Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[Parrulo]

If the speed in the peloton is low and the leader falls, you don't attack, just like you don't attack when the leader stops for a pee. If you have been going for it and he falls on the other hand, you don't stop I agree with you on that.

Obviously there is time and place for everything. But in a situation like today where Froome crashed in the last 10k (according to CN, i didn't watch the stage) of a medium mountain stage, if this was the last week of the Tour and you were running out of chances or knew you didn't have any chance of beating him one on one, imo Contador and the other challengers would be in their own right to finish him off.

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

Obviously there is time and place for everything. But in a situation like today where Froome crashed in the last 10k (according to CN, i didn't watch the stage) of a medium mountain stage, if this was the last week of the Tour and you were running out of chances or knew you didn't have any chance of beating him one on one, imo Contador and the other challengers would be in their own right to finish him off.

And it would have been the most controversial victory of all time. ASO woulndt throw him out of the race, but do you really think anyone would recognize AC or Nibali or who ever that won the race that way?

 

[Parrulo]

And it would have been the most controversial victory of all time. ASO woulndt throw him out of the race, but do you really think anyone would recognize AC or Nibali or who ever that won the race that way?

Because the guy that couldn't stay on his bike on a critical part of a stage winning the race would also be extremely fair

This discussion always reminds me of the chain gate and how the schleck defenders would always pull the "unwritten rules of the sport" bs created by the great Lance Armstrong the in the early years of the sport. . . in 2003

I guess Charly Gaul should have waited for Fiorenzo Magni during the 1956 Giro

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

Because the guy that couldn't stay on his bike on a critical part of a stage winning the race would also be extremely fair

This discussion always reminds me of the chain gate and how the schleck defenders would always pull the "unwritten rules of the sport" bs created by the great Lance Armstrong the in the early years of the sport. . . in 2003

I guess Charly Gaul should have waited for Fiorenzo Magni during the 1956 Giro

Didn't know Charlie Gaul was sitting in a 180 man peloton slow pedaling to the finishing line. No it does not look like chaingate at all. At that time it was attacking all over the place, I think you have misunderstood me. When the race is on, it is on. But you don't start racing just because the leader falls on a semi "rest day" like today, hence my answer to the original question if AC made a mistake waiting today.

 

[jaylew]

Definitely agree with Vino. Who cares what happened 60 years ago? It wouldn't happen today, not under the circumstances we saw in today's stage. The pace wasn't high, the race wasn't really on. As a Contador fan and an anti-Froome guy, I'd be secretly happy but there would be hell to pay for every rider on that team for a long, long time. And yeah, chaingate was a completely different situation.

 

[Jelantik]

I don't know if he will drops dawg but,of course, he will try!

hope for the best

http://www.lequipe.fr/Cyclisme-sur-route/Actualites/Contador-attaquer-froome/473489

well you'll never know if you don't try... Gotta love his relentless competitiveness nature.

 

[christopherrowe]

Who cares what happened 60 years ago?

:raises hand:

Setting aside the fact that accounts of earlier races simply make for great reading (well, depending on the writer), reading them kind of puts paid to a lot of these supposed "traditions" like not attacking a leader with a mechanical and so on. It seems to me that that particular notion arose from latter-day techniques of hyper-controlling every aspect of the race, which themselves stemmed from the perfectly understandable desire to have the factors of chance and rogue circumstance approach zero on an asymptotic curve.

The thing is, chance, rogue circumstance, and ruthless competitors have always been (entertaining!) parts of the sport. I say attack!

