for a good July.

That, or he's just not great at hilly tt's. Because honestly, if I see a guy winning by minutes in the mountains, and gaining minutes in a flat tt, I don't expect that he can only just win the hilly tt because he switched his bike.

Take a look at the other riders there. Had that tt been in the first two weeks he'd have smashed it

I can't remember them going up against each other in similar ITT's and I don't buy the argument that Froome is significantly worse than Contador in that discipline.

Vuelta 12' when Froome still had the shape, and Vuelta 14' hilly ITT's, both dominated by Contador.

In Dauphiné 14', Froome was behind Contador in the intermediate at the summit of the climb and then just gained a ridiculous amount on the second flat part.

Froome showed nothing after the Vuelta 12 ITT to suggest that he hadn't already lost his form at the end of the first week. I highly doubt that the best climber in the Tour and 3rd best TTist at the Olympics wouldn't have won that ITT if he was in good shape.

And in Dauphine 14, that's just Froome pacing himself better than Contador

 

[Miburo]

Tour '07 is a terrible example.

He had rode a great ITT and he was 24. He blew himself up on the last MTF but on peyresourde he was amazing.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Some nice photos of the Marcha Contador on Sunday here
https://t.co/lm4p0wDGAg

 

[LaFlorecita]

Alberto confirms he will race the Spanish championships Road race, I would love to see him in the TT but it seems he will skip that one
Of course it would be amazing if he could win the road race but it's not very likely.

 

[Matteo.]

Re:

[*]

Alberto confirms he will race the Spanish championships Road race, I would love to see him in the TT but it seems he will skip that one
Of course it would be amazing if he could win the road race but it's not very likely.

How is the route? Since you said he could win

 

[Gigs_98]

Alberto in a national champs Jersey? Would be cool but unfortunately we wouldnt see it in the tour anyway because he will wear yellow all the time

 

[Miburo]

If he wins the dauphine he'll win the tour. My record is flawless.

3-2-2-1-1-1 then. 1 time 3rd, 2 times 2nd and 3 times 1st. Can't argue with that

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

[*]

Alberto confirms he will race the Spanish championships Road race, I would love to see him in the TT but it seems he will skip that one
Of course it would be amazing if he could win the road race but it's not very likely.

How is the route? Since you said he could win

I don't know, but it is unlikely to be completely flat and anyway, only Luis Leon in top shape could beat Alberto in top shape. Castroviejo is still recovering from his crash I believe.

 

[bajbar]

Re:

If he wins the dauphine he'll win the tour. My record is flawless.

3-2-2-1-1-1 then. 1 time 3rd, 2 times 2nd and 3 times 1st. Can't argue with that

Like in 2014 where it was 2nd-1st-2nd-1st-2nd-*-1st

The pattern was there. But he didn't finish the Tour (still won the Vuleta though just to keep the streak going)

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

[*]

Alberto confirms he will race the Spanish championships Road race, I would love to see him in the TT but it seems he will skip that one
Of course it would be amazing if he could win the road race but it's not very likely.

How is the route? Since you said he could win

I don't know, but it is unlikely to be completely flat and anyway, only Luis Leon in top shape could beat Alberto in top shape. Castroviejo is still recovering from his crash I believe.

Here's the route (6 circuits of this):

Pretty rolling course, will be difficult for Contador to get away, but you never know in the nacionales.

 

[Taxus4a]

He said he is feeling much better than last year, but.. what does it means?

We are just 5 days after Giro d Italia... he was tired obviously...later he was to Suisse and take rest...

If he means he is better now than when he started le Tour last year I dont believe him.. he is going to go to le Tour in a better condition, yes, clearly better?, we will see...

 

[Carols]

"After The Dauphiné, I will have to recover and depending on how I feel, we will apply more or less intensity to my training. I will concentrate on keeping working, but the difference will be that I will take part at the Spanish Road Championship, thinking about the Tour as well as about participating in a one-day race, such as the Olympics, even if they aren't comparable."

Alberto is doing the nationals partially to prep for Rio, getting a 1 day race under this belt. Good strategy even if he can't win it.

 

[BlurryVII]

Re:

He said he is feeling much better than last year, but.. what does it means?

We are just 5 days after Giro d Italia... he was tired obviously...later he was to Suisse and take rest...

If he means he is better now than when he started le Tour last year I dont believe him.. he is going to go to le Tour in a better condition, yes, clearly better?, we will see...

Of course he is, by a long shot.

His form throughout the whole spring starting from Paris Nice was better than his Tour 15' shape. Try to put things in perspective, it's not because it's the freaking "TDF" that Contador is 'strong/ in top form' which you always desperately try to show.

His 2014 form in every race was better than his Tour 13' / 15' shape by a country mile.

