Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[Opalius]

Yup. I think that statement bodes very well for the last week.

No doubt that the Great One will try something great. Ride or die trying

Not like Belkin et al, Fuglsang, and the rest, frantically fighting to maintain a spot in top ten...

 

[The Hitch]

I don't know about that, he should definitely go in the descent afterwards but he needs to have a teammate upfront for the flat.

But i think the next stage is more suited. I believe Contador will go crazy in that one.

Like Ryo says, go on the madeleine and have teammates upfront. If he can pull that off and Froome doesn't follow him and stays with Porte. It's a big if of course but if this happens, then you never know

A day closer to the Alpes, and still forecast says the same. Rain Gap. TT maybe. Alpe d huez, thunderstorm. Le Grand Bornand, Thunder!!

Contador needs to be patient tomorrow though. Pray sky do the work all stage and are down a few men. Send Kreuziger, maybe. Or attack on descent since its wet. But Manse is not steep enough to try anything and people will remember what happened last time anyhow.

 

[The Hitch]

I hope Bertie will go all or nothing on the stage to Grand Bornard. Saxo to rip the peloton to pieces on Glandon and Madeleine and then attack with the likes of Alberto, Andy, Rolland, Nieve, Cadel, Talansky, Navarro.

Edit: Oh, and Andy takes the win.

I hope Saxo does no peloton ripping. Every ounce of strengh they use has to be an attack to force sky to work.

 

[The Hitch]

Send Kreuziger, Hernandez and Paulinho to the break on the glandon, hopefully movistar will send Costa, Valverde and Amador.

Go balistic on the last part of the Madelleine to drop Froomes domestiques.

Alonside Quintana and Mollema they make Lo squalo proud on the descent by bombing it and drop Froome.

Ride into the sunshine.

Profit?

The most important time for this is right now. Deals need to be being made. Katusha, Movistar and Belkin.

 

[The Hitch]

So Alberto says there's no reason to doubt Froome's performance.

I hear he also said he would answer max 2 doping questions.

If he had a sense of humour he should have said - ok thats enough questions for today, id love to sit here and answer some more but the day is getting away and i still have a lot of blood bags to transfuse

 

[LaFlorecita]

I hear he also said he would answer max 2 doping questions.

If he had a sense of humour he should have said - ok thats enough questions for today, id love to sit here and answer some more but the day is getting away and i still have a lot of blood bags to transfuse

Lol

Unfortunately he doesn't seem to have a sense of humor.

 

[InterestedSpectator]

The most important time for this is right now. Deals need to be being made. Katusha, Movistar and Belkin.

Deals? I thought the Contador fanboys wanted to see a head to head (oh, of course, we already saw one, didn't we?).

 

[The Hitch]

Deals? I thought the Contador fanboys wanted to see a head to head (oh, of course, we already saw one, didn't we?).

All i want to see is a race. I never thought Contador would be able to challenge froome myself.

 

[postmanhat]

The most important time for this is right now. Deals need to be being made. Katusha, Movistar and Belkin.

3 or 4 teams against one bloke and half a team? Some of the anti-skybots might even start rooting for Froome if that happens?!

 

[The Hitch]

3 or 4 teams against one bloke and half a team? Some of the anti-skybots might even start rooting for Froome if that happens?!

I dont know why yall are trying to make out that rooting for an exciting race is such a crime.

Unlike you Im not a narrow minded pea brain who cheers for whatever rider happens to be born in the country i was born in. Regardless of whether they merit support or not. Thats what a fanboy is.

I cheer for an exciting race. If Contador takes 10 minutes on Alpe and wins that is simply a far more exciting race than this.
And if Froome then takes 5 minutes on Le Grand Bornand and another 10 on Annency to win the Tour then thats a million times more exciting than 1 rider flying away with the race wearing yellow accross both rest days and to the end.

And btw I NEVER cheered for Contador when he was dominating either. If you look at the giro 2011 threads I spent the whole race moaning about how Contador had ruined a potentially awessome edition.

And team britain fans are betraying their own stupidity by jumping on anyone who isnt flag waiving for Froome like that.

 

[Jelantik]

A day closer to the Alpes, and still forecast says the same. Rain Gap. TT maybe. Alpe d huez, thunderstorm. Le Grand Bornand, Thunder!!

Contador needs to be patient tomorrow though. Pray sky do the work all stage and are down a few men. Send Kreuziger, maybe. Or attack on descent since its wet. But Manse is not steep enough to try anything and people will remember what happened last time anyhow.

The problem is other team has been doing sky work. That's what alberto said, they didn't help saxo by doing that, and make it complicated for saxo to drill sky. But you can't blame them since they want to reserve their place in.. what placing?..something like, 8, 10, 12, 20 etc. *yawn*

I think if contador is going to do some kamikaze balistic going postal ride, keep kreuziger close to podium for WT point. High placing in TDF will help Saxo for next year license.

 

[Jelantik]

In a clip after the fuente de stage Contador said "second place is no good"

He should send up as many guys as possible. It's time Paulinho does something, hopefully he saved up all his strenght for this week.

