Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[buchanan]

'Since he was busted because of those clinic issues, he's been half the rider he once was.
Not to mention all those suspicious bike changes.
Just look at Balaverde and see the differences.

This is the final nail in the coffin.
He's done.
He's totally lost credibility. Speaking PR ****** just because he couldn't win the Tour anymore.
This is no champion. Nibs never ever thought of abandoning. And still.
Where's the heart of the champ when it matters?'

Abandoning is the best thing he ever did. He was clearly hurt and sick. What would be the point of continuing? It's moronic to suggest he should have battled on while ill. He's probably now a reasonable favourite to win the Vuelta and add a 10th Grand Tour to his palmares.

 

[bob.a.feet]

Since he was busted because of those clinic issues, he's been half the rider he once was.
Not to mention all those suspicious bike changes.
Just look at Balaverde and see the differences.

This is the final nail in the coffin.
He's done.
He's totally lost credibility. Speaking PR ****** just because he couldn't win the Tour anymore.
This is no champion. Nibs never ever thought of abandoning. And still.
Where's the heart of the champ when it matters?

You have obviously never watched cycling.

 

[Miburo]

I mean Contador can win 8 stages in this vuelta, but he's not greedy. 5 is enough

 

[Angliru]

Since he was busted because of those clinic issues, he's been half the rider he once was.
Not to mention all those suspicious bike changes.
Just look at Balaverde and see the differences.

This is the final nail in the coffin.
He's done.
He's totally lost credibility. Speaking PR ****** just because he couldn't win the Tour anymore.
This is no champion. Nibs never ever thought of abandoning. And still.
Where's the heart of the champ when it matters?

You have obviously never watched cycling.

Oh, he's watched it. He just obviously doesn't understand it.

 

[bob.a.feet]

Since he was busted because of those clinic issues, he's been half the rider he once was.
Not to mention all those suspicious bike changes.
Just look at Balaverde and see the differences.

This is the final nail in the coffin.
He's done.
He's totally lost credibility. Speaking PR ****** just because he couldn't win the Tour anymore.
This is no champion. Nibs never ever thought of abandoning. And still.
Where's the heart of the champ when it matters?

You have obviously never watched cycling.

Oh, he's watched it. He just obviously doesn't understand it.

I highly doubt that you can get TV reception on the moon. :lol:

EDIT: I wasn't hating on him as such, just trying to make a terrible joke .

 

[Pantani Attacks]

Since he was busted because of those clinic issues, he's been half the rider he once was.
Not to mention all those suspicious bike changes.
Just look at Balaverde and see the differences.

This is the final nail in the coffin.
He's done.
He's totally lost credibility. Speaking PR ****** just because he couldn't win the Tour anymore.
This is no champion. Nibs never ever thought of abandoning. And still.
Where's the heart of the champ when it matters?

Says the guy with a Wiggins avatar :lol:

 

[arvc40]

Since he was busted because of those clinic issues, he's been half the rider he once was.
Not to mention all those suspicious bike changes.
Just look at Balaverde and see the differences.

This is the final nail in the coffin.
He's done.
He's totally lost credibility. Speaking PR ****** just because he couldn't win the Tour anymore.
This is no champion. Nibs never ever thought of abandoning. And still.
Where's the heart of the champ when it matters?

Lol........

 

[Red Rick]

Since he was busted because of those clinic issues, he's been half the rider he once was.
Not to mention all those suspicious bike changes.
Just look at Balaverde and see the differences.

This is the final nail in the coffin.
He's done.
He's totally lost credibility. Speaking PR ****** just because he couldn't win the Tour anymore.
This is no champion. Nibs never ever thought of abandoning. And still.
Where's the heart of the champ when it matters?

In that case, I would love to have no credibility, be unable to win the Tour anymore, be no champion, and don't have the heart of the champ when it matters the most

 

[RedheadDane]

So, Little bit of useless statistic:

Last three times Contador has been unable to ride/finish the Tour he's gone on to win the Vuelta.