It's incredible this tendency of people to think that everything that happens at the Tour is fair and square, the ultimate truth to believe and whatnot. Nope, it's not.

 

[Publicus]

Re:

He said he is feeling much better than last year, but.. what does it means?

We are just 5 days after Giro d Italia... he was tired obviously...later he was to Suisse and take rest...

If he means he is better now than when he started le Tour last year I dont believe him.. he is going to go to le Tour in a better condition, yes, clearly better?, we will see...

He rode the freaking GIRO last year!!! Of course he feels better this year compared to last year at this point. You're a hater dude. Jeebus

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

[*]

Alberto confirms he will race the Spanish championships Road race, I would love to see him in the TT but it seems he will skip that one
Of course it would be amazing if he could win the road race but it's not very likely.

How is the route? Since you said he could win

I don't know, but it is unlikely to be completely flat and anyway, only Luis Leon in top shape could beat Alberto in top shape. Castroviejo is still recovering from his crash I believe.

Here's the route (6 circuits of this):

Pretty rolling course, will be difficult for Contador to get away, but you never know in the nacionales.

Oh, I thought Matteo meant the ITT. Do you have a profile for that one as well?

 

[ILovecycling]

Re: Re:

He said he is feeling much better than last year, but.. what does it means?

We are just 5 days after Giro d Italia... he was tired obviously...later he was to Suisse and take rest...

If he means he is better now than when he started le Tour last year I dont believe him.. he is going to go to le Tour in a better condition, yes, clearly better?, we will see...

He rode the freaking GIRO last year!!! Of course he feels better this year compared to last year at this point. You're a hater dude. Jeebus

Ignore

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

[*]

Alberto confirms he will race the Spanish championships Road race, I would love to see him in the TT but it seems he will skip that one
Of course it would be amazing if he could win the road race but it's not very likely.

How is the route? Since you said he could win

I don't know, but it is unlikely to be completely flat and anyway, only Luis Leon in top shape could beat Alberto in top shape. Castroviejo is still recovering from his crash I believe.

Here's the route (6 circuits of this):

Pretty rolling course, will be difficult for Contador to get away, but you never know in the nacionales.

Oh, I thought Matteo meant the ITT. Do you have a profile for that one as well?

Sure, here you go:

Looks like he'd have a good chance at that; although the hill in the middle is perhaps too easy though. Still, in Spain the competition for Crono is not so high, so he'd surely start as favourite. Shame they didn't go the other way from Ibi and climb Xorret de Cati - then he would be nailed on for victory!

 

[Taxus4a]

Re: Re:

He said he is feeling much better than last year, but.. what does it means?

We are just 5 days after Giro d Italia... he was tired obviously...later he was to Suisse and take rest...

If he means he is better now than when he started le Tour last year I dont believe him.. he is going to go to le Tour in a better condition, yes, clearly better?, we will see...

Of course he is, by a long shot.

His form throughout the whole spring starting from Paris Nice was better than his Tour 15' shape. Try to put things in perspective, it's not because it's the freaking "TDF" that Contador is 'strong/ in top form' which you always desperately try to show.

His 2014 form in every race was better than his Tour 13' / 15' shape by a country mile.

It's incredible this tendency of people to think that everything that happens at the Tour is fair and square, the ultimate truth to believe and whatnot. Nope, it's not.

Yes, I think, not so sure, but I think in Pais Vasco he was better than last year Tour, at least with more spark, as he uses to say... but Contador uses to have a peak in the spring, later he go to dauohine not at his beast, just thinking to build up his shape to le Tour, as is logical, and the same of most of Tour contenders... so now he is at his 80, he will finish Dauohine at his 90, and I think he was in last Tour at his 90 of his potential, or maybe more, so now he is not so good, but of course he is better than last year at this moment, when he just finished il Giro, obvious.. although people who came from il Giro are now the stronger for first days of Dauohine.. as Intxausti showed last year, or Amador others...

 

[Taxus4a]

Re: Re:

Just as a data, Ibi is the town of Ruben Plaza, former spanish champion.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

Sure, here you go:

Looks like he'd have a good chance at that; although the hill in the middle is perhaps too easy though. Still, in Spain the competition for Crono is not so high, so he'd surely start as favourite. Shame they didn't go the other way from Ibi and climb Xorret de Cati - then he would be nailed on for victory!

thanks! Yes, it's not 100% perfect for him, but in spain there aren't many other contenders. A shame he decided to skip it it could have been a good test for the Tour and would have been nice to take the title

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

Just as a data, Ibi is the town of Ruben Plaza, former spanish champion.

So, I guess he will take part in the ITT?

 

[BlurryVII]

 

[bajbar]

Double post...

 

[CheckMyPecs]

Ah, the days when Plaza was a promising young rider... He did live up to the expectations, but probably in a different way from what everyone expected.