Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[SeriousSam]

Haunted by the Dawg

 

[Walkman]

Haunted by the Dawg

LOL

Todays stage in 6 pictures! (see his two previous post)

 

[TANK91]

Priceless Contador moaning at no collabartion, hello newsflash you lead the race. One thing for sure we can not criticise Nibali's win no more i admit im now wrong it works both ways Quintana did not finish and he wins this if he is still here. Also he seems fixated by Froome i have never seen him look back so much with other rivals, with this Froome rivalry he is always looking back you should have seen him today.

Remember the stage people thought he sat up to keep Quintana in red? i think he was looking around for Froome. He never used to be like this with other rivals in the past. Can you imagine Froome in 2013 form lol, would be crazy because Froome has not suddenly become worst than Valverde and Purito.

 

[Jelantik]

Priceless Contador moaning at no collabartion, hello newsflash you lead the race. One thing for sure we can not criticise Nibali's win no more i admit im now wrong it works both ways Quintana did not finish and he wins this if he is still here. Also he seems fixated by Froome i have never seen him look back so much with other rivals, with this Froome rivalry he is always looking back you should have seen him today.

Remember the stage people thought he sat up to keep Quintana in red? i think he was looking around for Froome. He never used to be like this with other rivals in the past. Can you imagine Froome in 2013 form lol, would be crazy because Froome has not suddenly become worst than Valverde and Purito.

ah tank.. there's no point of talking about Nibali or Quintana. They weren't in the vuelta.

I think Contador has the rights to complaint. It his opinion. The two clowns are happy to just win bonification. So I guess that's their problem. Contador on the other hand, got so much respect for Froome. Even if the guy is in 1.20 down, Contador still believes that Froome is dangerous. Froome 2013 is last year news. Today's news is.. he is struggling. But for someone who's struggling, he is doing great so far. (the fact he is still 3rd place) and the other 3 spaniards aren't strong enough to finish him off. So hats off to Froome.

And for contador, it's a big headache. With sucky and weak team, and a so-so form now he has to keep watching froome while valverde keeps sprinting to win bonification. I would be curious as what his tactic for tomorrow? He's been loosing time either way. Keeps attacking? He'll still end up loosing time. If it's not from froome, then it will be Valverde. So I guess, attacking maybe not a smart idea? Dunno.. So, tomorrow will be a battle of tactic, I guess.

 

[Jelantik]

this is why alberto has won so many grand tours. Because he NEVER UNDERESTIMATE his adversary .. even if he is more than a minute down. It's called "RESPECT" to your nemesis.

 

[Dr. Juice]

Priceless Contador moaning at no collabartion, hello newsflash you lead the race. One thing for sure we can not criticise Nibali's win no more i admit im now wrong it works both ways Quintana did not finish and he wins this if he is still here. Also he seems fixated by Froome i have never seen him look back so much with other rivals, with this Froome rivalry he is always looking back you should have seen him today.

Remember the stage people thought he sat up to keep Quintana in red? i think he was looking around for Froome. He never used to be like this with other rivals in the past. Can you imagine Froome in 2013 form lol, would be crazy because Froome has not suddenly become worst than Valverde and Purito.

Can you imagine Alberto without his fractured tibia affecting his form? Defeat for even the best Froome.
Not to mention Valverde who was dropped on an 1.8 km climb in Le Tour while Alberto was just "testing".
Valverde winning this Vuelta would be disgusting to watch. A kick in the nuts.

Regarding tomorrow: I believe AC can crack him. 5 important climbs, 2 of them really hard, Farrapona decently hard. Almost 4000 m height gain.

Valverde normally ( it has almost always been like that, that's why he cracked so often in the Tour) has problems to cope with such big mountain stages. Rodriguez has proven to be less affected by big stages, see Tour 2013.
Valverde is a fantastically talented rider, strong everywhere but his weakest point remains queen stages with lots of climbing. He has that super fast finish and the ability to be with the best on a climb, no matter how steep - however, it's normal that a rider who is explosive in a sprint and explosive on single mountains, has less resistance. That has to do with muscle fibres mainly.


In a Giro you have (this year apart) 3 or 4 of big mountain stages, in the Tour at least 2. Here it's 1. Ancares is basically a single climb with 1 decent climb before. If Contador can't beat him tomorrow, then the GC will be decided on Ancares or the TT. I would expect Rodriguez and Alberto the strongest with Froome having an advantage over Valverde if the pace is decent.

