Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[Electress]

Not sure what to make of Brailsf. comments re. Alberto - that they 'won't kick a man when he's down'. If Movi (well, Piti) goes up the road, (I would suspect Porte might try to test a bit and perhaps Nibs getting in early) I hardly think they are going to do nothing.

Assuming Bertie isn't exaggerating at all I am preparing myself for a minute or more. Anything else will be a victory (of sorts) for me.

 

[rune1107]

Re: Re:

Good result today, finished with Gatto, right between the other GC contenders. A few places behind Froome and Tejay, a few before Quintana and Porte.
When he lost Sagan's wheel with 5 to go and drifted back, and then that roundabout bottleneck situation happened, I feared the worst..

Can you elaborate pls? I havent seen it.

The peloton was very wide and had to squeeze together, when entering a roundabout. It almost caused a huge crash. It happens with 3,7 km to go if you can find some highlights

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

Good result today, finished with Gatto, right between the other GC contenders. A few places behind Froome and Tejay, a few before Quintana and Porte.
When he lost Sagan's wheel with 5 to go and drifted back, and then that roundabout bottleneck situation happened, I feared the worst..

Can you elaborate pls? I havent seen it.

There was a traffic island in the middle of the road with about 3.5 k to go, the first 30 riders or so got through with no issues but after that riders had to squeeze through which slowed down the end of the group.
Edit: ninja'd by rune

 

[Miburo]

Tomorrow gonna be stressful, don't you love that feeling?

Is he gonna fly like a butterfly? Who knows

 

[ILovecycling]

Thanks for replies guys, ...its gonna be nervous stage tomorrows.Hopefuly nobody gets hurt.

 

[Jelantik]

One more day checked with Alberto stayed upright. Recovery continues. #OneDayAtTheTime.

Tomorrow, I expect he will loose time. If he doesn't, . .. then another positive step toward his recovery. Good luck Alberto.

 

[Jelantik]

Has Majka done anything useful in this race, for either Sagan or Alberto?

I hope not. He is supposed to be fresh on the third week. Kreuziger on the other hand, worries me. He has been pulling hard in the front especially when Sagan won. I didn't see any sky climber pulling in the last few stages. I'm afraid by the time he should have been there for Alberto, he'll be running out of a gas. He burned his matches too early. Wasn't he supposed to be one of the 3 to help Alberto in the high mountain?

 

[Pricey_sky]

According to comments after the stage today Alberto said he's still in a lot of pain when he tries to get out of the saddle, doesn't bode well for tomorrow.

I don't like to see a favourites GC hopes end with a crash, it's always very unfortunate.

 

[Taxus4a]

If Contador is wasting energy and no taking risk by goinng behind and he finished ahead of lot of favourites, and even we could see go alone to the front at the final Km he must be quite well and he is not thinking in desperate mode thinking in a good overall as the same plan he started. He lost more time than he could have lost but he didnt lose a lot. Porte is in worse position.

It is quite normal some favorites lost some time by different problem in the first week.

His body is not 100% perfect but this is not an injury when you can go worse and you maybe deal with it yill the end as Hamilton did or even he did in 2011 when he was in a perfect condition at the end but he needed to get the fisrt rest day or even the seconnd onne to be totally ok. This is maybe worse in the way to recover, but day by day he is getting ok.

Tomorrow Payrol is perfect for him. That is good becouse if he pass a possible first battle there and the team help him properly he should be with the best at the end.

If he looked quite well today he must be better tomorrow.

The main problem for him is that it is a long stage.

 

[jilbiker]

Re:

According to comments after the stage today Alberto said he's still in a lot of pain when he tries to get out of the saddle, doesn't bode well for tomorrow.

I don't like to see a favourites GC hopes end with a crash, it's always very unfortunate.

What else will he say? I feel excellent when i get out of the saddle? This is an opportunity to play mind games with your opponents. Milk it. We (and his opponents) will not know the truth until tomorrow.

 

[ILovecycling]

Re: Re:

According to comments after the stage today Alberto said he's still in a lot of pain when he tries to get out of the saddle, doesn't bode well for tomorrow.

I don't like to see a favourites GC hopes end with a crash, it's always very unfortunate.

What else will he say? I feel excellent when i get out of the saddle? This is an opportunity to play mind games with your opponents. Milk it. We (and his opponents) will not know the truth until tomorrow.

Yes,we should hope he lies tho...to ride 2k @11% in the saddle is a pain in the ass

 

[Matteo.]

That is one thing I still do not understand: why he keep saying to feel bad. Really he wants to be attacked or be dropped? I want to believe that's pre-tactical and that he feels good otherwise he became mad

 

[Pricey_sky]

Re: Re:

According to comments after the stage today Alberto said he's still in a lot of pain when he tries to get out of the saddle, doesn't bode well for tomorrow.

I don't like to see a favourites GC hopes end with a crash, it's always very unfortunate.

