huge said:If he pulls this out, it is going to be one of the greatest victories in cycling history.
Even Contador has to occasionally look at Froome's powermeter. Witchcraft!Puccini said:huge said:If he pulls this out, it is going to be one of the greatest victories in cycling history.
I note that here are some followers of Alberto with very little ambition.
He will look to the last minute for the jackpot.
The historic bombing as the culmination of a sports career ....
A podium or stage ?? Minor issues for a myth like Alberto.
Look for the higher premium assuming risks.
It's not a chicken.
His place in the Cycling Pantheon has been insured for years.
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:lol: :lol:GraftPunk said:Even Contador has to occasionally look at Froome's powermeter. Witchcraft!Puccini said:huge said:If he pulls this out, it is going to be one of the greatest victories in cycling history.
I note that here are some followers of Alberto with very little ambition.
He will look to the last minute for the jackpot.
The historic bombing as the culmination of a sports career ....
A podium or stage ?? Minor issues for a myth like Alberto.
Look for the higher premium assuming risks.
It's not a chicken.
His place in the Cycling Pantheon has been insured for years.
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I think it may not be a joke.LaFlorecita said:Trek riders messing with us on twitter... they are joking that Berto will stay
Can you imagine if this was all just 1 big joke![]()
huge said:If he pulls this out, it is going to be one of the greatest victories in cycling history.
Sky will surely have no interest in catching the breakaway and Trek is totally useless...I´m afraid the stage win will be for one of the guys in the break unless some early attacks take place in la Cobertoria or Cordal.LaFlorecita said:I'm a little worried about the whispers that Berto isn't thinking about the stage win, but about the overall win. Please be smart, Berto. You have a great chance to win the stage if you stay calm.
Geez LaFlo, of course he is thinking about winning it all. It's who he is! If he has the legs he will Go For It All!!!LaFlorecita said:I'm a little worried about the whispers that Berto isn't thinking about the stage win, but about the overall win. Please be smart, Berto. You have a great chance to win the stage if you stay calm.
I'm not sure about the translation... ?IMA said:I think it may not be a joke.LaFlorecita said:Trek riders messing with us on twitter... they are joking that Berto will stay
Can you imagine if this was all just 1 big joke![]()
I havent´t a clue, but some people is speculating about it. I hope they are right.
On top of that...
https://twitter.com/albertocontador/status/906259661401325570
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I know... but I don't want that, he deserves a great stage win to say goodbye on a high note, of course he won't win the race, he will just blow himself up. I don't want to see him finish with a disappointmentCarols said:Geez LaFlo, of course he is thinking about winning it all. It's who he is! If he has the legs he will Go For It All!!!LaFlorecita said:I'm a little worried about the whispers that Berto isn't thinking about the stage win, but about the overall win. Please be smart, Berto. You have a great chance to win the stage if you stay calm.
Being true to oneself is never a disappointment! He will always wonder what might have been if he only goes for the stage, especially if he were to drop Froome and take big time but run out of ground for the overall win. It's better to try and fail then not to try!LaFlorecita said:I know... but I don't want that, he deserves a great stage win to say goodbye on a high note, of course he won't win the race, he will just blow himself up. I don't want to see him finish with a disappointmentCarols said:Geez LaFlo, of course he is thinking about winning it all. It's who he is! If he has the legs he will Go For It All!!!LaFlorecita said:I'm a little worried about the whispers that Berto isn't thinking about the stage win, but about the overall win. Please be smart, Berto. You have a great chance to win the stage if you stay calm.![]()
Nothing special. He´s just having fun with so many fans begging him not to retire. But he cares a lot about his fans wishes.LaFlorecita said:I'm not sure about the translation... ?IMA said:I think it may not be a joke.LaFlorecita said:Trek riders messing with us on twitter... they are joking that Berto will stay
Can you imagine if this was all just 1 big joke![]()
I havent´t a clue, but some people is speculating about it. I hope they are right.
On top of that...
https://twitter.com/albertocontador/status/906259661401325570
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Each day he is repeating "x more days as a pro", I really don't think he'll reconsider.
Alberto hasn't been the best rider of this Vuelta. I love his aggressive style but he gained time because Froome allowed him to. Why would he match Alberto when he already has a big lead?Puccini said:For that and many other things (difference potential equipment)Merckx index said:If I haven’t missed any, these are all the stages on which Contador has attacked, and the result (relative to Froome):
Stage 8. Finished same time
Stage 11. Lost 23 seconds (including time bonus).
Stage 12. Gained 42 seconds.
Stage 14. Lost 6 seconds.
Stage 15: Lost 40 seconds.
Stage 17: Gained 1:24 (including time bonus).
