Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[rhubroma]

I'm not happy. Bertie is looking a bit laboured a bit sluggish.
The first Race/test of the year he looked great beat Froome in the ITT then dropped him on the first up hill stage then the next day he looked slow and lethargic and he has pretty much looked like that since.
I hope Bertie is just pacing his form. This time last year Bertie was magnificent.
He looked unbeatable,so as a big Bertie fan I will only breathe a sigh of relief when he drops everyone on the first big stage at the Giro.
beaten by Porte ,,,YUUUUUUKKKK I don't care how many seconds F%%%%%%% Yuk

Stay calm and relaxed ray j chubby Bertie dropped Porte. His attack looked powerful, 30s full throttle. He ran out of gas eventually but in the Giro that won't happen. He cannot be in the same form as last year because he's aiming for the Giro. Last year he had a mini peak around this time then recovered in May.. no time for that now

It sucks he was beaten by Porte but we should not lose confidence

Oh goodness gracious, you are coming around. Was it me?

 

[HelloDolly]

What's the deal with Rafal Majka ...he went to the front today and lasted about 20 m and yesterday the same ....Kiserloski was no where to be seen and Rogers didn't finish and where was Basso ....Look at BMC , Astana & SKY ...even Cannondale

What about all these new DSs TCS employed ....Same at Paris Nice .....T/A was slightly better

 

[rhubroma]

Re:

What's the deal with Rafal Majka ...he went to the front today and lasted about 20 m and yesterday the same ....Kiserloski was no where to be seen and Rogers didn't finish and where was Basso ....Look at BMC , Astana & SKY ...even Cannondale

What about all these new DSs TCS employed ....Same at Paris Nice .....T/A was slightly better

This is the big issue, why does Alberto not have a team able to support him???

 

[LaFlorecita]

I'm not happy. Bertie is looking a bit laboured a bit sluggish.
The first Race/test of the year he looked great beat Froome in the ITT then dropped him on the first up hill stage then the next day he looked slow and lethargic and he has pretty much looked like that since.
I hope Bertie is just pacing his form. This time last year Bertie was magnificent.
He looked unbeatable,so as a big Bertie fan I will only breathe a sigh of relief when he drops everyone on the first big stage at the Giro.
beaten by Porte ,,,YUUUUUUKKKK I don't care how many seconds F%%%%%%% Yuk

Stay calm and relaxed ray j chubby Bertie dropped Porte. His attack looked powerful, 30s full throttle. He ran out of gas eventually but in the Giro that won't happen. He cannot be in the same form as last year because he's aiming for the Giro. Last year he had a mini peak around this time then recovered in May.. no time for that now

It sucks he was beaten by Porte but we should not lose confidence

Oh goodness gracious, you are coming around. Was it me?

No, I just didn't expect anything at all from this race.

 

[rhubroma]

I'm not happy. Bertie is looking a bit laboured a bit sluggish.
The first Race/test of the year he looked great beat Froome in the ITT then dropped him on the first up hill stage then the next day he looked slow and lethargic and he has pretty much looked like that since.
I hope Bertie is just pacing his form. This time last year Bertie was magnificent.
He looked unbeatable,so as a big Bertie fan I will only breathe a sigh of relief when he drops everyone on the first big stage at the Giro.
beaten by Porte ,,,YUUUUUUKKKK I don't care how many seconds F%%%%%%% Yuk

Stay calm and relaxed ray j chubby Bertie dropped Porte. His attack looked powerful, 30s full throttle. He ran out of gas eventually but in the Giro that won't happen. He cannot be in the same form as last year because he's aiming for the Giro. Last year he had a mini peak around this time then recovered in May.. no time for that now

It sucks he was beaten by Porte but we should not lose confidence

Oh goodness gracious, you are coming around. Was it me?

No, I just didn't expect anything at all from this race.

Why? He's doing great, but doesn't have a team. And I don't think Porte can maintain this form at the Giro.

 

[rm7]

Thomay Bay said yesterday at Eurosport, that some of the Tinkoff Saxo guys told him that they were unsually tired at this time of the year. It was under Paris-Nice they told him. Something about training too hard before the season.

