Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[movingtarget]

I think his tour team will be fine. Pantano will be a superb domestique in the mountains, who knows what happens with Mollema but if he also has to help Alberto he will be a great support too, Zubeldia is still a descent climber and who knows, maybe the old Arredondo also returns. I think Felline will do Giro-Vuelta, although he would be a great rider to have in your team. The biggest problem of the team is probably Degenkolb who will want a few riders for him. However we are still "only" talking about Degenkolb. He isn't Cavendish or Kittel, his team doesn't have to control stages and Giant also didn't do that much work this year. I think the biggest strength of his team might be the flat. I'm surprised nobody mentioned Stuyven, since I assumed he will be in the team again for sure, and he is a great rider on the flat. Same counts for guys like Brandle or Theuns. Personally I really hope for a crosswind stage

Pantano was always on the attack or in the break in this year's Tour so not sure how valuable he will be as a domestique. The might let him do the same thing next year as it got them a stage win and a few close calls for another one.

 

[movingtarget]

Re: Re:

So Matt White who is a smart DS has already decided in September to send Chaves and both the Yates to the Tour without knowing the routes for any of the GT's next season? Yeah I don't buy it[/quote]

Maybe it has nothing to do with the route. It is more about seeing how the young riders cope against the best in the high pressure of the Tour. Yates did very well this year at his first attempt. Time for Chaves to see Quintana and Froome at their best hopefully. Chaves has already podiumed the Giro and Vuelta so it's a natural progression to see how he copes.

 

[gregrowlerson]

Re:

it's done finally :
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/contador-signs-for-trek-segafredo/

but aiming at the TdF...

they better start grabbing some good helpers...

So this constitutes as a "surprise" for Alberto

Wonder how he would describe Michelle Cound jumping out of his birthday cake then

 

[Pricey_sky]

If you want to discuss the Orica team for next years Tour you can do, but please do it in the recently bumped Orica thread and not in the Contador thread.

 

[Matteo.]

and so only the Tour. Again, Tour Tour Tour. I hope he knows well what he is doing(in the sense, actually he believes he can win again?) . I fear an anonymous race in France.
If Froome and Quintana strive only for Tour (avoiding Gito) will also be hard to podium

 

[webvan]

Re: Re:

De Jongh comes from Sky and knows their methods. Contador has his training data & race data. Comparing that with Froome's timing can easily tell if he is going to be competitive or not. He has won multiple times all GTs. So that cant be really a motivation. What he mostly likely wants to do is defeat Froome at his strongest at the TDF which he has never done and which would be good challenge and motivation. That he never had a good chance at that except 2014 would be frustrating for him and he probably wants a good go at Froome. Plus Froome is at 3 TDFs

Exactly, can't see anything else being a real motivation to keep going...well of course he and his family/entourage can always use the money but he wouldn't be doing it just for that.

 

[KyoGrey]

51 A. Contador
52 B. Mollema
53 J. Degenkolb
54 K. De Kort
55 F. Felline
56 M. Irizar
57 J. Pantano
58 J. Stuyven
59 D. Theuns

With Jesusito in the backseat and maybe ¿Zubeldia?

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

51 A. Contador
52 B. Mollema
53 J. Degenkolb
54 K. De Kort
55 F. Felline
56 M. Irizar
57 J. Pantano
58 J. Stuyven
59 D. Theuns

With Jesusito in the backseat and maybe ¿Zubeldia?

Let's see if they'll sign some more riders. And perhaps one of the youngsters will turn out to be an incredible climber.

 

[Walter Morgan]

Contador
Mollema
Stetina
Felline
Pantano
Stuyven
De Koert
Degenkolb
Irizar/Rast/Brandle ???

This would be a good team to support Alberto? And Degenkolb.

 

[Miburo]

Time to win the tour next year and retire.

Only videos and dreams will be left of the man.

 

[DanielSong39]

Hoping for a Cadel Evans-like swansong. One more Tour victory; high showings at the Giro and/or the Vuelta and a well-deserved retirement.

Until he goes Vino, that is...

 

[jens_attacks]

Re:

So did you guys hear Quintana talking to Froome and "subtly" criticizing Contador (while Froome nodded politely, probably not fully understanding what Quintana was saying)?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LeLJcCYThE&feature=youtu.be&t=1525
(25:25)

You can't make out much of what Quintana says, but the words "He made his team attack and blow everything up and then he was left without teammates to defend himself" and "You can't blame anyone else for your mistakes, know what I mean?" are crystal clear.

the charisma of a peanut


bring back riccardo ricco

 

[jens_attacks]

Re:

51 A. Contador
52 B. Mollema
53 J. Degenkolb
54 K. De Kort
55 F. Felline
56 M. Irizar
57 J. Pantano
58 J. Stuyven
59 D. Theuns

With Jesusito in the backseat and maybe ¿Zubeldia?

and bauke will do his own race...
if you go with this team to win the tour, you must be crazy sorry...

vamos por il giro

 

[Taxus4a]

If there is a TTT in le Tour, the team could be good with Irizar, Rast, Degenkolb, Brandle, Stetina ad Styuven, but not a superteam, The same for the mountains

But Contador got to get a good contract, the one of a possible Tour winner, so he must be happy,maybe was the only team who could or want to pay that big money

 

[Oliver]

Re: Re:

51 A. Contador
52 B. Mollema
53 J. Degenkolb
54 K. De Kort
55 F. Felline
56 M. Irizar
57 J. Pantano
58 J. Stuyven
59 D. Theuns

With Jesusito in the backseat and maybe ¿Zubeldia?

and bauke will do his own race...
if you go with this team to win the tour, you must be crazy sorry...

vamos por il giro

It will be nice if Bauke does the Giro instead.

 

[King Boonen]

Contador to dom for Mollema then...

 

[buchanan]

Re: Re:

So did you guys hear Quintana talking to Froome and "subtly" criticizing Contador (while Froome nodded politely, probably not fully understanding what Quintana was saying)?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LeLJcCYThE&feature=youtu.be&t=1525
(25:25)

You can't make out much of what Quintana says, but the words "He made his team attack and blow everything up and then he was left without teammates to defend himself" and "You can't blame anyone else for your mistakes, know what I mean?" are crystal clear.

the charisma of a peanut


bring back riccardo ricco

Didn't Contador complain that Movistar didn't help chase down Chaves? I guess Quintana was responding to those comments by saying it was Contador/Tinkoff's own fault - rather than Movistar's problem.

 

[Wallenquist]

Contador will ride Lombardia and Abu Dhabi

 

[LaFlorecita]

Abu Dhabi hope he gets a big bag of money for it at least

 

[Alexandre B.]

Good news for Lombardia.

I hope he will go back to hillier one-day races. He always had the talent to do better here.

 

[Jspear]

Re:

Contador will ride Lombardia and Abu Dhabi

Has he said if he's going to be competitive?....or try to be.

 

[Wallenquist]

Re: Re:

Contador will ride Lombardia and Abu Dhabi

Has he said if he's going to be competitive?....or try to be.

When was the last race where he wasn't competitive?

 

[boasson]

Re: Re:

Contador will ride Lombardia and Abu Dhabi

Has he said if he's going to be competitive?....or try to be.

When was the last race where he wasn't competitive?

Vuelta a Espana 2016

 

[webvan]

To his credit he took some nasty tumbles and a lesser rider would probably have gone home. Not sure what impact it had at the end when he got dropped but it certainly can't have helped.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Really? He wasn't competitive at the Vuelta?