Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[LaFlorecita]

The question is asked of why, at the age of 34, Contador is still plugging away and searching for a third Tour de France title. So many of his rivals from the late 2000s and early 2010s have hung up their wheels and moved onto new lives away from the pressures of professional cycling. Now, when Contador sits down for dinner at races only the withered, wind-battered lines on Haimar Zubeldia’s face remind him that he still has some time on his side.

“Being one of the oldest Tour winners… that’s more motivation for me. I don’t like it but hey. Sometimes when we’re at the dinner table and we start talking about some of the history and the names, and some of my teammates haven’t heard of them, then I realise I’m maybe getting on a bit. But I’ll be here until I’m 35 or 36, I don’t know. But what I do know is that I have the rest of my life to enjoy the small things.”

 

[TheYouyou7]

“I feel very good and with more confidence than last year. Last year before the Dauphiné I worked very hard and when I arrived here I won the first time trial but I remember that I finished the race very tired. This year I’ve gone easier on the climbs, I’m fresh and will finish with good legs. The watts are perfect. It’s better than last year.”

I feel that he's giving us the same statement each year :razz: :razz: :razz:

 

[bob.a.feet]

and without stating it, reminding everyone that he still considers himself the 2010 champion.

I love how he's still so adamant about his stolen GT victories

 

[gregrowlerson]

Re:

Makes me sad that half of his attacks aren't even on youtube because of freaking ASO

The less footage the better to popularise our prophet in the future.

Like Jesus, Alberto could see beyond the Sky

"His long range attacks in Paris were Nice, but shooting out to beyond those chains of the devil Sky was a gate that He could never ever quite enter."

There's got to be a futuristic Albert Einstein who will put together a mathematical equation to challenge the fame of E = MC squared, and that will be AC x 9. Of what it would take to defeat Earth's gravitational pull....

without a motor

 

[portugal11]

For me I can accept that his tour 2010 was given to andy but i can't accept who stolen his 2011 giro (and volta a catalunya)

 

[DFA123]

Re:

and without stating it, reminding everyone that he still considers himself the 2010 champion.

I love how he's still so adamant about his stolen GT victories

Preusmably, by the same token, he doesn't consider himself the 2007 champion.

Or maybe he wants to both have his cake (steak?) and eat it.

 

[portugal11]

Re: Re:

and without stating it, reminding everyone that he still considers himself the 2010 champion.

I love how he's still so adamant about his stolen GT victories

Preusmably, by the same token, he doesn't consider himself the 2007 champion.

Or maybe he wants to both have his cake (steak?) and eat it.

Rasmussen didn't even finish the race
So what are you talking about?

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

and without stating it, reminding everyone that he still considers himself the 2010 champion.

I love how he's still so adamant about his stolen GT victories

Preusmably, by the same token, he doesn't consider himself the 2007 champion.

Or maybe he wants to both have his cake (steak?) and eat it.

Rasmussen didn't even finish the race
So what are you talking about?

I think you know what I'm talking about. If not, just scroll back in this thread to the week before the Tour de France every single year - and you can enjoy all the nuances of the 'how many GT's has Contador won?' disucssions.

Will be interesting to see what new factors will be brought to the table this year.

 

[No_Balls]

Re: Re:

and without stating it, reminding everyone that he still considers himself the 2010 champion.

I love how he's still so adamant about his stolen GT victories

Preusmably, by the same token, he doesn't consider himself the 2007 champion.

Or maybe he wants to both have his cake (steak?) and eat it.

Has he said something about not considering himself as the winner of 2007 Tour de France? Has he said something at all about it?

Or are you just creating something out of thin air to justify your whining? Yes must be it.

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Re:

Pretty good article from cyclingnews; very accurate imo.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/tour-de-france-alberto-contadors-last-roll-of-the-dice/

And what a fantastic finishing quote:

“I want people to remember that I attacked from a long way out, and that I fought until the end to try and win. I want people to remember me for these things. It’s not easy to look at racing now and see these things because racing is always under control with strong teams. If people can look back, go to YouTube, and see some of the attacks I made from 100km from the finish, that’s what I want to be remembered for.”