 

[ray j willings]

I'm not happy. Bertie is looking a bit laboured a bit sluggish.
The first Race/test of the year he looked great beat Froome in the ITT then dropped him on the first up hill stage then the next day he looked slow and lethargic and he has pretty much looked like that since.
I hope Bertie is just pacing his form. This time last year Bertie was magnificent.
He looked unbeatable,so as a big Bertie fan I will only breathe a sigh of relief when he drops everyone on the first big stage at the Giro.
beaten by Porte ,,,YUUUUUUKKKK I don't care how many seconds F%%%%%%% Yuk

Are you 12 years old?

You don't like me do you? Which is a shame as I really love you

 

[HelloDolly]

Re:

Thomay Bay said yesterday at Eurosport, that some of the Tinkoff Saxo guys told him that they were unsually tired at this time of the year. It was under Paris-Nice they told him. Something about training too hard before the season.

This is a majot concern for cyclists ....and can be in relation to pressure for results ..Over training is just as bad as under training ...sometimes worse as it takes time to recover

 

[ray j willings]

Re: Re:

The only question is - who's next Sky's domestique who'll saddle Contador up?

Wait, who's getting saddled up?

Normality has been resumed. That's better

 

[Carols]

Re: Re:

What's the deal with Rafal Majka ...he went to the front today and lasted about 20 m and yesterday the same ....Kiserloski was no where to be seen and Rogers didn't finish and where was Basso ....Look at BMC , Astana & SKY ...even Cannondale

What about all these new DSs TCS employed ....Same at Paris Nice .....T/A was slightly better

This is the big issue, why does Alberto not have a team able to support him???

Two words Oleg Tinkov

#BringBackBjarne

 

[Jspear]

Re:

Thomay Bay said yesterday at Eurosport, that some of the Tinkoff Saxo guys told him that they were unsually tired at this time of the year. It was under Paris-Nice they told him. Something about training too hard before the season.

Hmmm...interesting. Do you have any links?

 

[rm7]

Re: Re:

Thomay Bay said yesterday at Eurosport, that some of the Tinkoff Saxo guys told him that they were unsually tired at this time of the year. It was under Paris-Nice they told him. Something about training too hard before the season.

Hmmm...interesting. Do you have any links?

Nope sorry.. He said it on live tv at danish eurosport.

 

[TMP402]

Thomay Bay said yesterday at Eurosport, that some of the Tinkoff Saxo guys told him that they were unsually tired at this time of the year. It was under Paris-Nice they told him. Something about training too hard before the season.

Basso is 38 this year, the 2012 Japan Cup was his only win in the last four years, and he's now at a new team with unfamiliar and perhaps too heavy training, he has stress from Tinkov, and I noticed him being wasted on flat stages for Sagan's benefit eg on Stage 3 of T-A. It's little surprise he's under-performing

 

[Jelantik]

Re: Re:

What's the deal with Rafal Majka ...he went to the front today and lasted about 20 m and yesterday the same ....Kiserloski was no where to be seen and Rogers didn't finish and where was Basso ....Look at BMC , Astana & SKY ...even Cannondale

What about all these new DSs TCS employed ....Same at Paris Nice .....T/A was slightly better

This is the big issue, why does Alberto not have a team able to support him???

I read somewhere that the training load is being increased and the riders are having hard time adopting it. Maybe that's probably why we don't see some stelar performance so far. Remind me of Sky classic team 2013. They were too exhausted. Majka makes me scratch my head. PN, the DS says that Majka isn't in good form yet. Well, when is he going to be in good form then? He is targeting the Tour, so he can peak on few stages race in the early season. So far he is disappointing. Look good in Oman. Plummeting in PN. Catalunya, he was far from being useful either.

No news about why Rogers abandonment. Was he sick? jesus got fever. Kiserlovski hasn't shown any good for either.

EDIT:
here's the excerpt:

A major reshuffle of the team’s coaching division - and above all a marked increase in training loads - has reportedly left several riders struggling to adapt. Specifically, in France, they complained that they were unusually tired for this time of the season.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/tin ... r-struggle

 

[rhubroma]

A couple of questions and observations. Why the f-uck are they just not implementing the same training regime as last year? The team was great and only a crash ruined their biggest objective. Mayka was steller at the Tour. Rogers was pretty kick-a$$ at the Giro, etc.

