Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[ferryman]

Steer clear of clinic talk please folks.

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

Well if this cheers you up, I can tell you that I just lost the tour to AC by 21 seconds with Nibali. Most important part is perhaps that Froome was over 3 min behind both of us

edit: on PCM if you got confused

 

[icefire]

Well if this cheers you up, I can tell you that I just lost the tour to AC by 21 seconds with Nibali. Most important part is perhaps that Froome was over 3 min behind both of us

edit: on PCM if you got confused

Now you have three weeks to set up a streaming server and send links to steephill.tv

 

[IndianCyclist]

Well if this cheers you up, I can tell you that I just lost the tour to AC by 21 seconds with Nibali. MOst important part is perhpas that Froome was over 3 min behind both of us

edit: on PCM if you got confused

His team probably didn't take him on a mountain training session on Tenerife.

 

[ILovecycling]

Saxo team is rubbish as for protecting Alberto on flat stages.Really horrible,sometimes there is Mick,but...

With this kind of support,it will be very tough for Alberto to beat Froomey.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Saxo team is rubbish as for protecting Alberto on flat stages.Really horrible,sometimes there is Mick,but...

With this kind of support,it will be very tough for Alberto to beat Froomey.

Don't worry there will be matteo and daniele in tdf I hope

 

[Publicus]

Saxo team is rubbish as for protecting Alberto on flat stages.Really horrible,sometimes there is Mick,but...

With this kind of support,it will be very tough for Alberto to beat Froomey.

I noticed that too. I suspect part of that is the Contador seems to bounce around the front of peloton quite a bit--always has (think about when he was caught out in the 2009 TdF)--except on the mountain stages. I think the other thing is that this group of guys, unlike Sky, haven't raced together all that much this year (maybe T-A), so they are still learning each other. Or Saxo sucks at keeping him safe.

 

[BRCYC11]

Maudiut is again reassuring that Contador is where he has to be before the tour.

Asked about Contadors underachieving spring:

“There is a good explanation. Alberto got sick during Tirreno-Adriatico and after the race he had a fever of 40 degrees in some days. He had only been on his bike for a week, when he arrived at the Tour of Basque – It has a cost. He is not weaker than normally. He is training hard, and his focus is on the tour as his biggest target this year.”

http://ekstrabladet.dk/sport/cykling/article1998349.ece

 

[ILovecycling]

Don't worry there will be matteo and daniele in tdf I hope

I hope too.

 

[Miburo]

Maudiut is again reassuring that Contador is where he has to be before the tour.

Asked about Contadors underachieving spring:

“There is a good explanation. Alberto got sick during Tirreno-Adriatico and after the race he had a fever of 40 degrees in some days. He had only been on his bike for a week, when he arrived at the Tour of Basque – It has a cost. He is not weaker than normally. He is training hard, and his focus is on the tour as his biggest target this year.”

http://ekstrabladet.dk/sport/cykling/article1998349.ece

We'll see tomorrow what value these words have.

Less than 25 sec on Froome would be REALLY good.

 

[ILovecycling]

Maudiut is again reassuring that Contador is where he has to be before the tour.

Asked about Contadors underachieving spring:

“There is a good explanation. Alberto got sick during Tirreno-Adriatico and after the race he had a fever of 40 degrees in some days. He had only been on his bike for a week, when he arrived at the Tour of Basque – It has a cost. He is not weaker than normally. He is training hard, and his focus is on the tour as his biggest target this year.”

http://ekstrabladet.dk/sport/cykling/article1998349.ece

Oh God,why did he race then?

 

[ILovecycling]

We'll see tomorrow what value these words have.

Less than 25 sec on Froome would be REALLY good.

Indeed.For me good result is under 40s to Froome(still hope someone like Castroviejo will win)

 

[LaFlorecita]

Oh God,why did he race then?

he didn't have it during the race

 

[Pentacycle]

he didn't have it during the race

Uhm, if you have such a high temperature right after Tirreno you must've been feeling bad the days before as well. Of course it wasn't a reason not to start, but it did affect his performances this spring.

Tomorrow Contador will show us some good signs, he'll be very close to Porte and Froome.

 

[Jelantik]

Uhm, if you have such a high temperature right after Tirreno you must've been feeling bad the days before as well. Of course it wasn't a reason not to start, but it did affect his performances this spring.

Tomorrow Contador will show us some good signs, he'll be very close to Porte and Froome.

didn't I see it right? I saw GC standings, contador is in 10th, with porte in 9th, that means Froome will start before him? He must be nipping that order today or something.

 

[Jelantik]

Saxo team is rubbish as for protecting Alberto on flat stages.Really horrible,sometimes there is Mick,but...

well what do you expect? the flat squad consist of a young kid (dugan) and the fatty fat fat (noval)

 

[Netserk]

The team is not especially bad at protecting him. The problem is Alberto. He needs to relax and rely more on his team.

