Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[LaFlorecita]

Vino option for Berto, I like it.
On the topic of the Vino option, I reckon if Alberto continues for another year or 3 he will become the new Vino option

 

[jilbiker]

I like the Vino option because you have a no nonsense Director who will tell the domestiques there is only one goal period. The downside about such a director (and character of Vino) is he can publicly tell you off if he feels you are not delivering the goods. One can only take a year of Vino at a time. He respects Bertie but that won't stop him saying a thing or two if he feels he is not getting ROI.

 

[gregrowlerson]

Re:

Vino option for Berto, I like it.
On the topic of the Vino option, I reckon if Alberto continues for another year or 3 he will become the new Vino option

This thread

 

[Pennino]

Re:

I like the Vino option because you have a no nonsense Director who will tell the domestiques there is only one goal period. The downside about such a director (and character of Vino) is he can publicly tell you off if he feels you are not delivering the goods. One can only take a year of Vino at a time. He respects Bertie but that won't stop him saying a thing or two if he feels he is not getting ROI.

Assuming that you're hinting also at Tinkov's methods, I think your point is valid, but considering Alberto's evident change in terms of delivery since 2013 and basically the same going for Nibali in 2014 it seems the right way for both parties.

Ergo I would love to see him at Astana. Winning or losing, anyway they will let Sky and Movistar spit blood. In the end that's what we all want to see.

 

[Taxus4a]

I think he will be with his friends of Astana, Aru, Vino, Martinelli, very happy for him, he rode for them in fact Giro 2015.. or with his usual helper Bambrilla in Quick...we will see.

He has lot of races in his legs, as he showed these years, if he chose properly the kind of race and his rivals, or his shape, but I hope he face the best riders at his best,...except he started to decline his level, wich has still not happened and we hope he keep health and motivation till the age of Evans, Valverde, Purito...

 

[sacrifice&hardwork]

Re: Re:

This thread should start to go into hibernation soon considering it's finally over with Tinkoff unless they force him to ride Lombardia like they did with the Vuelta.

Alberto confirmed on an interview he'll be riding Lombardia because Tinkoff wants to earn points for the UCI team world tour. LaFlorecita, Alberto's main objectives of the season were always Tour and Olympics. Vuelta was an option because as I've been saying in the past Tinkoff wants to win the team classification which is the main reason he had to ride it.

Sagan will have to ride a great Eneco Tour, as it stands they are 134 points behind Movistar who aren't likely to score there but are likely to score in Lombardia. Majka and Kreuziger are surely their best bets to secure the classification in Lombardia - I don't see Alberto doing any better than a low top-15 in this shape & after such a long season.

I see your points and I agree. Sagan has to do really well in Eneco Tour to close the gap to Movistar. I don't feel Majka or Kreuziger have better chances than Alberto in Lombardia. Majka had troubles in Quebec and Kreuziger has been complaning on twitter that he's feeling tired. With Alberto's form they might not get anything out of the race because he's already thinking about next year with Trek. As he says, "desconectar" and just attending/doing events with sponsors. But let's see what a little rest will do to them.

 

[orangerider]

Astana would be great. I think we'd see more of the Contador of old with this team. He would probably be willing to take a massive pay cut if that meant having a capable team that will support him.

 

[buchanan]

Which team do you guys think he will sign with for next year?

 

[Singer01]

Re:

Which team do you guys think he will sign with for next year?

:lol: Unless you are genuine then it becomes

 

[ruby]

any news of his plans for his own team..?

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

any news of his plans for his own team..?

His brother is still working on it, possibly they'll move up to Conti level for 2017 but most likely it'll be 2018 and ideally WorldTour but probably ProConti

 

[hrotha]

So did you guys hear Quintana talking to Froome and "subtly" criticizing Contador (while Froome nodded politely, probably not fully understanding what Quintana was saying)?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LeLJcCYThE&feature=youtu.be&t=1525
(25:25)

You can't make out much of what Quintana says, but the words "He made his team attack and blow everything up and then he was left without teammates to defend himself" and "You can't blame anyone else for your mistakes, know what I mean?" are crystal clear.

 

[Irondan]

Re:

So did you guys hear Quintana talking to Froome and "subtly" criticizing Contador (while Froome nodded politely, probably not fully understanding what Quintana was saying)?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LeLJcCYThE&feature=youtu.be&t=1525
(25:25)

You can't make out much of what Quintana says, but the words "He made his team attack and blow everything up and then he was left without teammates to defend himself" and "You can't blame anyone else for your mistakes, know what I mean?" are crystal clear.

I dunno, I couldn't understand a single word. Was it in Spanish?

 

[hrotha]

Yep, I should have specified.

 

[Irondan]

Re:

Yep, I should have specified.

That explains everything!

Unfortunately I never learned Spanish, although I wish I had...

 

[Miburo]

Re:

Yep, I should have specified.

When Contador retires, i can focus my full attention on talking *** about quintana and majka with you

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

So did you guys hear Quintana talking to Froome and "subtly" criticizing Contador (while Froome nodded politely, probably not fully understanding what Quintana was saying)?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LeLJcCYThE&feature=youtu.be&t=1525
(25:25)

You can't make out much of what Quintana says, but the words "He made his team attack and blow everything up and then he was left without teammates to defend himself" and "You can't blame anyone else for your mistakes, know what I mean?" are crystal clear.

What stage is that about anyway? I don't remember a stage in which he made his team attack and blow everything up and was then left without teammates to defend himself.

Anyway, Quintana is doing a good job trying to get back onto my shitlist

 

[hrotha]

Re: Re:

What stage is that about anyway? I don't remember a stage in which he made his team attack and blow everything up and was then left without teammates to defend himself.

Anyway, Quintana is doing a good job trying to get back onto my shitlist

Maybe he means Tinkoff was too tired after Formigal, so even Trofimov was too wasted to chase Chaves? I dunno. Even if what Quintana said was exactly what happened, that wouldn't make Contador's move a mistake. But of course Nairo would find the idea of an all-out team attack abhorrent.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

What stage is that about anyway? I don't remember a stage in which he made his team attack and blow everything up and was then left without teammates to defend himself.

Anyway, Quintana is doing a good job trying to get back onto my shitlist

Maybe he means Tinkoff was too tired after Formigal, so even Trofimov was too wasted to chase Chaves? I dunno. Even if what Quintana said was exactly what happened, that wouldn't make Contador's move a mistake. But of course Nairo would find the idea of an all-out team attack abhorrent.

Yep... annoying especially because that move won him the race

 

[Valv.Piti]

I think he was talking about stage 20 when Tinkoff tried to send many guys up the road (as they should). Maybe his take was that a lot of guys wasted energy and he shouldn't expect Movistar to take the chase up (not that any of them had been able to hang on in that 15 man group anyways).

I don't think you should put too much stock into it, but knowing hrotha, he will look for anything to critisize Quintana for.. some very fair, and also unfair at times.

 

[hrotha]

Re:

I don't think you should put too much stock into it, but knowing hrotha, he will look for anything to critisize Quintana for.. some very fair, and also unfair at times.

As a rule of thumb, posts followed by " " are not meant to be taken as serious analysis.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re: Re:

I don't think you should put too much stock into it, but knowing hrotha, he will look for anything to critisize Quintana for.. some very fair, and also unfair at times.

As a rule of thumb, posts followed by " " are not meant to be taken as serious analysis.

No harm - I appreciate the find, it was very good. Im annoyed at Quintana at times as well.

 

[wouterkaas]

Re:

So did you guys hear Quintana talking to Froome and "subtly" criticizing Contador (while Froome nodded politely, probably not fully understanding what Quintana was saying)?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LeLJcCYThE&feature=youtu.be&t=1525
(25:25)

You can't make out much of what Quintana says, but the words "He made his team attack and blow everything up and then he was left without teammates to defend himself" and "You can't blame anyone else for your mistakes, know what I mean?" are crystal clear.

I believe Froome is fluent in Spanish so he probably understood it quite well.

 

[hrotha]

Re: Re:

No harm - I appreciate the find, it was very good. Im annoyed at Quintana at times as well.

Credit for the find goes to the folks at Parlamento Ciclista. Some of them apparently paid attention to the broadcast of the last stage and what not.

 

[filipepc]

Hello. Returned of my holidays where i tryed to follow the end of the vuelta...

About this thread and "my guy", it´s sad that Contador lost at least the podium, but i´m more sad that he didn´t tried to blow the race in that last stage instead of doing nothing. To me, 3rd or 4th is the some, even if it´s not.

He lacked his form, he was just decent, and quintana and froome where clearly superior so... Nothing to point.

About this video of Quintana... Hmmmm... I agree with some thing that quintana said, BUT, after winning the vuelta because of that stage of the atack of Contador, it was really *** personality. Sory but it is what i think. We shouldn´t have said that with the tv´s watching... Negative point to Quintana here.

But, Contador, with his age and with 9 GT´s should be more intelligent and should know that in a race you can´t count with the others, just with you and sometimes with some teammates ( not all of them)...

A Champion as to blame himself first and then the others. I hope he can find his way next year and be decent...
This was a poor year to his ambitions, and morale, and i hope he can get his form back to give us the good cycling that he use to.

About his next team... Well, , i just hope it´s one team with 3 or 4 good teammates and at least 2 strong in mountains... At least that...