 

[Jack_89]

well you'll never know if you don't try... Gotta love his relentless competitiveness nature.

yes I know, that's why I became a fan of him.
when I saw him on Peyresourde 2007, I said to myself: ''this is the cyclist who i'll support in the next 10 years, regardless of victories''

and it is also for a similar reason that Froome has my respect and admiration...but not as berto,obvious

 

[Cimber]

Had Movistar had a high placed GC rider they might have ridden hard

 

[Cimber]

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/raci...o-contador-never-good-says-bjarne-riis-126615

 

[Eclipse]

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/raci...o-contador-never-good-says-bjarne-riis-126615

The URL offers a very different message to the actual headline

 

[GuyIncognito]

The URL offers a very different message to the actual headline

Unnecessary censorship

 

[jaylew]

:raises hand:

Setting aside the fact that accounts of earlier races simply make for great reading (well, depending on the writer), reading them kind of puts paid to a lot of these supposed "traditions" like not attacking a leader with a mechanical and so on. It seems to me that that particular notion arose from latter-day techniques of hyper-controlling every aspect of the race, which themselves stemmed from the perfectly understandable desire to have the factors of chance and rogue circumstance approach zero on an asymptotic curve.

The thing is, chance, rogue circumstance, and ruthless competitors have always been (entertaining!) parts of the sport. I say attack!

My point is that what happened 60 years ago doesn't matter to today's peloton. They don't have to race with those guys.

 

[Jelantik]

well looks like the bookish seem to think that Froome is going to drop contador tomorrow and plus the fact that contador said he was a step below Froome.

What do you guys think? Can contador atleast match Froome tomorrow? Was the attack yesterday just for bluffing or he was testing his leg sensation?

 

[SeriousSam]

Froome's gonna drop him. He'll want to show he's top dawg and that he's unaffected by crashes. He'll start with a seated cadence attack which will get rid of the everyone bar Contador. After a brief period of recuperation the second attack will be a 40 second long up hill sprint which will do the job

 

[Poursuivant]

well looks like the bookish seem to think that Froome is going to drop contador tomorrow and plus the fact that contador said he was a step below Froome.

What do you guys think? Can contador atleast match Froome tomorrow? Was the attack yesterday just for bluffing or he was testing his leg sensation?

Erm, Contador is favourite for the stage with the bookies.

 

[GuyIncognito]

Froome's gonna drop him. He'll want to show he's top dawg and that he's unaffected by crashes. He'll start with a seated cadence attack which will get rid of the everyone bar Contador. After a brief period of recuperation the second attack will be a 40 second long up hill sprint which will do the job

A crash is worse the day after. And it's a lot worse two days after
I don't think even that Frankenstein can drop Contador with these injuries

 

[SeriousSam]

i thought the injuries are superficial and the only problem is getting a good night's rest

 

[GuyIncognito]

i thought the injuries are superficial and the only problem is getting a good night's rest

If you've ever had road rash out on your bike, you know it'll affect him
The question is how much

 

[ILovecycling]

i thought the injuries are superficial and the only problem is getting a good night's rest

if you've ever ridden a race you should know that sleep well is the biggest deal

 

[Beech Mtn]

if you've ever ridden a race you should know that sleep well is the biggest deal

In Froome's book he describes staying up until 4am during the Wiggins TdF texting his girlfriend because he was all stressed and couldn't sleep. And he still did rather well in that race

 

[Krebs cycle]

And it would have been the most controversial victory of all time. ASO woulndt throw him out of the race, but do you really think anyone would recognize AC or Nibali or who ever that won the race that way?

Being able to ride a bike competently is part of bike racing. If it wasn't then we might as well just put them all in a lab and conduct VO2max tests and whoever gets the best result wins.

The controversy is that road cycling is a dangerous sport and a certain etiquette exists, however you don't see downhill mtb bikers or boadercross riders etc discussing whether or not a race should be neutralized if someone crashes. Sport is dangerous and if you can't handle the heat, then get out of the kitchen.... and play golf instead.

 

[Afrank]

The URL offers a very different message to the actual headline

Damn you Eclipse! I was perfectly happy just reading the headline and thinking Contador was heading into the Tour to face Froome in his best form ever. Now I have to read the article!

 

[LaFlorecita]

@dauphine:
.@albertocontador : "I watched ESP-NED but TV stopped after 30mins". #Dauphine

 

[ILovecycling]

In Froome's book he describes staying up until 4am during the Wiggins TdF texting his girlfriend because he was all stressed and couldn't sleep. And he still did rather well in that race

Lol this guy is reaaaally sick