Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[LaFlorecita]

Alberto has said to Marca he'll retire before he turns 35. So at the end of 2017 most likely.

 

[jens_attacks]

plus the two years they took from him, 2023 it is

i'm not good at math

 

[LaFlorecita]

Weight Watch

Looking good

 

[Jspear]

Alberto has said to Marca he'll retire before he turns 35. So at the end of 2017 most likely.

So basically we know he is going to win the Tour in 2017....

 

[Jack_89]

He seems in the same (or similar) shape of Vuelta 2014

 

[hfer07]

So Alberto want's to stop at 35......

good for him, bad for us the fans, because there is no replacement for what he gives to the sport in terms of spectacle, entertainment & class......

lets enjoy it while it last

 

[Electress]

Weight Watch

Looking good

Yes indeed! He looks pretty much like he could do a GT tomorrow.

So Alberto want's to stop at 35......

good for him, bad for us the fans, because there is no replacement for what he gives to the sport in terms of spectacle, entertainment & class......

lets enjoy it while it last

This. (Though I like to think of his having a life outside cycling / training for his own sake). But I hate thinking about AC's retirement, to be honest. I love cycling, but there's no doubt there'll be a massive Contador-shaped hole in the peloton when he goes. At least for a while.

I like plenty of others - Nibali, Aru, Cav. Sagan esp. - but not anyone I'd actually book a day off work to watch the Queen stage for or anything.

(If I'm honest, I suspect I shall find myself cheering more 'anyone against Froome' than actually for someone after Contador retires... Ha! I'm such a patriot !)

 

[Dr. Juice]

I hope he turns 35 and retires then. That would mean another 3 seasons.

 

[Dr. Juice]

"Y aunque no esté agotado ni física ni psicológicamente, mi intención es retirarme al máximo nivel, ganando mi última carrera. Y no me refiero a una vuelta pequeña, hablo de una grande. Concretamente, del Tour."

Even if I'm neither exhausted physically nor psychologically it's my intention to retire at the maximum , winning my last race. And I don't refer to a small race - I speak of a GT. Concretely the Tour.

If he wins the double next year he'll probably retire. Or if he just wins the Tour. If he fails he'll try to win another Tour in the year after and.... achieve it. So he'll retire either at the end of next year or at the end of 2016.

 

[Arnout]

I doubt he will retire after 2015 or 2016. He earns at least €5 million a year, retiring is way too costly.

 

[LaFlorecita]

I doubt he will retire after 2015 or 2016. He earns at least €5 million a year, retiring is way too costly.

3.5 million, and do you think another 3.5 million matters that much when you already have a couple dozen million euros in your bank account? Especially when you apparently have a good reason for wanting to retire early?

 

[Arnout]

3.5 million, and do you think another 3.5 million matters that much when you already have a couple dozen million euros in your bank account? Especially when you apparently have a good reason for wanting to retire early?

He earns way more than 3.5 million if you include sponsor deals, bonuses and what not.

And yes, saying you have enough is easy enough, until you have to make the choice whether you want more or not.

 

[Red Rick]

Alberto has said to Marca he'll retire before he turns 35. So at the end of 2017 most likely.

Source plz?

Would be sad, I'm sure he'd still be at an incredible level then.

Would be a disaster for the forum, no more flaming between fans and haters, which although ****ty, drives the forum for a large part

 

[LaFlorecita]

He earns way more than 3.5 million if you include sponsor deals, bonuses and what not.

And yes, saying you have enough is easy enough, until you have to make the choice whether you want more or not.

If you have to choose between even more money and things you also really want, like time with your family, I don't think it would be that hard. There's a reason why he wants to retire early, we don't know that reason, but it is a good enough reason for him

 

[LaFlorecita]

Source plz?

Would be sad, I'm sure he'd still be at an incredible level then.

Would be a disaster for the forum, no more flaming between fans and haters, which although ****ty, drives the forum for a large part

http://www.marca.com/2014/12/19/ciclismo/1418998726.html

Yes it would be sad, but it is his decision and I will respect it

 

[Red Rick]

http://www.marca.com/2014/12/19/ciclismo/1418998726.html

Yes it would be sad, but it is his decision and I will respect it

Ofcourse, but it's the man that got me truly hooked to the sport. In a sport where everyone can ride their bike and push an x amount of watts, this man is an artist with a bike with a story

 

[Miburo]

If you have to choose between even more money and things you also really want, like time with your family, I don't think it would be that hard. There's a reason why he wants to retire early, we don't know that reason, but it is a good enough reason for him

It's not that contador is gonna die soon, guy would be only 35 lol Getting a few more million is always a motiviation to ride a bit more.

 

[Jspear]

3.5 million, and do you think another 3.5 million matters that much when you already have a couple dozen million euros in your bank account? Especially when you apparently have a good reason for wanting to retire early?

And besides that he'll still make PLENTY once he retires just because of who he is.

 

[LaFlorecita]

It's not that contador is gonna die soon, guy would be only 35 lol Getting a few more million is always a motiviation to ride a bit more.

... You clearly don't have the slightest idea of what's going on in his head. Who said he's going to die soon? No. He just wants to spend his time with family and friends instead of teammates. Maybe start a family. It's his decision.

And besides that he'll still make PLENTY once he retires just because of who he is.

Very good point.