What else will he say? I feel excellent when i get out of the saddle? This is an opportunity to play mind games with your opponents. Milk it. We (and his opponents) will not know the truth until tomorrow.

Of course it could all be mind games, but if that's his strategy I'd have just not said anything at all, leave the others guessing.

For what it's worth I don't think he is playing mind games, it seems he's telling the truth.

As you said we will see tomorrow.

 

[sir fly]

Re: Re:

According to comments after the stage today Alberto said he's still in a lot of pain when he tries to get out of the saddle, doesn't bode well for tomorrow.

I don't like to see a favourites GC hopes end with a crash, it's always very unfortunate.

What else will he say? I feel excellent when i get out of the saddle? This is an opportunity to play mind games with your opponents. Milk it. We (and his opponents) will not know the truth until tomorrow.

Yes,we should hope he lies tho...to ride 2k @11% in the saddle is a pain in the ***

Depends on saddle.

 

[LaFlorecita]

If he's really feeling as bad as he says it makes no sense to say it. Best say nothing and hope the other teams don't put pressure on you.
Or he feels so bad that he knows he will lose a lot of time regardless.
I thought it was interesting that both today and yesterday initially there were reports from journo's that he had slept well and felt slightly better, allegedly coming from the team/Contador camp, yet Alberto then said before the start that he did not feel any better at all.

 

[peloton]

He was grimacing a lot on the little climb todat at about 7km to go when he got out of saddle.
And besides, unlikely he lost that time on stage 2 just for fun...
Oleg has apparently said he doesn't think he can compete with the best in the mountains, great pep talk again.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

He was grimacing a lot on the little climb todat at about 7km to go when he got out of saddle.
And besides, unlikely he lost that time on stage 2 just for fun...
Oleg has apparently said he doesn't think he can compete with the best in the mountains, great pep talk again.

FFS Oleg

 

[May0maniac]

Re: Re:

According to comments after the stage today Alberto said he's still in a lot of pain when he tries to get out of the saddle, doesn't bode well for tomorrow.

I don't like to see a favourites GC hopes end with a crash, it's always very unfortunate.

What else will he say? I feel excellent when i get out of the saddle? This is an opportunity to play mind games with your opponents. Milk it. We (and his opponents) will not know the truth until tomorrow.

Of course it could all be mind games, but if that's his strategy I'd have just not said anything at all, leave the others guessing.

For what it's worth I don't think he is playing mind games, it seems he's telling the truth.

As you said we will see tomorrow.

Well see tomorrow. Who knows how bad is injury is, remember how much time he was supposed to loose in the Giro ITT because of the sholder injury?

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

Well see tomorrow. Who knows how bad is injury is, remember how much time he was supposed to loose in the Giro ITT because of the sholder injury?

Maybe he did actually lose all that time compared to his hypothetical performance if he hadn't crashed :lol:

 

[Kwibus]

Hoping he will be fine tomorrow. I hope it so dearly.

 

[Pantani Attacks]

Contador has known to bluff and often underrate himself in order to deceive. I have good hopes for him tomorrow. He'll most likely lose time tomorrow, but that'll be down to his injuries and nothing more. Everyday he'll get better and better and that will be vital come the last week.

 

[The Hitch]

Re:

Contador has known to bluff and often underrate himself in order to deceive. I have good hopes for him tomorrow. He'll most likely lose time tomorrow, but that'll be down to his injuries and nothing more. Everyday he'll get better and better and that will be vital come the last week.

That's a good point. But I haven't known him to bluff to the point that he would lose time as he did on Sunday.

 

[Taxus4a]

"He's had two flat days to recover and I believe he'll be okay for tomorrow. He' a very tough guy and recovers very well. For sure he’ll be there," Sagan concluded.


Acording to Sagan if he loses time tomorrow is becouse his level and no lot influence of his crash.

He lost time already last year in Huy. He is suposed in a better shape noe, so he will do little bit better,znd without the crash maybe a little bit better, but no much difference.

 

[Publicus]

Re:

"He's had two flat days to recover and I believe he'll be okay for tomorrow. He' a very tough guy and recovers very well. For sure he’ll be there," Sagan concluded.


Acording to Sagan if he loses time tomorrow is becouse his level and no lot influence of his crash.

He lost time already last year in Huy. He is suposed in a better shape noe, so he will do little bit better,znd without the crash maybe a little bit better, but no much difference.

That's not at all what he said.

 

[Kwibus]

Re:

"He's had two flat days to recover and I believe he'll be okay for tomorrow. He' a very tough guy and recovers very well. For sure he’ll be there," Sagan concluded.


Acording to Sagan if he loses time tomorrow is becouse his level and no lot influence of his crash.

He lost time already last year in Huy. He is suposed in a better shape noe, so he will do little bit better,znd without the crash maybe a little bit better, but no much difference.

:facepalm: