Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[Miburo]

According to Contador he was afraid that he would lose time yesterday.

This dude is really amazing, he really wants to win everything. How can you not like this guy?

 

[iZnoGouD]

agree, he is my favourite rider after Machado

 

[LaFlorecita]

agree, he is my favourite rider after Machado

Wow that is great

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

Wow that is great

Doubt he is outside top 5 of favourite riders for anyone here really (yes, even airstream, he just can't admit it.)

 

[Miburo]

My main thing with riders like Andy Schleck is that he only cares about L-B-L and tour. He's wasting so much talent, it's a real shame.

So much talk but not many actions.

Give me Contador then who talks in cliches but rides like a real champion.

 

[LaFlorecita]

My main thing with riders like Andy Schleck is that he only cares about L-B-L and tour. He's wasting so much talent, it's a real shame.

So much talk but not many actions.

Give me Contador then who talks in cliches but rides like a real champion.

Yes this. Let the legs do the talking.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Doubt he is outside top 5 of favourite riders for anyone here really (yes, even airstream, he just can't admit it.)

Lol yes, secretly everyone loves him.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Hm this tt result is bad news for Alberto and his Vuelta ambitions.

 

[iZnoGouD]

Hm this tt result is bad news for Alberto and his Vuelta ambitions.

team at Vuelta is stronger, no problem

 

[Publicus]

Hm this tt result is bad news for Alberto and his Vuelta ambitions.

Not really. No one expects him to press an advantage at the TTT. The ITT, however, is a different story. He looked real strong when he was taking his pulls, but we won't know until the ITT just how strong he actually is at the moment.

 

[Ferminal]

Hm this tt result is bad news for Alberto and his Vuelta ambitions.

Very good for the race though winkwink.

 

[Fidolix]

They actually did a very good job in the tour, much more than exspected, but they won´t match this at the Vuelta, the team is more suited for the climbing.
Bertie have to do this by him self, attacing the climbs and ride an outstanding TT. And he will!! He really looks strong.

 

[pastronef]

TTT time at the Vuelta will not count for general classification.
it will be taken just for the stage win

 

[vcampbell]

TTT time at the Vuelta will not count for general classification.
it will be taken just for the stage win

That's it, we don't need to worry.

 

[JimPanzen]

TTT time at the Vuelta will not count for general classification.
it will be taken just for the stage win

And even if it would count, I think the impact would be marginal (30s max.).

 

[LaFlorecita]

TTT time at the Vuelta will not count for general classification.
it will be taken just for the stage win

The time will count. It was just a case of bad translation from Spanish to English on the official site.

 

[Fidolix]

Of course it counts, but its in vain to go into the debate, much easier just to ignore and then see the surprised faces when they find out it DID count, but if they think its a team presentation... fine by me

 

[airstream]

Though it seems that numbers don't agree with him do they? It's even funny because AC said that before 2011 edition, then his only Giro was 2008, where he struggled on every single climb (due to lack of form I guess), much more than I had seen him struggling on any Tour climb (before 2011 ofc)... against the same Riccò who was dropping everyone like a stone on 2008 Tour... It's quite amazing that he claimed that Giro climbs were raced slower
EDIT: But I can trust him about the flat stages.

Right, but everything cannot be described with the numbers. Say, pressure, or psychosis in the beginning of the Tour when 30-40 guys are eager to be on the front as if they can win despite on it's for the sprinters. Riders feel differently when they are among stronger rivals. So I believe Basso and Contador because they can evaluate many invisible for a fan's eye things. Contador rode very strongly in 2008, having the only mini crisis on Giau, but he got lucky - LPR thought that he had been eliminated and didn't smash him.

Ricco dropped everyone in the Tour without being a threat in the GC. It always simplifies a task a lot.


No, mostly I post here because I like to discuss GTs very much. It is irrelevant in which thread a discussion goes.

 

[airstream]

Contador was in rare form in the 2011 Giro. He cerainly would've brought some pain to Wiggins in the mountains of the Tour and derailed the Sky train, unlike the cakewalk Wiggins had for the most part without Contador's presence. Unfortunately the opportunities to take back time lost in the tt's were few and far between. There couldn't have been a more ideal parcours for a Wiggins Tour win as if Sky had secretly funded the event themselves. I think an audit is in order.

@Airstream: Had Andy been in the form that he had in 2010, been able to race the 2012 Tour with a well prepared Frank and dealt with a drama-less season with Bruyneel and Shack/Nissan/Trek, do think that Andy could've made things interesting and threatened Wiggins/Froome/Sky's stranglehold on the race and the top step of the podium?

Yeh, I watched always trying to weigh roughly how Andy could have perfomed there. But it's very difficult. One thing is that if Andy had raced, we'd have had RSNT a train instead of a Sky one as Shack were stronger in the mountains, but didn't have an attacking leader. There are two contradictory aspects. On the one hand, all the favorites but Nibali and VdB failed and very likely it would have happened even in case, say, there hadn't been Sky. In other words, rather the opposition was overly weak than Sky were overly strong. I strongly doubt Evans or Menchov would have topped-3 even without Brits. On the other hand, in fact the race was already won after the first TT, but Sky didn't stop though they could simply lul the race and pursue the case in cold blood. But instead of that they started trampling the opponents. Wiggins and Froome felt their grandiose edge and kicked back to the full. This circumstance amazed a lot. Everyone realizes Froome didn't embody his entire potential in the Tour. IMO, it can refer to Wiggins to a lesser extent too. So the glass is half empty or half full?.. Anyways, I think, with that Brits, even being in their best form, both Contador and Schleck would have collided with huge problems on the climbs. Not to mention about TT. Contador would have got the 3rd and Schleck - the fourth. Perhaps, it's the most realistic scenario.

 

[Cimber]

TTT time at the Vuelta will not count for general classification.
it will be taken just for the stage win

It will. It was just a misunderstanding in the translation. HWta they meant to say is that it wont matter much in the GC (cos of the short distance)

 

[Cimber]

team at Vuelta is stronger, no problem

Well actually the Vuelta team looks weaker regarding the TTT (fx no Boaro, Roberts and Nuyens, but Jesus, Danny and Pires).

For every aspect, both regarding TTT and general usefulness, Riis should take Mørkøv instead of Noval. If Novals gets a spot it must be cos Contador wanna see if he can win the Vuelta starting with an 8 man team... Seriously, if Noval gets his contact prolonged for 2013 its officially COntador who runs the show at SBTB.

 

[El Pistolero]

Nuyens is worthless on a time trial bike.

 

[Cimber]

Nuyens is worthless on a time trial bike.

Actually he is a decent TTer on prologues (no 20 in the Tour) and short TTs. But then again u cant always compare a TT to a TTT. Fx Nicki Sørensen is said to be a good TTTer but he is a bad TTer

 

[iZnoGouD]

Sergio Paulinho is uber strong

 

[Publicus]

Well actually the Vuelta team looks weaker regarding the TTT (fx no Boaro, Roberts and Nuyens, but Jesus, Danny and Pires).

For every aspect, both regarding TTT and general usefulness, Riis should take Mørkøv instead of Noval. If Novals gets a spot it must be cos Contador wanna see if he can win the Vuelta starting with an 8 man team... Seriously, if Noval gets his contact prolonged for 2013 its officially COntador who runs the show at SBTB.

Agree with this whole-heartedly.