Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[No_Balls]

Some couraging words from Oleg here:

Tinkoff Saxo team owner Oleg Tinkov believes that Alberto Contador would have won the Tour de France had he not crashed out with a broken tibia on stage 10.

Contador fell mid-way through the stage and despite carrying on for nearly 20 kilometres was forced to abandon. Although the Spaniard was over two minutes down on his main rival Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), the pair were expected to challenge for the maillot jaune all the way to Paris.

However with another stage win to his name and the yellow jersey back on his shoulders, Nibali looks in a commanding position as the race reaches its first rest day.

“It was an accident. He said there’s a bump and he was eating. He’s gone for an x-ray. I don’t know exactly what happened,” said a disconsolate Tinkov at the end of stage 10.

“He said he was eating a bar and then he hit a bump. It’s like a bad dream but this is cycling. That’s what I said when Froome crashed out.”

Contador came into the Tour de France as a leading contender and had raced well throughout the 2014 season. Despite losing significant time to Nibali and his other rivals on the stage to Arenberg, he showed signs of fight on stage 8, attacking and splitting the lead group on the final climb. Morale and belief in the Tinkoff Saxo camp appeared to be high.

“I’m confident in Alberto and I think he would have won the Tour,” Tinkov added.

“He was strongest here and he would have won but that’s cycling. He’s strong, he’s stronger than Nibali in my view. We’ll try next year.”

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tinkov-contador-would-have-won-the-tour-de-france

 

[ILovecycling]

Reasonable Oleg.

 

[Pantani_lives]

Well, I'm looking forward to next year's Tour: Froome vs. Contador vs. Nibali. That might be an exciting race if nobody crashes out!

 

[Pricey_sky]

Well, I'm looking forward to next year's Tour: Froome vs. Contador vs. Nibali. That might be an exciting race if nobody crashes out!

Quintana too. Valverde can go wheelsuck at the Giro/Vuelta.

 

[Netserk]

Re crash(es):

To me it seems that someone concluded that there were two crashes because after he crashed he continued to ride for a few kms and then stopped and sat down (that was what we saw on Eurosport).
(Then he rode another 18 or so kms with team, before stopping for good).

I believe there was only one crash, and he broke his bike then. Other bike was run over and broken too.
I base my opinion on Roche's article.

Yeah I also think there only was one crash.

 

[ILovecycling]

Well, I'm looking forward to next year's Tour: Froome vs. Contador vs. Nibali. That might be an exciting race if nobody crashes out!

Then we should pray,I have no hopes left as for pro cycling.This Tour was absolute disaster after Froome n Contador out.

Quintana too. Valverde can go wheelsuck at the Giro/Vuelta.

This.

 

[ILovecycling]

Yeah I also think there only was one crash.

Me too.

100000 ch

 

[Don't be late Pedro]

We were so confident in Alberto, we didn't have a Plan B. Then Plan A went out the window

More...

 

[Carols]

Re crash(es):

To me it seems that someone concluded that there were two crashes because after he crashed he continued to ride for a few kms and then stopped and sat down (that was what we saw on Eurosport).
(Then he rode another 18 or so kms with team, before stopping for good).

I believe there was only one crash, and he broke his bike then. Other bike was run over and broken too.
I base my opinion on Roche's article.

I agree. Finally a coherent account of what happened by someone who was there.

Also I think Berto would have been the strongest, but Nibali is Very Strong and it would have been a dire battle. At least I don't risk a heart attack now (unless Porte goes mutant!)

Get Well Soon Alberto, you are missed!

 

[cineteq]

End of speculation
Nicolas Roche: "We were riding close to the front of the peloton, doing about 70kph in the wet, on a really long straight bit of road, when Alberto reached into the pocket in the back of his jersey for some food and hit a hole in the road. Unable to control his bike with one hand, his front wheel went from under him and he went head first"

See more at: http://www.independent.ie/sport/oth...the-window-30431225.html#sthash.rH0CnAi8.dpuf

 

[The_Juan]

Can you please post your professional Palmarés?

What?

 

[LaFlorecita]

End of speculation
Nicolas Roche: "We were riding close to the front of the peloton, doing about 70kph in the wet, on a really long straight bit of road, when Alberto reached into the pocket in the back of his jersey for some food and hit a hole in the road. Unable to control his bike with one hand, his front wheel went from under him and he went head first"

See more at: http://www.independent.ie/sport/oth...the-window-30431225.html#sthash.rH0CnAi8.dpuf

Yeah,I posted that this morning. Glad that it's now cleared up.