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

What a missed opportunity by going to Trek instead of Astana. The AC/Superman combo at the tour next year would have been beautiful (I'm assuming Aru wants the 100th giro)

 

[Kokoso]

Re: Re:

Vuelta is gonna get a pretty strong field

Vuelta is going to have quite weak field. This is why " I'm assuming a bunch of the top guys from the Tour will be there on a 2nd peak, which is usually a little lower".
That doesn't mean bad racing, quite on the contrary. I agree that given circumstances Contador sholud rule Vuelta with firm hand.

Don't rule out Kruijswijk. He's not weak at all.

I am not, he's on par or better than Contador if it is not in Spain.

I love how Contadors fanboys are ignoring or denying anything that doesn't glorify his image even if they now it's probably true. I don't really know thread of other champions like Froome, so I can't say if it's exceptional or not, but this is hilarious.

Anyway, did Alberto fall so much in first years of his career? I don't think so. I think that might be sign of nervosity because he was no longer convinced he's stronger than Frooma or Quintana. He too sees own decline, or other riders rise.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re: Re:

Vuelta is gonna get a pretty strong field

Vuelta is going to have quite weak field. This is why " I'm assuming a bunch of the top guys from the Tour will be there on a 2nd peak, which is usually a little lower".
That doesn't mean bad racing, quite on the contrary. I agree that given circumstances Contador sholud rule Vuelta with firm hand.

Don't rule out Kruijswijk. He's not weak at all.

I am not, he's on par or better than Contador if it is not in Spain.

I love how Contadors fanboys are ignoring or denying anything that doesn't glorify his image even if they now it's probably true. I don't really know thread of other champions like Froome, so I can't say if it's exceptional or not, but this is hilarious.

Anyway, did Alberto fall so much in first years of his career? I don't think so. I think that might be sign of nervosity because he was no longer convinced he's stronger than Frooma or Quintana. He too sees own decline, or other riders rise.

1) No he is not. Especially not on these parcours. Let Krujswijk win once first. I am not high on him as a GC contender, bar in the Giro. Contador will wreck him anyday in this upcoming Vuelta.

2) Your last point is also pretty questionable. I don't think the reason why he is crashing more is 'he is nervous about Froome and Quintana'. Cycling has changed dramatically since 2007, part bad luck, part bike handling which apparently isn't as good as we all thought it was.

 

[Pippo_San]

Such an outrage amongst Velasco's fans!
Hilarious.
And not a single interesting reply cause you know, what I actually stated stands true.


Another thing to reflect upon. I've never seen someone with a fever going on a full *** attack like him.
Even his team totally abandoned him. Go figure.
He just isn't there anymore.
It's over, deal with it.

 

[LeSensei]

Yes, Alberto is declining there is no doubt about that. Regardless, 10 years in the spotlight, winning against every single one rider to come and go since. Alberto will be declared World Heritage when he retires, whether it is to your liking or not.

The ***-ton of stuff he has accomplished encourages multiple debates. A man such as Wiggins who will become irrelevant in the history of cycling in say 10 years can't bring as much to the table.

 

[mufana]

Re: Re:

Vuelta is gonna get a pretty strong field

Vuelta is going to have quite weak field. This is why " I'm assuming a bunch of the top guys from the Tour will be there on a 2nd peak, which is usually a little lower".
That doesn't mean bad racing, quite on the contrary. I agree that given circumstances Contador sholud rule Vuelta with firm hand.

Don't rule out Kruijswijk. He's not weak at all.

I am not, he's on par or better than Contador if it is not in Spain.

I love how Contadors fanboys are ignoring or denying anything that doesn't glorify his image even if they now it's probably true. I don't really know thread of other champions like Froome, so I can't say if it's exceptional or not, but this is hilarious.

Anyway, did Alberto fall so much in first years of his career? I don't think so. I think that might be sign of nervosity because he was no longer convinced he's stronger than Frooma or Quintana. He too sees own decline, or other riders rise.

I heard someone say on tv (eurosport I think) that he's not the rider for Tour where everything is controlled by Sky and so predictable. It's difficult for someone like him (who rides with hearth and passion) to go up against them. A Giro or Vuelta is more unpredictable. Hence why Sky hasn't been able to win tours like those.

But I don't know. I don't think he's nervous. Why should he be? There's always gonna be someone out there who's younger. And at the of 33 he's still world class. Winning the Giro like he did last year was amazing. So decline!? I don't see any decline. Almost every race he rides he's top 5. Even in 2013 which is considered his worst ever year. That's the mark of a great racer.

 

[Kokoso]

Re: Re:

2) Your last point is also pretty questionable.

I'm aware of that and that's how I wrote that the way I did.

" part bike handling which apparently isn't as good as we all thought it was." Has it come to your mind that it could got worse?

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re: Re:

2) Your last point is also pretty questionable.

I'm aware of that and that's how I wrote that the way I did.

" part bike handling which apparently isn't as good as we all thought it was." Has it come to your mind that it could got worse?

Hmm, whatever. Im no Contador-fan, but not as fierce as a hater like you by any stretch (I assume its cause of Kreuzi). All I say is the assumption of Contador being scared of x rider = more crashes is pretty hilarious and, if you looked at the race profiles of the Vuelta, Contador is much, much suited to that race than Kruijswijk.

 

[Jspear]

Re:

Such an outrage amongst Velasco's fans!
Hilarious.
And not a single interesting reply cause you know, what I actually stated stands true.


Another thing to reflect upon. I've never seen someone with a fever going on a full *** attack like him.
Even his team totally abandoned him. Go figure.
He just isn't there anymore.
It's over, deal with it.

Sometimes people ignore a post like your previous one because it's so ridiculous - it's not worth responding to. If you paid attention to what's going on through out the cycling year, you would see why AC hasn't been so hot at the Tour in recent years. Post ban there's only been one year where he was terrible and it was all his fault - 2013. Every other year there has been obvious reasons as to why he didn't perform.

 

[Kokoso]

Re: Re:

1) I heard someone say on tv (eurosport I think) that he's not the rider for Tour where everything is controlled by Sky and so predictable.

2) It's difficult for someone like him (who rides with hearth and passion) to go up against them. A Giro or Vuelta is more unpredictable. Hence why Sky hasn't been able to win tours like those.

3) But I don't know. I don't think he's nervous. Why should he be? There's always gonna be someone out there who's younger. And at the of 33 he's still world class. Winning the Giro like he did last year was amazing. So decline!? I don't see any decline. Almost every race he rides he's top 5. Even in 2013 which is considered his worst ever year. That's the mark of a great racer.

ad 1) of course it's harder to ride against strong team which controlls race.

ad 2) that part with heart and passion...unnecessarily theatrical. Maybe Sky is winning Tour because they every year employ there their strongest team and strongest leader at best shape.

ad 3) why should be nervous? Because he feels there are better riders and his position as top dog is threatened.

No one says he isn't top class, you don't have to defend him against non existent accusations. Compare for example his last year Giro win with 2011 and you will see why he is declining.

 

[Kokoso]

Re: Re:

2) Your last point is also pretty questionable.

I'm aware of that and that's how I wrote that the way I did.

" part bike handling which apparently isn't as good as we all thought it was." Has it come to your mind that it could got worse?

Hmm, whatever. Im no Contador-fan, but not as fierce as a hater like you by any stretch (I assume its cause of Kreuzi). All I say is the assumption of Contador being scared of x rider = more crashes is pretty hilarious and, if you looked at the race profiles of the Vuelta, Contador is much, much suited to that race than Kruijswijk.

I looked at the profile and that's one reason why I said Spain is exception.

