Re:
Hugo Koblet said:
How do you all assess Contador's performance yesterday? Initially, I was a little disappointed and felt like he certainly wasn't in topform yet. However, it wasn't a finish that suited Contador that much and with his problems with his derailleur I think it's hard to judge. Any thoughts?
I hope for a good show today. I don't really expect him to drop Thomas, but one can always hope.
Well, i don't know really.
I think I still am a bit disappointed, because I'm afraid Contador is just getting older, which means it just gets harder for him to defeat riders he would have defeated years ago.
Of course, the climb didn't really suit him - especially against the likes of Thomas en Zakarin. But, all the rest is just hypothetical: "Íf the climb was steeper, he would've taken minutes..." That just isn't the case. He prepared to win Paris-Nice, but it seems like this will be difficult. I think that's the most disappointing (altough he could well attack and win today). It's not only yesterday's stage, it's also the prologue, the loss of seconds on stage 3.
Volta a Catalunya and Pais Vasco will give us more information really, especially Pais Vasco, I think. In that Tour there are many tough climbs and many opponents, with hard battles everyday, including a time trial that should suit Contador. I'm very curious about Contador in that race.