Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[airstream]

How do you come to this conclusion? In 2011 Porte rode for Contador at the Giro and was not much help. Froome was still somewhat an unknown quantity and Wiggins hadn't hired his swim coach (at least I don't think he had). I don't think Sky, in 2011, could have done anything to stop Contador on Etna (or any stage of the 2011 Giro).

We are looking into this story in this year's realities based on riders' capacities we know today.

 

[Ferminal]

How do you come to this conclusion? In 2011 Porte rode for Contador at the Giro and was not much help. Froome was still somewhat an unknown quantity and Wiggins hadn't hired his swim coach (at least I don't think he had). I don't think Sky, in 2011, could have done anything to stop Contador on Etna (or any stage of the 2011 Giro).

The characteristics of Etna make it very well suited to a group of riders working together. Any team with 4 of the strongest 10-15 riders would not allow anyone to gain a minute off the front of the bunch. When it came down to it Froome and Wiggins working together even if individually not as strong as Contador would be better than Contador dragging the little guy along.

 

[Publicus]

The characteristics of Etna make it very well suited to a group of riders working together. Any team with 4 of the strongest 10-15 riders would not allow anyone to gain a minute off the front of the bunch. When it came down to it Froome and Wiggins working together even if individually not as strong as Contador would be better than Contador dragging the little guy along.

It seems to me that Liquigas and Lampre had two the strongest guys and teams and still couldn't mount a meaningful challenge. The fact the Team Sky struggled (somewhat) to dispatch Nibbles in the 2012 "mountains" makes the proposition of them corralling/dispatching 2011 Contador (with their 2011 form) highly dubious.

I'm really looking forward to seeing Sky in 2013. I think the 2012 has over-inflated their abilities a touch.

 

[Publicus]

We are looking into this story in this year's realities based on riders' capacities we know today.

In the States we call that "cherry-picking"

 

[Dedelou]

So does it mean Andy will ride more than Alberto this year?

I fixed for you: " So does it mean Andy will enter more than Alberto this year?"
you know that entering does not guaranty "riding" when it comes to Andy

 

[Dedelou]

We are looking into this story in this year's realities based on riders' capacities we know today.

I have trouble with that. "how do we know " capacity" Often, performance is dictated by strategy and motivation and a rider deliver what is needed for the his goals. We cannot honestly predict future outcome solely based on what we see today because history has shown us many times that racers with great capacities have faltered while others have gone behind what we assume was their limits simply on 'heart" and courage. Froome will have to show something more than what we know so far. Contador has proven he can win, Froome hasn't

 

[LaFlorecita]

Lol. I was just about to ask LaFlorecita which one she fancied, because you just now she has picked at least one. And these arent even to old for her.

by the way they all look so bored

 

[Contadoraus Schlecks]

The characteristics of Etna make it very well suited to a group of riders working together. Any team with 4 of the strongest 10-15 riders would not allow anyone to gain a minute off the front of the bunch. When it came down to it Froome and Wiggins working together even if individually not as strong as Contador would be better than Contador dragging the little guy along.

As far as I remember he could have won nearly every mountain stage during the 2011 Giro. Zoncolan aside.

My original point was that AC disposed of Nibali with great ease, while Wiggins and Froome could only put 19 seconds into him ( TT's aside). I do take the point however that Froome may have had more in the tank.

That said, if Froome had been given a free pass and had gone crazy in the mountains then there is no guarantee that he would have had as much left for the TT's.

Less than six months to find out

 

[airstream]

As far as I remember he could have won nearly every mountain stage during the 2011 Giro. Zoncolan aside.

My original point was that AC disposed of Nibali with great ease, while Wiggins and Froome could only put 19 seconds into him ( TT's aside). I do take the point however that Froome may have had more in the tank.

That said, if Froome had been given a free pass and had gone crazy in the mountains then there is no guarantee that he would have had as much left for the TT's.

Less than six months to find out

In short, Froome had something in the tank but obviously not enough to gain 6 minutes as Contador did, right?

 

[Froome19]

As far as I remember he could have won nearly every mountain stage during the 2011 Giro. Zoncolan aside.

