Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[thehook]

With seeing the from he had at the Tour this season. AC should skip the Giro. And follow a very similar prep he did this season. Maijka for the Giro.

 

[Energy Starr]

But what if he loses again? Will he keep trying or just give up? I don't want him to waste another year. He can at least win 1 more Giro and 1 more Vuelta.. but not if he keeps aiming for the Tour. Don't forget, if he wins the Giro he'll be join Hinault as a double winner of the GC triple

I call that a triple double!

 

[Afrank]

Contador needs to win the Tour one more time. He may have been able to do that this year, but bad luck made that impossible. He should take the same approach next year that he did this year and try to enter the Tour in as good form. If he can, then he can win it (I'll be cheering for him at the Tour next year).

After that it would be smart to start targeting Giro-Vuelta IMO.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Contador needs to win the Tour one more time. He may have been able to do that this year, but bad luck made that impossible. He should take the same approach next year that he did this year and try to enter the Tour in as good form. If he can, then he can win it (I'll be cheering for him at the Tour next year).

After that it would be smart to start targeting Giro-Vuelta IMO.

Why does he need to win one more time? 2/3 wins is fine. I don't like his TDF obsession. He'd be better off aiming for the Giro.

 

[Netserk]

Why does he need to win one more time? 2/3 wins is fine. I don't like his TDF obsession. He'd be better off aiming for the Giro.

Because then he has won after the suspension as well, showing that he could/should have won many more.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Because then he has won after the suspension as well, showing that he could/should have won many more.

He doesn't have anything to prove, really. Plenty of other races out there - which he might actually enjoy more! That is most important to me. Besides, I don't think he can handle another wasted year. And yes, if he builds his entire season around the Tour and doesn't win, it's a wasted year.

But he'll never skip the Tour and ride Giro-Vuelta instead, he is too obsessed with the Tour. Don't like it.

 

[ILovecycling]

He doesn't have anything to prove, really. Plenty of other races out there - which he might actually enjoy more! That is most important to me. Besides, I don't think he can handle another wasted year. And yes, if he builds his entire season around the Tour and doesn't win, it's a wasted year.

But he'll never skip the Tour and ride Giro-Vuelta instead, he is too obsessed with the Tour. Don't like it.

Thats why I hope he can recover and win Vuelta.I know,almost impossible,but if anyone can do this comeback,its Alberto Contador.

 

[Carols]

Nibali last year were barely training from the end of giro until mid/late July though. with Astana sending him around to sponsors for months. Don't know what Quintana has been up to, but doubt he's had a worse buildup than Nibali last year

Plus his big mistake, that he learned from, was he didn't take Horner seriously....

 

[Carols]

Oleg will want him to target the Tour......Giro/Vuelta must wait.

 

[cineteq]

Plus his big mistake, that he learned from, was he didn't take Horner seriously....

First time I hear this. I didn't see it that way, but hey you might be right.

 

[Afrank]

Why does he need to win one more time? 2/3 wins is fine. I don't like his TDF obsession. He'd be better off aiming for the Giro.

To show he can, to show he's still the same Contador, to show he can win the biggest race in the world one more time. Plus what Netserk said.

And I think he actually does have something to prove. Especially after the terrible 2013 he had where everyone was talking about how this is the end for him and we would never see the old Contador again. He needs to prove that the old Contador never went away.

 

[ILovecycling]

To show he can, to show he's still the same Contador, to show he can win the biggest race in the world one more time. Plus what Netserk said.

And I think he actually does have something to prove. Especially after the terrible 2013 he had where everyone was talking about how this is the end for him and we would never see the old Contador again. He needs to prove that the old Contador never went away.

2-1-2-1-2
1st Jersey blue.svg Overall classification Tirreno–Adriatico
1st Stages 4 & 5
1st Jersey yellow.svg Overall classification Tour of the Basque Country
1st Stage 1
2nd Overall classification Volta ao Algarve
1st Stage 4
2nd Overall classification Volta a Catalunya
2nd Overall classification Critérium du Dauphiné

He has got nothing to prove,he was/is on better level than pre-ban,2011.Of course it would be good if he rides Vuelta in form and win.
I still wonder how anyone can doubt 7 GT winner,best rider of last decade.

 

[Carols]

First time I hear this. I didn't see it that way, but hey you might be right.

"On yesterday's stage Kwiatkowski gained more than four minutes at one point and that's an example of what can happen. They're all well prepared to do well at the Tour. I'll never underestimate anyone. I did that at Vuelta (in 2013), we underestimated Horner, and he went on to win."

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/nibali-we-have-to-be-ready-for-anything-in-the-tour-de-france

But we are off topic in the Alberto thread and I don't want anyone upset!

 

[Afrank]

2-1-2-1-2
1st Jersey blue.svg Overall classification Tirreno–Adriatico
1st Stages 4 & 5
1st Jersey yellow.svg Overall classification Tour of the Basque Country
1st Stage 1
2nd Overall classification Volta ao Algarve
1st Stage 4
2nd Overall classification Volta a Catalunya
2nd Overall classification Critérium du Dauphiné

He has got nothing to prove,he was/is on better level than pre-ban,2011.Of course it would be good if he rides Vuelta in form and win.
I still wonder how anyone can doubt 7 GT winner,best rider of last decade.

