Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[warmfuzzies]

Bang bang, Contador's chances of winning died. To tell the truth, he doesn't even look to be in Top 5 form. More goat than GOAT.

 

[The Hitch]

Trust in Contador's words and those of his team only goes so far.

It ended today.

"no worries, today wasnt great because a/b/c/d/e etc," only goes so far. Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me. you cant fall for the same lies anymore.

Ive hesitated calling him The Great One all season cos hes become so crap and now it looks like hell never have that title back.

All year we have been hearing that those bad performances had explanations. He wasnt peaking. He was ill. He didnt have sensations.

Well we are over 1/3 through the tour and he is still weak. Still not much better than he was in San Luis and Tirreno and Pais Vasco and Dauphine.

And we are to believe that that he will improve more in the next few days than he has over the last 6 months? pff. forgetaboutit.

The only hope belongs in a different subforum, but involves the rest day. Risks going down the vino route. For his fans, its the only thing you can cling to really. And well see on wednsday (time trial?) if it happens. If he doesnt finish 2nd or 3rd there.

forgetaboutit.

 

[Taxus4a]

I didn't read all the topic since the stage finished. Sorry if something was discussed. But I want to give my pure opinion.

What happened today was long hinted during season. There were optimistics and excuses for any occasion but the facts are there


Anyway it's seems he had a hunger knock, he was dead on the bike, paralyzed. A bad day and tried to follow SKY wheel, a good habit that turn to be double-edged at times.


If he would had forgotten he is A.C. and give up soon on Porte rhythm I think he could have stayed with Valverde IHMO.


Tomorrow we will see his mental response and at the ITT how is his form.

I dont know if with Valverde, but maybe with Mollema or close, he dedided not to follow Porte pace, and at the end he was really strong.

 

[Jelantik]

even andy still believed in contador.

Article from andy's interview:
He also cautioned that people shouldn’t necessarily judge Alberto Contador on the one minute 51 seconds he lost, saying that heat, allergies and the fact that it is the first mountain stage could all be factors.

 

[Carols]

Trust in Contador's words and those of his team only goes so far.

It ended today.

"no worries, today wasnt great because a/b/c/d/e etc," only goes so far. Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me. you cant fall for the same lies anymore.

Ive hesitated calling him The Great One all season cos hes become so crap and now it looks like hell never have that title back.

All year we have been hearing that those bad performances had explanations. He wasnt peaking. He was ill. He didnt have sensations.

Well we are over 1/3 through the tour and he is still weak. Still not much better than he was in San Luis and Tirreno and Pais Vasco and Dauphine.

And we are to believe that that he will improve more in the next few days than he has over the last 6 months? pff. forgetaboutit.

forgetaboutit.

It happens to All of them Hitch, it is the nature of cycling, it is a brutal sport. I've watched all the greats fail and fall

He may bounce back, but not for a win in this Tour and I doubt anything this year. It has been a very poor season and he has never found form

But he is still a champion and will not give up!!!! He will be Valiant in defeat but unable to challenge much like LeMond in 1991.

 

[warmfuzzies]

Valiant in defeat, eh? Was just reading about Eddy Merckx getting punched by a spectator on a climb in the 1975 Tour. Eddy didn't miss a pedal. He also attacked the next day at the outset of the stage - with 225 km left to go.

Contador looks to have deteriorated into a wheel sucker. . .

 

[Gugashwill]

No matter how discouraging Ax-3 was, Contador should ride the rest of the Tour like a champion .
Fight till the end, all out every stage.
Greatness is best shown in defeat.

 

[Carols]

No matter how discouraging Ax-3 was, Contador should ride the rest of the Tour like a champion .
Fight till the end, all out every stage.
Greatness is best shown in defeat.

I fully expect he will!!!

 

[sagard]

But he is still a champion and will not give up!!!! He will be Valiant in defeat but unable to challenge much like LeMond in 1991.

Looked more like Jan to Lance to me. Contador will bounce back. Second in Le Tour often is the best place.

 

[darwin553]

I'm quite satisfied that Contador won't be a contender for this year's tour. Hopefully Kreuziger and Mick Rogers will be allowed to fend for themselves from now on in.

 

[Jelantik]

Valiant in defeat, eh? Was just reading about Eddy Merckx getting punched by a spectator on a climb in the 1975 Tour. Eddy didn't miss a pedal. He also attacked the next day at the outset of the stage - with 225 km left to go.

Contador looks to have deteriorated into a wheel sucker. . .

this is the new cycling era. Attacking is overrated, wheelsucking is a new hip so i guess we'd better get used to it.

