Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

Tinkoff was 100% correct. Contador should've retired 2 years ago!

Actually this performances are worse than Pantani 2003 or Armstrong 2009. Eventually puts things into perspective on how big Contador really was!

Huh? Did you watch armstrong's performances in 2010?

He mentioned Armstrong's performance in 2009. You should improve your reading skills.

And you should tone it down.

Contador proved he was right today. Right about quitting this year. He does not have the recovery anymore. All the 'he should've retired 2 years ago' *** can stop. For as declined as he is, he was responsible for a significant amount of the action in the Tour, and he's still competitive in the spring. Now is the right moment to go if he does not want to continue as a stage hunter/domestique.

 

[Forever The Best]

Re: Re:

Tinkoff was 100% correct. Contador should've retired 2 years ago!

Actually this performances are worse than Pantani 2003 or Armstrong 2009. Eventually puts things into perspective on how big Contador really was!

Huh? Did you watch armstrong's performances in 2010?

You mean when he would've won the Tour de Suisse if not for Schleck doing the TT of his life!?

I'd say Contador's performance in P-N this year was better than that.

Indeed. He would've won if Bahrain hadn't chased very hard for whaetever reason. Contador was also the main actor on the best stage of the 2017 TDF (Foix) which you can't say about Lance on 2010 TDF.

 

[lenric]

Re: Re:

But he was talking about the last season of former gt legends... you're out of context, so please don't come here only to troll other members. The last season of LA was 2010 and not 2009

Wrong. He mentioned performances, hence, putting into context, the last 2 GT performances of their careers. Hence, whilst it is very premature to compare Armstrong's performance in the 2010's TDF with Contador's 2017 Vuelta (all in all, Armstrong crashed a couple of times, which screwed his chances of getting a top-10), it is perfectly reasonable to state that Armstrong's podium in 2009 was arguably better than the place Contador achieved in this year's TDF.

About Pantani, not even worth comparing for obvious reasons.

@Red Rick

Relax. I wasn't "insulting" anyone.

 

[StryderHells]

Re: Re:

Tinkoff was 100% correct. Contador should've retired 2 years ago!

Actually this performances are worse than Pantani 2003 or Armstrong 2009. Eventually puts things into perspective on how big Contador really was!

Huh? Did you watch armstrong's performances in 2010?

He mentioned Armstrong's performance in 2009. You should improve your reading skills.

But he was talking about the last season of former gt legends... you're out of context, so please don't come here only to troll other members. The last season of LA was 2010 and not 2009

Armstrong's last GT was 2010 but his last season was 2011

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

Tinkoff was 100% correct. Contador should've retired 2 years ago!

Actually this performances are worse than Pantani 2003 or Armstrong 2009. Eventually puts things into perspective on how big Contador really was!

Huh? Did you watch armstrong's performances in 2010?

He mentioned Armstrong's performance in 2009. You should improve your reading skills.

But he was talking about the last season of former gt legends... you're out of context, so please don't come here only to troll other members. The last season of LA was 2010 and not 2009

Armstrong's last GT was 2010 but his last season was 2011

Didn't he only do the Cadel Ocean race or something like that?

 

[Pennino]

I just feel very gutted right now. But this doesn't exactly mean that he has to retire from the race or won't improve or won't be able to do something special further in the race. This Vuelta is gonna be really long, really hard. The only thing I'm quite sure of is that he won't win this race anymore...

 

[hfer07]

It was painful to watch Alberto literally drained to the last drop of energy...... He stated it he has no idea what happened to his body, but he described it literally as it shut down on him.....

at this point, I'm prepared to watch him simply pulling on the side of the rode, getting off the bike, and saying farewell to the world of cycling .......

 

[LaFlorecita]

Only just saw the results. It's sad but at least it confirms he made the right decision to retire after this race. I hope he can still win a stage.

