Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[Le Baroudeur]

"...we are going to attack everywhere, whether it is
uphill or downhill" was the quote in CN from Mr. Riis
that stirred the emotions and raised the hopes of so
many, but they turned out to be empty words and an
empty promise. Nothing but so much hot air, in fact.

Can I recommend some WD40 to loosen up that old crank and restore some memory function. We obviously saw two different races, because if not then that would imply you're lying for effect.

But he was gonna be way better in the 3th week, the week he peaked for and nothing happened.

A guy with the experience of Contador should know what the hell he's talking about. So either he had no clue of his shape which is rather unbelievable or he lied.

What do you pick?

I'm still a fan of him but for me it's obvious what happened.

I'd expect anyone on the team to keep the other teams guessing until the very end, and going by the on course reactions of the expert in that field, Ritchie "Me Me" Porte, that's exactly the effect that was achieved. Chapeau Alberto and Co.

It's pretty obvious Hitch is eluding to something completely different, and actions from a time before on another team, which is frankly bizarre because it's clearly forum section abuse, and more so because in reality there is still nothing definitive either way upon which to base a conclusion.

 

[airstream]

Wrong. He was in trouble hanging on even. Of course he could've completely killed himself but he decided to be smart and race for podium and team classification.

Hanging on with Froome, Rodriguez and Quintana. This circumstance anyways allows to attack easily especially for a rider who allegedly didn't see the difference between 2nd and 20th spot. But I don't accuse Contador. Naturally all-or-nothing stance is a beatiful declarative thingy. I wrote he'd value the podium before the Tour.

 

[LaFlorecita]

oh you know... cycling in general. Airstream is a very underappreciated part of this forum.

And you are ofcourse also a real fan of Basso if I am not mistaken

Zam is a fan of Mickey Rogey

 

[LaFlorecita]

Hanging on with Froome, Rodriguez and Quintana. This circumstance anyways allows to attack easily especially for a rider who allegedly didn't see the difference between 2nd and 20th spot. But I don't accuse Contador. Naturally all-or-nothing stance is a beatiful declarative thingy. I wrote he'd value the podium before the Tour.

Wrong again.

 

[airstream]

Wrong again.

Of course wrong. Your man simply spitted in his fans instead of going all-in in the Alps.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Zam we know that you liked him in PN 2007?

Yes, i always wanted to believe. And yes again about mickey rogey.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Of course wrong. Your man simply spitted in his fans instead of going all-in in the Alps.

So, so wrong.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Either you are trolling or you have poor comprehension skills. Contador is being attacked for lying, not because some imagined greatness you saw in him has disapeared or whatever.

The difference between me and you is I hold everyone to the same standards. You hold succesful cyclists or at least the ones you like, up on a pedestal. If a rider you didn't like behaved that way, you would attack them yet for Contador it's ok because he is great or whatever.

Me I treat those 2 impostors just the same.

Hitchey, taking down one lying cyclist one at a time...this is the old west of cycling forum.

this is my attempt at lame joke.

 

[murali]

wht's this BS about contador lying? I thought I saw the same race as you guys. I didn't see anything wrong in contador's comments. All he was saying consistently throughout was that he is going to try his level best to beat Froome.

If there was anything wrong, it was bad tactics, errors in judgement, and misplaced emphasis on saxo team to animate the race. If you want to blame, blame Riis. Riis was more worried about Sky, and made a lot of unwarranted risks. Then he forced the team to go for Team GC.

As far as contador is concerned, I know of one thing for sure. This is a man who doesn't know how to lose. Proof is the way he dealt with not winning the tour, and his immediate decision to do TdF next year to win.


btw, when will we know for sure that Contador will be riding worlds?

 

[Alphabet]

What exactly is the problem here? Contador gave everything. He just didn't have the legs, end of.

Also the amount of butthurt posters here that feel Contador 'lied' or 'cheated' them because he said he would attack and couldn't, need some perspective. Calm down. It's just a bike race. Mrs. Contador (is he married?) would probably react better than some of the recent posters even if she found out he had been cheating on her .

As for 'he lied about being in top shape'. What's he supposed to do, as the leader of his team? "Oh, sorry guys, I'm actually on awful form, we may as well all abandon and go home now.". You're almost bound to wear a smile and pretend everything's alright in that position. Saxo's entire Tour revolved around a win (or at least a podium) for Contador, if he had given explicit signs of weakness to his team mates, then they wouldn't have supported him as well as they did; they would have been demoralised, they may even have felt angry about it, whatever. Also how would it look in the eyes of sponsors and the media if a rider just gave up and admitted he couldn't do anything but helplessly fall back?

 

[murali]

+1 Alphabet

 

[BRCYC11]

If this is the truth, he didn't lie

“Before the Tour, I set my best-ever times in training at Navacerrada and Morquera. I’d never gone as well on my climbs before and for that reason I went to France with a lot of confidence,” Contador told Gazzetta dello Sport. “I was certain that I would win or that I would go very close. Instead, as early as Corsica I didn’t have good sensations and the data was immediately much worse than in training.”

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/lighter-racing-programme-for-contador-in-2014

 

[peloton]

Is it too much to ask that people stop quoting air on this particular topic???

I don't get the "he lied to us" nonsense, he said he'll try everyday, which he pretty much did. If the legs aren't responding, not much to do there.

He got beaten by stronger riders, this year. Simple as that.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Hitchey, taking down one lying cyclist one at a time...this is the old west of cycling forum.

this is my attempt at lame joke.

Congrates Zammie it was very lame

 

[The Hitch]

You tossed him under the bus/threw him away like a piece of trash, I obviously meant you once supported him and now that he's disappointed you you've turned your back on him. That is not what fans do.

You expect him to do whatever you want him to do. It doesn't work that way.

I haven't turned my back on him. I just refuse to be a hypocrite. I criticized Andy schleck and jvdb for years for their tour only mentalities, I have to do the same for Contador.

you are right fanboys and fangirls don't do that. That's because they lack any objectivity.

 

[Contadoraus Schlecks]

I haven't turned my back on him. I just refuse to be a hypocrite. I criticized Andy schleck and jvdb for years for their tour only mentalities, I have to do the same for Contador.

you are right fanboys and fangirls don't do that. That's because they lack any objectivity.

To be the best rider in the world he has to beat Froome at the Tour.

 

[airstream]

You tossed him under the bus/threw him away like a piece of trash, I obviously meant you once supported him and now that he's disappointed you you've turned your back on him. That is not what fans do.

Fans should take anything happening to their riders deliberately and calmly since say when Contador smashed Nibali in the 2011 Giro, the fact that Nibali had no legs didn't interest many people whatsoever. Though, it was quite obvious that he was prepared in a very mediocre way. So I think we should be honest to ourselves and assess the things comprehensively. Sure, 5-6 min don't illustrate a real difference between Froome and Contador. In reality it's much much less [and it is the same self-delusion like handling last year's Vuelta 10 min margin seriously], but when one rider is prepared perfectly [though, I wouldn't call Froome's form perfect too] and other is fit badly, we get the picture we've seen in the Tour.

 

[JimPanzen]

Fans should take anything happening to their riders deliberately and calmly since say when Contador smashed Nibali in the 2011 Giro, the fact that Nibali had no legs didn't interest many people whatsoever. Though, it was quite obvious that he was prepared in a very mediocre way. So I think we should be honest to ourselves and assess the things comprehensively. Sure, 5-6 min don't illustrate a real difference between Froome and Contador. In reality it's much much less [and it is the same self-delusion like handling last year's Vuelta 10 min margin seriously], but when one rider is prepared perfectly [though, I wouldn't call Froome's form perfect too] and other is fit badly, we get the picture we've seen in the Tour.

1. What leads you to that conclusion?
2. How would you define "perfect form"?

 

[JimPanzen]

I haven't turned my back on him. I just refuse to be a hypocrite. I criticized Andy schleck and jvdb for years for their tour only mentalities, I have to do the same for Contador.

you are right fanboys and fangirls don't do that. That's because they lack any objectivity.

You are right. Although I have the impression that with you, it isn't objectivity but hurt feelings towards your favorite rider that disappointed you.

 

[airstream]

1. What leads you to that conclusion?
2. How would you define "perfect form"?

Perfect shape implies that a rider evaluates his current capacities in cold blood and attacks when he really needs instead of hugging with Porte at Alpe-d'Huez and trying to drop anyone in 5-6 circles as he tried to do at Semnoz. Froome vice versa behaved like a schoolboy who doesn't know what to do with his strength. With a tighter competition, such mistakes might cost a lot. On the other hand, with stronger opponents he could've ridden differently surely.

 

[JimPanzen]

Perfect shape implies that a rider evaluates his current capacities in cold blood and attacks when he really needs instead of hugging with Porte at Alpe-d'Huez and trying to drop anyone in 5-6 circles as he tried to do at Semnoz. Froome vice versa behaved like a schoolboy who doesn't know what to do with his strength. With a tighter competition, such mistakes might cost a lot. On the other hand, with stronger opponents he could've ridden differently surely.

Oh so, perfect form for you is not only the physical capability at that moment, but also freshness in mind and tactical skills? I see. Because from a physical point of view, I doubt that Froome can be much better. I'm not ruling out slight improvements, but certainly big leaps forward.

 

[LaFlorecita]

I haven't turned my back on him. I just refuse to be a hypocrite. I criticized Andy schleck and jvdb for years for their tour only mentalities, I have to do the same for Contador.

you are right fanboys and fangirls don't do that. That's because they lack any objectivity.

Yea because I've never criticized Contador of course

Now all of a sudden the problem is a tour only mentality? While first it was him "lying" to us? Sorry Hitch I can't take you seriously anymore.

 

[Red Rick]

Since when did it get so bad that fan's of the same rider flame each other for being a true fan or a hypocrit or not

 

[airstream]

Lol. Forgive Contador for this perfomance, guys. It's rather about you, whose expectations from expected and real didn't coincide hugely, than about him. Sport presents disappointments every once in awhile. It's normal.

 

[LaFlorecita]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wj396j0fNk0