Who's idea was it to change the plan? Tinkov? Why? Is it a belief that to do so, is to one-up Sky? If this is so, then he/they obviously don't have any confidence in last year's results and what they had done to achieve them. Look, I'm not saying that some expirementing, trying to improve, etc., is bad, but you know: if it aint broke, don't fix it. And you certainly don't break what was working!

If the riders are tired, does this inclued Contador too? He is the only one performing well at the momment, so it would not seems so. Are the others too tired because they have been made to train harder than their leader? Or have they been made to train as hard as him, but can't support the load? Whatever the case, they will need to get their act together, figure out the right formula, or else bye-bye Giro even before we get to the Tour.

Then, with the Riis debacle, how is the team going to get its act back together? At least Froome is not well, but Porte has become a big danger, also because Sky, bar their leader, are going really well.

In the end it seems like Oleg's infernal ego has been ruining his team. How moronic.

 

[mrhender]

I take it Tinkov was eager upon the good Vuelta as he tweeted all preseason that we should get ready for fireworks...

Indeed we have fireworks but not in part of performance..

I could easily imagine that he stomped his authority and made the ds' make harder training programs.
Riis then backed somewhat off as per the CN article and when the results didn't came Tinkov thought he could order Riis
to do his will and be succesful even though Riis probably have disagreed..

From all the images I've seen of the riders since the suspension they riders look tired and somewhat dellusionised..

I really can't see this ending well for anyone.. It's a goddamn shame!!

 

[Zen Master]

Who's idea was it to change the plan? Tinkov? Why? Is it a belief that to do so, is to one-up Sky? If this is so, then he/they obviously don't have any confidence in last year's results and what they had done to achieve them. Look, I'm not saying that some expirementing, trying to improve, etc., is bad, but you know: if it aint broke, don't fix it. And you certainly don't break what was working!

If the riders are tired, does this inclued Contador too? He is the only one performing well at the momment, so it would not seems so. Are the others too tired because they have been made to train harder than their leader?

Tinkov...!?! Knock, knock, anybody home...?!?
A little help with a situation regarding " expirementing "

" Tinkoff-Saxo team manager Bjarne Riis convinced Contador to improve the quality of his training and the Spaniard reached out to De Jongh last November.
...
De Jongh knows the secrets of how Team Sky trains its athletes but Contador played down suggestions that he was interested in copying the British team. "

So, obviously your heart is full of hatred against the crazy Russian(s) BUT something is rotten at the Tinkoff-Saxo team from Denmark and guess what it's not everything his fault...

" One individual with intimate knowledge of the team’s inner workings argues that, in a sense, Tinkov only has himself to blame: “When Oleg took over the team, he allowed Bjarne to keep too much influence, too much power. Bjarne kept this emperor complex. He still behaves like the owner, not the manager. The problem is that, when you spend the whole day telling someone they can walk on water, they go out in the evening, try to walk on water….and they sink. "

 

[LaFlorecita]

Yeah, because De Jongh had such a bad influence on Contador's performances

 

[Miburo]

Re:

I take it Tinkov was eager upon the good Vuelta as he tweeted all preseason that we should get ready for fireworks...

Indeed we have fireworks but not in part of performance..

I could easily imagine that he stomped his authority and made the ds' make harder training programs.
Riis then backed somewhat off as per the CN article and when the results didn't came Tinkov thought he could order Riis
to do his will and be succesful even though Riis probably have disagreed..

From all the images I've seen of the riders since the suspension they riders look tired and somewhat dellusionised..

I really can't see this ending well for anyone.. It's a goddamn shame!!

It's march, freaking march. Besides contador and sagan I btw don't any star rider.

Majka never been the guy to perform really well in races besides GT's.

I don't understand how some of you can come to these ridiculous conclusions.

 

[rhubroma]

Who's idea was it to change the plan? Tinkov? Why? Is it a belief that to do so, is to one-up Sky? If this is so, then he/they obviously don't have any confidence in last year's results and what they had done to achieve them. Look, I'm not saying that some expirementing, trying to improve, etc., is bad, but you know: if it aint broke, don't fix it. And you certainly don't break what was working!