Reading through this thread I can only say there are some pathetic posters on here.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

I don't understand this. How in hell did he decide coming to the Vuelta and retiring afterwards in this shape? Something happened after the Tour...

A sad end to his career, to be sure.

Yes after the Tour he decided to retire so he came to Spain to get the goodbye he deserves.

 

[Jspear]

Just echoing what a couple others have said. I hope he can get a stage win. I think he can....he'll just have to choose his battles. It was a little sad seeing Stetina go slow for him at several points.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

This have been the story since 2014 with blips here and there, so whats new? he is an exceptional athlete such that he won a GT (2015 Giro) on reserve tank. Except we are now on literally empty tank.

But some die-hard AC fans refuse to wake up from fantasy island still believing in the miracle blip. Perhaps reality will now set it, he ain't what he was, hasn't been since 2014. Even the 2015 Giro may not had been if Landa had been allowed to do what he wanted.

Still think he is an exceptional athlete but he should have quit after 2014. Although I wonder if he may have come back like LA, feeling he cut it short? Now, he will not return, its clear to him and everyone there is nothing left, he has given the sport everything, every ounce of gas he has to offer.

In 2015 he won the Giro and in 2016 several stages and Vuelta al Pais Vasco so of course he shouldn't have retired in 2014.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

Has been slowing down for two years - And loss of form can suddenly hit an athlete - He's a proud man who will ride out the tour to the best of his ability.

Exactly

 

[Forever The Best]

I still believe he could have won the TDF last year without the crashes.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

What he said at the pre-race interviews about he didn't like the Watts cycling and the riding for places, sounded almost a bit disillusioned. I have been wondering about his decision - that he seemed to suddenly decide to retire. I wonder if he' s just done with it.

that also crossed my mind when I read those statements. I hope he will further clarify his reasons for retiring at some point, as he has said it isn't because he feels he can't compete anymore.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

Now is the right moment to go if he does not want to continue as a stage hunter/domestique.

you're absolutely right. In a way I'm relieved that he and his fans will know it was time to retire and not be left wondering.

 

[bob.a.feet]

I hope he drops time on purpose (although he never will) and goes for a a stage win on Angliru. That would be a great end to his career, winning his final mountain stage on of the hardest climbs.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

At this point, I'm prepared to watch him simply pulling on the side of the rode, getting off the bike, and saying farewell to the world of cycling .......

I don't see that happening at all. There's just no point unless he can't go on anymore. He'll want to ride all the way to Madrid and feel the love of the fans and there's a tribute waiting for him on the podium.

 

[Electress]

Re: Re:

What he said at the pre-race interviews about he didn't like the Watts cycling and the riding for places, sounded almost a bit disillusioned. I have been wondering about his decision - that he seemed to suddenly decide to retire. I wonder if he' s just done with it.

that also crossed my mind when I read those statements. I hope he will further clarify his reasons for retiring at some point, as he has said it isn't because he feels he can't compete anymore.

Tbh, the whole way he retired seemed to me there was more to it than contract negotiations or whatever. I confess I'm curious as to what was behind what seemed a volte face as well. I'm kind of clinging on the hope that he was so poor today that there is a more specific reason and that he can get a good stage victory somewhere.

I think he deserves a good exit - he's given a lot to the sport. But I don't want any favours either.

 

[Red Rick]

Just saw the the last climb. That man cracked mentally. He's won and lost so much over the course of his career that he can't go so deep when he can't believe in his own chances anymore.

I hope he finds a goal in this Vuelta that brings him some satisfaction in his last race. All we can do is shut our cakeholes, accept what's happening and act like crazy people when he's leaving it all on the road.

 

[Electress]

Re: Re:

This have been the story since 2014 with blips here and there, so whats new? he is an exceptional athlete such that he won a GT (2015 Giro) on reserve tank. Except we are now on literally empty tank.