 

[TANK91]

It happens to All of them Hitch, it is the nature of cycling, it is a brutal sport. I've watched all the greats fail and fall

He may bounce back, but not for a win in this Tour and I doubt anything this year. It has been a very poor season and he has never found form

But he is still a champion and will not give up!!!! He will be Valiant in defeat but unable to challenge much like LeMond in 1991.

He will for sure go down fighting, do you think he will win a GT in the future? Maybe forget the TDF and do the Giro Vuelta each year. With Nibali at the TDF next year Giro is open, its a long time away yet and he still is not done here but I dnt think he is going to win, all year Froome as just been a touch better.

 

[Carols]

He will for sure go down fighting, do you think he will win a GT in the future? Maybe forget the TDF and do the Giro Vuelta each year. With Nibali at the TDF next year Giro is open, its a long time away yet and he still is not done here but I dnt think he is going to win, all year Froome as just been a touch better.

If he finds the form that has been elusive this entire season he certainly can win a GT again IMO. He might even round into shape by week 3 here and start to look good, but he hasn't looked good yet this year so I'm not hopeful. We shall see what he does the rest of this season and early next season.

LeMond never made it back to the top but that was for clinic reasons by the rest, his form was good enough at times.

 

[Jelantik]

If he finds the form that has been elusive this entire season he certainly can win a GT again IMO. He might even round into shape by week 3 here and start to look good, but he hasn't looked good yet this year so I'm not hopeful. We shall see what he does the rest of this season and early next season.

LeMond never made it back to the top but that was for clinic reasons by the rest, his form was good enough at times.

to put things in perspective, birdsong, rui costa, navaro, moreno, pinout, perraud, who looked good in dauphine or swiss, came out way behind contador. Only kreuziger, valverde, molema looked really good. We will never know, if quintana attack on the last climb what the outcome would be. Now he digged himself way down in GC for his long range attack. At least, my question was answered . I was wondering looking at the profile with the mountain close together someone will daredevil to attack long range ala andy galabier. Well turn out, colombian demolition derby. Too bad he run out his gas though.

I sure hope, contador will bounce back tomorrow, otherwise, it's game over. Even Bjarne was surprise with contador's performance today.

 

[virandociclista]

We can not forget the bad crash of Ac in the first stage.... If it was me I wll be at the hospital the next 2 months!!

 

[movingtarget]

this is the new cycling era. Attacking is overrated, wheelsucking is a new hip so i guess we'd better get used to it.

Obviously you missed the Armstrong era. Froome did exactly the same. His last team mate peeled off and he attacked. What's so new ? There is wheelsucking to win and wheelsucking to hang on. Froome's rivals were doing the latter. Kreuziger had to wait for Contador

 

[LaFlorecita]

I'm quite satisfied that Contador won't be a contender for this year's tour. Hopefully Kreuziger and Mick Rogers will be allowed to fend for themselves from now on in.

Some people....

 

[movingtarget]

Some people....

First day in the mountains and the race is over. As we saw with some of the huge time losses yesterday, anything can happen on the day.

 

[jens_attacks]

i still don't think this tour is over. it might be the most stupid idea ever but i think sky will pay their energy spent on bonascre in the alpes. i refuse to think that alberto can be even weaker than in the last vuelta. let's see today but yesterday seeing alberto weaker than kreuziger was painful, i admit

 

[darwin553]

Some people....

Today's stage should re-confirm this

 

[LaFlorecita]

Today's stage should re-confirm this

I am satisfied Evans won't be a contender

 

[movingtarget]

i still don't think this tour is over. it might be the most stupid idea ever but i think sky will pay their energy spent on bonascre in the alpes. i refuse to think that alberto can be even weaker than in the last vuelta. let's see today but yesterday seeing alberto weaker than kreuziger was painful, i admit

i was joking. Of course the race is not over but Sky have made it very difficult already for many of their rivals. If Froome and Porte time trial as well as expected, it becomes even more difficult.

 

[LaFlorecita]

i was joking. Of course the race is not over but Sky have made it very difficult already for many of their rivals. If Froome and Porte time trial as well as expected, it becomes even more difficult.

How to make up 10 minutes if not in the mountains and the tts

 

[movingtarget]

I am satisfied Evans won't be a contender

You don't think ? I expected Evans to struggle a little but he had a bad day and Tejay was even worse. But they were not the only ones. It was a weird stage result so early in the race. See what the next stage brings.

 

[gthx_gthx_]

Valiant in defeat, eh? Was just reading about Eddy Merckx getting punched by a spectator on a climb in the 1975 Tour. Eddy didn't miss a pedal. He also attacked the next day at the outset of the stage - with 225 km left to go.

Contador looks to have deteriorated into a wheel sucker. . .

Havent you noticed ?? Sky makes everyone looks like wheelsucker. When Porte took the pace up , there was nobody left to follow him. Almost as if he was attacking.