Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[Dedelou]

Re: Re:

Daniel Friebe
‏@friebos
Contador to @AS_Ciclismo again: "If Tinkov thought he could do without Bjarne, it's because he also thought that was how to improve things."

So Contador doesn't need Riis afterall and doesn't deny Tinkov's view that the team is better off wthout Riis....What about all the exclamations that Contador would be upset at losing Riis or that he owed Riis for standing by him in 2010-2012 ...

Hmm.. that's not how I read his comment. He is just stating the fact. I don't think he is saying that he doesn't need Bjarne after all. HIs answer is more diplomatic in my opinion. At the end of the day, you'd better say something to support the person who writes you a paycheck, and it doesn't matter whether you agree or not. That's just a reality. You don't need to be a bike rider. If you work in a company and you don't want to get fired or decide to quit because you disagree with the decision, then you are most likely to say something that supports the decision. Even though it doesn't mean you agree either.

agreed and actually for me what a rider comments to the press never strikes me as the most genuine expression of they position but rather as politically passable statements to temporize the questioning. you generally have to wait till they write their memoirs to know the details and their true feeling about an important event

 

[Miburo]

Fleur i need your expertise on this, does he look fat?

 

[Carols]

Re:

Fleur i need your expertise on this, does he look fat?

Wow that knee will always be scarred I guess. I think he looks good. Would be easier if he didn't have long sleeves on....

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

he looks extremely overweight. Lucky if he hits the top 20

 

[Dedelou]

Re:

he looks extremely overweight. Lucky if he hits the top 20

LOL. now why do you want Alberto to hit those poor top twenty guys? it's bad enough he is going to bury them with the rest of the 160 or so riders who have to misfortune of sharing this race. :

 

[Jelantik]

this should be interesting:

oleg:
Now I’ll be in the team car. I don’t think it will be easier for the riders. I don’t think I’ve got less charisma than Bjarne. I think I’m an okay substitute for him. I won’t be involved in race tactics, I won’t pick up the radio, that’s up to the sports directors. But being in the car will create pressure on the riders to perform. I think the more pressure there is on the riders, the better their results will be. They’re in the business to be under pressure. Like Lionel Messi was in the Champion’s League football match. He was under pressure and so scored twice and Barcelona won.

ow boy... he thinks cycling is the same as football

as far as sagan goes:
It’s been many months that he hasn’t won big. It’s not about the Tinkoff-Saxo team because he didn’t win as much as expected even when he was at Cannondale. It’s not about Bobby Julich his coach now, it goes much deeper than that. He’s the one who needs to find out why and he’s the one who needs to change something and start winning again. I cannot do much.

I don't know if anyone notice, but Sagan is "in love". That's one reason why he is no where... The guy is struck by cupid!! Let him enjoy it, once the honeymoon is done, his head will be back.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/blogs/oleg-tinkov/oleg-tinkov-blog-i-think-im-a-good-substitution-for-bjarne-riis

 

[SeriousSam]

At the Tour de France we’ll have a different goal. We’re not expecting him to win a lot of stages because his role will be to help Alberto win the Tour de France. That’s his role in July.

Interesting. Best paid domestique of all time?

 

[Eagle]

Re:

At the Tour de France we’ll have a different goal. We’re not expecting him to win a lot of stages because his role will be to help Alberto win the Tour de France. That’s his role in July.

Interesting. Best paid domestique of all time?

Valverde should be a well paid domestique at the tour aswell

 

[SeriousSam]

Co-leader/stage hunter, surely. Also, Valverde can climb. Not sure what Sagan can do.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

Fleur i need your expertise on this, does he look fat?

Hmm a bit chubby ... just kidding but those Oakleys are really ugly

 

[Eagle]

Re:

Co-leader/stage hunter, surely. Also, Valverde can climb. Not sure what Sagan can do.

True, Valverde should have a lot more freedom. But I think he will end up working hard for Quintana (probably after 2-3 stage wins).

 

[sir fly]

Re:

Co-leader/stage hunter, surely. Also, Valverde can climb. Not sure what Sagan can do.

Whillie, of course!

 

[Rollthedice]

Re:

Co-leader/stage hunter, surely. Also, Valverde can climb. Not sure what Sagan can do.

Ride some cobbles, morph into EBH 2012 TdF edition going strong in Sky train up the mountains for Wiggo, carry bottles. Oleg in the car will be fun for his employees.

 

[Jspear]

this should be interesting:

oleg:
Now I’ll be in the team car. I don’t think it will be easier for the riders. I don’t think I’ve got less charisma than Bjarne. I think I’m an okay substitute for him. I won’t be involved in race tactics, I won’t pick up the radio, that’s up to the sports directors. But being in the car will create pressure on the riders to perform. I think the more pressure there is on the riders, the better their results will be. They’re in the business to be under pressure. Like Lionel Messi was in the Champion’s League football match. He was under pressure and so scored twice and Barcelona won.

ow boy... he thinks cycling is the same as football

as far as sagan goes:
It’s been many months that he hasn’t won big. It’s not about the Tinkoff-Saxo team because he didn’t win as much as expected even when he was at Cannondale. It’s not about Bobby Julich his coach now, it goes much deeper than that. He’s the one who needs to find out why and he’s the one who needs to change something and start winning again. I cannot do much.

