Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[Flamin]

Re: Re:

Quintana won't forget what Contador did and will repay him whenever the opportunity rises.

Really?
Don't be silly. This was the moment, they had the numbers, all they had to do was push just a tiny bit harder and Contador would be happy. I highly doubt we'll see another "opportunity" to repay the favor before the end of next season and I'm sure if opportunity rises at the Tour, Quintana and Movistar will again be too occupied with other things.

What if Nairito punctured? This was not the moment at all. You focus 100% on your job when in that position.

There's always something that can go wrong. So, Quintana won't repay the favor. Gotcha. Doesn't matter, but don't come up with a silly claim that he will repay it "when the opportunity rises"

"There's always something that can go wrong" is no reason to focus 99% instead of 100% on Nairito and be concerned with side issues. It's the stage that's going to decide the Vuelta and Froome is still within striking distance. Thinking this is the moment to repay Alberto, now THAT is plain silly

 

[jens_attacks]

clearly alberto let chavito go because he didn't want to get on the final podium on the 3rd step, humiliating for him

now seriously, that was pretty sad. this might be the end

will he race lombardia, any news?

 

[Escarabajo]

I am rewatching the stage now, and it looks like he cared for the podium. If it was like that he should have been glued to Chaves wheel. Especially when your team is weak.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

clearly alberto let chavito go because he didn't want to get on the final podium on the 3rd step, humiliating for him

now seriously, that was pretty sad. this might be the end

will he race lombardia, any news?

I think he deserves a rest, to be honest. Spend some time with his friends and family and then prepare for next season.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

"There's always something that can go wrong" is no reason to focus 99% instead of 100% on Nairito and be concerned with side issues. It's the stage that's going to decide the Vuelta and Froome is still within striking distance. Thinking this is the moment to repay Alberto, now THAT is plain silly

So from what I gather you feel he might repay the favor by letting Contador finish in front of him on stage 4 of the Ruta del Sol?

 

[Cance > TheRest]

Re:

Contador was definitely strong enough to finish on the podium but Orica as a team took it away from him. It is clear that Contador was stronger than Chavez (Contador got time back on last climb) but cycling is a team sport and Orica had very good tacticd and excellent ride by Howson.

I also don't get people who say that Contador must retire now. He is still a top 5 rider in the world. If you are among the 5 best in the world whatever you do you can keep doing it. I mean Contador clearly likes cycling and I think he will keep doing it as long as he can. As long as Contador keeps riding I will support him. In my opinion he still has potential for a better season next year. This year many things went wrong unfortunately but this doesn't mean that same will happen next year. Also as I have said previously I think that change of team might be a good thing at this point.

I agree with everything

 

[del1962]

I think that some of his fans are far too extreme in going from highs to lows on here

Anyway, I think the 2014 recovery after his crash may have created a false impression that after his tour crash he could recover and be in good shape for the Vuelta, but no two injuries are alike and the fact he road on with injuries at the tour rather than immediately withdraw may have an affect. Even saying that I think he is now behind Froome/Quintana but not as much as he has been here, more likely as in the Dauphinine behind Froome.

Next season (if he chooses not to retire) a better judgement can be made though.

And when he retires is up to him.

 

[jens_attacks]

contador was definitely not stronger than chaves today. chavito climbed aitana only 20 sec slower than alberto, spending much more energy than him in the last hour.
anyway, if he waited for aitana, he wouldn't have put the necessary time on alberto. so a brilliant move by orica and a big failure for alberto.

 

[bambino]

Re: Re:

Contador was definitely strong enough to finish on the podium but Orica as a team took it away from him. It is clear that Contador was stronger than Chavez (Contador got time back on last climb) but cycling is a team sport and Orica had very good tacticd and excellent ride by Howson.

I also don't get people who say that Contador must retire now. He is still a top 5 rider in the world. If you are among the 5 best in the world whatever you do you can keep doing it. I mean Contador clearly likes cycling and I think he will keep doing it as long as he can. As long as Contador keeps riding I will support him. In my opinion he still has potential for a better season next year. This year many things went wrong unfortunately but this doesn't mean that same will happen next year. Also as I have said previously I think that change of team might be a good thing at this point.

I agree with everything

I don't agree a second. Contador was paced by others (also quite a bit by Movistar/Valverde) until there was less than 5km left. Chaves did alone from 14km out. The 20 odd seconds he was faster was gained already when Nairo and Froome left for their duel. Actually if my timing was right, from that point on AC lost 3-5 sec to Chavito who again had more than 10km alone on his legs.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

contador was definitely not stronger than chaves today. chavito climbed aitana only 20 sec slower than alberto, spending much more energy than him in the last hour.
anyway, if he waited for aitana, he wouldn't have put the necessary time on alberto. so a brilliant move by orica and a big failure for alberto.

I don't know how you can call it a failure for Alberto if he was simply not as strong as Chaves.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Another quote from Alberto:
"I'm very excited about next year's project" with a smile

So all the speculation about him reconsidering retirement can stop now.

 

[jens_attacks]

Re: Re:

contador was definitely not stronger than chaves today. chavito climbed aitana only 20 sec slower than alberto, spending much more energy than him in the last hour.
anyway, if he waited for aitana, he wouldn't have put the necessary time on alberto. so a brilliant move by orica and a big failure for alberto.

I don't know how you can call it a failure for Alberto if he was simply not as strong as Chaves.

he shouldn't have let him go. he thought that movistar will do his job

but anyway let's not talk of little things. it was just the 3rd place anyway

 

[Cance > TheRest]

Re: Re:

Contador was definitely strong enough to finish on the podium but Orica as a team took it away from him. It is clear that Contador was stronger than Chavez (Contador got time back on last climb) but cycling is a team sport and Orica had very good tacticd and excellent ride by Howson.

I also don't get people who say that Contador must retire now. He is still a top 5 rider in the world. If you are among the 5 best in the world whatever you do you can keep doing it. I mean Contador clearly likes cycling and I think he will keep doing it as long as he can. As long as Contador keeps riding I will support him. In my opinion he still has potential for a better season next year. This year many things went wrong unfortunately but this doesn't mean that same will happen next year. Also as I have said previously I think that change of team might be a good thing at this point.

I agree with everything

I don't agree a second. Contador was paced by others (also quite a bit by Movistar/Valverde) until there was less than 5km left. Chaves did alone from 14km out. The 20 odd seconds he was faster was gained already when Nairo and Froome left for their duel. Actually if my timing was right, from that point on AC lost 3-5 sec to Chavito who again had more than 10km alone on his legs.

I just relied on the GPS timings, which said that Chaves had around 2 minutes or 1.50, when the race exploded, but If you actually timed it, then I won't disagree with you regarding today's stage. Might need more confirmation from rewatching the stage.
Still, it doesn't alter the fact that an off-shape Contador was the stronger rider, overall, of the two. Subtracting the TTT alone will give you that answer

 

[Jelantik]

Re: Re:

Quintana won't forget what Contador did and will repay him whenever the opportunity rises.

Really?
Don't be silly. This was the moment, they had the numbers, all they had to do was push just a tiny bit harder and Contador would be happy. I highly doubt we'll see another "opportunity" to repay the favor before the end of next season and I'm sure if opportunity rises at the Tour, Quintana and Movistar will again be too occupied with other things.

Why would they? Contador miscalculated and he didn't chase Chaves. If he's looking for something to blame, he should be blaming his form and lack of climbing support. Don't expect othet team to chase Chaves, if it doesn't concern them. Movistar got absolutely no reason to chase Chaves.

In the end, I guess Froome managed to push Contador off the podium as Contador's ambush took Froome off the top step. Sky didn't pushed the pace either since Chaves is no threat for Froome.

Contador deserved his 4th place and Chaves handed it off to him. As much as it annoyed me, but he didn't come with stellar form, and he didn't do anything when Chaves attacked. (i thought he promised for more attack? Yeah, right. really?. Only if you have the form to back it up)

Sure, podium won't matters for him, but the way Chaves handed it off to him matters IMHO . I love Contador, but without a good form he deserved his 4th place. I'm disappointed, but I'm more annoyed by his whining or excuses.

 

[IndianCyclist]

I think he needs to Refocus on what he wants. He has pretty much won all the GTs multiple times, but what is remaining is a monument. Winning a monument even though not equal to winning a GT but better than finishing top5 is still a tremendous win and also a key boost to confidence. If he focuses on Ardennes classics and Lombardia, he should be able to win there.

 

[DFA123]

Re:

I think he needs to Refocus on what he wants. He has pretty much won all the GTs multiple times, but what is remaining is a monument. Winning a monument even though not equal to winning a GT but better than finishing top5 is still a tremendous win and also a key boost to confidence. If he focuses on Ardennes classics and Lombardia, he should be able to win there.

Yes, I've been suggesting this for years. He absolutely should target Lombardia. No-one targets that, so if he turned up on top form he'd have an outside chance of winning. Don't think he's got a chance in Ardennes, but it would be fun to see him racing there and perhaps trying to animate the races from range.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Contador, one-day races? Nah, stay away from that. Thats not his strength at all, he could't win in his peak, he surely can't win now (altho Lombardia is an interesting prospect this year, but I doubt he will go for it).

Giro + Vuelta should be his objective.

 

[Red Rick]

Well, it's not like he's got much better to do racing-wise. He shouldn't be too tired to prolong his season, unless he had insufficient base to ride the Vuelta for the win in the first place. But he can also opt to end his season here and now to recharge the battery again. I hope he goes for Lombardia, and gets there in a decent shape, he doesn't seem nearly as mentally drained as at the end of the Tour last year, and finishing the season on a decent level should be a good prep for next year.