Well it might happening. We haven't seen paulinho and jesus up front so far. Maybe they are the key player of the third act. But who knows, maybe they also don't have the form.

From ventoux, contador is still lack by a mile away to froome, he was barely better than mollema. So mollema will most likely to suck wheel on the second spot. On the other hand, contador, i hope will go balistic. He got kreuziger in a good spot for WT points. His points doesn't count anyway whether he finished first or last. At least he'll be remembered for long time and win a lot of fans if he's doing a suicide mighty long range attack

I hope, he'll do what he said. *praying all hell break loose on the 3rd week*

 

[Publicus]

Here's the problem that will prevent great racing: Belkin. They are content with their podium position. Unless and until there is sufficient gap between Contador and Mollema/Ten Dam such that they won't immediately chase down an attack by Contador or Kreuziger (sp)--all of which works in Sky's favor. I don't know if those gaps will come until (possibly) after the ITT and even then I'm not sure if both Contador and Kreuziger (sp) can maintain their current positions to have the Kreuziger card to play on the final 3 stages.

I guess every team has to race their race and not the one that will give us the best race, but I don't have to like it.

 

[Miburo]

Belkin is indeed an issue, if saxo send kreuziger or rogers up front they'll chase after it. Luckely their team ain't that great at all.

Gesink? lololol

I don't think they're gonna waste ten dam in a chase, at least i hope.

 

[IndianCyclist]

Here's the problem that will prevent great racing: Belkin. They are content with their podium position. Unless and until there is sufficient gap between Contador and Mollema/Ten Dam such that they won't immediately chase down an attack by Contador or Kreuziger (sp)--all of which works in Sky's favor. I don't know if those gaps will come until (possibly) after the ITT and even then I'm not sure if both Contador and Kreuziger (sp) can maintain their current positions to have the Kreuziger card to play on the final 3 stages.

I guess every team has to race their race and not the one that will give us the best race, but I don't have to like it.

Quintana & Mollema have their thoughts firmly on the podium. Valverde for stage win. They will cut a deal with Sky for not chasing them if their teammates do not attack.

 

[The_Juan]

What is really amazing is that Alberto, as good as Froome is right now, is only 4 minutes down on the guy.

And looking at this week's schedule... I'd be shiiting bricks if I were Sky.

Imagine having to take all that mumbo jumbo about doping EVERY SINGLE DAY, only to lose it on the later stages?

 

[airstream]

I wonder how much he will lose until Glandon

 

[Publicus]

If you are that curious, start a poll. There's never a shortage of those around here

 

[Pricey_sky]

What is really amazing is that Alberto, as good as Froome is right now, is only 4 minutes down on the guy.

Over 4 minutes down after 2 MTF's and a TT, What is to come in the final week? Another 2 MTF's and a TT - granted this one favours Froome less than the first TT.

If Contador does not try a brave attack he could finish 8 minutes down unless by a miracle he can keep with Froome or Quintana on the MTF's.

 

[movingtarget]

Contador is crazy, but not so much. Having attacked at the Vuelta he didn't take a risk to lose a podium. Having attacked at Telegraphe he had nothing to lose. To attack from 100 km to go is to present a podium place to someone. To give away a podium is to let down team effort I think. Again, attack makes sense only if he is equal to Froome on a particular day for at least which is almost impossible based on what we've seen so far in the Tour. Belkin won't help him because Mollema is absolutely happy with his 2nd place and would gladly agree if the Tour would finish yesterday.

Contador will try an ambush but what happened in the Vuelta in different circumstances may not work this time. If anything Condor will be watched more closely than before. The worst thing that can happen to Froome is, what happened to Valverde where he had a mechanical and the pace was already high. That is the only realistic chance that Froome will be beaten this year, that plus illness. The trouble is that when Contador can possibly chip away some time, he loses it again on the MTFs and the TT.

 

[xrayvision]

It sounds like Oleg Tinkoff want´s to stop his sponsorship.

 

[infeXio]

He is one unpredictable russki

 

[Parrulo]

It sounds like Oleg Tinkoff want´s to stop his sponsorship.

It sounds like he wants up his sponsorship to 1 billion per year.

Now what is the difference between our posts? None as none of us posted any source for our claims. . .

 

[infeXio]

It sounds like he wants up his sponsorship to 1 billion per year.

Now what is the difference between our posts? None as none of us posted any source for our claims. . .

No need to be like that, Tinkov tweeted it.

"Oleg Tinkov ‏@olegtinkov 22m

@veloropa I respect Lars, but this does not mean I will get auto-prolongation for the sponsoring"

The above was his response to Veloropa tweeting that Lars Seier confirms Saxo Bank's desire to prolong their sponsorship, although they are yet to agree a new deal with Tinkov

 

[murali]

I am sorry if any one has already answered this, but why was Contador trying to give a clean chit to Froome?

The Sky team is already worried about doping allegations. Could have used it as a weapon against Froome?

I was just hoping that he will put in some innuendo that Froome is c**** if he doesn't have a bad day in Alp d'Huez. May be somehow force Sky to believe that Froome having a bad day is good for team's reputation.