Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[Angliru]

LA's comeback wasn't that bad at all. Ok it was most likely the reason he got exposed in the the clinic.

But his performance wasn't that bad at all for a 38 year old guy. Especially in the tour '09 he was rather impressive. I believe that he could even won that if AC wasn't there.

Even with the benefit of the strongest team and the time gained in the ttt, Andy would've still put even more time into Armstrong in the mountains, especially on Ventoux, where both Contador and Andy were limited, unable to really ride for themselves. Armstrong didn't have the legs to respond to an attack by Andy. The only factor I can imagine is Andy's (and Frank's) tactical incompetence nullifying any advantage that they could've exploited on Armstrong.

 

[Angliru]

Btw one of Contador's most impressive records is that whenever he had the leader's jersey in a GT he never lost it. Which great rider can say that?

+100. To answer your question would take a great deal of research. It is a very impressive record indeed. I have a book on the history of the Tour that I bought about ten years ago that lists the yellow jersey holders for every stage of every TdF from the very first Tour to I believe the 2003 Tour. If I can find it I'll look into it.

 

[Jspear]

+100. To answer your question would take a great deal of research. It is a very impressive record indeed. I have a book on the history of the Tour that I bought about ten years ago that lists the yellow jersey holders for every stage of every TdF from the very first Tour to I believe the 2003 Tour. If I can find it I'll look into it.

That sounds like an interesting book. What is the name of it?

 

[nepetalactone]

Btw one of Contador's most impressive records is that whenever he had the leader's jersey in a GT he never lost it. Which great rider can say that?

That is really cool. Thanks for the statistic!

 

[Angliru]

That sounds like an interesting book. What is the name of it?

I found it!! It's "The Official Tour de France Centennial 1903-2003", published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson.

It is a real treasure and worth it if you can find it. Lance Armstrong wrote the forward but Amazon has it incorrectly advertised as him being the author which he is not. The stories of each year's Tour are finely written by writers from that period detailing the more pivotal moments. Excellent photography throughout also.

 

[Jspear]

I found it!! It's "The Official Tour de France Centennial 1903-2003", published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson.

It is a real treasure and worth it if you can find it. Lance Armstrong wrote the forward but Amazon has it incorrectly advertised as him being the author which he is not. The stories of each year's Tour are finely written by writers from that period detailing the more pivotal moments. Excellent photography throughout also.

Cool. Thanks! Will look into it.

 

[greenedge]

Who knows mate he from Poland he may peak earlier. Majka would lead for around 3 WT teams. Remember he was not happy about doing the TDF in first place. You honestly think he would like to dom the TDF? Im sure he would rather lead for someone like Lotto and get his choice. It is same with Porte he will probably be gone if he has a bounce back year.

I doubt he would get the necessary support at Lotto, far better to at least lead one GT with a stronger team than a preffered GT without a team.

 

[Red Rick]

Btw one of Contador's most impressive records is that whenever he had the leader's jersey in a GT he never lost it. Which great rider can say that?

Juan Jose Cobo

 

[MatParker117]

Juan Jose Cobo

Sastre as well I think.

 

[Red Rick]

I think Sastre held lead the Vuelta one time when CSC won the ttt IIRC

 

[Carols]

Juan Jose Cobo

He said 'great rider'. I don't think a 'one and done' need apply! Think Hinault, et al

 

[Netserk]

I think Sastre held lead the Vuelta one time when CSC won the ttt IIRC

Opening TTT in 2006. Lost it the next day.

Doubt it has happened to anyone else who have won 2 or more GTs.

 

[icefire]

Opening TTT in 2006. Lost it the next day.

Doubt it has happened to anyone else who have won 2 or more GTs.

Hinault won the prologue in the 1984 Tour and lost the jersey the next day.

 

[Netserk]

Hinault won the prologue in the 1984 Tour and lost the jersey the next day.

My 2nd paragraph was about anyone never losing a leader's jersey in a GT (other than Contador) of those who have won more than one GT, but reading it now I can see why it wasn't interpreted that way

 

[Dr. Juice]

Opening TTT in 2006. Lost it the next day.

Doubt it has happened to anyone else who have won 2 or more GTs.

Pantani hasn't lost it, neither in the 1998 Giro nor in the Tour. And in 1999 he hasn't lost it on the road. But like with others...it's easier to lose it when you have ridden at least 10 GT's and led more than 5. Impressive statistic by Alberto. Shows he is a man on a mission. If he has it, you'll never get it back (the jersey).
Maybe a breakaway will break D) that statistic.

 

[phanatic]

Btw one of Contador's most impressive records is that whenever he had the leader's jersey in a GT he never lost it. Which great rider can say that?

He never won a prologue...

never took the lead after an early TTT or ITT, never won an early stage. Maybe he peaks late for the GT, maybe he is calculating and cautious about it. I don't think that this is more impressive than loaning it out, like Lance did. In any case, Nibali losing the Vuelta lead in 2013 was far more impressive (and exciting) than Contador never having the Tour lead that year.

 

[LaFlorecita]

He never won a prologue...

never took the lead after an early TTT or ITT, never won an early stage. Maybe he peaks late for the GT, maybe he is calculating and cautious about it. I don't think that this is more impressive than loaning it out, like Lance did. In any case, Nibali losing the Vuelta lead in 2013 was far more impressive (and exciting) than Contador never having the Tour lead that year.