Yes, it's because of Kreuziger, you can put it this way, but also you can put it like this: it's because of Contador, because probably it was his decision to behave as behaved. If any rider behaved like he did, it would be the same.

 

[mufana]

Re: Re:

1) I heard someone say on tv (eurosport I think) that he's not the rider for Tour where everything is controlled by Sky and so predictable.

2) It's difficult for someone like him (who rides with hearth and passion) to go up against them. A Giro or Vuelta is more unpredictable. Hence why Sky hasn't been able to win tours like those.

3) But I don't know. I don't think he's nervous. Why should he be? There's always gonna be someone out there who's younger. And at the of 33 he's still world class. Winning the Giro like he did last year was amazing. So decline!? I don't see any decline. Almost every race he rides he's top 5. Even in 2013 which is considered his worst ever year. That's the mark of a great racer.

ad 1) of course it's harder to ride against strong team which controlls race.

ad 2) that part with heart and passion...unnecessarily theatrical. Maybe Sky is winning Tour because they every year employ there their strongest team and strongest leader at best shape.

ad 3) why should be nervous? Because he feels there are better riders and his position as top dog is threatened.

No one says he isn't top class, you don't have to defend him against non existent accusations. Compare for example his last year Giro win with 2011 and you will see why he is declining.

So, first you agree (ad1) and then you disagree (ad2).

And as far as (ad3)... I can't imagine someone experienced as Contador feeling nervous and crashing his bike because there are a few riders who maybe better then he is. If you don't want to get up against guys who 'maybe' are better then you, what's the point in doing pro sports? Defeat is part of the job. The one thing that motivates any athlete is the believe they can still kick arse.

 

[Angliru]

Re: Re:

Vuelta is gonna get a pretty strong field

Vuelta is going to have quite weak field. This is why " I'm assuming a bunch of the top guys from the Tour will be there on a 2nd peak, which is usually a little lower".
That doesn't mean bad racing, quite on the contrary. I agree that given circumstances Contador sholud rule Vuelta with firm hand.

Don't rule out Kruijswijk. He's not weak at all.

I am not, he's on par or better than Contador if it is not in Spain.

I love how Contadors fanboys are ignoring or denying anything that doesn't glorify his image even if they now it's probably true. I don't really know thread of other champions like Froome, so I can't say if it's exceptional or not, but this is hilarious.

Anyway, did Alberto fall so much in first years of his career? I don't think so. I think that might be sign of nervosity because he was no longer convinced he's stronger than Frooma or Quintana. He too sees own decline, or other riders rise.

I recall Froome crashing multiple times in 2014. Was that also due to nervousness and fear of one's opponent? Contador's first crash came in a high speed corner going onto a road divided by a raised island. In the split second he had to make a decision, he chose to brake to avoid having his speed take him into the curbed island. I can relate I had similar crash where I was taken wide on a turn with the curb fast approaching. The natural instinct is to brake. In hindsight I could've jumped the curb into an open field but that thought came after my crash. All you see is the oncoming obstacle. Contador could've jumped that curb/island ala the man in my avatar, but if I rcall correctly he may have gone into the corner with someone on his shoulder which would have meant taking that rider out had he jumped the island. That rider probably was taken out anyway but that certainly wasn't his intent.
My point is crashes happen. Nibali crashes. The best bike handlers will hit the pavement eventually. It is often beyond one's control.

As far as Contador being in decline, of course he is. He's been racing at the elite level and winning grand tours for 10 years. To say he's "done", "washed up", "a has-been", ignores the fact that just last year he won the Giro and then still finished the Tour ahead of multiple riders chasing gc glory that focused only on the Tour. What is funny is that his previous level was so high that some of the morons on here see his Giro win as a sign of failure and his impending fall from grace.

It's sad and pathetic in a time of a riders trouble that there are so many that take it as an opportunity to pile on the bs denigration and revel in this riders pain. Says a lot about the sad cases that take such pleasure in another's pain and suffering.

