Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[Valv.Piti]

Lets see how he fares on Saturday, but I find it interesting he is better here than at the Tour. Red Rick will get on me for this, but yes, we saw his real level in the Tour and it wasn't great. For example, he was the 8th best on Planche des Belles Filles, a stage that suited him well and was running on empty against 2nd and 3rd tier riders on Galibier (after a fast ascent Croix de Fer, yes). I honestly think he messed his prep up ahead of the Tour big time.

 

[telencefalus]

Re:

Lets see how he fares on Saturday, but I find it interesting he is better here than at the Tour. Red Rick will get on me for this, but yes, we saw his real level in the Tour and it wasn't great. For example, he was the 8th best on Planche des Belles Filles, a stage that suited him well and was running on empty against 2nd and 3rd tier riders on Galibier (after a fast ascent Croix de Fer, yes). I honestly think he messed his prep up ahead of the Tour big time.

that could be true but remember that crashes affect him badly

 

[skippo12]

Come on Alberto... long range attack with Nibali who takes the GC while Alberto gets his stage win. Make it happen. Trek and Bahrain should have their pre race team meeting together tomorrow.

 

[portugal11]

Re:

I'm still sorry that He has not won. maybe it was the last chance

Tomorrow he is the no favourite

 

[jens_attacks]

Vuelta champion on angliru. Vamos.

 

[Netserk]

Will he be able to better his 2008 time (or even the legendary papy-time)?

 

[jens_attacks]

Re:

Will he be able to better his 2008 time (or even the legendary papy-time)?

Nah. He makes his winning move on cobertoria
Grown people will cry.

 

[Tonton]

Re: Re:

I'm still sorry that He has not won. maybe it was the last chance

Same. Still really disappointed, I don't think I'll sleep well tonight. Last night it suddenly hit me that there were only 5 stages left in his career and as you can imagine, it didn't make me very happy

Come on LaFlo: be happy, enjoy the rest of this Vuelta. Yes, the end is near, and Alberto may not win it all, but he's leaving on his terms, guns blazing. Not too many champions can say that or have done that.

 

[IMA]

Re: Re:

Will he be able to better his 2008 time (or even the legendary papy-time)?

Nah. He makes his winning move on cobertoria
Grown people will cry.

Haha
Yeah he probably will attack on La Cobertoria. It would be epic.
I just hope the temperatures stay low and a little bit of rain would be great.
But the D day is tomorrow. It´s going to be a massacre. At the end of tomorrow stage Froome will probably be out of contention. No joke.
Alberto don´t give a *** about the podium. There´s only two things in his mind in this moment. Winning la Vuelta and making Froome and SKUCI lose.
What a same he´s having such a bad luck with stage wins.

Anyway Alberto seems to be very happy and optimistic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIMdx8Koc40

There´s no way he won´t attack in La Hoz. Maybe even before there.

Proud of him.

 

[IMA]

Re: Re:

I'm still sorry that He has not won. maybe it was the last chance

Same. Still really disappointed, I don't think I'll sleep well tonight. Last night it suddenly hit me that there were only 5 stages left in his career and as you can imagine, it didn't make me very happy

Cheer up, La Florecita. It´s the last page of a wonderful book, yeah, but it´ll be the best last page ever written.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

I'm still sorry that He has not won. maybe it was the last chance

Same. Still really disappointed, I don't think I'll sleep well tonight. Last night it suddenly hit me that there were only 5 stages left in his career and as you can imagine, it didn't make me very happy

Cheer up, La Florecita. It´s the last page of a wonderful book, yeah, but it´ll be the best last page ever written.

That's true

 

[Electress]

Re: Re:

I'm still sorry that He has not won. maybe it was the last chance

Same. Still really disappointed, I don't think I'll sleep well tonight. Last night it suddenly hit me that there were only 5 stages left in his career and as you can imagine, it didn't make me very happy

Cheer up, La Florecita. It´s the last page of a wonderful book, yeah, but it´ll be the best last page ever written.

What a lovely way to put it!

Just caught up with the stage. Wow. He wasn't joking when he said he has 5 days left in the legs and he's going to use all of it! No matter what happens in the next few days, he is going to go out showing the cycling world just what a great racer we are losing. This race has made me even more proud to be a fan. The mental strength of the guy - let alone the physical - is awesome.

 

[Jspear]

I'm late to the party...just watched the last 8 k. Man that was awesome! That definitely brought back memories from 2014 AC. He was so fluid!

