Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[TheYouyou7]

Well he's lied to us again :razz:

Apart from that, he managed the climb quite correctly. All the other contenders don't seem that good (beside Aru).

 

[lenric]

Re: Re:

If his goal in 2018 is to win the Giro, then he should retire, because that won't obviously happen. Or, at least, as easily as in 2015.
Otherwise, keep riding however he wants, as long as he's not stating he's coming here and there to win when he simply doesn't have it in him anymore.

If Cadel Evans had followed your retirement strategy, he very well may not have ever won the Tour and the Aussie fans in the forum would be have been left with the frustrating career of Richie Porte to be tortured over year after year.

I'll give you kudos for trying to attack my argument alluding to one of my favorite riders, instead of actually discussing it.
Your fallacy, however, is clear. Evans had a bad year in 2010, after having good performances (for his own standards) in the previous years. That shows consistency with 2010 being an outlier.
Contador, on the other hand, has been greatly declining, rather than being more or less consistent since 2012, with 2014 being an outlier.

 

[DFA123]

Well he's lied to us again :razz:

Apart from that, he managed the climb quite correctly. All the other contenders don't seem that good (beside Aru).

Maybe he didn't lie (for once). Maybe this form is actually the same as his 2014 Tour shape and numbers.

 

[Valv.Piti]

How is this disappointing? Given the nature of the stage and the last climb and considering his recent level (last 2 years), this is about par for Contador. Silll a good shot to grab podium. He rode very well within himself today which is a huge plus.

 

[bajbar]

Well he's lied to us again :razz:

Apart from that, he managed the climb quite correctly. All the other contenders don't seem that good (beside Aru).

Maybe he didn't lie (for once). Maybe this form is actually the same as his 2014 Tour shape and numbers.

Not quite

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfMNDkoWjpc

 

[TheYouyou7]

Well he's lied to us again :razz:

Apart from that, he managed the climb quite correctly. All the other contenders don't seem that good (beside Aru).

Maybe he didn't lie (for once). Maybe this form is actually the same as his 2014 Tour shape and numbers.

Not quite

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfMNDkoWjpc

If he had 2014 form he would have put 20-30s to Aru.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Not quite

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfMNDkoWjpc

now I'm sad. He wasn't even breathing

 

[Matteo.]

Well he's lied to us again :razz:

Apart from that, he managed the climb quite correctly. All the other contenders don't seem that good (beside Aru).

Maybe he didn't lie (for once). Maybe this form is actually the same as his 2014 Tour shape and numbers.

Not quite

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfMNDkoWjpc

If he had 2014 form he would have put 20-30s to Aru.

Quite clear that he would win today. Just look at his face: he does not breathe. Similar to yesterday.
Unfortunately that Alberto will not be there again

 

[lenric]

That Contador from 2014 was insane.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

Contador, on the other hand, has been greatly declining, rather than being more or less consistent since 2012, with 2014 being an outlier.

Many riders would give up a kidney to have such a gentle "great decline". We're 5 years on from 2012 and he's still in the fight for a podium position.

 

[lenric]

Re: Re:

Contador, on the other hand, has been greatly declining, rather than being more or less consistent since 2012, with 2014 being an outlier.

Many riders would give up a kidney to have such a gentle "great decline". We're 5 years on from 2012 and he's still in the fight for a podium position.

Another false equivalence. You're on fire today.

 

[GuyIncognito]

Who cares about his performance.
Let's get back to discussing what's actually important, how fat is he?

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

Contador, on the other hand, has been greatly declining, rather than being more or less consistent since 2012, with 2014 being an outlier.

Many riders would give up a kidney to have such a gentle "great decline". We're 5 years on from 2012 and he's still in the fight for a podium position.

Another false equivalence. You're on fire today.

You wrote he has been greatly declining since 2012. If that was the case, he'd be finishing in the gruppetto these days. His top level has dropped a few % during several years, that's not greatly declining.

 

[RattaKuningas]

Didn't look too bad today in my opinion.

 

[LaFlorecita]

What worries me is that he said he wanted to limit his losses because he wasn't feeling well. To me it seems like he is waiting for a feeling or shape that won't come. If he had said that he felt okay but the hard accelerations were just a bit too much I'd be more confident in his abilities to improve and reach a good level.

 

[rhubroma]

Contador rode smartly today, but isn't in 2014 shape. Had he been, he would have attacked with Aru and then Froome and Porte in person would have had to jump.

Aru has always made those bold attacks when he wins, taking advantage of his rivals frankly underestimating his potential, which may have been justified in the past, but now no longer. It will be interesting to see how Aru handles his new-found prowess, because he won't be given a leash at all from here on out. Not that he was given one today, because he simply was flying. And I said he would be, because I saw him win the Italian national championships after the Dauphine, where he was already very strong. Go Fabio! If only he were a better TTer, he could really stick it to Froome and Sky this time.

Sorry for the digression, but this does revolve around Contador, who must find it difficult to see a younger rider be able to light up a course the way he used to perform. It doesn't seem he is able to reach the level required any longer, though I wouldn't have thought, even at his age, considering his pedigree, he would not be able to still muster it with all out dedication. The only thing that can be hoped for Contador, is that he planned to reach peak form in the second and third weeks. But this is probably wishful thinking.

 

[TheYouyou7]

Re:

What worries me is that he said he wanted to limit his losses because he wasn't feeling well. To me it seems like he is waiting for a feeling or shape that won't come. If he had said that he felt okay but the hard accelerations were just a bit too much I'd be more confident in his abilities to improve and reach a good level.

Yeah i'm afraid we're gonna het his "manana mas" bulls*** for the rest of the TDF.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

Didn't look too bad today in my opinion.

Definitely not too bad. Had it been one or two years ago, he would most likely have done everything in his might to stay with Froome and exploded in the attempt, similarly to Quintana today but worse.

 

[DFA123]

Re:

Who cares about his performance.
Let's get back to discussing what's actually important, how fat is he?

:lol: Could still do with losing another kg I think. Could be the now ubiquitous white jersey though - even Froome looked chunkier than usual.

 

[Carols]

Not quite

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfMNDkoWjpc

now I'm sad. He wasn't even breathing

Alas those days are gone. No grimace, not even a deep breath, rides away.....

He is a Great Champion in decline, age brings all of them down. I am just happy to have seen the Legend that is Alberto Contador. You all can disagree but I've followed this sport for 50+ years and he is one of the Best to ever throw his leg over a bike in those 50 years.

Hopefully he has enough left to give us a show, if not his legacy is not diminished. His star has dimmed but the Glory of 2007-2015 will always be with us. I have it all on dvd .

 

[LaFlorecita]

Usually he says "tomorrow more" after a good stage so I doubt we'll hear it this race...!

 

[TheYouyou7]

Re:

Usually he says "tomorrow more" after a good stage so I doubt we'll hear it this race...!

He also says it when he's been dropped in a stage. check 2013 and 2015 Tours

 

[latino]

Froome and Contador are probably aiming at the last week, that might explain the "extra" kg that will disappear during the Tour.

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Some one up thread said:

No matter how much he wants to win and be on form, he's no longer a factor.

Right,
like he wasn't a factor in preventing Dawg take the Vuelta.
Even a diminished Alberto can be
an unforeseen factor.
Hurray for that.

 

[DFA123]

Re:

Froome and Contador are probably aiming at the last week, that might explain the "extra" kg that will disappear during the Tour.

The last week with a grand total of four mountains? (Just to clarify; that's four mountains in total, not mountain stages.) Not sure that's a great strategy.