Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[Angliru]

Ya if he can win the Giro in somewhat boring fashion by around 1-2 mins. Maybe attack once and then defend the lead, follow wheels for the second half of the race and win by a small margin. How he can ramp up again to give a bigger effort to win the Tour is another question. U hear that the Tour win is bigger than say a Giro or Vuelta. I believe Contador riding the Giro, is also a sign of a certain amount of fear in putting all your eggs in one basket and not winning, especially with father time approaching, 32 at the 2015 Tour and an in form Froome is way more of a challenge than A.Schleck. He may never win another Tour, I hope he does though.

I think that he genuinely loves the Giro, the Italian tifosi and the support they've shown him in his wins there. He's stated more than once that the Tour has brought him equal parts pain and pleasure. The Giro on the other hand has been nothing but a positive experience for Contador. The thing is, he loves to entertain and I can't see him establishing an early lead and then simply following wheels in a defensive style to protect it. I see him going for stage wins if they're there for the taking, attacking when he wants to. I just don't see him leaving too much in reserve during the Giro.

 

[The Hitch]

Contador the king of the active volcanos.

He has done so in the lands of his 2 biggest rivals.

The biggest mountain in Sicily, and the biggest mountain in Africa.

Froome has gotten 1 back by taking the title in Alberto's home - Spain, as he is the King of Teide - the biggest mountain in Spain. (and also a volcano)

Nibali as usual in this three way sits in a distant third, hoping the other 2 crash out

 

[cineteq]

Nibali as usual in this three way sits in a distant third, hoping the other 2 crash out

Love the hot airiness of this troll

 

[LaFlorecita]

Contador the king of the active volcanos.

He has done so in the lands of his 2 biggest rivals.

The biggest mountain in Sicily, and the biggest mountain in Africa.

Froome has gotten 1 back by taking the title in Alberto's home - Spain, as he is the King of Teide - the biggest mountain in Spain. (and also a volcano)

Nibali as usual in this three way sits in a distant third, hoping the other 2 crash out

haha

 

[Miburo]

I can't wait for next season.

Contador still has unfinished business in the tour and if he can do the double (if nibali doens't do giro, his chances increase dramatically).

I think he can then claim to be top 10 of the all time great.

Edit: Contador has never lost a close GT battle. In the USA they call this clutch, MJ is the finest example of having the clutch gene. Contador is the same, every close battle, he usually came out on top.

 

[Red Rick]

I can't wait for next season.

Contador still has unfinished business in the tour and if he can do the double (if nibali doens't do giro, his chances increase dramatically).

I think he can then claim to be top 10 of the all time great.

Edit: Contador has never lost a close GT battle. In the USA they call this clutch, MJ is the finest example of having the clutch gene. Contador is the same, every close battle, he usually came out on top.

Because when he doesn't win, he's so bad it's never a battle

 

[The Hitch]

I can't wait for next season.

Contador still has unfinished business in the tour and if he can do the double (if nibali doens't do giro, his chances increase dramatically).

I think he can then claim to be top 10 of the all time great.

Edit: Contador has never lost a close GT battle. In the USA they call this clutch, MJ is the finest example of having the clutch gene. Contador is the same, every close battle, he usually came out on top.

I don't know about clutch. Imo cycling is probably the easiest to be clutch in since you just give it your absolute everything. I think it refers more to technique things when the pressure is on and in your example - b ball, someone less clutch will miss shots in a finals game that they would make in the reg season. I think situations like that are ones where those "non clutch" athletes wish they could be on a bike facing the clock and riding through the pain barrier, than standing still as a rock on the free throw line and trying to stop the shaking and regain control of their body in the next 2 seconds to make the throw.

 

[Miburo]

Giro '08 was clutch but at the same time his rivals were ***.

Iirc Contador dropped on a mountain at like 80 km from the finish but they didn't do anything with it.

 

[Miburo]

Because when he doesn't win, he's so bad it's never a battle

Tour '11 is a GT that i'm sure he could have won with some luck, because besides crashes contador rode that race perfectly.

 

[Red Rick]

Tour '11 is a GT that i'm sure he could have won with some luck, because besides crashes contador rode that race perfectly.

He wasn't officially there remember

 

[LaFlorecita]

http://www.gazzetta.it/Ciclismo/07-...or-strisciando-kilimangiaro-90966283286.shtml

google translate does an ok job

«Negli ultimi metri abbiamo formato una sorta di catena per aiutarci nello sforzo. Tenendoci per mano. Perché a quell’altezza la testa ti gira e ti senti spaesato, e sentire una mano davanti e un’altra dietro che ti sostiene è un aiuto importante. Prima di salire, avevo letto che a 6.000 metri hai il 20% della lucidità mentale che hai abitualmente. Penso sia vero. Una volta ritornati al campo base, ho guardato una decina di foto che avevo scattato poche ore prima. Non ricordavo già più assolutamente di averlo fatto! Anche questo è stato salire a piedi sul Kilimangiaro. E io sono incredulo per la felicità che questa esperienza mi ha dato».

In the last few meters we had a sort of chain to help in the effort. Holding hands. Because at that you turn your head and you feel confused, and feel a hand in front and another behind supporting you is a great help. Before boarding, I had read that at 6,000 meters have 20% of the mental clarity that you normally. I think it's true. After returning to base camp, I watched a dozen photos I had taken a few hours earlier. I do not remember already most definitely did! This too was to walk up Mount Kilimanjaro. And I am incredulous for joy that this experience has given me.

so Ivan took pictures but did not remember it

 

[LaFlorecita]

amazing pics. wow
http://elpedaldefrodo.com/las-fotos-de-contador-y-el-tinkoff-en-el-kilimanjaro/

 

[contador977]

The Giro on the other hand has been nothing but a positive experience for Contador. The thing is, he loves to entertain and I can't see him establishing an early lead and then simply following wheels in a defensive style to protect it. I see him going for stage wins if they're there for the taking, attacking when he wants to. I just don't see him leaving too much in reserve during the Giro.

Thats the usual Contador BUT with the Double in mind, I think he may be more reserved at the Giro and more aggressive at the Tour. If he spends himself at the Giro, attacking constantly, not sure how the Tour will go. He held good form all year though, dropping Quintana at TA before Quintana won the Giro when technically Quintana should have had better form because of early season goals.

 

[LaFlorecita]

more

http://www.biciciclismo.com/es/contador-hemos-pasado-momentos-delicados-galeria-de-fotos-07-11-2014

 

[Jspear]

more

http://www.biciciclismo.com/es/contador-hemos-pasado-momentos-delicados-galeria-de-fotos-07-11-2014

Some pretty cool photo's in there. Thanks for sharing. Flo you can now relax....this adventure is over and AC isn't hurt.

 

[pigoonse]

more

http://www.biciciclismo.com/es/contador-hemos-pasado-momentos-delicados-galeria-de-fotos-07-11-2014

Fun to see those...thanks LaFlo.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Fun to see those...thanks LaFlo.

Some pretty cool photo's in there. Thanks for sharing. Flo you can now relax....this adventure is over and AC isn't hurt.

you are welcome

yes... jspear... I can relax still trying to find out which people did not make it, no luck so far, only found out Japanese soigneur Masanori Miyajima had to stop at 4600m, at least that's what I think, can't read Japanese

https://twitter.com/masa1007/status/530587727792971777

 

[ferryman]

Originally Posted by contador977 View Post
Ya if he can win the Giro in somewhat boring fashion by around 1-2 mins. Maybe attack once and then defend the lead, follow wheels for the second half of the race and win by a small margin. How he can ramp up again to give a bigger effort to win the Tour is another question. U hear that the Tour win is bigger than say a Giro or Vuelta. I believe Contador riding the Giro, is also a sign of a certain amount of fear in putting all your eggs in one basket and not winning, especially with father time approaching, 32 at the 2015 Tour and an in form Froome is way more of a challenge than A.Schleck. He may never win another Tour, I hope he does though.


