Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[Cookster15]

All good things come to an end and today we finally saw confirmation. I don't think you fans should be so tough on him I am sure he was suffering at least as much but he simply doesn't have it any more.

 

[PremierAndrew]

Re: Re:

My god, I can't believe people are actually kicking him while he's down. Have some decency, he clearly struggled throughout the race and just missed the podium by a few seconds. Have some sympathy, this is no way to treat someone.

Do you think hr could be again the same of 14? Or at least 15?

I honestly think he was a lot better this year than last year. The field he beat in the Giro wasn't great, and at times this season, he looked like he was somewhat capable of challenging Froome and Quintana, unlike 2015

 

[Ramon Koran]

ITT: this thread is full of fans of non 9 time winning GT riders who haven't won 9 GTs and probably won't come fourth in a veulta at 34

What's your point?

 

[cellardoor]

Although there are no excuses, perhaps he just didn't get his form right for the Vuelta for some reason. I mean, Quintana messed up his preperation for the Tour and yet nobody was calling for him to retire afterwards. Personally I'm not convinced that this is his best and I would like to see him continue next year, ideally targetting the Giro . Contador has been talking about next year even during the race when he knew his form wasn't going well so I'm pretty sure he still wants to continue.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

My god, I can't believe people are actually kicking him while he's down. Have some decency, he clearly struggled throughout the race and just missed the podium by a few seconds. Have some sympathy, this is no way to treat someone.

Do you think hr could be again the same of 14? Or at least 15?

No, of course not. I'm sure he can reach a decent level next year, not as good as this year but without crashes it should be enough to get a top-5 at the Tour. It's the best we can hope for right now, he won't go for the Giro.

 

[damian13ster]

ITT: this thread is full of fans of non 9 time winning GT riders who haven't won 9 GTs and probably won't come fourth in a veulta at 34

What's your point?

Plus you have two typos there. Those 7s strangely look like 9s

 

[PremierAndrew]

Re:

My god, I can't believe people are actually kicking him while he's down. Have some decency, he clearly struggled throughout the race and just missed the podium by a few seconds. Have some sympathy, this is no way to treat someone.

Even a podium would have been a poor showing from Alberto, so the criticism is fully justified.

 

[portugal11]

Re: Re:

My god, I can't believe people are actually kicking him while he's down. Have some decency, he clearly struggled throughout the race and just missed the podium by a few seconds. Have some sympathy, this is no way to treat someone.

Give it a rest. We're not kicking anyone, we're discussing a prominent rider after a majorly disappointing day for him. It's not like he's going to be straight on the cycling news forums on the team bus to see what DFA123, La Florecita and Miburo are saying about him. And, if you are reading Alberto, next time try to stick on the only wheel you have to mark.

And, in all seriousness, there's a lot to discuss after his showing at the Vuelta. It surely could change his plans for the future; whether that is to continue in the sport or which races he will target. At the moment he's nowhere near a GT winning level.

I think he could win il giro this year with this form (i'm not kidding)

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

All good things come to an end and today we finally saw confirmation. I don't think you fans should be so tough on him I am sure he was suffering at least as much but he simply doesn't have it any more.

Well said. I don't agree that this is it, I think the crashes affected his form, he can bounce back somewhat next year, but sheesh, some people are so frigging harsh. He fought like a lion, he completely emptied himself, but just didn't have more in the tank. I can't believe people immediately start talking about retirement again. That is just such a disgrace.

 

[Irondan]

If we really want to point fingers here maybe we should start with the *** teams that Tinkoff seems to surround Alberto with on a regular basis.

 

[gunara]

Seems like he couldn't chose the right option out of lack of confidence in his own physical ability, and at one point he ceased to care but then rethought, tried and made all the wrong moves. I've seen older stars did such things before, losing the edge, the sureness, along with some attributes that once made them great and unique. It never really hurt the way they are remembered, though, the great times will eclipse such this disappointing performance in the book. It's his worst complete GT performance so far, he might get worse and worse, but he's still the Alberto Contador that has given so much thrills to fans, neutral, and haters for years.