 

[Red Rick]

Can you imagine Alberto without his fractured tibia affecting his form? Defeat for even the best Froome.
Not to mention Valverde who was dropped on an 1.8 km climb in Le Tour while Alberto was just "testing".
Valverde winning this Vuelta would be disgusting to watch. A kick in the nuts.

Regarding tomorrow: I believe AC can crack him. 5 important climbs, 2 of them really hard, Farrapona decently hard. Almost 4000 m height gain.

Valverde normally ( it has almost always been like that, that's why he cracked so often in the Tour) has problems to cope with such big mountain stages. Rodriguez has proven to be less affected by big stages, see Tour 2013.
Valverde is a fantastically talented rider, strong everywhere but his weakest point remains queen stages with lots of climbing. He has that super fast finish and the ability to be with the best on a climb, no matter how steep - however, it's normal that a rider who is explosive in a sprint and explosive on single mountains, has less resistance. That has to do with muscle fibres mainly.


In a Giro you have (this year apart) 3 or 4 of big mountain stages, in the Tour at least 2. Here it's 1. Ancares is basically a single climb with 1 decent climb before. If Contador can't beat him tomorrow, then the GC will be decided on Ancares or the TT. I would expect Rodriguez and Alberto the strongest with Froome having an advantage over Valverde if the pace is decent.

Good post

I rewatched the final climb of yesterday, and Valverde was in difficulty too when Contador attacked. He just didn't drop cause he's so explosive, but usually once he drops, he's gone. There's no way Valverde is gonna distance Contador except in a sprint. I think the next stage will decide everything

 

[No_Balls]

I think Contador has the rights to complaint. It his opinion. The two clowns are happy to just win bonification. So I guess that's their problem.

Who wouldnt have complained? It would have been in the likes of Puritos intrests to work with the pace just to have a bigger shot at the podium then he has at the moment. Those two halfhearted attacks did appearently only cost him energy and disrupted the momentum of the pace which of course benefited Froome. What on earth was he thinking?

Valverde is clearly not intrested in Froome and only races Alberto for the seconds. Its the best strategy for him but it still sucks.

Contador on the other hand, got so much respect for Froome. Even if the guy is in 1.20 down, Contador still believes that Froome is dangerous. Froome 2013 is last year news.

He is professional and wont take any risks (possibly instructed during the post-stage briefing too) at this stage. Yesterday Froome counter-attacked the same stop and go-scenario and that probably got the brains at Tinkoff thinking. What if Dawg was bluffing? When he discovered the other was far from intrested in working against Froome he got defensive and begun worrying if there was to be a counter-attack. A Contador in this shape is always more keen to play it a bit safe - specielly when the obvious plan to build a alliance with those two backfired. Still, rather odd to see.

And for contador, it's a big headache. With sucky and weak team, and a so-so form now he has to keep watching froome while valverde keeps sprinting to win bonification. I would be curious as what his tactic tomorrow

For once i wished he could play it cool initially. He shouldnt feel the urge to decide it at every time with forced attacks. Its his race to loose. Trust in that Dawg is not bluffing and let some other (Valverde) do the work. If they want to win, let them work for it. I assume Valverde expects and counts with Albertos eagerness to finish it off and only benefits from it. Sometimes he shouldnt race as when he is in top shape.

I hope to see a more cool and relaxed Alberto tomorrow with possibly new alliances. Maybe Aru? Either way, Piti must be dragged to work and then time the attack a bit better.

 

[TANK91]

Haha you are all hilarious if Froome dont win i would take Contador no doubt ive always said one of the best as he is should be the record holder in La Vuelta it would be justice to him as he is far superious to Heras. But this is were you lose me Valverde attacks yesterday cracks Valverde responded to all his attacks today what is wrong with that. I do hope you know Valverde is the one who has the most impressive performance i guess you missed him towing everyone up Zubia and still winning?. The gap is the ITT basically so you disqalify yourself when saying it wouldbe crazy, what as Contador done that Valverde has not this race?. Even yesterday Valverde was first to attack,Purito attacked today did you miss that?.

 

[TANK91]

Good luck best Contador holding Froome last year on AX-3 and Ventoux. Put it this way it be close but the watts Froome has put out have been just as good he nearly beat LA time. Both have done great performances at diff times but Froome did not just beat a bad Contador last year the watts he put out could rival anyone.

Also i do hope you know the 1 race this year both were in good shape Froome won 2 stages in a row then crashed, newsflash if this was the best Contador pre TDF Froome was better in ITT and as good uphill. The race Contador outperformed Froome was Cataluna and Froome had no prep before it Contador did Tirreno.

