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TDF 2009Awful teammate, why?![]()
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TDF 2009Awful teammate, why?![]()
Him being a poor teammate (or maybe his teammates were the poor teammates instead?) in one race doesn't really seem to warrant the title 'generally awful teammate'.TDF 2009
LA was the awful teammate! Contador was wearing the number ending in 1 and was the strongest.TDF 2009
Bwahahaha to his holiness who should’ve never come back and did nothing all season to dislodge Contador? That’s funny. He came back to a team who had the man who had won 3 GTs in a row. He didn’t deserve leadership that year. Lance split what was the no question that best team in the world.TDF 2009
Bwahahaha to his holiness who should’ve never come back and did nothing all season to dislodge Contador? That’s funny. He came back to a team who had the man who had won 3 GTs in a row. He didn’t deserve leadership that year. Lance split what was the no question that best team in the world.
He attacked. Your criticizing Alberto for attacking. That’s the whole point of Alberto Contador. He attacks when he feels like it. Kloden was riding support. It wasn’t Alberto’s responsibility to protect Kloden’s 4th place. It was his responsibility to win the Tour. Should Thomas have not attacked to protect Froome’s position in 2018? Should LeMond have not attacked to protect Hampsten’s 4th place? Should Ullrich have not attacked to protect Riis in 1997?He also attacked and dropped Kloden for no real reason.
The problem is that you are looking at it from the American narrative which has always been shaped by Armstrong. Step back and look at it objectively. During Armstrong’s 7 Tours, did he ever not attack to protect his teammates? No he attacked because he was the leader. Astana had one GC leader. Not two. Not 3. One. Guys like Mick Rogers, Porte, Peter Sagan, Koen de Kort etc have all talked about how much they loved riding with Contador. Contador wasn’t the problem in 2009.
He attacked. Your criticizing Alberto for attacking. That’s the whole point of Alberto Contador. He attacks when he feels like it. Kloden was riding support. It wasn’t Alberto’s responsibility to protect Kloden’s 4th place. It was his responsibility to win the Tour. Should Thomas have not attacked to protect Froome’s position in 2018? Should LeMond have not attacked to protect Hampsten’s 4th place? Should Ullrich have not attacked to protect Riis in 1997?
The problem is that you are looking at it from the American narrative which has always been shaped by Armstrong. Step back and look at it objectively. During Armstrong’s 7 Tours, did he ever not attack to protect his teammates? No he attacked because he was the leader. Astana had one GC leader. Not two. Not 3. One. Guys like Mick Rogers, Porte, Peter Sagan, Koen de Kort etc have all talked about how much they loved riding with Contador. Contador wasn’t the problem in 2009.
I loved Kloden too. It just wasn’t Bertie’s responsibility to babysit Kloden’s 4th place.Love this post.
Even though I love Kloden.
Armstrong should thank him for that podium placeI loved Kloden too. It just wasn’t Bertie’s responsibility to babysit Kloden’s 4th place.
YupArmstrong should thank him for that podium place
My friend, tomorrow you have a great opportunity, FULL GAS!!!
Hey! That 4th could have been 3rd!I loved Kloden too. It just wasn’t Bertie’s responsibility to babysit Kloden’s 4th place.
I've seen them interact on social media several times this TdF I guess it kinda disproves the comment further upthread that Alberto was a "generally awful teammate". I don't think him and Porte seemed particularly close during their time on Saxo together yet they seem to be on good terms still.Alberto tweeted support for Richie Porte before today's TT (below is the quote). I know some say Porte wasn't great support for Contador during their time as teammates but AC himself doesn't seem to agree based upon this.
Literally the only one he's publicly on bad terms with is Lance frigging Armstrong.I've seen them interact on social media several times this TdF I guess it kinda disproves the comment further upthread that Alberto was a "generally awful teammate". I don't think him and Porte seemed particularly close during their time on Saxo together yet they seem to be on good terms still.
When Bertie was ploughing through backmarkers up the Mortirolo chasing Astana in 2015, with his own team long distanced, he found many friendly wheels to sit on for varying lengths of time.Literally the only one he's publicly on bad terms with is Lance frigging Armstrong.
If that's not a badge of honor I don't know what is
Yep specifically remember Igor Anton giving him a wheel.When Bertie was ploughing through backmarkers up the Mortirolo chasing Astana in 2015, with his own team long distanced, he found many friendly wheels to sit on for varying lengths of time.
LOL Who let Tinkoff on the forum
maybe it's Lance instead
Excerpt From“I know that some people thought that there were potential doping issues around Alberto, and, obviously, he did later test positive for clenbuterol. So why was I interested in him? Well, because I believed—and still do—Alberto to be the most talented GC rider of his generation. I believed he could win a Grand Tour clean, and that the stricter the anti-doping controls became, the more he would win due to his physiological superiority. I drew that conclusion from a few points of reference.
One was Iñigo San Millán, who had tested Alberto at a very young age. Iñigo said it was the most remarkable and eye-opening physiological test he’d ever conducted. Iñigo had conducted a lot of tests, on both clean and dirty riders.
Alberto gave us no cause to worry. He released all his blood values and his biological passport to us and our doctors. They reviewed them and said there was nothing remarkable to be seen in the blood tests, which, in light of how well Alberto was riding in 2008 and 2009, is really a statement. The 2007 season was pre–biological passport, so 2008 was as far back as we could review.
Anyway, clean rider versus clean rider, Contador wins. That’s why I liked him.”
Yeah, I remember similar comments from San Millan surfaced quite a few years ago. I think it was something about him producing very little lactate even during big efforts. I wonder how his test values compare to Pogacar's, as San Millan stated Pogacar scored highly on recovery values compared to some other very successful riders.I was reading Vaughters book this weekend and came across this nugget about Contador. I had heard similar stories about Alberto’s pretty stunning natural ability, but this Vaughters has seen Contador’s blood values in 2009. Here is what he said:
Excerpt From
One-Way Ticket
Jonathan Vaughters
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I’ve never watched Lance’s podcasts, but I got sent a clip after the 2018 Tour where Hincapie asked, in relation to Froome finishing 3rd behind G, “how did it feel when you finished 3rd behind your teammate?” and before George could finish the question Lance shot back “It fcukin sucked!”Two things: 1) I’ve even seen Contador and Lances best bud/ co-host George Hincapie interacting on social media and George has not taken part when Lance has gone off on his podcast about Contador, as far as I’m aware; 2) Lance will sometimes mention things he saw on the internet (picture of Roglic and Bernal from 2016 Tour of Slovenia, for example) that we’re posted on here; I’m sure all of this is posted elsewhere, but I also wouldn’t be shocked if he’s a reader or even a poster.
LOL Yeah he does. Lance gets his panties in a wad, which is part of the fun of the show. George, doper that he was, is essentially a nice guy who gets under Lance’s skin. Funny enough is that Andy Schleck was a daily guest this year.I’ve never watched Lance’s podcasts, but I got sent a clip after the 2018 Tour where Hincapie asked, in relation to Froome finishing 3rd behind G, “how did it feel when you finished 3rd behind your teammate?” and before George could finish the question Lance shot back “It fcukin sucked!”
I got a definite sense that it was a button of Lance’s that George likes to push now and again...