But some die-hard AC fans refuse to wake up from fantasy island still believing in the miracle blip. Perhaps reality will now set it, he ain't what he was, hasn't been since 2014. Even the 2015 Giro may not had been if Landa had been allowed to do what he wanted.

Still think he is an exceptional athlete but he should have quit after 2014. Although I wonder if he may have come back like LA, feeling he cut it short? Now, he will not return, its clear to him and everyone there is nothing left, he has given the sport everything, every ounce of gas he has to offer.

In 2015 he won the Giro and in 2016 several stages and Vuelta al Pais Vasco so of course he shouldn't have retired in 2014.

The whole 2015 thing really quite annoys me. FFS, he won the Giro in pretty good style, then came 5th in the TdF. Contrast Nairo. He gets way too little credit for the double attempt. Suggesting he should have retired the year before he won a GT and came fifth in another is just ridiculous. For virtually everyone else in the whole peloton, that would have been a peak of their career!

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

Just saw the the last climb. That man cracked mentally. He's won and lost so much over the course of his career that he can't go so deep when he can't believe in his own chances anymore.

I hope he finds a goal in this Vuelta that brings him some satisfaction in his last race. All we can do is shut our cakeholes, accept what's happening and act like crazy people when he's leaving it all on the road.

So much this

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

Poor show today. To many Ice Creams and no motivation.

It's like he didn't even touch his bike since the Tour finished - to be in such bad shape. Just spent the time doing interviews and preparing his farewell tour. It's sad to see, but hopefully he can ride himself into some form and do something memorable in the last few stages.

Huh?! Wasn't it a gutsy ride today by Alberto?

That was the opposite of gutsy. That was the ride of a guy who is mentally finished with the sport already. Never seen Contador looking so bad in a GT.

 

[DFA123]

Re:

Just saw the the last climb. That man cracked mentally. He's won and lost so much over the course of his career that he can't go so deep when he can't believe in his own chances anymore.

I hope he finds a goal in this Vuelta that brings him some satisfaction in his last race. All we can do is shut our cakeholes, accept what's happening and act like crazy people when he's leaving it all on the road.

I still have a small hope that he'll go for stages at the Vuelta when he gets some form in his legs in the third week or whenever, and will realise how fun it is doing that without the pressure of GC every day. And then he'll decide to stay on for another year doing the same thing in the Tour and having a crack at some one day races like Lombardia and the Worlds just for fun.

 

[Electress]

Re: Re:

Just saw the the last climb. That man cracked mentally. He's won and lost so much over the course of his career that he can't go so deep when he can't believe in his own chances anymore.

I hope he finds a goal in this Vuelta that brings him some satisfaction in his last race. All we can do is shut our cakeholes, accept what's happening and act like crazy people when he's leaving it all on the road.

I still have a small hope that he'll go for stages at the Vuelta when he gets some form in his legs in the third week or whenever, and will realise how fun it is doing that without the pressure of GC every day. And then he'll decide to stay on for another year doing the same thing in the Tour and having a crack at some one day races like Lombardia and the Worlds just for fun.

It's a nice dream, but I can't see it happening.

 

[Valv.Piti]

When I thought Quintana hit rock bottom attacking on Croix de Fer and dropping 5 minutes later, being completely empty and desperate, Contador performed this number. Honestly a quite pathetic performance. After seeing this it makes me wonder if we quite frankly has overrated Contador the last couple of years since he probably is the GC-rider which peaks the absolute hardest in the spring and therefore is left more empty in the summertime. We have long thought his spring would reflect his GT-performances, but they haven't come close in 2016 and 2017.He said it wasn't the case this year, he said he would take it a bit easier compared to other years, but its painfully obvious now after seeing a rider Bardet or Froome performing like this in July and August compared to what they and Contador did in March and April. Theres a world of difference between how they have trained and have attacked the season. Contador guns blazing as usual, but his body can't cope with it anymore.

Obviously this isn't his real level, we all know that, but it makes one wonder.