 

[Red Rick]

It's not that contador is gonna die soon, guy would be only 35 lol Getting a few more million is always a motiviation to ride a bit more.

... You clearly don't have the slightest idea of what's going on in his head. Who said he's going to die soon? No. He just wants to spend his time with family and friends instead of teammates. Maybe start a family. It's his decision.



Very good point.

There's very few reasons for a man like Contador to continue riding. There's carving your name into the history books and theres just doing cause you like it, which I think is the thing he's always done in the sport. I don't think he really cares about records, he knows he can be proud of what he's achieved and as soon as he enjoys other things more than sitting on a weird thing with 2 thin wheels in tight pants, I think he'lll quit. What more is there for him to achieve? He's won everything, so there's only breaking records, and I think he might unofficially break Merckx's of total amount of GT's won. Besides that there's not that much to winning another race. He definitely still has unfinished buisiness with the Giro and especially the Tour de France, so he'll especially will want to those two at least one more time. After that there's not really anything. He doesn't have to prove anything, he doens't owe anything to anyone.

I think it's a lot similar like Roger Federer. It's been said a lot that since he doesn't win Grand Slams anymore, he should retire. But he doens't care, and even though he gets beaten sometime, he still loves what he does, after all these years, so he still keeps going. I just think that being a tennis pro is easier on some parts of your life than being a cycling pro, you can just play only the really big tournaments in tennis. If you really want, while if you cut down on training and racing you're really ****ed in road cycling

 

[contador977]

Alberto has said to Marca he'll retire before he turns 35. So at the end of 2017 most likely.

If he pulls off the double, I wonder if he would be tempted then to retire early. Ill be pretty down when he stops competing. I hope another one comes along like him, cut from the Pantani cloth.

 

[Electress]

There's very few reasons for a man like Contador to continue riding. There's carving your name into the history books and theres just doing cause you like it, which I think is the thing he's always done in the sport. I don't think he really cares about records, he knows he can be proud of what he's achieved and as soon as he enjoys other things more than sitting on a weird thing with 2 thin wheels in tight pants, I think he'lll quit. What more is there for him to achieve? He's won everything, so there's only breaking records, and I think he might unofficially break Merckx's of total amount of GT's won. Besides that there's not that much to winning another race. He definitely still has unfinished buisiness with the Giro and especially the Tour de France, so he'll especially will want to those two at least one more time. After that there's not really anything. He doesn't have to prove anything, he doens't owe anything to anyone.

I think it's a lot similar like Roger Federer. It's been said a lot that since he doesn't win Grand Slams anymore, he should retire. But he doens't care, and even though he gets beaten sometime, he still loves what he does, after all these years, so he still keeps going. I just think that being a tennis pro is easier on some parts of your life than being a cycling pro, you can just play only the really big tournaments in tennis. If you really want, while if you cut down on training and racing you're really ****ed in road cycling

I agree. I do think he cares about winning and his legacy, but he has talked quite openly about the sacrifices that he has made and I can't see him just carrying on for the hell of it. If he did the double, I reckon it's a possibility he'd go. Maybe it is a little early yet, but other than trying to top the GT winners leader board, what else is there but more of the same? He'll have demonstrated his ascendency over everyone else yet again. He's hardly going to wait for the next generation to come of age so he can beat them.

IF he doesn't then it's to win the Tour one more time, I guess. 2016 or 2017. When do they renegotiate his contract ? End of 2015, isn't it?

We can't know, but I shouldn't be surprised if the family is part of it. Yes its possible to have kids and carry on (look at Jens ) but only if you accept you're going to miss a stack loads of important milestones. Hauling the family on the road wouldn't be a good tactic.

I've always liked Federer for his attitude - it's a big thing for such a champion to diminish gracefully because it must be a massive day for any up and comer to beat him. But I do think cycling is different.

And this is such a depressing topic! Like Red Rick, although there's a lot of guys with a lot of power and talent, Contador is just poetry in motion. Not a difficult guy to admire for many other reasons, either.

Since he doesn't appear to love the limelight, I wonder what he'd do with himself? I can't imagine anyone used to being that active is just going to stay at home and watch day time TV? And hauling around promo. events is all very well, but hardly exciting. He seems like a guy to want to do something new, not trade endlessly on past glories, however glorious they might be.

I doubt money matters more than future security. And that's probably already sorted by now.

 

[Miburo]

... You clearly don't have the slightest idea of what's going on in his head. Who said he's going to die soon? No. He just wants to spend his time with family and friends instead of teammates. Maybe start a family. It's his decision.

Neither do you, i'm just stating facts, trust more words of contador in an interview. Guy said schleck was his toughest rival, believe that too?

 

[LaFlorecita]

Neither do you, i'm just stating facts, trust more words of contador in an interview. Guy said schleck was his toughest rival, believe that too?

Yeah, I guess you could think everything Contador has ever said in an interview is untrue. I don't. I think he is honest about this (it's not as if he hasn't mentioned it several times before)

You are so negative all the time

 

[Miburo]

Yeah, I guess you could think everything Contador has ever said in an interview is untrue. I don't. I think he is honest about this (it's not as if he hasn't mentioned it several times before)

You are so negative all the time

I'm not necessarily saying he's lying but it's still 3 years away from now but if he suddenly sucks after those 3 years then yea please retire but if he still has it in him and he can make a lot of money then you never know.