Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[TheYouyou7]

Interesting what Basso has to say about Finestre episode:

Asked if AC was really bad

"No,we had such margin that we could make some maths. We went with our own rythm thinking that in some weeks Alberto will be at the start of the TDF to try and win it. Astana rode greatly but it has never been a threat for our Giro"

 

[Carols]

Re:

Interesting what Basso has to say about Finestre episode:

Asked if AC was really bad

"No,we had such margin that we could make some maths. We went with our own rythm thinking that in some weeks Alberto will be at the start of the TDF to try and win it. Astana rode greatly but it has never been a threat for our Giro"

LOL like he was around while this was happening? He must have heard it from Alberto

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

Interesting what Basso has to say about Finestre episode:

Asked if AC was really bad

"No,we had such margin that we could make some maths. We went with our own rythm thinking that in some weeks Alberto will be at the start of the TDF to try and win it. Astana rode greatly but it has never been a threat for our Giro"

LOL like he was around while this was happening? He must have heard it from Alberto

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

Contador looks chubby? Wait, are you guys looking at the same person?
Contador is the guy in the middle. I think some of you maybe think he's the one on the far right.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

Contador looks chubby? Wait, are you guys looking at the same person?
Contador is the guy in the middle. I think some of you maybe think he's the one on the far right.

In this pic it seems like his face is a little on the chubby side, we can't tell about his body though

 

[Miburo]

Merckx said contador is gonna win the tour

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

Merckx said contador is gonna win the tour

I say we stop worrying and trust the Cannibal

 

[ray j willings]

Re:

Contador looks chubby? Wait, are you guys looking at the same person?
Contador is the guy in the middle. I think some of you maybe think he's the one on the far right.

I'm with you. He looks skinny and tiny like a mouse jockey.

 

[Ryaguas]

Re:

Merckx said contador is gonna win the tour

Damn it Merckx stop jinxing it...

 

[Taxus4a]

He looks ok, it is nortmal if he get 1 or 2 kilos after Giro, other way would be a problem... now he need to lose that to get the 10 stage of the Tour in his ideal weight.

 

[jilbiker]

Re: Re:

Contador looks chubby? Wait, are you guys looking at the same person?
Contador is the guy in the middle. I think some of you maybe think he's the one on the far right.

I'm with you. He looks skinny and tiny like a mouse jockey.

I think folks want to see an LA or TylerH skinny before they are convinced Bertie is ready. Ain't that weird? When did cycling become this obsession with weight to power ratio? Oh wait...read TylerH's book...

For this TDF, I think the smartest will win, not necessarily the fittest.

 

[peloton]

Re: Re:

Contador looks chubby? Wait, are you guys looking at the same person?
Contador is the guy in the middle. I think some of you maybe think he's the one on the far right.

I'm with you. He looks skinny and tiny like a mouse jockey.

I think folks want to see an LA or TylerH skinny before they are convinced Bertie is ready. Ain't that weird? When did cycling become this obsession with weight to power ratio? Oh wait...read TylerH's book...

For this TDF, I think the smartest will win, not necessarily the fittest.

This. And the luckiest.

 

[Jspear]

Re:

I dunno about everyone else but I'm getting worried about Saxo's climbing doms vs Sky's. Kreuziger, Rogers and Basso looked rubbish at the Giro (but hopefully they were all scheduled to be 80% at the Giro and improve for the Tour), Kiselovski had a moment in the sun at the Dauphine, but ultimately was unimpressive and Majka is looking very average at Suisse. Compare that to Wout Poels who looks like he's going to be a beast. Hopefully Majka is saving himself and will show some form over the coming days.

Can't say anything about Majka's form until after the mountain stage. That is where we should expect to see him riding well.

 

[Electress]

Re: Re:

Contador looks chubby? Wait, are you guys looking at the same person?
Contador is the guy in the middle. I think some of you maybe think he's the one on the far right.

I'm with you. He looks skinny and tiny like a mouse jockey.

I think folks want to see an LA or TylerH skinny before they are convinced Bertie is ready. Ain't that weird? When did cycling become this obsession with weight to power ratio? Oh wait...read TylerH's book...

For this TDF, I think the smartest will win, not necessarily the fittest.

Firstly, face may well look a bit chubbier because he's got five o' clock shadow and this creates a softer edge (cf. Leonardo da Vinci 'sfumato'). And his body is minute. Tiny weeny body. I think he's lost weight.

And the lean is surely because he's half perched on a blinking bar stool!

And I agree with the bold.

With all the permutations and combinations there will be with the four major contenders, he's the guy I'd bet on to exploit them best. Nibali has a lot of the same attributes, but IMO, is just not as good as Alberto. Nor, if I'm honest, do I think he really wants it as much as Alberto does.

Compared to Froome (and I suspect Quintana), it seems to me AC is much more willing to make it all up on the road and take calculated risks, which is and obvious advantage with more cautious or 'scripted' riders.

Plus he's as stubborn as a mule. It must be very hard to race against someone so mentally tough. With all the tactics there will be going on, mental as well as physical fatigue will take its toll on the riders.

(If it's all about luck then, we're doomed on Alberto's season thus far! Unless he's had all his bad luck in one mega-dose. I do hope so. It'd be gutting to be denied because of something random).

 

[dusty red roads]

Normally I'd totally agree about the lean in that particular photo, it's just that I've seen it in a bunch of others as well. Happy to be proven wrong, perhaps he'll seem back to normal in future pics, or perhaps he just likes to put his weight more on his right leg when posing for photos these days...

 

[arvc40]

Yeah, Contador now has Scoliosis, he's fat and tired and stupid to get his prep so wrong. Loser

 

[rune1107]

Bertie interview:

"The most important thing is that I look forward to racing in the Route du Sud because it will give me speed in the legs and I will be in motion again. Surely, it will take some time to ramp up, but I have a good foundation and this will allow me to carry out a good training in racing mode."

"I wouldn't have this motivation and, on second thought, there are still more days ahead to recover than days that have passed since the end of the Giro. I hope to reach the start in top condition."

He sounds very confident!

 

[BlurryVII]

Bertie interview:

"The most important thing is that I look forward to racing in the Route du Sud because it will give me speed in the legs and I will be in motion again. Surely, it will take some time to ramp up, but I have a good foundation and this will allow me to carry out a good training in racing mode."

"I wouldn't have this motivation and, on second thought, there are still more days ahead to recover than days that have passed since the end of the Giro. I hope to reach the start in top condition."

He sounds very confident!

Though, you skipped the pessimistic parts, legs hurting, muscular fatigue still, he sees the Tour with "uncertainty" etc.

He doesn't sound all that confident to me, reading him, it looks like he is almost as clueless as his fans regarding his Tour form lol.

He is playing it down maybe, we'll see whether it's true or not.

 

[BYOP88]

Stop worrying, you'll give yourself ulcers.

Even if Contador doesn't win the Tour, he's still won a GT this year which is pretty good going. If (and it's a huge 'IF') he wins the Tour, would he go for the *Triple Crown*?


*Giro/Tour/Worlds*

 

[BlurryVII]

Wow, there's no big deal here. Those are just thoughts, it doesn't get to me at all.

 

[rune1107]

Bertie interview:

"The most important thing is that I look forward to racing in the Route du Sud because it will give me speed in the legs and I will be in motion again. Surely, it will take some time to ramp up, but I have a good foundation and this will allow me to carry out a good training in racing mode."

"I wouldn't have this motivation and, on second thought, there are still more days ahead to recover than days that have passed since the end of the Giro. I hope to reach the start in top condition."

He sounds very confident!

Though, you skipped the pessimistic parts, legs hurting, muscular fatigue still, he sees the Tour with "uncertainty" etc.

He doesn't sound all that confident to me, reading him, it looks like he is almost as clueless as his fans regarding his Tour form lol.

He is playing it down maybe, we'll see whether it's true or not.

I just think it sounds like he isn't frustrated, but optimistic. Guess we won't have any answers until July..

 

[arvc40]

Contador simply not going to let anybody know what and how he is feeling.

 

[TheYouyou7]

Contador simply not going to let anybody know what and how he is feeling.

True, he wasn't gonna say "Yeah, I'M GONNA DESTROY THOSE B*TCHES EASILY"

 

[Publicus]

Folks you do realize this was a press release from the team? Not an interview with the press, but Tinkoff's press team. They are putting out as much or as little accurate information as they want. I'd take all of it with a very huge grain of salt.

 

[Captain_Obvious]

Question: how does one go about finding a nice Alberto Contador banner? I want to hang a banner out of my window during the grand depart. We live at pretty much the most central part of the city and I want to show our support with a big fat banner.

I already tried contacting the team and the fanclub - no answer.

I could either make one myself, or perhaps you guys know a way to obtain one. Thanks.