Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[Coat-O]

Source? Or is that just a guess?

http://velonews.competitor.com/2014...os-2015-route-offers-little-everything_356366

Also, Quintana will be there.

 

[ILovecycling]

They will meet in T-A.

yep,but that route is utter ****...otoh you never know with The Great One

 

[Carols]

so what is the first race of 2015 where alberto wipes the floor with alejandro?

The first one they both compete in, whatever that turns out to be. Bala's big head will be handed to him .

 

[Electress]

The first one they both compete in, whatever that turns out to be. Bala's big head will be handed to him .

I must say, with all due respect to Alejandro, claiming he's the best Spanish rider of his generation when an 8 time GT winner comes from down the road is a bit much. At the very least, for the sake of humility, he would be well advised to let others bestow the crown.

Here's hoping Alberto enjoyed the interview and toasted Vvde over coffee at the top of some Alp.

 

[Netserk]

yep,but that route is utter ****...otoh you never know with The Great One

Huh? It's better than last year's.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Huh? It's better than last year's.

There's no Lanciano/Guardiagrele stage though

 

[Netserk]

There's no Lanciano/Guardiagrele stage though

No, but stage 4 is better than that. Or at least on par with it.

And then there's the HC MTF.

 

[LaFlorecita]

No, but stage 4 is better than that. Or at least on par with it.

And then there's the HC MTF.

I'd prefer another uphill finish though. So IMO last year's stage 5 was better.

 

[Dr. Juice]

No, but stage 4 is better than that. Or at least on par with it.

And then there's the HC MTF.

Stage 4 is great, but more a Lombardia type of stage. You have to go from 45 km out (difficult...20-25 km semi flat with a bit of descent after that). Or you crush the field into 10 riders with the help of the team and attack on the last climb. Well that's possible.

BUT the stage is placed wrong. It should change places with stage 5. That way it would be the last chance to win the GC for everybody. As it is now...everybody knows the queen stage is the day after...I expect several riders within 30-40 seconds.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Stage 4 is great, but more a Lombardia type of stage. You have to go from 45 km out (difficult...20-25 km semi flat with a bit of descent after that). Or you crush the field into 10 riders with the help of the team and attack on the last climb. Well that's possible.

BUT the stage is placed wrong. It should change places with stage 5. That way it would be the last chance to win the GC for everybody. As it is now...everybody knows the queen stage is the day after...I expect several riders within 30-40 seconds.

I expect the main GC contenders in one group, or at most a couple seconds apart

 

[ILovecycling]

Huh? It's better than last year's.

imo its not. mainly what flo pointed out

 

[Netserk]

It's basically the same except the two mountain stages. Last year had a meh first MTF and then a good stage with Lanciano and the muro. This year has a really great stage followed by a great MTF.

Come March you will agree with me

 

[LaFlorecita]

Come March you will agree with me

I highly doubt it can't see it being more awesome than last year

 

[LaFlorecita]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTZdmClLwzI

cool video of the training camp

 

[pigoonse]

It's basically the same except the two mountain stages. Last year had a meh first MTF and then a good stage with Lanciano and the muro. This year has a really great stage followed by a great MTF.

Come March you will agree with me

yes, i went back and looked at what you and others posted on the T-A 2015 thread. it's an exciting route...especially considering who tinkoff team are sending this year.

could not find much else about who other teams are sending, apart from the main GC rider.

is it March yet

 

[Red Rick]

I highly doubt it can't see it being more awesome than last year

2 asskickings>1 asskicking obviously

 

[Dr. Juice]

http://www.elperiodicomediterraneo....para-vuelta-espana-2015-castellon_912225.html

Contador preparing the Vuelta. He was seen in the location of Aín seen at the bar Paquita de Eslida. A stage will be hosted in the province of Castellón. The owner of the bar said Contador was heading to the Puerto de Eslida.

He will do the triple

 

[cineteq]

http://www.elperiodicomediterraneo....para-vuelta-espana-2015-castellon_912225.html

Contador preparing the Vuelta. He was seen in the location of Aín seen at the bar Paquita de Eslida. A stage will be hosted in the province of Castellón. The owner of the bar said Contador was heading to the Puerto de Eslida.

He will do the triple

Interesting. The Tour-Vuelta double makes more sense.

 

[peloton]

http://www.elperiodicomediterraneo....para-vuelta-espana-2015-castellon_912225.html

Contador preparing the Vuelta. He was seen in the location of Aín seen at the bar Paquita de Eslida. A stage will be hosted in the province of Castellón. The owner of the bar said Contador was heading to the Puerto de Eslida.

He will do the triple

Or training in the warm weather? Might as well check the Vuelta stages while there

 

[LaFlorecita]

Interview
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ot...r-identifies-Chris-Froome-as-No-1-threat.html

The main question is why they literally wrote down Alberto's Spanglish word for word

What does this even mean?

Contador’s rather abrupt responses are not merely the result of his limited, albeit impressive, command of English.

 

[Netserk]

I actually really liked that he (seemingly) was quoted word for word. Less filter is always good.

 

[LaFlorecita]

I actually really liked that he (seemingly) was quoted word for word. Less filter is always good.

Yeah, that is true. And I read it in Alberto's voice but I can imagine it makes him seem a bit dumb to the British audience

 

[Red Rick]

Interview
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ot...r-identifies-Chris-Froome-as-No-1-threat.html

The main question is why they literally wrote down Alberto's Spanglish word for word

What does this even mean?

He does not master the language with perfect grammar & stereotypical english accent, though he can express himself pretty comfortably. It's not like he shuts down when talking english. He expresses himself better then Froome

It's actually pretty good, I think only Flecha was better, but he rode for foreign teams without 12 spaniards around him. Freire was said to be pretty bad too, though the "i got shot in my ***" line was genius

 

[Electress]

He does not master the language with perfect grammar & stereotypical english accent, though he can express himself pretty comfortably. It's not like he shuts down when talking english. He expresses himself better then Froome

It's actually pretty good, I think only Flecha was better, but he rode for foreign teams without 12 spaniards around him. Freire was said to be pretty bad too, though the "i got shot in my ***" line was genius

I'm pretty impressed with Contador's English. He's rather articulate, IMO. Yes, he's got an accent, but it's more intelligible to me than some native born reality TV stars! I also happen to think he's pretty straightforward in interviews, though I don't really like the article, to be honest. The way it is set up makes him sounds rather brusque and even overconfident from the outset. I've obviously not met him, but I've always had the impression that (whilst well aware of how good he is) he's remarkably polite, pleasant, approachable and pretty humble, considering.

Can't help wondering how he'd come over to a casual reader, I suppose. Especially since they didn't actually state what the CAS decision was. Whatever you think of the validity of that decision, IMO, its omission is unnecessary and even misleading in the context of the article. It's to be expected, of course, but I do find it tiresome.

 

[Netserk]

Being confident and humble (and polite/pleasant/approachable) isn't opposites. I do think that Contador is very confident, especially after last season.