 

[roundabout]

Re:

If we really want to point fingers here maybe we should start with the **** teams that Tinkoff seems to surround Alberto with on a regular basis.

They may have performed badly in the TTT, but they also helped him massively on the stage to Formigal and helped him stay in contention today.

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

My god, I can't believe people are actually kicking him while he's down. Have some decency, he clearly struggled throughout the race and just missed the podium by a few seconds. Have some sympathy, this is no way to treat someone.

Give it a rest. We're not kicking anyone, we're discussing a prominent rider after a majorly disappointing day for him. It's not like he's going to be straight on the cycling news forums on the team bus to see what DFA123, La Florecita and Miburo are saying about him. And, if you are reading Alberto, next time try to stick on the only wheel you have to mark.

And, in all seriousness, there's a lot to discuss after his showing at the Vuelta. It surely could change his plans for the future; whether that is to continue in the sport or which races he will target. At the moment he's nowhere near a GT winning level.

I think he could win il giro this year with this form (i'm not kidding)

Well he'd have a chance if Quintana and Froome don't show up, if Nibali throws away four minutes again in the first two weeks, and if there is loads of TTing to rule out Chaves. But even then, there's still Kruijswijk and possibly Aru or Bardet. Just not sure Contador has the motivation in him any more - now that he has to grind out results rather than crushing everyone.

 

[Cance > TheRest]

Re:

Seems like he couldn't chose the right option out of lack of confidence in his own physical ability, and at one point he ceased to care but then rethought, tried and made all the wrong moves. I've seen older stars did such things before, losing the edge, the sureness, along with some attributes that once made them great and unique. It never really hurt the way they are remembered, though, the great times will eclipse such this disappointing performance in the book. It's his worst complete GT performance so far, he might get worse and worse, but he's still the Alberto Contador that has given so much thrills to fans, neutral, and haters for years.

Completely different scenario of course, but it was also this kind of insecureness that cost Cancellara the chance to compete for a win in Flanders this year. Had he just followed Kwiat/Sagan's attack, and had Alberto just followed Chaves' attack today...

 

[IndianCyclist]

Mistake 1 was not following Chaves. But the biggest mistake came from the team DS. Trofimov should have dropped as soon as Howson dropped or Chaves attacked. For a long time Contador was isolated and that is where Chaves got 2 min on relatively flat terrain and where teammates are essential to protect from the wind.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

My god, I can't believe people are actually kicking him while he's down. Have some decency, he clearly struggled throughout the race and just missed the podium by a few seconds. Have some sympathy, this is no way to treat someone.

I guess many have sympathy, but the fact of the matter is we have been told numerous times that he simply doesn't care for a podium. We have then argued he has done in the past and probably also will today which proved to be right.

It was sad to see, no doubt, but I must admit I cheered for Chaves who I like and was the aggressor. I hope he will come back in the Giro next year.

 

[ruby]

Re:

If we really want to point fingers here maybe we should start with the **** teams that Tinkoff seems to surround Alberto with on a regular basis.

If he has a new team next year, IM nterested what would be the best races for him, (constructive comments please!) ? he still makes races exciting even if he isnt winning Gc any more

 

[Tonton]

I'll begin with the disclaimer: I'm not a fan of Bertie, mainly for reasons that I won't discuss here. Having said that, I enjoy his aggressive riding style, I wish he could have retired while on top. Unfortunately, even for champions of his magnitude, it very seldom happens that way. And I agree with the mention that he has had no team to speak of for quite some time. Regardless, team or no team, his best days are definitely behind him. This is the end of the road for Alberto Contador.

I think that his critics should show the kind of class that Froome displayed today. You don't have to like the guy, but give him respect.

My $0.02

 

[cellardoor]

Re: Re:

My god, I can't believe people are actually kicking him while he's down. Have some decency, he clearly struggled throughout the race and just missed the podium by a few seconds. Have some sympathy, this is no way to treat someone.

Give it a rest. We're not kicking anyone, we're discussing a prominent rider after a majorly disappointing day for him. It's not like he's going to be straight on the cycling news forums on the team bus to see what DFA123, La Florecita and Miburo are saying about him. And, if you are reading Alberto, next time try to stick on the only wheel you have to mark.