Does Contador acceleration look better that last year? Yes it does alot better so dont give me the leg crap he as looked fine in the Vuelta. Has Froome had any acceleration in the Vuelta? No he as not but he had plenty in those violent bursts in the Dauphinee, Contador was grimacing the whole way. Frome is a totally diff climber to a few months and he so far down on GC.

 

[TANK91]

Lets be honest Contador has not been good at sustaining attacks for a while in GT's this is 3 GT's he would have completed in a row that he can't sustain it, his accelration looks as good as ever to me it is beautiful and voilent at the same time he should have 85ACC if we were using PCM lol.

 

[Helvellyn]

The right tactic for Contador would seem to be to stop worrying about putting more time into Froome and to basically follow Purito and Valverde (and Froome if he attacks of course). Allow a slow pace up the climbs, which may allow the break to stay away and/or for the likes of Dan Martin or Aru to nip away for the stage win at the end. Try to conserve energy and to nullify the bonus seconds. Then he would hopefully be able to follow Valverde when he attacks at the end.

However, this being Contador, I doubt he'll follow that tactic. I think his view will be that if he keeps on attacking that eventually Valverde will falter.

 

[rhubroma]

Lets be honest Contador has not been good at sustaining attacks for a while in GT's this is 3 GT's he would have completed in a row that he can't sustain it, his accelration looks as good as ever to me it is beautiful and voilent at the same time he should have 85ACC if we were using PCM lol.

To be honest, and I know people will think I'm crazy, I think power meters should be banned during races. Riders should have to use their heads alone.

I think having that data allows, for example in light of your analysis, to estimate acurately how long AC can sustain an attack and hold on for dear life accordingly. Since they also know precisely how long they can keep a certain pace.

Without knowing it would be interesting to see if mentally they would be able to hold on and come back in the same way, or crack.

In any case the racing isn't the same with them and for the worse IMO.

 

[boringboy]

I tend to agree, but technology normally does not go away once introduced. Really wonder how Froome would race if no computer, as think mentally it would be hard to get dropped so many times, unless you know you can keep getting back by just doing your watts.

 

[rhubroma]

I tend to agree, but technology normally does not go away once introduced. Really wonder how Froome would race if no computer, as think mentally it would be hard to get dropped so many times, unless you know you can keep getting back by just doing your watts.

Precisely. And I realize mine is pure wishful thinking, especially because the commercial interests in sport, unfortunately, determine what is deemed legit. However, and your point is exactly why I think they should not be allowed in races, knowing your watts and racing to that is yet another demonstration of how the more science takes over the sport, the less "human" it becomes.

 

[boringboy]

Precisely. And I realize mine is pure wishful thinking, especially because the commercial interests in sport, unfortunately, determine what is deemed legit. However, and your point is exactly why I think they should not be allowed in races, knowing your watts and racing to that is yet another demonstration of how the more science takes over the sport, the less "human" it becomes.

Fully agree, think there wont be many "Contador" style riders coming out, better to just look at your watts and make team work as hard as possible. I believe it will be the death of the sport, as not much fun to watch such type of racing, need to see riders who dare to attack and take risks.

 

[rhubroma]

Fully agree, think there wont be many "Contador" style riders coming out, better to just look at your watts and make team work as hard as possible. I believe it will be the death of the sport, as not much fun to watch such type of racing, need to see riders who dare to attack and take risks.

This is also why Contador's style has resonated so with his fans. AC was looking at his rivals, CF was looking at his computer.

 

[arvc40]

I would ban power metres in a flash.

 

[SiAp1984]

I am pretty astounded by ACs performance, taking into consideration his (said) injuries from the Tour and the (alleged) subsequent forced break from training which he had to face.

To be honest, I guess we have reason to believe that the Saxo camp has bluntly lied to the public (and the competitors) regarding his injuries. He did not break his tibia. He suffered a milder injury which enjoined him from staying in the race at top level, but did not prevent him from preparing for the Vuelta. Nicely played.

This is not just another conspiracy theory- we have already seen such stage play by AC when he arrived at the Giro 2008 - directly "from the beach", but, surprisingly, fully trained and prepared.

I hope Purito, Valverde or Froome will end this soap opera and beat AC (unlikely scenario, I know).

 

[Angliru]

Good luck best Contador holding Froome last year on AX-3 and Ventoux. Put it this way it be close but the watts Froome has put out have been just as good he nearly beat LA time. Both have done great performances at diff times but Froome did not just beat a bad Contador last year the watts he put out could rival anyone.