My original point was that AC disposed of Nibali with great ease, while Wiggins and Froome could only put 19 seconds into him ( TT's aside). I do take the point however that Froome may have had more in the tank.

That said, if Froome had been given a free pass and had gone crazy in the mountains then there is no guarantee that he would have had as much left for the TT's.

Less than six months to find out

You can't compare as the Giro route was much more mountaineous = more opportunities to take time than the Tour was. Even if the TT balanced it out we will never know to what extent.

 

[Contadoraus Schlecks]

You can't compare as the Giro route was much more mountaineous = more opportunities to take time than the Tour was. Even if the TT balanced it out we will never know to what extent.

Does it make a difference how many opportunities there are? They couldn't get rid of nibbles on three of four occasions during the tour

 

[airstream]

Does it make a difference how many opportunities there are? They couldn't get rid of nibbles on three of four occasions during the tour

Did they need it?

 

[Contadoraus Schlecks]

Did they need it?

Not in hindsight but when they tried to shake Niballi prior to TT's, they could not. Also, the same approach will not stand good for them come July. The TT centred approach will not work.

 

[Angliru]

We are looking into this story in this year's realities based on riders' capacities we know today.

You yourself admitted you don't know Froome's capacities since he was restrained in this year's Tour. We can say he's stronger than the riders that finished the Tour but that is the limit to what we/you know.

 

[airstream]

Not in hindsight but when they tried to shake Niballi prior to TT's, they could not. Also, the same approach will not stand good for them come July. The TT centred approach will not work.

IMO saying 'they' is not quite correct. Sky followed Wiggins' interests completely. Froome's podium occured per se and became just a nice addition. Wiggins is a synonym of steady tempo and minimum of risk on the climbs. So Sky built their tactics on this. Frankly speaking, Wiggins outdid my personal expectation. I thought he would magnanimously present 15-20 sec to the best climbers on any MTF, having a big TT reserve, but he could even drop them once. Hehe..

 

[airstream]

You yourself admitted you don't know Froome's capacities since he was restrained in this year's Tour. We can say he's stronger than the riders that finished the Tour but that is the limit to what we/you know.

I think that while reasoning about Etna Ferminal tried to compare Contador's Giro 2011 level and Sky Tour 12 one respectively. So my post referred to it.

 

[Froome19]

Does it make a difference how many opportunities there are? They couldn't get rid of nibbles on three of four occasions during the tour

You say they but you mean Wiggins. Who knows what Froome could have done if let off the leash?

 

[Netserk]

Did they need it?

Did Contador?

 

[The Hitch]

Froome got rid of Nibali with ease in the PDBF sprint and also on Peyresoudes. Its ludicrous to think he wouldnt have done it more times if allowed.

 

[airstream]

Did Contador?

Naturally.

 

[Netserk]

Naturally.

Why ?

 

[airstream]

Why ?

Menchov was considered a serious TT threat back then.

 

[Miburo]

Obviously Froome would have dropped Nibali anywhere he wants.

But does that say that much? Not really.

Nibali is a great rider but he's not the guy who will win the tour in the next years. Too limited.

I'm sure Froome could have dropped everyone in each mountain stage in the tour, yeah the great climbers like Wiggins, nibali, a sick evans, a young van garderen, vdb2, rolland,...

Very impressive, right?

How great Froome is in the climbs will be answered in july. I think he'll try and keep up but fail.

Froome had some 'weak' moments though in the mountans but somehow he overcame it in 10 seconds, pretty impressive.

If Contador drops he really drops then, not evans level but still.

 

[hayzer114]

Who do people think the strongest team will be this year at the tour? Will a Froome led sky dominate once again along with Wiggins, Porte, Henao, Uran et all or Contador with Roche, Kreuziger, Rogers??

 

[Netserk]

Menchov was considered a serious TT threat back then.

In a 26km ITT

Menchov sucks b@lls in prologues and needs ITTs to be as long as possible. Contador rules shorter ITTs.

And Contador took 52 seconds from Menchov in the MTT.

And after Etna Contador had more than 2min to Menchov, yet he still attacked while wearing the pink