And, in all seriousness, there's a lot to discuss after his showing at the Vuelta. It surely could change his plans for the future; whether that is to continue in the sport or which races he will target. At the moment he's nowhere near a GT winning level.

I think he could win il giro this year with this form (i'm not kidding)

Well he'd have a chance if Quintana and Froome don't show up, if Nibali throws away four minutes again in the first two weeks, and if there is loads of TTing to rule out Chaves. But even then, there's still Kruijswijk and possibly Aru or Bardet. Just not sure Contador has the motivation in him any more - now that he has to grind out results rather than crushing everyone.

Well there's never a guarantee of winning, but come on, even you have to give him a chance against Kruijswijk and there's no evidence that he's no willing to grind out a result - he's never finished below 5th in a GT so he doesn't just let go when the going gets tough.

 

[Matteo.]

Re: Re:

My god, I can't believe people are actually kicking him while he's down. Have some decency, he clearly struggled throughout the race and just missed the podium by a few seconds. Have some sympathy, this is no way to treat someone.

Do you think hr could be again the same of 14? Or at least 15?

No, of course not. I'm sure he can reach a decent level next year, not as good as this year but without crashes it should be enough to get a top-5 at the Tour. It's the best we can hope for right now, he won't go for the Giro.

Exactly. i think it's the common sense suggested it. Anyway don't be angry: today he makes a fatal mistake but he's not an idiot , i think he knew he didn't have the legs to chase Chaves , so decided to wait ,hoping Chaves blow up

 

[roundabout]

Re: Re:

My god, I can't believe people are actually kicking him while he's down. Have some decency, he clearly struggled throughout the race and just missed the podium by a few seconds. Have some sympathy, this is no way to treat someone.

Give it a rest. We're not kicking anyone, we're discussing a prominent rider after a majorly disappointing day for him. It's not like he's going to be straight on the cycling news forums on the team bus to see what DFA123, La Florecita and Miburo are saying about him. And, if you are reading Alberto, next time try to stick on the only wheel you have to mark.

And, in all seriousness, there's a lot to discuss after his showing at the Vuelta. It surely could change his plans for the future; whether that is to continue in the sport or which races he will target. At the moment he's nowhere near a GT winning level.

I think he could win il giro this year with this form (i'm not kidding)

Well he'd have a chance if Quintana and Froome don't show up, if Nibali throws away four minutes again in the first two weeks, and if there is loads of TTing to rule out Chaves. But even then, there's still Kruijswijk and possibly Aru or Bardet. Just not sure Contador has the motivation in him any more - now that he has to grind out results rather than crushing everyone.

Well there's never a guarantee of winning, but come on, even you have to give him a chance against Kruijswijk and there's no evidence that he's no willing to grind out a result - he's never finished below 5th in a GT so he doesn't just let go when the going gets tough.

He finished 31st or something like that in the 2005 Tour.

 

[Tonton]

Re: Re:

Well there's never a guarantee of winning, but come on, even you have to give him a chance against Kruijswijk and there's no evidence that he's no willing to grind out a result - he's never finished below 5th in a GT so he doesn't just let go when the going gets tough.

When you are Alberto Contador and are mentioned in the same sentence as Kruijwijk, it's time to retire...

 

[cellardoor]

Re: Re:

He finished 31st or something like that in the 2005 Tour.

I think you know that has no bearing on the point I was making.

 

[cellardoor]

Re: Re:

Well there's never a guarantee of winning, but come on, even you have to give him a chance against Kruijswijk and there's no evidence that he's no willing to grind out a result - he's never finished below 5th in a GT so he doesn't just let go when the going gets tough.

When you are Alberto Contador and are mentioned in the same sentence as Kruijwijk, it's time to retire...

It's time to retire when he doesn't enjoy racing anymore.

 

[roundabout]

Re: Re:

He finished 31st or something like that in the 2005 Tour.

I think you know that has no bearing on the point I was making.

Using your arbitrary definition of "never", Froome "never" finished below second, and Quintana "never" finished below third.