 

[gregrowlerson]

Ironically something that I love about this parcours (having a genuine mountain stage early and thus not being particularly back ended) is what will probably cost my favourite active rider a GT win, or at least a podium.

Side topic: I would love a spare four hours today to read all of the posts on this thread and on the stage, but those I don't have. I'd also like to watch tonight's stage live, and Friday's, and Saturday's....

Is it possible to avoid sleep for seventy-two hours? I can sleep once Alberto has retired.

 

[gregrowlerson]

The devil finally revealed himself today.

He is not Johan Bruyneel.
He is not Oleg Tinkov.
He is not Dave Brailsford.

He is The Break Of The Day.

 

[gregrowlerson]

Re:

Guys that was it... this was his chance and he was so strong, damn it damn it damn it

FOUR times in just this race he has been the best of the NON breakaway group of riders!

I wonder how many times this has happened to AC in GT's? I can immediately recall that infamous stage 8 from the 2014 Tour. Anyone care to make a list?

 

[telencefalus]

the fact that after ermita santa lucia Contador was keeping saying that he we'll see day by day to climb the overall was a clear sign that he wants to win not only to be on the podium , for him in the podium there is just one place the first , he won't be on the podium if 2nd or 3rd

 

[Pricey_sky]

Re:

The devil finally revealed himself today.

He is not Johan Bruyneel.
He is not Oleg Tinkov.
He is not Dave Brailsford.

He is The Break Of The Day.

No, the devil was his team for not chasing the break if he felt good. Even putting 1 rider to help Astana/Bahrain chase would have been enough.

 

[Puccini]

Re: Re:

I'm still sorry that He has not won. maybe it was the last chance

Same. Still really disappointed, I don't think I'll sleep well tonight. Last night it suddenly hit me that there were only 5 stages left in his career and as you can imagine, it didn't make me very happy

I recognize that in the last few days I did not care much about his whitdrawal, thinking it was a natural thing . But this show reminded me that he will leave an unmistakable void.
So sad

The gap will be gigantic: there is indeed no one on the world stage who can "gather" or remotely all the qualities and way to face the careers of Alberto.
It is the end of an era (if not continuous ...) as the times of Coppi, Anquetil, Merckx, Hinault or Indurain ended.
It is simply INSUSTITULE ....

 

[Puccini]

Re:

the fact that after ermita santa lucia Contador was keeping saying that he we'll see day by day to climb the overall was a clear sign that he wants to win not only to be on the podium , for him in the podium there is just one place the first , he won't be on the podium if 2nd or 3rd

Exact!
Do not forget that the 9 times that Alberto took the podium of a Grand Tour always went to the first place.
That is their "natural" place.

 

[Pennino]

Very strange emotions. Given that there's absolutely NO rider (the ones who should given their position don't even bother to use him for a coup of themselves) that matches his grinta, I don't even want to think about what cycling's going to be next year. This year's Giro we saw it already I guess.

So shall we just be happy and thankful for every day of Contador that's left and for the neverending memory he'll leave to us?

At least cycling will be less frustrating.

 

[Puccini]

Re: Re:

the fact that after ermita santa lucia Contador was keeping saying that he we'll see day by day to climb the overall was a clear sign that he wants to win not only to be on the podium , for him in the podium there is just one place the first , he won't be on the podium if 2nd or 3rd

Exact!
Do not forget that the 9 times that Alberto took the podium of a Grand Tour always went to the first place.
That is their "natural" place.

It is also true that eddy Merckx (recordman absolute wins in GT)
with 11 victories obtained 11 times the 1º and only once another position in podio (2º in the Tour of 1975)
Alberto has 9 times 1º but maybe this can still change ...

1º Eddy Merckx 11 GT
2º Bernard Hinault 10 GT
3º Alberto Contador 9 GT
4º Jacques Anquetil 8 GT

 

[huge]

I really hope that today Berto goes for a kamikaze attack, all or nothing.
What's the point for him to aim at 3rd place on the podium?

 

[deValtos]

He's a lot more inconsistent than he used to be but I think he's shown he still has the level to win a GT, albeit with a small bit of luck, that I thought he had no more.

 

[gunara]

Unlike many others, I'm not really in for the idea of him continuing in 2018. I don't think he will find better reasons than ones he's already thouroughly thought of when deciding to retire. It's a life-defining decision, I'd be worried about the thoughtfulness of a u-turn. And....also...I've had enough of stressful time watching pro cycling
Having said that, even if it goes on to have a happy ending, the end of this Vuelta will be a very very sad day that I'll hate to face.