Wut

 

[Dr. Juice]

He never won a prologue...

never took the lead after an early TTT or ITT, never won an early stage. Maybe he peaks late for the GT, maybe he is calculating and cautious about it. I don't think that this is more impressive than loaning it out, like Lance did. In any case, Nibali losing the Vuelta lead in 2013 was far more impressive (and exciting) than Contador never having the Tour lead that year.

A confusing view. The Vuelta 2013 was more exciting than the Tour, ok of course when there is a real battle.
How on earth should Contador have taken the jersey in 2013 with the poor form he had? And despite the bad form...he took the only opportunity of echelons during stage 13 but that was after Ax3.
How can one be "impressive" on a mountain stage when he has a terrible form is beyond me. There was one realistic tactical opportunity ..and he took it quite impressively.

 

[Electress]

He never won a prologue...

never took the lead after an early TTT or ITT, never won an early stage. Maybe he peaks late for the GT, maybe he is calculating and cautious about it. I don't think that this is more impressive than loaning it out, like Lance did. In any case, Nibali losing the Vuelta lead in 2013 was far more impressive (and exciting) than Contador never having the Tour lead that year.

Come on, it's hard to get around the fact that someone who has won 8 GTs on the road has never lost the jersey once he's got it. Okay, he had a pretty bad year in 2013, but he wasn't failing to get the jersey so as he wouldn't sully his record, he just wasn't up there then?I don't really get what your trying to say about Nibali and AC then with respect to this record other than AC wasn't great..No news there.

I don't think he'll continue to hold this record, but even so, it's pretty amazing. Shows just how good he is tactically. If he keeps his powder dry until the right time in the race so it works to his advantage - isn't that an attribute? Not exactly a criticism to demonstrate an excellent strategic sense of the whole race surely?

 

[Angliru]

He never won a prologue...

never took the lead after an early TTT or ITT, never won an early stage. Maybe he peaks late for the GT, maybe he is calculating and cautious about it. I don't think that this is more impressive than loaning it out, like Lance did. In any case, Nibali losing the Vuelta lead in 2013 was far more impressive (and exciting) than Contador never having the Tour lead that year.

He's also only had a supremely strong team in 2009 and of course even then he was compromised by conflict that existed with himself, Armstrong & Bruyneel. It was their (Johaan and Lance's) goal to put Lance in yellow early. Contador's other teams just weren't strong enough to protect the yellow jersey from early in the events, not that they purposely avoided getting it. It just wasn't advantageous to wear out the team early just for sake of having it when the strength was Contador's superiority over his rivals in the later mountainous stages. He wasn't going to beat the specialists in prologue nor in flat itt's.

I don't get what is impressive about losing a leader's jersey and never getting it back. Also team's often give up the leader's jersey early in grand tours to a non-threatening rider (I think it's referred to as being "on loan") so they don't have to waste resources defending it for such a long period.

What is really impressive about Contador's record is that he does not let it go once it is in his possession. Many of his rivals have held the leader's jersey during this generations battles in the grand tours bit only Contador has been invincible over and over again while wearing them.

 

[phanatic]

Wut

I didn't mean to flame the thread. I don't think his never having lost the jersey once he held it adds anything to his record other than evidence that he doesn't choke. Once he strikes it's final. In this aspect, it's impressive.

But it's a record that cuts both ways. Part of the reason Contador never lost the jersey is because he never took it early in a race, and so never had it at a point that it was wise to let it go. At the same time he didn't win every GT he entered, which means he didn't lose it in those only because he was too far from contention to take it.

I think the record is remarkable, not so much in that it shows Bertie's superiority, but it shows what kind of competitor he is.

Edit: I didn't mean to single out LaFlorecita's reply, just wanted to clarify my thought if I could, and it seemed like a good reference point.

 

[LaFlorecita]

I didn't mean to flame the thread. I don't think his never having lost the jersey once he held it adds anything to his record other than evidence that he doesn't choke. Once he strikes it's final. In this aspect, it's impressive.

But it's a record that cuts both ways. Part of the reason Contador never lost the jersey is because he never took it early in a race, and so never had it at a point that it was wise to let it go. At the same time he didn't win every GT he entered, which means he didn't lose it in those only because he was too far from contention to take it.

I think the record is remarkable, not so much in that it shows Bertie's superiority, but it shows what kind of competitor he is.

Edit: I didn't mean to single out LaFlorecita's reply, just wanted to clarify my thought if I could, and it seemed like a good reference point.

At the 2011 Giro and 2014 Vuelta he took the jersey rather early, and he had a weak team in both, so it might have been smarter to let it go to someone from a break.

 

[Netserk]

I think it's impressive that no one has ever managed to take it away from him. Nibali had it in the Vuelta '13 and even though he fought he keep it, it was taken away from him. Contador has never let anyone take it away from him once he's got it.

And remember that he is the rider who has had a leader's jersey in a GT the 6th most of all time. He's had 63 days wearing said jersey, and never has anyone ever been able to take it away from him. Impressive.

 

[LaFlorecita]

David Lopez: At Sky we don't believe Contador will ride il Giro

http://www.marca.com/2015/02/10/ciclismo/1423582303.html

 

[Electress]

At the 2011 Giro and 2014 Vuelta he took the jersey rather early, and he had a weak team in both, so it might have been smarter to let it go to someone from a break.

Yeah, don't think he really expected - and maybe wouldn't have wanted? - to have the red jersey in 2014 after the ITT. But Froome summed it up when he said that once AC has got time on you, it's really difficult to get it back.