I don't know if anyone notice, but Sagan is "in love". That's one reason why he is no where... The guy is struck by cupid!! Let him enjoy it, once the honeymoon is done, his head will be back.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/blogs/oleg-tinkov/oleg-tinkov-blog-i-think-im-a-good-substitution-for-bjarne-riis

We can at least be thankful that he won't be involved in race tactics....Unless he decides to take over that at the last moment.

 

[No_Balls]

Stuff of legend.

think people have now understood why he left the team. He didn’t actually do much. His role was to sit in the team car, decide tactics and give orders to the riders, to motivate them. He was not involved in the preparation of the riders and in the training. He was not involved in the management of the team either. That’s what I wanted him to do but he didn’t do it. That’s one of the reasons why we separated.

. But being in the car will create pressure on the riders to perform. I think the more pressure there is on the riders, the better their results will be. They’re in the business to be under pressure. Like Lionel Messi was in the Champion’s League football match. He was under pressure and so scored twice and Barcelona won.

He’s the one who needs to find out why and he’s the one who needs to change something and start winning again. I cannot do much.

Actually I’m the one who is trouble because I’m paying him a lot of money, paying him a big cheque and he’s not performing (laughs). That’s not good

http://www.cyclingnews.com/blogs/oleg-tinkov/oleg-tinkov-blog-i-think-im-a-good-substitution-for-bjarne-riis

Well, at least dude is honest.

 

[SeriousSam]

His criticism of Riis sounds reasonable as well. IIRC, he was paying Riis a million a year to do his job, without there being a job to do.

 

[mrhender]

Re:

His criticism of Riis sounds reasonable as well. IIRC, he was paying Riis a million a year to do his job, without there being a job to do.

Do you have some special insight to the case since you offer this assessment?

 

[SeriousSam]

No, I'm following this forum's rich tradition of commenting the news. As such, many of my comments contain special insight, but this one is really just common sense. But let me elaborate some more: It looks like after Tinkov bought the team and agreed to pay Riis a million euros a year, he was expecting Riis to take the initiative and, freed from the pressures of ownership, assume a more involved role in the management of the team. As this did not happen, Riis appeared to have been nothing but expensive deadwood, so the decision to remove him was right.

Of course, Riis might have a different perspective on all of this, but Tinkov does come across as quite honest.

 

[mrhender]

I asked because after following the team since the beginning I have interest in the story and have heard several differing accounts..

Just because Tinkov comes across honest (mostly due to his loose cannon persona) it doesn't mean he wil be honest when the going gets tough?

He has every reason to sell this as he has done..

I don't know all the up's and down's on this but I do think it is multifaceted to an extent your post did not cover..

 

[arvc40]

£100 on Contador 9/1for Double. Easy.

 

[Carols]

Re:

£100 on Contador 9/1for Double. Easy.

Those are abysmal odds to take IMO. Much to low for me!

 

[Carols]

"As for where he worries he might be attacked, Contador argued “the race will decide. My tactics will be more or less aggressive, depending on the race, but in general it’s going to be up to me to attack.”

Comment: Bring it on Berto! Make them sweat .

"As for two key moments, the Finestre and the mid-race time trial, Contador said, “The time trial is a very long one, without any respite, and we’ll have to see how that goes. The Finestre [on the final stage] could be a scenario for various situations: one is where I have to go all out to try and take the jersey, the other is that I’m defending it. Either way, I’ve got good memories of that climb from the 2011 race.”

Comment: Good memories will serve him well.

"Contador was also in bullish form concerning his current form, arguing that his data and ‘numbers’ from his test training rides “perhaps the best I’ve seen, better than in the past.”

Comment: Hummmm, last time he said that was 2013 .

"He is adamant though that he will not be changing his form of racing in the Giro because he is doing the Tour afterwards. “I’m not going to calculate anything like that and in a Grand Tour you haven’t really any options. You have to go out, do your racing, rest afterwards. For now, I’m only thinking about these three weeks.”

Comment: He is in it to Win it!

Forza Alberto, Venga!!!

 

[Jack_89]

Either way, he argues he’s happy to be in Italy where he can “only say thanks, thanks and thanks again to the fans. They’re incredible. It’s always a huge pleasure to be here.”

Contador cited one moment as being special. “This morning we were checking out the team time trial route and I laughed a lot because one fan shouted out to me “Alberto, destroy them all!.” That kind of support is wonderful.”



In Italy we all like him, since 2008. Ahha

 

[Miburo]

In Italy he was hated for a bit though in 2011 with the whole monte crostis. He even got boo'd a bit at zoncolan.

Then he gave tiralongo that stage

 

[SeriousSam]

Re: Re:

£100 on Contador 9/1for Double. Easy.

Those are abysmal odds to take IMO. Much to low for me!

No, those seem like fair odds to me. If you believe winning the Giro provides no information about his chance to win the Tour, then you need something like 50% to win the Giro, 20% to win the Tour to break even, on average, on this bet, which is what the betting markets indicate is about right.

Of course, it would be better to bet on Contador to win both in separate bets with the slightly better odds that are available. Definitely not abysmal tho.