Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[Beech Mtn]

Has Oleg managed to keep his big trap shut? Haven't checked his twitter today.

Rather worried about AC's team holding up for the whole Tour. Hopefully it will be OK.

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

Keep dreaming while I keep having nightmares about Ax-3-Domaines

you will be lucky if you get a AX-3 scenario this year. I mean we are talking about frikin Nibali here, not some 2nd rate kenyan nobody

 

[LaFlorecita]

you will be lucky if you get a AX-3 scenario this year. I mean we are talking about frikin Nibali here, not some 2nd rate kenyan nobody

Yeah, can you keep your Nibali hype in the appropriate thread?

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

Yeah, can you keep your Nibali hype in the appropriate thread?

Fine, but you can't hide here forever

 

[Netserk]

Has Oleg managed to keep his big trap shut? Haven't checked his twitter today.

Rather worried about AC's team holding up for the whole Tour. Hopefully it will be OK.

Lol, when I visited his page, WOT deemed it unsafe

http://i.snag.gy/8vljX.jpg

 

[trevim]

Yeah, can you keep your Nibali hype in the appropriate thread?

Higher the climb bigger the fall

you will be lucky if you get a AX-3 scenario this year. I mean we are talking about frikin Nibali here, not some 2nd rate kenyan nobody

No, it's funnier this way!

 

[Beech Mtn]

Lol, when I visited his page, WOT deemed it unsafe

http://i.snag.gy/8vljX.jpg

He's probably earned that, actually.

 

[No_Balls]

If you have so many falls, in the end and have to go home. I'm sorry for him and for the race, because it would have been a great show in the mountains but we will not see it in this year’s Tour."

He is ready.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/mechanical-hinders-contador-at-tour-de-france

 

[LaFlorecita]

He is ready.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/mechanical-hinders-contador-at-tour-de-france

Lol, he probably just meant it won't be a battle between him and Froome, but it sounds like he isn't expecting a battle at all I hope he's right

 

[Sciocco]

I am very much looking forward to Contador going ballistic in the mountains! Saturday cannot come soon enough, though saturday will not be about major time gains, but a small attack to scare the shark.

 

[Hakkapelit]

Has Oleg managed to keep his big trap shut? Haven't checked his twitter today.

Rather worried about AC's team holding up for the whole Tour. Hopefully it will be OK.

Read somewhere he had said it didn't matter that Froome abandoned they would have won anyway. Like it´s a done deal...

 

[LaFlorecita]

I am very much looking forward to Contador going ballistic in the mountains! Saturday cannot come soon enough, though saturday will not be about major time gains, but a small attack to scare the shark.

I want to see a 5-10s time gap first big day on Monday

 

[Sciocco]

I want to see a 5-10s time gap first big day on Monday

5-10s on saturday? Yea I think it could be something like that with 20 seconds being the most, the last climb saturday is only 1.8kms but very steep and it will depend where on it he attacks. I say the last climb because the previous two really are not that steep, but maybe Tinkoff could drill it some on the first climb so Nibali has few if any teammates to help him catch Contador.

For monday, it will be an opportunity for Contador to gain serious time. Sadly, I will be at work and will depend on CN ticket and the stage thread instead of being able to watch it.

 

[Jelantik]

Well.. contador didn't make it easy, did he? Loosing so many minutes to Nibali and 1+ to valverde. Sure it will make it a spectacle now, .. to see how he is going to climb the mountain and climb the leaderboard too.

I still believe this is contador's year, and he can take Nibali's out in the mountain. He just need to make sure to put enough day light to the like of porte, tejay and kwiat.

 

[Jelantik]

Lol, he probably just meant it won't be a battle between him and Froome, but it sounds like he isn't expecting a battle at all I hope he's right

of course he is right. . Todays' cobble is more about bike handling skill + luck. And 1-0 for nibali. Mountain is a different story. I've never considered nibali an explosive rider. But contador is. There's still a lot of mountain to come. TDF isn't over yet. And no way the AX3 scenario will happen again with contador. It most likely happen to Nibali, getting dropped by contador.