 

[richwagmn]

The team is not especially bad at protecting him. The problem is Alberto. He needs to relax and rely more on his team.

I'm not so sure that explains what we see. Usually AC is up near the front and alone. Why isn't his team there?

To me, Saxo is just a weak team. They have few riders than can win and are no where near the quality of BMC or Sky.

Given that AC seems to have lost his ability to hold high wattages after he jumps clear, a weak team that can't control the race will only make another TDF win even more unlikely.

 

[Cimber]

The team is not especially bad at protecting him. The problem is Alberto. He needs to relax and rely more on his team.

I gotto agree with this. Its a pattern, even on flat stages he does that alot. He just likes to do it rogue style. Its ok in the mountains but not on the flats.

I'm not so sure that explains what we see. Usually AC is up near the front and alone. Why isn't his team there?

To me, Saxo is just a weak team. They have few riders than can win and are no where near the quality of BMC or Sky.

The Dauphiné team isnt super strong but for the Tour he will get Bennati and Mørkøv/Tosatto for the flats and in the mountains there is also Roche and Kreuziger who isnt riding Dauphine. While not as strong as Sky they should be quite good.

In ToC Rogers was excellent at organising the team who was almost always around him, especially when the **** hit the fan. Duting ToC Mørkøv even said:
"I think we are doing great as a team. Rogers is an inspirational captain who knows how to use the team to his advantage and as a collective".
Already back then it made me think that maybe he/they havent been used to that under Contador. Furthermore, here during the Dauphiné the Saxo DS has stated several times that they are using the stages to try to get the communication and the organisation sorted.

Contador is a great rider, but not necessarily a great at organising his team and use it best for his advantage. Could be an issue that most of his team consist of people from all over the world, and most of them with a very different culture. Add to that, that Riis has been away/hiding a lot due to the doping talk.

Imo he needs to befriend and trust Rogers/Bennati fast. He needs to stick to him and let them do all the team organising (Benatti on the flats and Rogers in the mountains)

 

[Miburo]

I gotto agree with this. Its a pattern, even on flat stages he does that alot. He just likes to do it rogue style. Its ok in the mountains but not on the flats.



The Dauphiné team isnt super strong but for the Tour he will get Bennati and Mørkøv/Tosatto for the flats and in the mountains there is also Roche and Kreuziger who isnt riding Dauphine. While not as strong as Sky they should be quite good.

In ToC Rogers was excellent at organising the team who was almost always around him, especially when the **** hit the fan. Duting ToC Mørkøv even said:
"I think we are doing great as a team. Rogers is an inspirational captain who knows how to use the team to his advantage and as a collective".
Already back then it made me think that maybe he/they havent been used to that under Contador. Furthermore, here during the Dauphiné the Saxo DS has stated several times that they are using the stages to try to get the communication and the organisation sorted.

Contador is a great rider, but not necessarily a great at organising his team and use it best for his advantage. Could be an issue that most of his team consist of people from all over the world, and most of them with a very different culture. Add to that, that Riis has been away/hiding a lot due to the doping talk.

Imo he needs to befriend and trust Rogers/Bennati fast. He needs to stick to him and let them do all the team organising (Benatti on the flats and Rogers in the mountains)

What you say is all nice and all.

But there's only one thing that matters: get the giro legs and win that tour.

If he doesn't have that it doesn't matter how the team organize, he will never win the tour otherwise

 

[Cimber]

Alberto Contador ‏@albertocontador 17m
It has been a complete day,almost 170km of stage and then,40 with TT bike looking at tomorrow's parcours #massagefinally

Committed

 

[Miburo]

Alberto Contador ‏@albertocontador 17m
It has been a complete day,almost 170km of stage and then,40 with TT bike looking at tomorrow's parcours #massagefinally

Committed

Only 40 km with TT bike?

That's what De Vlaeminck would say

 

[Cimber]

What you say is all nice and all.

But there's only thing that matters: get the giro legs and win that tour.

If he doesn't have that it doesn't matter how the team organize, he will never win the tour otherwise

That is true. An organised team isn't gonna win it for him, but an unorganised team can lose it for him. Its not either or, but both (i.e. organised team and giro legs)

 

[Cimber]

he didn't have it during the race

In that interview Philippe Mauduit said that he got sick DURING TA, and had 40 degrees fever several days after

 

[Cimber]

Riis will be partly ascent during the Tour, and it will be Mauduit who will "replace" and be the main DS during the Tour.

In this article Nicki and CAS talk about him as a DS (its in Danish so use a translation tool)
http://www.sporten.dk/cykling/med-riis-ude-af-rampelyset-han-skal-styre-tour-holdet