You are really pushing this rubbish. You can post away as far as I'm concerned unmodded and I will continue to feel a bit sorry for you that you are hurting so much. In the words of Contador himself:

“Andy was my biggest rival, much more so than Froome, who has only arrived in the past two years,”

 

[LaFlorecita]

“Andy was my biggest rival, much more so than Froome, who has only arrived in the past two years,”

yes, but Alberto also said Froome is the strongest rival he's ever had. I think that comment about Andy is pretty ridiculous either way, as Andy was only his rival in 2009 and 2010, in 2011 they did not really go head to head, and only for 1 race every year. Froome has been his rival for the last two years, throughout the season.

 

[Parker]

Originally Posted by contador977 View Post
Ya if he can win the Giro in somewhat boring fashion by around 1-2 mins. Maybe attack once and then defend the lead, follow wheels for the second half of the race and win by a small margin. How he can ramp up again to give a bigger effort to win the Tour is another question. U hear that the Tour win is bigger than say a Giro or Vuelta. I believe Contador riding the Giro, is also a sign of a certain amount of fear in putting all your eggs in one basket and not winning, especially with father time approaching, 32 at the 2015 Tour and an in form Froome is way more of a challenge than A.Schleck. He may never win another Tour, I hope he does though.


You are really pushing this rubbish. You can post away as far as I'm concerned unmodded and I will continue to feel a bit sorry for you that you are hurting so much. In the words of Contador himself:

“Andy was my biggest rival, much more so than Froome, who has only arrived in the past two years,”

Just because Contador said it, it doesn't make it true. Contador always had a big time trial advantage over Schleck. He doesn't have that with Froome.

 

[ferryman]

yes, but Alberto also said Froome is the strongest rival he's ever had. I think that comment about Andy is pretty ridiculous either way, as Andy was only his rival in 2009 and 2010, in 2011 they did not really go head to head, and only for 1 race every year. Froome has been his rival for the last two years, throughout the season.

I'll take Contador at his word on this. Schleck is the only guy to push a younger in form Contador to his limits. An older Contador recovering from a serious leg injury has just relatively easily put Froome in his place, and it could easily have been by more if he wasn't taking care of Purito and Valverde at the same time without much of a team to support him.

 

[LaFlorecita]

I'll take Contador at his word on this. Schleck is the only guy to push a younger in form Contador to his limits. An older Contador recovering from a serious leg injury has just relatively easily put Froome in his place, and it could easily have been by more if he wasn't taking care of Purito and Valverde at the same time without much of a team to support him.

What do you make of Contador calling Froome his strongest rival ever, then? Biggest rival =/= strongest rival. With Schleck he's fought out the biggest battles, Froome is a much stronger rival as he's his equal uphill, and a stronger time trialler. Schleck was at best close to Contador in top shape uphill, and a much worse time trialler.

 

[ferryman]

Just because Contador said it, it doesn't make it true. Contador always had a big time trial advantage over Schleck. He doesn't have that with Froome.

Froome hasn't pushed an in form Contador anywhere near his limit in the mountains that Schleck did. Remind me what happened in the Vuelta ITT this year? It now has come out Froome has all but pleaded for a flat ITT next year, if he is to ride. With or without Contador being there, the threat of that is is pathetic.

 

[Parker]

Froome hasn't pushed an in form Contador anywhere near his limit in the mountains that Schleck did. Remind me what happened in the Vuelta ITT this year? It now has come out Froome has all but pleaded for a flat ITT next year, if he is to ride. With or without Contador being there, the threat of that is is pathetic.

And Contador hasn't pushed an in form Froome in the mountains either.

In the Vuelta TT Froome lost to him by 53 seconds - he finished tenth, the first time he has been out of the top three in a Grand Tour time trial since 2010, which suggests he may have been off form.

In his previous five time trials against Contador, Froome has won by 8 seconds, 9s, 123s, 166s and 15s

 

[LaFlorecita]

And Contador hasn't pushed an in form Froome in the mountains either.

In the Vuelta TT Froome lost to him by 53 seconds - he finished tenth, the first time he has been out of the top three in a Grand Tour time trial since 2010, which suggests he may have been off form.

In his previous five time trials against Contador, Froome has won by 8 seconds, 9s, 123s, 166s and 15s

2013

but yes normally Froome is a better TTer... but Contador is not a whole lot worse... like I have always said Alberto on top form loses 1-1.5s per km against the best TTers