Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[sir fly]

"I'm satisfied with this tour, and of course especially with my performance yesterday. But at this moment of the season there will always be greater variations between the daily shape on each stage. Yesterday, I had a great feeling - today, I didn't have the same legs".

"After the stage yesterday, people said that I was perhaps in too good a shape at this moment in my race schedule. But everything is going according to the plan and I'm on track with my preparations ahead of my season goals", comments Alberto Contador, who sits 2nd in the GC after today's stage, while leading the points classification.

http://www.tinkoffsaxo.com/news/contador-second-gc-cold-mountain-stage-battle-andalucia/

That's the whole truth. And applies to everybody.
On the other hand, Sky's a bit in front of the opposition. With Tinkoff's double in mind it makes sense. GT squads can peak slowly towards the goals and stay as fresh as possible for the prime nursing they'll have to provide.

 

[Arredondo]

Shame Contador had bad form today but that's the way it goes. Ups and downs. Tomorrow he may feel great again but maybe its to late in this race. I expected Froome to be ahead of Contador at this event so no surprise he has performed well today. Froome certainly ahead with regards to race weight. Onwards and Upwards !

Froome will focus on the Tour, which is in July. Contador for the Giro, which starts in may.

Why the **** is everyone talking about Froome is ahead in race weight?

 

[Jelantik]

"Yesterday, I had a great feeling ? today, I didn?t have the same legs?.

"I think I should have tightened the screws a bit more yesterday," he said with a laugh. "Now I am thinking about those two seconds. In cycling you never know.

"It is a very strong attack,really strong. He did not stop, did not stop, did not stop, and I saw that the best I could do was to recover a little and that is what I preferred to do. He could not control the difference because in the end you do not calculate the time in such a short distance. I knew that he was likely to take the lead.

yes. he is kinda sorta regretting maybe freewheeling. and yes, froome was stronger than him. and yes he has a bad day too.

http://www.cyclingquotes.com/news/contador_you_have_good_days_and_you_have_bad_days/

 

[Kwibus]

I feel like Contador will be very hurt from this loss, because he was enjoying the race in first place, probably thinking it was in the bag and now he is losing for 2 seconds.
Even if it's only andalucia, and he has to take it easy at this point in the season , it's a harsh psychological hit.
I think this will cause him to train harder and put more intensity than planned from now on to Tirreno just to beat/crush Froome in Italy and that might not be ideal for the double.

Yes he will be completely depressed now. Contador who is racing at the highest level for yeaaars and who had to deal with titles taken from him and bans for very dubious positives will be verrrrry hurt from this loss. The season is lost people!!! No need to watch cycling anymore if your a Contador fan.

 

[arvc40]

Froome will focus on the Tour, which is in July. Contador for the Giro, which starts in may.

Why the **** is everyone talking about Froome is ahead in race weight?

I mention the weight because In my eyes Contador looks further from his ideal weight than Froome does from his. Just an observation. And Considering Contador and Froome are always talking about it I thought it would have some relevance.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Yes he will be completely depressed now. Contador who is racing at the highest level for yeaaars and who had to deal with titles taken from him and bans for very dubious positives will be verrrrry hurt from this loss. The season is lost people!!! No need to watch cycling anymore if your a Contador fan.

Of course not, but you're not going to tell me he isn't a little disappointed

 

[arvc40]

Froome will focus on the Tour, which is in July. Contador for the Giro, which starts in may.

Why the **** is everyone talking about Froome is ahead in race weight?

Thanks for the info on there respective race schedules. I had no idea Contador was doing the Giro. Is that a Spanish race ?

 

[indianfanboy]

Contador regrets about holding back a little in Hazellenas and the 2 sec difference

 

[indianfanboy]

It is more ideal for Froome to be in good shape now as his early season goals are Tirreno,Catalunya,Basque then he can take his foot off the gas and start over again to reach peak form during the Tour

Meanwhile Contador wouldnt want to be good this early in the season and will have to save his form for May and July

Interesting what Contador's plan will be about

1)Arrive in Giro with top form take an unassailable lead in the first 2 weeks and coast along easily in the 3rd week to save his energy for the Tour

or

2)Arrive in Giro with some good form and use the Giro more like training and get stronger gradually as the giro continues and hit peak in the third week and achieve a super peak for the Tour

or

3)Full gas both Giro and Tour

 

[rhubroma]

I mention the weight because In my eyes Contador looks further from his ideal weight than Froome does from his. Just an observation. And Considering Contador and Froome are always talking about it I thought it would have some relevance.

Froome also seems to me thinner, which on the grades of today can make a difference. (obviously it did!). The question is has Alberto got the margins to make up the difference?

 

[Dr. Juice]

If Contador was in super shape now and on race weight....he would need to peak for 6 months...that's an impossible task
Shame though for those 2 seconds yesterday...

 

[Kwibus]

Of course not, but you're not going to tell me he isn't a little disappointed

Ofcourse he is. As far as I know he never won this race either so I'm sure would've liked it on his palmares.
Dissapointed is something completely different than what was mentioned before.

 

[roundabout]

He did the climb yesterday less than 20 seconds slower than Horner in 2013, so he is clearly in good form already.

Unless you believe in unicorns that is.

Edit: although having wrote that, I do think that today he wasn't on his best day

 

[Dr. Juice]

He did the climb yesterday less than 20 seconds slower than Horner in 2013, so he is clearly in good form already.

Unless you believe in unicorns that is.

Edit: although having wrote that, I do think that today he wasn't on his best day

No, of course his base form is good although he is not in tip top shape but it's good the way it is. And yesterday was a great performance, numbers don't lie. He even took it easy at the end and didn't go over the limit yesterday. Today he felt worse and had a relatively bad him which can happen at this point.

Basically he only gained 20 seconds on Nieve who did an acceleration himself when it got steep. Yesterday the climb was 3 km longer but he gave almost 2 minutes to everybody. Clearly an off day.

 

[Carols]

He praised Froome?s attack, saying ?It was very hard, very strong, he just didn?t stop at all. I saw the best thing I could do was try to recover a little. I had no idea what the time gap was because it was a very short distance. But I knew that my chances of keeping the leader?s jersey were low.?

Total class that one. He will come back fighting .

 

[The_Juan]

It is class but... what is Froome peaking this early for if his main aim is the TdF? Alberto's goal is the Giro, which is right around the corner, so his shape should've been closer to peak than Chris'. In my opinion of course.

 

[Electress]

Well, obviously it's a bit of a come down from the happiness of yesterday, but weirdly, AC actually looks cheerier in those pics. today than yesterday - when he looked a bit subdued! Not saying that's what he's really feeling, mind…though as ever, he's as gracious in defeat as victory.

I did have initial knee-jerk reaction horrors of living through a year of 2013-like Froome domination - on every level a Dantean-hell for me, given I live in the UK. But after the initial gut-wrenching disappointment, I'm fairly relaxed now. I hate AC losing, (to Froome more than anybody), but it doesn't take away what he did yesterday. At least there's no chance of any complacency and it'll be that thorn to work even harder. I believe him that yesterday he was testing; seeing how he was feeling, and paid the price today.

I agree life would be easier emotionally if AC would oblige by winning everything, all the time, by a scintillating display of his utter domination and panache, but that is not a realistic expectation, even of the Great One.

Kudos too to Froome. Whatever my feelings about the guy, there's no doubt he's a worthy adversary. He showed admirable mental fortitude and pacing yesterday and rode the better race today. Credit where credit is due.

 

[movingtarget]

These early season up and downs and not unusual. The previous stage would have taken a lot out of Contador. It was a very similar stage to the previous one except that Sky dominated at the end instead of Tinkoff.

 

[xrayvision]

It is class but... what is Froome peaking this early for if his main aim is the TdF? Alberto's goal is the Giro, which is right around the corner, so his shape should've been closer to peak than Chris'. In my opinion of course.

Around the corner? in 3 months, if that is around the corner...
And why should he even be close to peak now? Its his first race for christ sake, hes no near of peaking, its just mileages and training.

 

[LaFlorecita]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/contador-i-knew-i-could-lose-the-leaders-jersey

In a good mood despite his defeat, Contador even joked a little when asked if he had gone too deep at Hazallanas, saying ?Not all, I think I should have pushed it a little harder, because when you stop to think about those two seconds? Cycling?s like that, you can never tell what?s going to happen.?

how cool is this guy

 

[LaFlorecita]

Alberto loses the points jersey too on the last day that's just sad for him and the team.

 

[Arredondo]

Thanks for the info on there respective race schedules. I had no idea Contador was doing the Giro. Is that a Spanish race ?

Don't try to be funny, if you're not.

 

[TANK91]

Great ride by Contador both look good, i admit i am alot more happy than i was after stage 3 i got caught up in the moment thinking domination was on the cards this year by Contador, i refuse to do that this time when it was only 2 seconds. The gaps are crazy lol for a little stage race. The best 2 stage race riders in the world who ctually race for the win even when an off day, even you lot can all admit Froome like Alberto attacks all the time no matter what form or what race. Not many cyclists are like that. Will Contador do Catalunya aswell as Tirreno?. Onto Tirreno now where Nibali will race.

 

[Miburo]

Good ride from Contador, not really important he wins this, i'm actually happy froome owned him.

Giro is important, not this and i'm sure Contador can handle Froome in the tour.

He's definitily gonna take revenge in T-A though

 

[TANK91]

Good ride from Contador, not really important he wins this, i'm actually happy froome owned him.

Giro is important, not this and i'm sure Contador can handle Froome in the tour.

He's definitily gonna take revenge in T-A though

What makes you so sure he can handle Froome in the Tour?. Huge advantage to Froome with Contador doing the Giro i don't care what anyone says. Froome will need to be off form to lose the TDF to Contador, that is not being silly it is common sense. They are too close too each other in ability. Froome attacked like the Dauphinee yesterday he actually had an accelration. Froome yesterday was great i bet no one expected it on that stage to get that sort of gap. If i was betting i would go Contador to win the Giro with ease and just fall a lil short in the TDF(no shame in that).