 

[JimPanzen]

End of speculation
Nicolas Roche: "We were riding close to the front of the peloton, doing about 70kph in the wet, on a really long straight bit of road, when Alberto reached into the pocket in the back of his jersey for some food and hit a hole in the road. Unable to control his bike with one hand, his front wheel went from under him and he went head first"

See more at: http://www.independent.ie/sport/oth...the-window-30431225.html#sthash.rH0CnAi8.dpuf

So what the hell is VdB talking about then. He acted like Contador went all out suicidal in that descent. Eating while descending doesn't sound like going all out.

Anyway as I already said in the comments, that quote is the most prominent showing of VdB in the Tour so far. He can now go back to blend in with the bunch and wheelsuck his way to a Top10 or Top5.

 

[Futuroscope]

So what the hell is VdB talking about then. He acted like Contador went all out suicidal in that descent. Eating while descending doesn't sound like going all out.

Anyway as I already said in the comments, that quote is the most prominent showing of VdB in the Tour so far. He can now go back to blend in with the bunch and wheelsuck his way to a Top10 or Top5.

Not unlikely that he crashes either, he seems to do that a lot.

 

[The_Juan]

That's how forum discussions work. Someone makes a comment and folks agree, disagree or expound on the post in either direction. I didn't mean to offend your delicate sensibilities by disagreeing with your opinion.

And I would note, I was offering my opinion in that comment

No, that's how you work.

I'm really not interested in what you have to say of my opinion. I'm more interested in what you have to say about Alberto crashing and the circumstances surrounding it.

Case and point: someone here said that Alberto crashed only once (Cyclingnews reported two crashes).

 

[cineteq]

So what the hell is VdB talking about then. He acted like Contador went all out suicidal in that descent. Eating while descending doesn't sound like going all out.

And Fuglsang's comment? These guys now look like idiots!

 

[Don't be late Pedro]

So what the hell is VdB talking about then. He acted like Contador went all out suicidal in that descent. Eating while descending doesn't sound like going all out.

Anyway as I already said in the comments, that quote is the most prominent showing of VdB in the Tour so far. He can now go back to blend in with the bunch and wheelsuck his way to a Top10 or Top5.

Were there not two crashes? The first one where he hit the pothole and then another one later (quite likely he was pushing hard to make back time).

Daniele Bennati rode behind him [Alberto Contador] and he said his hands came off his handlebars, hitting a hole or something. It’s pure bad luck. He crashed and received a spare bike from Nicholas Roche. Possibly one kilometre later, he crashed once again. The reason? The rain made the roads more slippery, possibly his hands were full of dirt after the first crash and that’s why he lost hold of his handlebars but that’s all speculation.

More...

There were a few accounts from riders saying that Contador was descending much faster than everyone else. Why would they all make it up?

 

[Futuroscope]

Were there not two crashes? The first one where he hit the pothole and then another one later (quite likely he was pushing hard to make back time).

I was commenting on Jurgen van den Broeck.

 

[Netserk]

And Fuglsang's comment? These guys now look like idiots!

Fuglsang has always been and will always be an idiot. No surprise.

 

[The_Juan]

Please correct me if I'm wrong but... Contador only crashed once and his bike did break from hitting the pothole?

Is that what Roche is saying?

 

[Don't be late Pedro]

I was commenting on Jurgen van den Broeck.

Sorry, I quoted the wrong post. Edited above.

 

[Jagartrott]

So what the hell is VdB talking about then. He acted like Contador went all out suicidal in that descent. Eating while descending doesn't sound like going all out.

Fuglsang, Van Avermaet, Keukeleire, and others have all said the same thing: Contador took more risks than he should have and was going faster than the peloton.

All liars too, obviously.

 

[ILovecycling]

Fuglsang, Van Avermaet, Keukeleire, and others have all said the same thing: Contador took more risks than he should have and was going faster than the peloton.

All liars too, obviously.

Yeah,he obviously rode faster than peloton with one hand on handlebars and while eating

 

[Jagartrott]

Yeah,he obviously rode faster than peloton with one hand on handlebars and while eating

Are you seriously suggesting at least 4 riders are flat-out lying?

 

[Don't be late Pedro]

Yeah,he obviously rode faster than peloton with one hand on handlebars and while eating

It has been known to happen.