It is like he is talking directly to me

 

[sir fly]

Nice interview.
The most important thing is that he's calm and confident. It wasn't the case in Tinkoff. Too much pressure was there.

 

[Katabatic]

I don't consider Contador the 2010 champion, but there's a big difference between finishing the line in 1st and having it stripped later than not even finishing the race, regardless of your time difference. And I suspect you know it.

 

[Publicus]

Re: Re:

and without stating it, reminding everyone that he still considers himself the 2010 champion.

I love how he's still so adamant about his stolen GT victories

Preusmably, by the same token, he doesn't consider himself the 2007 champion.

Or maybe he wants to both have his cake (steak?) and eat it.

If I remember my facts correctly, didn't Rasmussen's team pull him from the race? If that's right, why wouldn't Contador consider himself the 2007 champion (seeing as he finished the race faster than Cadel or Levi)?

 

[Pantani_lives]

It would be great for the race if Contador attacked from far out while still in contention for the GC. I'm thinking of the Mont du Chat and the Galibier, but even that short stage to Foix could be interesting for a surprise action. Ideal would be a coalition between Contador and another climber.

 

[Lexman]

Re:

It would be great for the race if Contador attacked from far out while still in contention for the GC. I'm thinking of the Mont du Chat and the Galibier, but even that short stage to Foix could be interesting for a surprise action. Ideal would be a coalition between Contador and another climber.

Bardet would come to my mind or Majka but this one would just wheelsuck for the KOM points

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

and without stating it, reminding everyone that he still considers himself the 2010 champion.

I love how he's still so adamant about his stolen GT victories

Preusmably, by the same token, he doesn't consider himself the 2007 champion.

Or maybe he wants to both have his cake (steak?) and eat it.

If I remember my facts correctly, didn't Rasmussen's team pull him from the race? If that's right, why wouldn't Contador consider himself the 2007 champion (seeing as he finished the race faster than Cadel or Levi)?

Yeah, I wasn't really being serious. Just getting the ball rolling in the annual game of 'How many GTs has Contador morally won?'.

Hopefully this year we can get the discussion done and dusted before the Tour is underway.

 

[Red Rick]

That discussion is never done, because it's always gonna depend on what we want to think, and what we want to achieve by what we say. So it's pointless to go over again.

Just hoping it would be a pointless 10/9/8 discussion rather than 9/8/7.

 

[perico]

Cardoso is out.

http://www.velonews.com/2017/06/news/andre-cardoso-out-of-tour-due-to-failed-anti-doping-test_441632

 

[bajbar]

Cardoso is out.

http://www.velonews.com/2017/06/news/andre-cardoso-out-of-tour-due-to-failed-anti-doping-test_441632

This is a shocker... Zubeldia in now I guess...

 

[perico]

Cardoso is out.

http://www.velonews.com/2017/06/news/andre-cardoso-out-of-tour-due-to-failed-anti-doping-test_441632

This is a shocker... Zubeldia in now I guess...

Hope so. Didn't understand decision to leave him out to begin with.

 

[GuyIncognito]

Cardoso is out.

http://www.velonews.com/2017/06/news/andre-cardoso-out-of-tour-due-to-failed-anti-doping-test_441632

This is a shocker... Zubeldia in now I guess...

My exact thought.

Ninja's back.

 

[Red Rick]

If it weren't for the press release we'd never have noticed. Alberto Contador would somehow just feel less air resistance while riding toward his last TdF victory, never knowing exactly what's going on

 

[GuyIncognito]

Re:

Alberto Contador would somehow just feel less air resistance while riding toward his last TdF victory

He's riding backwards in time? That's amazing.

 

[Red Rick]

The events of the 2017 Tour de France have yet to happen. It is known

 

[GuyIncognito]

Re:

The events of the 2017 Tour de France have yet to happen. It is known

Are you british? You seem to crave disappointment.