Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[ninjadriver]

Re: Re:

Well if he gets to the point where he can only do top 5 in the Tour then competing for a Giro win is 100% the better option.

That would makes it even sadder though that he wasted one of his peak years - 2015, on the Giro.

"For of all sad words of tongue or pen..."

Contador didn't look "peak" to me at the 2015 Giro, HITCH. Landa and Aru both had him dead-to-rights, despite each doing horrible time trials.

One more mountain stage, and Contador would have finished 3rd. Also, if Astana had shifted to backing Landa midrace, Landa would have beaten AC outright. The last "peak" Contador I saw was in 2011. One could argue the end of 2014, although I'm not sure.

Yeah after Contador absolutely tore the doors off the race after starting stage 15 mountain a minute behind.

Yeah, I'll try this one more time, PERICO:

One more mountain stage, and Contador would have finished 3rd. Also, if Astana had shifted to backing Landa midrace, Landa would have beaten AC outright.

 

[ferryman]

A bit out of left field, but has Bertie ever worn the Polka Dot jersey?

 

[Miburo]

Nope, also not in other GT's. In the giro of 2011 he was pretty damn close though

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

He has been in the lead of the polkadot jersey competition, but has not as far I know worn the jersey except on the podium.

 

[sir fly]

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Re:

What stage was this?

 

[portugal11]

Re: Re:

What stage was this?

I think it was after arcallis 2009

 

[sir fly]

C'mon... Do a little research. It's not that difficult.

 

[Red Rick]

After the prologue, obviously

 

[djpbaltimore]

After Monaco! Stage 2.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

He wore the polka dot jersey after the prologue of the TdF in 2009 and also at the Dauphiné in 2007(?)

 

[sir fly]

And see who's in White...

 

[Red Rick]

Rmn Krzgr

 

[perico]

Re: Re:

Well if he gets to the point where he can only do top 5 in the Tour then competing for a Giro win is 100% the better option.

That would makes it even sadder though that he wasted one of his peak years - 2015, on the Giro.

"For of all sad words of tongue or pen..."

Contador didn't look "peak" to me at the 2015 Giro, HITCH. Landa and Aru both had him dead-to-rights, despite each doing horrible time trials.

One more mountain stage, and Contador would have finished 3rd. Also, if Astana had shifted to backing Landa midrace, Landa would have beaten AC outright. The last "peak" Contador I saw was in 2011. One could argue the end of 2014, although I'm not sure.

Yeah after Contador absolutely tore the doors off the race after starting stage 15 mountain a minute behind.

Yeah, I'll try this one more time, PERICO:

One more mountain stage, and Contador would have finished 3rd. Also, if Astana had shifted to backing Landa midrace, Landa would have beaten AC outright.

I doubt that. Had Astana backed Landa outright, Contador wouldn't have wasted energy chasing Aru.

#2 and if there was one more TT, Contador would've won by 10 minutes. He obliterated the contenders (including Porte) in the first one, and still wasn't 100% after the crash. You can't just say "if there was one more Mtn stage, Landa would've won" because it's all speculative.

#3 the stage I mentioned above,where he flatted before the Motirillo, Katusha attacked and he started at a 1 minute deficit, was one of the best climbing performances of recent years, if not by watts, then by spectacle and achievement alone.

 

[sir fly]

Re:

Rmn Krzgr

Ramon Krizeguer?!

 

[Cance > TheRest]

Missed the stage today. How many riders were in the GC group in which Alberto finished today? And how is he looking for tomorrow's big day of Pyrenees climbs?

 

[ILovecycling]

Re: Re:

I hope that he was in the back of the group because he wanted to conserve energy,I hope it wasnt because he was on the edge.

Vamos Albertooooooo!

From the stage’s finish, Alberto explained his strategy for the stage. "Today I had to be extremely conservative, something that is completely atypical to my style of racing. However today was a simple appetizer to what will take place tomorrow. The goal now is to recover and tackle these two days on the Pyrenees, with our sights set on the rest of the Tour.”