 

[lenric]

Re: Re:

Vuelta is gonna get a pretty strong field

Vuelta is going to have quite weak field. This is why " I'm assuming a bunch of the top guys from the Tour will be there on a 2nd peak, which is usually a little lower".
That doesn't mean bad racing, quite on the contrary. I agree that given circumstances Contador sholud rule Vuelta with firm hand.

Don't rule out Kruijswijk. He's not weak at all.

I am not, he's on par or better than Contador if it is not in Spain.

I love how Contadors fanboys are ignoring or denying anything that doesn't glorify his image even if they now it's probably true. I don't really know thread of other champions like Froome, so I can't say if it's exceptional or not, but this is hilarious.

Anyway, did Alberto fall so much in first years of his career? I don't think so. I think that might be sign of nervosity because he was no longer convinced he's stronger than Frooma or Quintana. He too sees own decline, or other riders rise.

I heard someone say on tv (eurosport I think) that he's not the rider for Tour where everything is controlled by Sky and so predictable. It's difficult for someone like him (who rides with hearth and passion) to go up against them. A Giro or Vuelta is more unpredictable. Hence why Sky hasn't been able to win tours like those.

But I don't know. I don't think he's nervous. Why should he be? There's always gonna be someone out there who's younger. And at the of 33 he's still world class. Winning the Giro like he did last year was amazing. So decline!? I don't see any decline. Almost every race he rides he's top 5. Even in 2013 which is considered his worst ever year. That's the mark of a great racer.

Sky has more trouble winning the Giro or Vuelta, because they focus on the Tour, which is by far the most important GT. It's obvious.
If they focused on another GT they'd probably win it.
And since the majority of riders focus on the Tour, that leaves a relatively average field to the other GTs, with riders whose form isn't as high as in the Tour, which means the standard deviation of physical capacity to win it is lower, hence the apparent higher unpredictability, when in fact the field is more equal.
Were Froome and Quintana riding the Giro or the Vuelta in peak form and one can state with a high probability that one of them would win it, making the race more "predictable".

 

[ninjadriver]

Re:

Big contrast with Contador quitting and Nibali hanging in there and working for his team; I know which one behaves more like a champion who respects the TdF. Contador was fit enough to attack today, had the rest day tomorrow to recover and could have fought for a top 5, KotM or a stage win; all of which would have respected the race. But no, he quit.

FERGOOSE: Nibali came to the Tour to support Aru.

Contador came to the Tour to challenge for it. Once Contador's crashes and physical condition eliminated him from contention, he abandoned the race, in my opinion a few days too late, showing to me his incredible guts (and questionable decision-making in this instance), and so he could rest, recuperate and prepare for the Vuelta.

Further, I don't see Contador as ever being interested in the KOM or a stage win. He's an all-time Champion, the best Grand Tour rider I've ever seen, better than Armstrong or Indurain. The day Alberto starts going for KOMs or stage wins is the day AFTER I hope he retires.

I don't see Nibali's situation as analagous to Contador's at all, but appreciate your differing view.

 

[ninjadriver]

Re:

If I'm here just to bash rider, others are here just to do contrary. Why should he help his teammates? Because of gratitude, because they could use his help. You say that final hurrah at La Vuelta would be better for his team? I say for his teammates it could have bigger value if he helped them now. He is probably doing this just because of himself, not the team. Why should his Vuelta win have bigger value for them than his help?

In my opinion, KOKOSO, professional cycling principally is about money, not gratitude. I believe Tinkoff and the rest of Tinkoff's sponsors much rather would have Contador win the Vuelta than help his teammates at the Tour. Kreuziger isn't good enough to help, and how much could Alberto help Sagan, given that Alberto is not much of a flat rider?

Plus, the Tinkoff team is disbanding. Kreuziger already was riding for himself, even against team orders. Helping teammates on a defunct team in contravention of the interests of the sponsors, even if only around for another few months, doesn't make sense to me.