 

[Publicus]

I'm glad I was too busy at work to hang out in the forums today. I think LaFlo and the others downplaying Contador's chances to take back 2'38" on Nibali are right to the extent you look at the race as essentially a battle between those two. But Contador is basically in LAST place of the legitimate GC candidates. There's a lot of folks that can put Nibali under pressure--Astana can't cover all of them--and ALL of them stand to benefit if they put in an effort to work over Astana. Of course (as Ive said in the race thread), this requires that these so-called GC candidates actually race for the win and not sit back and wait for Contador to spread his wings and do all of he work and pick up the pieces (ie., 2013 all over again).

 

[maxmartin]

I'm glad I was too busy at work to hang out in the forums today. I think LaFlo and the others downplaying Contador's chances to take back 2'38" on Nibali are right to the extent you look at the race as essentially a battle between those two. But Contador is basically in LAST place of the legitimate GC candidates. There's a lot of folks that can put Nibali under pressure--Astana can't cover all of them--and ALL of them stand to benefit if they put in an effort to work over Astana. Of course (as Ive said in the race thread), this requires that these so-called GC candidates actually race for the win and not sit back and wait for Contador to spread his wings and do all of he work and pick up the pieces (ie., 2013 all over again).

like who are these lots of folks?

Unless some different team acted together to race against VN, but that is highly unlikely. They all have their own position to protect. Just like in 2012, when VN attacked, VDB is the first to react, W does not even need to do a thing.

 

[Jelantik]

like who are these lots of folks?

Unless some different team acted together to race against VN, but that is highly unlikely. They all have their own position to protect. Just like in 2012, when VN attacked, VDB is the first to react, W does not even need to do a thing.

i think if contador attacks.. everyone is going to react (even Nibali). Contador is like moses, when he raises his arm, the entire sea opens..

 

[Publicus]

like who are these lots of folks?

Unless some different team acted together to race against VN, but that is highly unlikely. They all have their own position to protect. Just like in 2012, when VN attacked, VDB is the first to react, W does not even need to do a thing.

Valverde, Porte and Talansky come to mind. It's stage 5, not stage 18, so no one's position is solidified--even Nibali's. It's obviously up to the GC candidate to race to win. I hope for all of our sakes you arent right.

 

[maxmartin]

i think if contador attacks.. everyone is going to react (even Nibali). Contador is like moses, when he raises his arm, the entire sea opens..

that is exactly my point, there are not lots of folks to watch. None of them can challenge VN in the mountains. Nibali only has to keep his eyes on AC. Game is much simpler with Froom gone.

 

[movingtarget]

Baden Cooke said after the stage that Contador looked like he was suffering from the hunger knock as it's always difficult to eat in those conditions and top up the energy when you need it. Could be true, the way he was tailed off by the bunch at the finish. Either way it's race on.

 

[Don't be late Pedro]

Baden Cooke said after the stage that Contador looked like he was suffering from the hunger knock as it's always difficult to eat in those conditions and top up the energy when you need it. Could be true, the way he was tailed off by the bunch at the finish. Either way it's race on.

He says he had a mechanical.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/mechanical-hinders-contador-at-tour-de-france

 

[oronet commander]

He says he had a mechanical.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/mechanical-hinders-contador-at-tour-de-france

Although a mechanical is an easy to use excuse, it's totally consistent with the slow pace Contador had in the first muddied pavé sector: after the turn he seemed unable to speed up the gear he had engaged.

 

[Cimber]

that is exactly my point, there are not lots of folks to watch. None of them can challenge VN in the mountains. Nibali only has to keep his eyes on AC. Game is much simpler with Froom gone.

I agree, but I think he would like more time on Porte before the TT. I wouldnt rule out Porte gaining 2 mins on Nibs on a 54 km TT, despite Nibali being a good TTer.

That also means that Contador will want to make up time on Nibali and also put in alot of time on Porte.

However, regarding Porte I still think he will have that one bad day as he usually does.

 

[Don't be late Pedro]

Although a mechanical is an easy to use excuse, it's totally consistent with the slow pace Contador had in the first muddied pavé sector: after the turn he seemed unable to speed up the gear he had engaged.

Given the conditions I can well believe it.