If the riders are tired, does this inclued Contador too? He is the only one performing well at the momment, so it would not seems so. Are the others too tired because they have been made to train harder than their leader?

Tinkov...!?! Knock, knock, anybody home...?!?
A little help with a situation regarding " expirementing "

" Tinkoff-Saxo team manager Bjarne Riis convinced Contador to improve the quality of his training and the Spaniard reached out to De Jongh last November.
...
De Jongh knows the secrets of how Team Sky trains its athletes but Contador played down suggestions that he was interested in copying the British team. "

So, obviously your heart is full of hatred against the crazy Russian(s) BUT something is rotten at the Tinkoff-Saxo team from Denmark and guess what it's not everything his fault...

" One individual with intimate knowledge of the team’s inner workings argues that, in a sense, Tinkov only has himself to blame: “When Oleg took over the team, he allowed Bjarne to keep too much influence, too much power. Bjarne kept this emperor complex. He still behaves like the owner, not the manager. The problem is that, when you spend the whole day telling someone they can walk on water, they go out in the evening, try to walk on water….and they sink. "

Apart from Oleg being the typical arrogant oligarch - and there is nothing worse than a "self-made" man who came from oblivion, also culturally, who lets money and power inflate his head - the concommitant poor performance of the team and Riis being removed from the picture, reasonably indicates that the Tinkov owner has stepped into where he doesn't belong.

 

[boringboy]

Re: Re:

It's march, freaking march. Besides contador and sagan I btw don't any star rider.

Majka never been the guy to perform really well in races besides GT's.

I don't understand how some of you can come to these ridiculous conclusions.

I agree he has two stars a few decent doms and one up and coming gt contender, but also a lot of deadweight, especially compared to some other teams..

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

It's march, freaking march. Besides contador and sagan I btw don't any star rider.

Majka never been the guy to perform really well in races besides GT's.

I don't understand how some of you can come to these ridiculous conclusions.

I agree he has two stars a few decent doms and one up and coming gt contender, but also a lot of deadweight, especially compared to some other teams..

I dare you, to do a comparison with other teams. the only "dead weight" I see... Jesus, Paulinho and Juraj Sagan, and Paulinho is still somewhat decent.

 

[boringboy]

Re: Re:

It's march, freaking march. Besides contador and sagan I btw don't any star rider.

Majka never been the guy to perform really well in races besides GT's.

I don't understand how some of you can come to these ridiculous conclusions.

I agree he has two stars a few decent doms and one up and coming gt contender, but also a lot of deadweight, especially compared to some other teams..

I dare you, to do a comparison with other teams. the only "dead weight" I see... Jesus, Paulinho and Juraj Sagan, and Paulinho is still somewhat decent.

We might not agree but I feel following is deadweight, you might take a few out as you do need to fill the team.

Pires - imho he has very few good days
CAS - he was good in 2013 though, but last year he was not
Bennati - don't feel he has contributed much since he joined
Beltran - still young so he can improve, but expected more from him
Jesper Hansen - same as Beltran
Jesus
Juray
Boara - seems he stopped his development
Paulinho - same as Pires, some good days.
McCarthy - again seems he is not really getting anywhere.

I am not sure about Petrov, Bodnar and Rovny, but guess they do a fair job.

I might be a bit harsh on some of them, but if you look at how, e.g. Sky is doing and the talent they have, I feel Tinkof is missing a few riders, especially considering they are supposed to be "the best team in the world"

 

[LaFlorecita]

Bennati together with Tosatto does a terrific job keeping Alberto safe on the flat. And how can we forget the way he split the peloton in the crosswinds at the 2013 TDF many riders you mentioned are still young and have shown talent. Boaro I agree seemed to have stopped improving but he looked very powerful in a long solo at RVV last year won a stage in the Tour of Denmark and finished 3rd. This year, again, he's done some strong solo/breakaway efforts and also finished 8th in GP Lugano and 9th in Dubai Tour.

 

[Red Rick]

I'm really wondering how someone supposedly smart enough to become a self-made billionaire can be so ***. I know I've said some positive things about him in the past, I take that all back now.

The guy is a total *** idiot