Stage 18: Finished same time.
Stage 19: Finished same time.
Net: :57 gained
Also interesting to note the GC just since the second rest day:
Contador
Froome :25
Kelderman :31
Zakarin :46
Nibali :51
Poels 1:50
Lopez 2:50
Woods 3:32
Aru 3:34
Chaves 9:43
Alberto has been the best of this Vuelta and is very likely to finish tomorrow 1st or 2nd in the overall standings.
This race has been the Alberto Show.
The rest on another level with all respect towards Froome of course.
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My nephew, aged 5, already does. He is olive skinned, has dark brown hair, big brown eyes and long black lashes...he even rides out of the saddle....!jsem94 said:This. No one will grow up dreaming of racing like FroomeCarols said:Little boys will get on their bikes dreaming of being able to race like the Great Alberto Contador.(not being a hater, but it's like when a wise man once said "no one wants to grow up to be a Gary Neville"). I sometimes imagine myself being Contador on any sort of incline and try dance on the pedals. Then I remember I can't push 500 watts for extended periods of time and I die.
Show him all the vids so his winning attitude grows strongElectress said:My nephew, aged 5, already does. He is olive skinned, has dark brown hair, big brown eyes and long black lashes...he even rides out of the saddle....!jsem94 said:This. No one will grow up dreaming of racing like FroomeCarols said:Little boys will get on their bikes dreaming of being able to race like the Great Alberto Contador.(not being a hater, but it's like when a wise man once said "no one wants to grow up to be a Gary Neville"). I sometimes imagine myself being Contador on any sort of incline and try dance on the pedals. Then I remember I can't push 500 watts for extended periods of time and I die.
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Me either! Pantano had a legitimate shot for the win and was very likely told to go for it!LaFlorecita said:I don't see what was wrong with what Pantano did. Yes, in hindsight, maybe a 15s gain for Berto would have outweighed a 2nd place. But it could have been a first as well, and maybe with Pantano they would still have been caught. It was the right decision by the team IMO.
Yeah, if you say so.Carols said:Me either! Pantano had a legitimate shot for the win and was very likely told to go for it!LaFlorecita said:I don't see what was wrong with what Pantano did. Yes, in hindsight, maybe a 15s gain for Berto would have outweighed a 2nd place. But it could have been a first as well, and maybe with Pantano they would still have been caught. It was the right decision by the team IMO.
Some people just want to start polemics maybe?
He already does like watching him.Carols said:Show him all the vids so his winning attitude grows strongElectress said:My nephew, aged 5, already does. He is olive skinned, has dark brown hair, big brown eyes and long black lashes...he even rides out of the saddle....!jsem94 said:This. No one will grow up dreaming of racing like FroomeCarols said:Little boys will get on their bikes dreaming of being able to race like the Great Alberto Contador.(not being a hater, but it's like when a wise man once said "no one wants to grow up to be a Gary Neville"). I sometimes imagine myself being Contador on any sort of incline and try dance on the pedals. Then I remember I can't push 500 watts for extended periods of time and I die.
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The difference is that last year Scarponi would have got caught by Nibali himself if he hadn't dropped back. This time there was less to gain for the gc rider but more to win for the helper, therefore the different decisions.IMA said:Yeah, if you say so.Carols said:Me either! Pantano had a legitimate shot for the win and was very likely told to go for it!LaFlorecita said:I don't see what was wrong with what Pantano did. Yes, in hindsight, maybe a 15s gain for Berto would have outweighed a 2nd place. But it could have been a first as well, and maybe with Pantano they would still have been caught. It was the right decision by the team IMO.
Some people just want to start polemics maybe?
The matter of fact is that Alberto is fighting for the GC and his teammates have barely helped him so far.
Do you remember what Scarponi did for Nibali in Risoul last year? That´s a teammate.
Sounds like Pantano was allowed to go for the stage win, and LaFlo can sleep better because Berto's only going for the stage tomorrow."Today was a really difficult finish to reach ahead of the bunch, but we had Jarlinson to go for the stage win, and Edward [Theuns] to help me," Contador said afterward.
"There was a really strong headwind, so I put on a 55 chainring for the drop down, when we saw they were pulling me back, we put Edward on the front to pull for as long as possible and I tried to conserve some energy for tomorrow."
"It was a pity," Theuns added, "but there was a lot of headwind in the final downhill, we still had to push a lot and that's where I think the guys behind had a bit of an advantage."
...
Asked if he thinks he can still win the Vuelta, Contador admitted that "my overall situation doesn't allow it, but I would like to take a stage victory if I can." His last chance will come on the Angliru, then, where he won back in 2008.