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Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

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Beech Mtn

Oct 6, 2009
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Afrank said:
Depending on how his early season races go, if he continues to get his a$$ kicked by Froome in them, then he should go Giro-Vuelta.

But I also think there's a good chance he will be much better next year then he was this year.
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The rumors from inside the team are that he went 100% non-clinical this year. (Which, what else is anyone on the inside going to say about it really?) But if that's true, then who knows what next year will bring.

As for the races this fall, I'd still like to see him get one win somewhere, maybe repeat at Milano-Torino - just get something so he can end his season on a positive note.

Also, his year hasn't exactly been horrible by anyone else's standards. We always expect Alberto to dominate every single race he enters. He's still 10th on CQ points for the year, had a lot of podiums, animated a lot of races. It's not what is expected from Contador, but he's not ready for the glue factory yet. (I hope) :p

edit-
And it's also another year with some team issues, what with all the pressure from Oleg, and now Saxo needing a second sponsor to cover the lost Tinkoff money. Plus Bjarne being absent a lot and setting up plans for others to temporarily take over the team in his absence.
 
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boladelmundo

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Beech Mtn said:
Also, his year hasn't exactly been horrible by anyone else's standards. We always expect Alberto to dominate every single race he enters. He's still 10th on CQ points for the year, had a lot of podiums, animated a lot of races. It's not what is expected from Contador, but he's not ready for the glue factory yet. (I hope) :p
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Exactly this!!!
Bertie is the most exciting cyclist to watch and yes he's not dominating races, but still animating it and being in the Top 4 in the Tour is not bad at all.
 
The Hitch

The Hitch

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Beech Mtn said:
The rumors from inside the team are that he went 100% non-clinical this year. (Which, what else is anyone on the inside going to say about it really?) But if that's true, then who knows what next year will bring.

As for the races this fall, I'd still like to see him get one win somewhere, maybe repeat at Milano-Torino - just get something so he can end his season on a positive note.

Also, his year hasn't exactly been horrible by anyone else's standards. We always expect Alberto to dominate every single race he enters. He's still 10th on CQ points for the year, had a lot of podiums, animated a lot of races. It's not what is expected from Contador, but he's not ready for the glue factory yet. (I hope) :p

edit-
And it's also another year with some team issues, what with all the pressure from Oleg, and now Saxo needing a second sponsor to cover the lost Tinkoff money. Plus Bjarne being absent a lot and setting up plans for others to temporarily take over the team in his absence.
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Bare in mind also his 4th in the tour was well above his abilities. Anyone else would not have been given the support he had so no wonder it was good by other peoples standards. Aside from that kreuziger for starters was better than him but team.orders caused him to finish lower. Valverde was way better but had the mechanical. Porte as a team leader would have finished well above Contador too.

It's been really poor from Contador no 2 ways about it. And while you could say he can be excused a bad year what can't be excused is his attitude.

He spent the whole year and the whole tour saying it was all good, he'd peak in the final week, he'd light up the montana's and give us a tour to remember.

Even though he knew he was talking horse**** he still lied to the fans.

And what he offered after all those promises was a pathetic performance. Which he makes even more pathetic by announcing that he doesn't give a **** about any other race but the tour.

No excuses acceptable here. Really shameful stuff from Contador and had Andy schleck been behind those things y'alld be calling for his head
 
airstream

airstream

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The Hitch said:
No excuses acceptable here. Really shameful stuff from Contador and had Andy schleck been behind those things y'alld be calling for his head
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What would you suggest for him? Go for the Vuelta and get 5-6th place?
 
Angliru

Angliru

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The Hitch said:
Bare in mind also his 4th in the tour was well above his abilities. Anyone else would not have been given the support he had so no wonder it was good by other peoples standards. Aside from that kreuziger for starters was better than him but team.orders caused him to finish lower. Valverde was way better but had the mechanical. Porte as a team leader would have finished well above Contador too.

It's been really poor from Contador no 2 ways about it. And while you could say he can be excused a bad year what can't be excused is his attitude.

He spent the whole year and the whole tour saying it was all good, he'd peak in the final week, he'd light up the montana's and give us a tour to remember.

Even though he knew he was talking horse**** he still lied to the fans.

And what he offered after all those promises was a pathetic performance. Which he makes even more pathetic by announcing that he doesn't give a **** about any other race but the tour.

No excuses acceptable here. Really shameful stuff from Contador and had Andy schleck been behind those things y'alld be calling for his head
Click to expand...

The issue here is your own disappointment not Contador's supposed "attitude". Riders occasionally misjudge the timing of their peak's, alter their preparation due to sudden changes in their race schedule and subsesquently muck their performances in target events. Getting it right can be hit or miss. I think I said this in another thread or maybe this one: a rider that has minimal missteps in the grand tours that he's ridden in the past and now has what is considered for him a bad season, is now being hit by you with accusations of purposely deceiving the media and fans. What would motivate someone to lie about their fitness level and expectations knowing that they will be exposed in the end? Your likely response is to guarantee his team's support in the Tour thus keeping Kreuziger in a lieutenant's role. Would the team management and sponsors have accepted that Contador would ride for Kreuziger, a rider that hasn't shown the ability to finish any better than 7 in the gc in the Tour and had struggled to meet expectations off and on in the grand tours? Contador is paid the big bucks to compete in the Tour, not to ride in support of Roman nor to skip the Tour and prep for the Vuelta.