Edit, I'm talking about this season obviously.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

he shouldn't have let him go. he thought that movistar will do his job

Well I wouldn't be at all surprised if he just felt he didn't have the legs to go with Chaves. Maybe he was hoping Chaves would blow up or Movistar would help at least a little to control the gap.

but anyway let's not talk of little things. it was just the 3rd place anyway

Lol, true but it's still a podium and better than 4th

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

he shouldn't have let him go. he thought that movistar will do his job

Well I wouldn't be at all surprised if he just felt he didn't have the legs to go with Chaves. Maybe he was hoping Chaves would blow up or Movistar would help at least a little to control the gap.

but anyway let's not talk of little things. it was just the 3rd place anyway

Lol, true but it's still a podium and better than 4th

Well, at least 9-0-0 is still there, but then I'm being petty. 9-0-1 is obviously better

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

I think he needs to Refocus on what he wants. He has pretty much won all the GTs multiple times, but what is remaining is a monument. Winning a monument even though not equal to winning a GT but better than finishing top5 is still a tremendous win and also a key boost to confidence. If he focuses on Ardennes classics and Lombardia, he should be able to win there.

Yes, I've been suggesting this for years. He absolutely should target Lombardia. No-one targets that, so if he turned up on top form he'd have an outside chance of winning. Don't think he's got a chance in Ardennes, but it would be fun to see him racing there and perhaps trying to animate the races from range.

Really? He should waste an entire season, his last season most likely, for an outside chance of winning Lombardia?

As Valv.Piti says, stay away from those races. Well, he could ride them, but it would be incredibly stupid to build his season around them. When not in peak form, he has perhaps a 0.1% chance to win LBL and a 0.5% chance to win Lombardia, when in peak form, that might raise to 0.5% and 2%.

And we have no guarantee Lombardia will be as hard next year as this year and last year.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

Well, it's not like he's got much better to do racing-wise. He shouldn't be too tired to prolong his season, unless he had insufficient base to ride the Vuelta for the win in the first place. But he can also opt to end his season here and now to recharge the battery again. I hope he goes for Lombardia, and gets there in a decent shape, he doesn't seem nearly as mentally drained as at the end of the Tour last year, and finishing the season on a decent level should be a good prep for next year.

Edit, I'm talking about this season obviously.

I'm hesitant about those autumn races. The last two times he rode them with much ambition, it didn't really work wonders for his form the following season. Of course, the same could be said about the Vuelta.

 

[Red Rick]

Did you forget he rode it in 2013? And I don't really think 2015 had much to do with the winter prep, but rather other things that happened between say march an july.

 

[bambino]

Re: Re:

Contador was definitely strong enough to finish on the podium but Orica as a team took it away from him. It is clear that Contador was stronger than Chavez (Contador got time back on last climb) but cycling is a team sport and Orica had very good tacticd and excellent ride by Howson.

I also don't get people who say that Contador must retire now. He is still a top 5 rider in the world. If you are among the 5 best in the world whatever you do you can keep doing it. I mean Contador clearly likes cycling and I think he will keep doing it as long as he can. As long as Contador keeps riding I will support him. In my opinion he still has potential for a better season next year. This year many things went wrong unfortunately but this doesn't mean that same will happen next year. Also as I have said previously I think that change of team might be a good thing at this point.

I agree with everything

I don't agree a second. Contador was paced by others (also quite a bit by Movistar/Valverde) until there was less than 5km left. Chaves did alone from 14km out. The 20 odd seconds he was faster was gained already when Nairo and Froome left for their duel. Actually if my timing was right, from that point on AC lost 3-5 sec to Chavito who again had more than 10km alone on his legs.

I just relied on the GPS timings, which said that Chaves had around 2 minutes or 1.50, when the race exploded, but If you actually timed it, then I won't disagree with you regarding today's stage. Might need more confirmation from rewatching the stage.
Still, it doesn't alter the fact that an off-shape Contador was the stronger rider, overall, of the two. Subtracting the TTT alone will give you that answer

Sorry, but still don't agree, unless you have a clear definition what "stronger" means. To me the only thing that matters in the sport is who is quickest against a clock. And the one that beats other is better or "stronger". And crashes, TTT's, ITT's, dehydration etc. are all part of the game.

Same as in football, the team who scored more goals is factually better and stronger regardless what happened in the pitch during 90 minutes.

 

[lenric]

Re: Re:

Can't see him winning next year's Giro or Vuelta. TDF is simply impossible.

That largely depends on how the field is in the Giro/Vuelta. This Vuelta he performed subpar compared to the rest of the season, had a subpar team and crashed. In the end it does not reflect his level. I can definitely see him winning a Giro next year if he targets it and has a better beginning to the race.

Nibali, Krushweak and Aru, at least, will ride the Giro. I can see Landa riding it too, and if he can replicate his 2015's Giro form, he'll probably win it.

If we add Bardet, then it will be a pretty strong field. I don't see Contador being stronger than even half of them.

About the Vuelta, some guys from the Tour and from the Giro will ride it. Can't see Contador being stronger than them either, particularly looking at what he has done in this Vuelta against rider who have already ridden one GT this season.