Looking back on the day’s racing, Alberto was pleased with how the strategy for the day worked out. “Although the stage had just one climb, the pace was high throughout the day. It also was a climb with strong winds. Despite the headwind, the average speed was high and that combined with the heat took its toll on some riders, so I decided to go to the back of the group. It's true that this change in rhythm can create gaps but on the other hand you ride well protected from the wind. My body welcomed that and it saved the day for me.”

It sounds like he went to the back intentionally and it saved him a lot of energy. Unless of course he is bluffing.....

ohh,Im getting my hopes too high again

 

[lenric]

Tomorrow's stage is weird. I just checked the profile and noticed the first climb is Col du Tourmalet. Why wasn't it the last one? It would be better...

Anyway, tomorrow's the real test. Way harder stage. But I also don't think tomorrow's gonna be overly decisive by a lot of reasons, such as the last summit being 16 kms away from the finish line. But it will be hard for Contador for sure.Let's just hope that he can hang on with ease.

 

[Red Rick]

Yeah, Tourmalet is almost never the final climb for some reason. Are the villages at the bottom (or the valleys not populous enough) to come up with enough money for a downhill finish?

 

[Tonton]

Re:

Yeah, Tourmalet is almost never the final climb for some reason. Are the villages at the bottom (or the valleys not populous enough) to come up with enough money for a downhill finish?

A Tourmalet MTF of downhill to Campan (or Ste Marie de Campan) would work if the next stage begins in Bagneres de Bigorre, which is another 30km or so down the valley.

 

[roundabout]

or using the finish from today

 

[Gigs_98]

Re:

Yeah, Tourmalet is almost never the final climb for some reason. Are the villages at the bottom (or the valleys not populous enough) to come up with enough money for a downhill finish?

Well, as you might know, Aspin and Tourmalet are directly next to each other so you could also finish at the Lac de Payolle after the Tourmalet. Besides that you could finish in Bagneres de Bigorre just like in 2008 when the final climb was also the Aspin.

Besides that you could maybe do a downhill finish in La Mongie, a skiing station 4 km below the top of the Tourmalet on the eastern side of the pass. There were some mtf's there and in theory you could climb the west side of the Tourmalet and then finish after 4 km of descent.

 

[Red Rick]

Ok, thanks. I'm kinda tired of seeing that climb never raced properly that I kinda want to see an MTF to the observatory high above the pass, just to be done with it and not use it again for the next 5 years.

 

[Poursuivant]

http://cyclingtips.com/2016/07/tinkov-in-tv-interview-valverde-is-jealous-of-contador-europeans-dont-know-how-to-do-business/

Valverde is jealous of Contador says Tinkoff, he claims Bertie told him.

 

[Jelantik]

Re: Re:

I hope that he was in the back of the group because he wanted to conserve energy,I hope it wasnt because he was on the edge.

Vamos Albertooooooo!

From the stage’s finish, Alberto explained his strategy for the stage. "Today I had to be extremely conservative, something that is completely atypical to my style of racing. However today was a simple appetizer to what will take place tomorrow. The goal now is to recover and tackle these two days on the Pyrenees, with our sights set on the rest of the Tour.”

Looking back on the day’s racing, Alberto was pleased with how the strategy for the day worked out. “Although the stage had just one climb, the pace was high throughout the day. It also was a climb with strong winds. Despite the headwind, the average speed was high and that combined with the heat took its toll on some riders, so I decided to go to the back of the group. It's true that this change in rhythm can create gaps but on the other hand you ride well protected from the wind. My body welcomed that and it saved the day for me.”

It sounds like he went to the back intentionally and it saved him a lot of energy. Unless of course he is bluffing.....

ohh,Im getting my hopes too high again

ow not yet, not yet. It will be disappointing if he fails . I would take it cautiously day by day. Just take his word as is. He is not signaling any better feeling or anything. Just explaining he was at the back to help his body sheltered from the wind. Tomorrow? that's the million dollar question.. :lol: