Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[Metabolol]

team Tinkoff cried foul in Sunday’s exciting finale at Paris-Nice, alleging that TV motorbikes helped pace Team Sky back to the attacking Alberto Contador.

“That’s not sour grapes, that’s the truth,” Tinkoff sport director Sean Yates told VeloNews. “The motorbikes were a disgrace once again, and they ruined the race.”

 

[Jelantik]

Re:

“I’d like to make a simple comparison with what happened at Paris-Nice. Alberto Contador failed to win by just four seconds after a stage earlier in the race was cancelled because of extreme weather. Yet I don’t think Alberto complained, he accepted it as part of the sport,” Mauro Vegni about Nibali

I think he was comparing the 'whining part'. Alberto didn't say anything while Nibali was whining about the cancellation stage. That's how I read his comment, he is not comparing how the stage is being cancelled.(that's like comparing apple and durian)

 

[Brullnux]

Nibali was rightly whining. The Paris-Nice stage was cancelled for a reason. The TA one I'm still trying to work out the logic.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

team Tinkoff cried foul in Sunday’s exciting finale at Paris-Nice, alleging that TV motorbikes helped pace Team Sky back to the attacking Alberto Contador.

“That’s not sour grapes, that’s the truth,” Tinkoff sport director Sean Yates told VeloNews. “The motorbikes were a disgrace once again, and they ruined the race.”

That is very sad if true

 

[arvc40]

Re: Re:

team Tinkoff cried foul in Sunday’s exciting finale at Paris-Nice, alleging that TV motorbikes helped pace Team Sky back to the attacking Alberto Contador.

“That’s not sour grapes, that’s the truth,” Tinkoff sport director Sean Yates told VeloNews. “The motorbikes were a disgrace once again, and they ruined the race.”

That is very sad if true

I say Majka is to blame for the whole sorry mess !

 

[May0maniac]

Things like that mostly happen because of clueless people driving those motobikes, I don't think that it was some sort of evil masterplan to preserve Geraint's victory.
PS: Maybe Majka pissed them of by using a motobikes antenna as a launching pad once again.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

Things like that mostly happen because of clueless people driving those motobikes, I don't think that it was some sort of evil masterplan to preserve Geraint's victory.
PS: Maybe Majka pissed them of by using a motobikes antenna as a launching pad once again.

I don't think so either (although with ASO you never know) but it is frustrating nonetheless especially if Tinkoff were "screaming at the commissaires to do something" as Yates says.

 

[Marco Pantani]

Marginal gains.

Would explain, why they pulled back that much.

 

[SevenTimeTdfChamp]

Re:

Nibali was rightly whining. The Paris-Nice stage was cancelled for a reason. The TA one I'm still trying to work out the logic.

If you read the article it actually makes a lot of sense. They cant just wait to the last minute to cancel the stage and the majority of the teams agreed with the decision. The TA organisers lost a lot of income due to the cancellation so they woudnt do it if they didnt have a reason.

The similarity is that it sucked for both riders to have the stages cancelled, and both of them arguably lost the race beacuse of it.

 

[cantpedal]

Re: Re:

Things like that mostly happen because of clueless people driving those motobikes, I don't think that it was some sort of evil masterplan to preserve Geraint's victory.
PS: Maybe Majka pissed them of by using a motobikes antenna as a launching pad once again.

I don't think so either (although with ASO you never know) but it is frustrating nonetheless especially if Tinkoff were "screaming at the commissaires to do something" as Yates says.

I rewatched the last 40 K and don't see it. I think it's just Yates being his usual classy self

 

[del1962]

Yates saying negative things about the team that dumped him

 

[cantpedal]

I was surprised to see them close on AC on both descents.

 

[ferryman]

Re:

Yates saying negative things about the team that dumped him

Or maybe he is just saying what he saw after being a pro for 15 years..

 

[Publicus]

Re: Re:

Things like that mostly happen because of clueless people driving those motobikes, I don't think that it was some sort of evil masterplan to preserve Geraint's victory.
PS: Maybe Majka pissed them of by using a motobikes antenna as a launching pad once again.

I don't think so either (although with ASO you never know) but it is frustrating nonetheless especially if Tinkoff were "screaming at the commissaires to do something" as Yates says.

I rewatched the last 40 K and don't see it. I think it's just Yates being his usual classy self

Unless you watched the bike on Thomas et al, and Yates' relation to them at all times, you really can't say what did or did not happen out on the road.

All of this aside, Contador raced a beautiful Paris-Nice, notwithstanding losing the overall. Thomas KNOWS he's not in Contador's class, as today proved. Chapeau to Thomas for not conceding. Barring injury, Contador is going to be sitting on his 2014 or better form come the Tour de France. Doesn't mean he will win, but he will be ready.

 

[Jspear]

Re:

I was surprised to see them close on AC on both descents.

If they had been technical descents and G still was gaining on him, I would have been surprised, but under the circumstances I wasn't. G is better in a pursuit situation (not uphill of course) imo.

 

[damian13ster]

Re: Re:

I was surprised to see them close on AC on both descents.

If they had been technical descents and G still was gaining on him, I would have been surprised, but under the circumstances I wasn't. G is better in a pursuit situation (not uphill of course) imo.

Why would that surprise you? Contador is not a good descender (or a cobble rider, or at positioning himself in the peleton). I am more surprised that he didn't gain much more time uphill with Thomas looking completely exhausted.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Re: Re:

I was surprised to see them close on AC on both descents.

If they had been technical descents and G still was gaining on him, I would have been surprised, but under the circumstances I wasn't. G is better in a pursuit situation (not uphill of course) imo.

Why would that surprise you? Contador is not a good descender (or a cobble rider, or at positioning himself in the peleton). I am more surprised that he didn't gain much more time uphill with Thomas looking completely exhausted.

More time? Didn't he gain like 25 seconds on a quite easy climb despite having already attacked like a dozen times and having riden solo for a long time as well? I think he put up a very good performance.

I'm not really sure what cobbles or positioning has to do with it?

 

[ad9898]

Re:

I was surprised to see them close on AC on both descents.

This was a power descent, not much more Contador could do, he must weigh at least 5kg less than Thomas, Thomas also said in an interview at the end that he put a 54t chainring on in case he had to chase on the last descent. In my opinion his weight and chainring saved the win as all other things being equal he wouldn't have been able to pull the time back.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

Marginal gains.

Would explain, why they pulled back that much.

Yep, one minute the gap was 1 minute, next minute it was less than 30 seconds. You have to wonder what would have happened if Alberto had started the Col d'Eze with an advantage of 15 seconds.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

More time? Didn't he gain like 25 seconds on a quite easy climb despite having already attacked like a dozen times and having riden solo for a long time as well? I think he put up a very good performance.

I'm not really sure what cobbles or positioning has to do with it?

His time on Col d'Eze was only 17 seconds slower than his 2007 time according to Jens. That is very impressive considering, as you say, he attacked many times and rode solo for the majority of Côte de Peille.

 

[Cance > TheRest]

Re: Re:

I was surprised to see them close on AC on both descents.

If they had been technical descents and G still was gaining on him, I would have been surprised, but under the circumstances I wasn't. G is better in a pursuit situation (not uphill of course) imo.

Why would that surprise you? Contador is not a good descender (or a cobble rider, or at positioning himself in the peleton). I am more surprised that he didn't gain much more time uphill with Thomas looking completely exhausted.

In under 1km he gained 30 seconds. How is that not a lot of time? Also Thomas had Henao to pace him - the damage would have been closer to a minute, had he not been there.

About the descending stuff, there's not much to say but:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Of0OmpdrXRA

 

[cellardoor]

Does anyone have a link to the stage profiles for Catalunya? I'm interested to see how well they suit Contador.

 

[Matteo.]

Re:

Does anyone have a link to the stage profiles for Catalunya? I'm interested to see how well they suit Contador.

the race is decided here

 

[LaFlorecita]

That seems perfect for Alberto to solo to the win
Hopefully he can finally "officially" add this race to his palmares .

Fingers crossed for no snow.

 

[Matteo.]

Re:

That seems perfect for Alberto to solo to the win
Hopefully he can finally "officially" add this race to his palmares .

Fingers crossed for no snow.

Absolutely, it is perfect for him, with slopes worthy at last.
the only concern is the weather but we will see more ahead