Also i do hope you know the 1 race this year both were in good shape Froome won 2 stages in a row then crashed, newsflash if this was the best Contador pre TDF Froome was better in ITT and as good uphill. The race Contador outperformed Froome was Cataluna and Froome had no prep before it Contador did Tirreno.

Does Contador acceleration look better that last year? Yes it does alot better so dont give me the leg crap he as looked fine in the Vuelta. Has Froome had any acceleration in the Vuelta? No he as not but he had plenty in those violent bursts in the Dauphinee, Contador was grimacing the whole way. Frome is a totally diff climber to a few months and he so far down on GC.

Okay we get it. Froome is the second coming of a certain shamed rider and Contador is simply a pretender, to be toyed with and discarded. Your signature says it all so what is the point of anyone having an opinion to the contrary?

 

[Savant12]

Has Contador been watching Andy Schleck racing videos in his down time?

On yesterdays' stage, the amount of times that Contador looked behind looking for Froome was akin to Andy looking for Frank.

Let's hope that Contador hasn't burned too much energy up at trying to drop Froome and THE wheelsucking Purito and Valverde.

 

[boringboy]

I am pretty astounded by ACs performance, taking into consideration his (said) injuries from the Tour and the (alleged) subsequent forced break from training which he had to face.

To be honest, I guess we have reason to believe that the Saxo camp has bluntly lied to the public (and the competitors) regarding his injuries. He did not break his tibia. He suffered a milder injury which enjoined him from staying in the race at top level, but did not prevent him from preparing for the Vuelta. Nicely played.

This is not just another conspiracy theory- we have already seen such stage play by AC when he arrived at the Giro 2008 - directly "from the beach", but, surprisingly, fully trained and prepared.

I hope Purito, Valverde or Froome will end this soap opera and beat AC (unlikely scenario, I know).

Would Froome not have been lying as well? He has hardly been dropped and only lost time on the ITT (because he started to hard), so how can he say he is not in good shape? Is this purely a rant so you can get "I don't like Contador" out of your system?

Don't know a single sportsperson who would not play mind games if they can, again keep in mind, that very fit people take shorter time to recover from injuries, unless you believe all doctors in the world in somehow involved in the great cover up of Contador's injury.

 

[T-Nielsen]

Lets be honest Contador has not been good at sustaining attacks for a while in GT's this is 3 GT's he would have completed in a row that he can't sustain it, his accelration looks as good as ever to me it is beautiful and voilent at the same time he should have 85ACC if we were using PCM lol.

He has delivered a coupple of sustained attacks this year, just not in GTs. Come to think of it, he never reached a point in the Tour where he had the chance, so hard to count it against him.

 

[Cimber]

Has Contador been watching Andy Schleck racing videos in his down time?

On yesterdays' stage, the amount of times that Contador looked behind looking for Froome was akin to Andy looking for Frank.

Let's hope that Contador hasn't burned too much energy up at trying to drop Froome and wheelsucking Purito and Valverde.

Purito and Valverde where the ones doint all the wheelsucking. Considering it is Contador who leads - he should have done a lot more. Hopefully today he will just cover attacks and let the others burn their energy

 

[LaFlorecita]

I am pretty astounded by ACs performance, taking into consideration his (said) injuries from the Tour and the (alleged) subsequent forced break from training which he had to face.

To be honest, I guess we have reason to believe that the Saxo camp has bluntly lied to the public (and the competitors) regarding his injuries. He did not break his tibia. He suffered a milder injury which enjoined him from staying in the race at top level, but did not prevent him from preparing for the Vuelta. Nicely played.

This is not just another conspiracy theory- we have already seen such stage play by AC when he arrived at the Giro 2008 - directly "from the beach", but, surprisingly, fully trained and prepared.

I hope Purito, Valverde or Froome will end this soap opera and beat AC (unlikely scenario, I know).

This is so terribly annoying. He suffered a minor vertical fracture - he did not break his leg into two pieces! FFS. This whole conspiracy makes no sense - would the Tour doctors agree to participate in it? Would the Madrid clinic agree to come up with a bull**** story, accepting the risk that they would get outed? NO! Just get real. Alberto suffered a fracture, not a terrible one, and the estimated recovery time was 15 days. After that, he was allowed to train. Build a bridge and GET OVER IT.

Now I know you are just an immense hater, but I've seen too many people suggest he was never really injured - including TV commentators who simply refuse to read info about his injury. It's the reason I have stopped watching the race on Dutch Eurosport.