Yeah, that's a great set of results he's got there. But he's still missing a GT. He's a GT rider, GT's are the main goal of the season that he competes in all these smaller stage races to get ready for. GT's are a much different and bigger breed to small stage races. So IMO, it's not complete and he hasn't fully proven himself until he has that GT win.

 

[BlurryVII]

Plus his big mistake, that he learned from, was he didn't take Horner seriously....

There you go and now Nibali didn't take Horner seriously...... didn't know he was that much overrated, poor guy didn't take one of his little rival seriously

Horner dropped him Fair & Square on Pena Carbarga and Angliru, in a freaking face to face. Nibali was struggling all way throughout the Vuelta 13'. Horner was unbeatable. Look at his Power output, sums it all up. Nibali had no chance, he's never climbed at that level Horner showed.

 

[Dr. Juice]

Why not Giro and Tour in the same year? Less races in spring, win Giro. Rest, prepare mentally (he has the strenght) and physically. Plenty of riders in the past have done the double successfully. Pantani obviously but also Basso in 2005. Best climber in the race, maglia rosa, then there was that stomach problem where he lost 40 minutes. Won another mountain stage plus TT. To put it short he was in great form.
At the Tour 2005, he lost time on Courchevel ( 1 min) , after that never lost Armstrong's wheel. Lance even had to go deep once when Basso attacked on Pailheres or Pla d'Adet (don't remember, think it was the Totschnig stage).

2nd place in Paris. It's always the same...coming out of the Giro you have to rest and ride yourself into condition during the Tour. Like Pantani in 1998 (not that brilliant for his standards on the first mountain stages), Basso in 2005.
Like Majka is doing right now. Like Contador himself towards the end of Tour 2011.
Sure, there are a lot of riders who don't have the engine or mental strenght for that one (G. Simoni f.e.) , but Alberto is not one of them.

I believe he would have won the Tour '11 without a Giro d' Italia designed for masochists (much harder than anything the years before and after) plus crashes in the first week, which prolonged the "ride into peak form" period.

I also believe Froome would have battled for victory in the 2012 Vuelta without the Olympics. Kept riding and training and had nothing left for the second half instead of resting and riding back into form for the second half. Which is more tricky because the Vuelta has a lot of mountains very early already.
I don't believe Tour-Vuelta is easier than Giro-Tour ( extremely brutal Giro route excluded).

Alberto would win at least one of the 2 and either win the 2nd GT or lose by a small margin and come 2nd. I'm sure.

 

[Sciocco]

I believe he would have won the Tour '11 without a Giro d' Italia designed for masochists (much harder than anything the years before and after) plus crashes in the first week, which prolonged the "ride into peak form" period.

That 2011 Giro queen stage was truly a thing of beauty.

 

[maxmartin]

Alberto would win at least one of the 2 and either win the 2nd GT or lose by a small margin and come 2nd. I'm sure.

Would, could , if, those are a few of my favorite words.

 

[cineteq]

"On yesterday's stage Kwiatkowski gained more than four minutes at one point and that's an example of what can happen. They're all well prepared to do well at the Tour. I'll never underestimate anyone. I did that at Vuelta (in 2013), we underestimated Horner, and he went on to win."

Thanks, just can't keep up with everything. Alberto is great, and I still on topic right?

 

[Netserk]

That 2011 Giro queen stage was truly a thing of beauty.

Missed a long ITT and and a descent finish, but yeah it was great. Last flat stage was stage 12 and the sprinters only had a couple of stages for them.

 

[Carols]

There you go and now Nibali didn't take Horner seriously...... didn't know he was that much overrated, poor guy didn't take one of his little rival seriously

Horner dropped him Fair & Square on Pena Carbarga and Angliru, in a freaking face to face. Nibali was struggling all way throughout the Vuelta 13'. Horner was unbeatable. Look at his Power output, sums it all up. Nibali had no chance, he's never climbed at that level Horner showed.

You haven't been around long enough to know I don't take bait. So rant on all you like

 

[BlurryVII]

You haven't been around long enough to know I don't take bait. So rant on all you like

No problem, I do understand

Still, you have no argument apart from saying irrelevant things such as "he didn't take him seriously". The road do the talking. I'm not ranting at all, I don't care to be honest.

 

[Jelantik]

Thats why I hope he can recover and win Vuelta.I know,almost impossible,but if anyone can do this comeback,its Alberto Contador.

The come back part won't be a problem. But come back in time for vuelta, might be a little impossible. (but still keeping my finger crossed). If he does, he is in the shape of his life, and hopefully it carries over to la vuelta. Not sure about his recovery, I hope he is one of those anomaly whose body can repair itself faster than normal people . He does have a unique physiology of being able to recover well after hard training.. of course that just my dream. I would love to see him ready for Vuelta. Everyday, i was hoping to read his twitter: back on training now.. when that day comes.. oh. rejoice!

 

[BlurryVII]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tQncnWXLQA

You guys will love this, sums up all his thoughts.

Edit: It's in spanish though :/

 

[Netserk]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tQncnWXLQA

You guys will love this, sums up all his thoughts.

Edit: It's in spanish though :/

Damn he is fit. Just check out his face