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Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

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I'm looking at the race calender, trying to see which races Alberto could race if he misses la Vuelta.

Tour of Britain is the only relatively big stage race on the calender between la Vuelta and Lombardia. So I'm guessing:

Tour of Britain
Milano Torino
Lombardia
Worlds

Unfortunately he won't win the WT ranking :( I was looking forward to Cookson giving the award to a "convicted doper":eek:
 
Aug 4, 2010
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Rollthedice said:
At the time when those races where won Froome, Andy and Wiggo where NOT GT winners. But this talk is pointless, this is the Alberto Contador Fans Thread, for some around here is the greatest of all time. Real talk about Tour de France 2014 should be taken elswhere.
Fair enough,but nothing changes that they were level above Nibali opponents.You cant deny that he has been extremely lucky in his winning GT's.
And dont try to hype him more than we do (actually we almost dont),he is not greatest of all time for anybody here.

And even this is his thread I like to talk about him with you are anyone else who is not his fan.Excuse my sometimes sharp style of discussing.I like when somebody give me good argument/reasoning,I can accept it,and usually then it changes my point of view:)
 
LaFlorecita said:
Of course he's a worthy winner. But the way he gets the win handed to him, and enters the elite group of Triple Crown winners....

Well he will Not get the win handed to him; he has earned it since the race started. He has ridden like a winner all the way on every day. That I will not dispute.

BUT IF he wins (that isn't a sure thing folks there is still 1/2 the race to go!) I will have some difficulty reconciling the GT Triple Crown club. It just won't sit right that his two biggest opponents had to abandon. That is how I feel right now. That is subject to change as are all emotions!

Like the Triple Crown in horse racing you can Only beat those in the race. If the best don't make the race and a horse wins all three he is a Triple Crown winner. Neither the American or UK Triple Crown has been won in decades; it's hard to do.

Likewise it is Hard to win all three GTs that is why only 5 men have accomplished it to date. If the cycling Gods deem Nibali worthy of that honor he will win this Tour and join them. It surely isn't guaranteed to him right now, he has to keep earning it!
 
Cimber said:
Riis: "Evertything and everybody were ready. He (Contador) would have smashed them all monday. He would have taken a minute, maybe a minute and a half, on Nibali"

Well Bjarne I'm disappointed in you. You expected and hoped that would happen but this is pretentious. How does he know how any rider would react to his plans?

Alberto has more Class than Bjarne!
 
ILovecycling said:
Fair enough,but nothing changes that they were level above Nibali opponents.You cant deny that he has been extremely lucky in his winning GT's.
And dont try to hype him more than we do (actually we almost dont),he is not greatest of all time for anybody here.
And even this is his thread I like to talk about him with you are anyone else who is not his fan.Excuse my sometimes sharp style of discussing.I like when somebody give me good argument/reasoning,I can accept it,and usually then it changes my point of view:)

You're absolutely correct there, though I have to say that very few or none (on top of you) thinks AC is either.
 
The thing is - he is 31 and will be 32 next year. Indurain was able to blow the competition away at 31 (1995). Armstrong managed to win at almost 34. Probably would have lost against a 2006 Basso. I fear Alberto will have next year and the year after if everything goes right. To win against the best opponents at 100 % (Froome, Quintana, may include Nibali).

Excellent post Dr Juice. However, it is really very individual when a rider declines. Indurain was looking to smash the field in 1996 (after a very succesful first half season) but did have problems within Banesto and declared himself "outridden" after the Tour and abandoned the Vuelta. Armstrong is Armstrong. Also Evans won at 34 and then we have anamolies like Papi Horner who is still rockin and rollin.

thehook said:
Question for LaFlo? And others?

What do you think of how Oleg has handled the injury to AC?

I think Oleg has handled it well. He can come out huge in this time of disaster. Support AC and his team 100% and he will be a better owner for it.
my .02$

He handled it well. Knowing that he "criticized" Alberto last year was all and well since it looked like it gave a push in the right direction. To my knowledge because these kind of businessmen demands and expects results one would expect the worst but for him to point out that this is bike racing (he know what he invested in) shows that he took it the right way. I am sure he was as disappointed and frustrated as the rest of us.

IronCQ said:
About the fact Contador could (not would) have put 1' or 1'30'' on the others...yep, probably with a secret engine. That would have been purely out of this world, if you consider simply the watts involved. Riis should start to shut up and respect riders who are in the field, still there. And not a word from Alberto about "Iwould blablabla..." He knows how good he is. And he is a classy man. So he gives kudos and prepares for his comeback. All the rest is pure speculation and I what I see is taking speculation ad facts and facts as bull****.
Simply stupid.

Why? Everyone knows that Riis are talkative but at least he is entitled to his opinion. We will never know what would/could happen so it gives plenty of room for speculation. Given the plan for the race (trying to break the peleton and isolate Nibali early) it is as likely that he would gain that kind of time as it is when every Nibali-drone around here promises that it wouldnt happened because their guy on his limit "only" lost 3 seconds during the first ever blip uphill in this years Tour.

People seems to forget that this is the words/opinions from Bjarne. Not Alberto. Important point to make.

Eshnar said:
my point was just that it's very easy to belittle a GT field. I listed the podium finishers of the first Giro,Tour,Vuelta won by Contador. it's not like there are multiple GT winners in there either...

I know that you are working yourself into denial mode but not even you can be totally comfortable with the situation? But not let facts go into the way of the ficition that the next Merckx are lurking in the current TDF-peloton.
 
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bambino said:
Well there was, but probably a combination with my bad understanding as well. Got it.
Ok:)
For last time I will express my opinion about this,to be clear:D.I think nobody here has ever claimed he is the best ever.He would need 12GT's and at least 1 monument imo to only start that talk.
 
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Worthy winner


:D :p
 

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