Contador's seasons have always centered around the Tour. Being one of the the sports premier stage racers and grand tour contenders I would think that it is the expectation of his sponsors that he focus on being at his best at the sport's most high profile event. You act as if you're surprised that the Tour is his season goal as if he's ever (well at least since 2007) entered a season saying that he's going to set the Giro or the Vuelta as his season's target.
Him saying that the Tour is what matters most to him is simply the truth.

Maybe he is, as Airstream mentioned in the past, on the decline and has simply exhausted his period of excellence, which for grand tour champions is generally maxed out at 6 to 7 years.

As I said at the beginning of my post, your personal disappointment has colored your perspective such that you're prepared to dream up looney and dastardly scenarios regarding Contador's season and performance. What's disappointing to me is that your opinion of him has fallen so far that you would find him capable of such actions. I guess coming from the person who is given credit for dubbing Contador "The Great One", his fall from such heights would effect you more so than some of us. You're radical switch from support to degradation is reminiscent of LaFlo's seemingly hormonal rollercoaster of emotions as it pertains to Contador. At least with LaFlo she has her age to explain it.:(
 
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JRanton

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It was interesting to hear that Contador said the best he felt on the bike all year (in a race at least) was on the 5th stage of the Tour of Oman. I agree with him too, he was impressive as he fought to try and take the lead off Froome. Though it has to be said that Froome still beat him on that stage in a sprint finish. At the time I thought that was going to be a precursor to what would happen in the Tour in July but you could see as each race went past from Tirreno to Pais Vasco and on to the Dauphine (time trial) that he just wasn't going to be competitive against Froome.

Early season form is a very important indicator. You had Evans in 2011, Wiggins 2012 and Nibali and Froome in 2013. Also Contador to be fair back in his haydays (2007-10). All of the Tour GC guys are aiming to peak for July and they all build their form at a similar rate during the season, so if you're ahead in February you're likely to be ahead in July too. And if anything Froome made a bigger jump in his form than the other guys from the early season races to the Tour, despite the fact he won nearly all of them!
 
Carols

Carols

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Angliru said:
As I said at the beginning of my post, your personal disappointment has colored your perspective such that you're prepared to dream up looney and dastardly scenarios regarding Contador's season and performance. What's disappointing to me is that your opinion of him has fallen so far that you would find him capable of such actions. You're radical switch from support to degradation is reminiscent of LaFlo's seemingly hormonal rollercoaster of emotions as it pertains to Contador. At least with LaFlo she has her age to explain it.:(
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Indeed spoken for Truth. We witnessed the decline of one of the Greats and the spite and death of a fan. I certainly am glad I'm not subject to Hitch's expectations!!!

Every Great has fallen just like Alberto. I can only assume that Hitch has never witnessed it before....it is a time for sadness not the hurling of insults.
 
TANK91

TANK91

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WHEEEYYYY nice to be back.


Angliru it's irreleleevant weather Contador gets payed more the facts are Kreuziger was far stronger than AC in the TDF(not just the TDF either, remind me who as got the wins for Saxo this year?). What would the difference be, why make Kreuziger lose 1:45 on AX-3, did RK really need to stay with him did he really save AC loads of time. Beecause to me he would have been with Porte and Mollema. The facts are RK would have podiume'd if he had a free role/co leader. The guy came back to AC on every mountain stage that says it all really, not one not two but atleast three Mountain stage finish Kreuziger tempo'd back to AC every time. Kreuziger is always underrated the guy is still young remember, and was he really that bad in 2012 Giro, because imo he looked great, then 1 bad day and he wins a stage. Look at his GT results quite consistent. Now he as a 5th place while slaving I think AC and RK will both be leaders now.
 
TANK91

TANK91

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Carols said:
Indeed spoken for Truth. We witnessed the decline of one of the Greats and the spite and death of a fan. I certainly am glad I'm not subject to Hitch's expectations!!!

Every Great has fallen just like Alberto. I can only assume that Hitch has never witnessed it before....it is a time for sadness not the hurling of insults.
Click to expand...

This 1 million percent I don't think he will be a bad cyclist I just don't think he is AS good. Because he was great so young you cant expect him too still dominate. Do I think he can win a GT? Yes I doo but he needs to be quick I think a Vuelta he can just about achieve. But with Quintana, Froome about, they wont just be riding the TDF each year, and don't forget Niballi.
 
Angliru

Angliru

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TANK91 said:
WHEEEYYYY nice to be back.


Angliru it's irreleleevant weather Contador gets payed more the facts are Kreuziger was far stronger than AC in the TDF(not just the TDF either, remind me who as got the wins for Saxo this year?). What would the difference be, why make Kreuziger lose 1:45 on AX-3, did RK really need to stay with him did he really save AC loads of time. Beecause to me he would have been with Porte and Mollema. The facts are RK would have podiume'd if he had a free role/co leader. The guy came back to AC on every mountain stage that says it all really, not one not two but atleast three Mountain stage finish Kreuziger tempo'd back to AC every time. Kreuziger is always underrated the guy is still young remember, and was he really that bad in 2012 Giro, because imo he looked great, then 1 bad day and he wins a stage. Look at his GT results quite consistent. Now he as a 5th place while slaving I think AC and RK will both be leaders now.
Click to expand...

Contador's reputation in the grand tours dictated that he be the protected rider. As someone else posted earlier, if this were 2014 then I'm certain Kreuziger would be given more latitude to ride his own race. All of this after-the-fact expert analysis is quite entertaining.;) Kreuziger was given the opportunity to show his value throughout the season and his stock obviously has gone up as a result of his season performance.
 
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