Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[hrotha]

Don't worry, there's room for everyone in the Landa thread. You know it makes sense

 

[arvc40]

Re:

Don't worry, there's room for everyone in the Landa thread. You know it makes sense

He's like watching a pair of eyebrows racing along.

 

[arvc40]

Last time I saw Froome Zig zagging like that Contador had dropped him in 14 Dauphine.

 

[movingtarget]

Re:

Contador dig deep today, good for him. His acceleration was pretty useless and certainly nobody else interested in following or counter. Maybe ? That would have been a good move today but Sky still strong at that point and climb soft compared to that last wall to the line. He shows fight but so he should, that's his job. Many other riders have to fight like that, like him they don't win much either.

Not really an attack. Maybe just testing his body and it probably told him something he didn't want to hear. Maybe the hip injury is hampering him. I thought he was going to hang on cause he was riding near the front.

 

[Electress]

Re: Re:

Maybe, or perhaps they would have blown up like Contador. I think you take a 25-30 second advantage on a day that was 99% controlled by the Sky train.

And that's exactly what's wrong with cycling right now. Thank god Alberto is different.

It is certainly wrong with cycling. But I think the problem is mostly the strength of the Sky train, not the fact that the other challengers arent going on suicide-type attacks.

And we've seen many times that this train can only be derailed by attacking

Sure, but you don't attack when there is still a longish 6-7% average climb left to come. Aru had the right idea I think on PdBF and again today. Attack when the gradients are steep and so drafting is of little help.

I can't help but feel Contador was playing up to his reputation a bit. Surely he didn't think he could really do anything with that attack today.

I don't care if he was. Maybe he was just bored. I know I was.

 

[PPAR-delta]

Did Contador sign his contract extension yet? If not, I suspect this will be his last year of racing. Maybe he should abandon and get ready for his final swan song ... the 2017 Vuelta.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Be ready for the Quintana-Contador collab tomorrow, they said!

 

[PhiberAwptik]

Re:

Don't worry, there's room for everyone in the Landa thread. You know it makes sense

I have been waiting for Landa to be the next great, when he is allowed to, and can produce the individual performance.....I will be there.

Kind of funny how he left Astana being the number one man for Aru while celarly stronger, and now he is the number one man for Froome.

 

[Simurgh]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/contador-to-focus-on-tour-de-france-stage-wins-after-second-mountains-defeat/

I must admit I have a hard time imagining him not trying to hang on until blowing up like today, but he seems to have accepted, or at least recognized that GC is definitely over. It could be fun seeing him in the morning break

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/contador-to-focus-on-tour-de-france-stage-wins-after-second-mountains-defeat/

I must admit I have a hard time imagining him not trying to hang on until blowing up like today, but he seems to have accepted, or at least recognized that GC is definitely over. It could be fun seeing him in the morning break

Interesting interview, thanks for sharing Vamos Alberto!

 

[HelloDolly]

Does anyone think that maybe Contador is too skinny
two things I am not buying
1. its all or mostly down to the crashes...Dan Martin had 2 terrible crashes and was up there today.....But the crashes didn't help I suppose
2. that Contador is fully past it....Maybe for a Tour v Sky/Dumoulin/Bardet/Aru but I still think he could be there for a Vuelta or a Giro

Only a few months ago he was racing these guys and coming 2nd ..I know it was over one week but we are only half through the Tour
Valverde would probaby be struggling f he was still in the Tour... I know he is younger but Uran has been around a long tiem yet he has had a miraculous return to form... And looks to me every bit as strong as Froome, Bardet & Aru at the moment

Contador just needs not to panic and try and find what is at the bottom of this off the cliff fall in form ....Dropped by Bennett :redface:

 

[rick james]

he's not to skinny, he's just been in the game a long time been at the top from nearly the very start and now he's fading, no shame in that, age catches up to everyone

 

[Red Rick]

It's strange that Contador is the only major contender who's probably riding worse in the GTs than in the spring stage races. Furthermore, he's gotten less and less explosive, and his endurance hasn't gotten that much greater considering his best climbs of the last 2 seasons have been 12-16 minute efforts and his best stages have been super short.

 

[Climber123]

Re:

he's not to skinny, he's just been in the game a long time been at the top from nearly the very start and now he's fading, no shame in that, age catches up to everyone

Sure, but in this case he faded a bit too much from Apr to Jun compared to ALL the others. Something ain't right. He was beating everyone bar Valverde Feb-Mar now Bennet and Meintjies smokes him? Sorry, something has gone amiss, somewhere.

 

[DFA123]

Re:

he's not to skinny, he's just been in the game a long time been at the top from nearly the very start and now he's fading, no shame in that, age catches up to everyone

Yep. He's been declining pretty steadily for the last two years, ever since his Giro win. For such a long term decline, spread over two different teams, it surely just has to be down to his age.

 

[HelloDolly]

Re:

he's not to skinny, he's just been in the game a long time been at the top from nearly the very start and now he's fading, no shame in that, age catches up to everyone

who is talking about shame ?
plus I guess you dint read what I wrote when I said he was flying against these guys a few months ago....that is some fast past it journey

You can think what you like but Contador himself was looking for a return to form by the Alps so he obviously believes he is not past it....and he is not an idiot

I only hope he never reads this thread

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

he's not to skinny, he's just been in the game a long time been at the top from nearly the very start and now he's fading, no shame in that, age catches up to everyone

Sure, but in this case he faded a bit too much from Apr to Jun compared to ALL the others. Something ain't right. He was beating everyone bar Valverde Feb-Mar now Bennet and Meintjies smokes him? Sorry, something has gone amiss, somewhere.

Maybe he had to peak in the spring to be competitive at his age now, whereas previously he could win those races with his base level. And he was hoping somehow to maintain that through to the Tour, but he just can't sustain it.

 

[Climber123]

There is no way that someone who is past it would have done what he did in Paris-Nice this year. Not a chance.

 

[rick james]

he's crashed a few times and getting old, what is hard for folk to understand about that?

 

[Climber123]

Re: Re:

he's not to skinny, he's just been in the game a long time been at the top from nearly the very start and now he's fading, no shame in that, age catches up to everyone

Sure, but in this case he faded a bit too much from Apr to Jun compared to ALL the others. Something ain't right. He was beating everyone bar Valverde Feb-Mar now Bennet and Meintjies smokes him? Sorry, something has gone amiss, somewhere.

Maybe he had to peak in the spring to be competitive at his age now, whereas previously he could win those races with his base level. And he was hoping somehow to maintain that through to the Tour, but he just can't sustain it.

He has always looked to peak in spring, rest and build to a peak again. This is nothing new for him.
And spring 2017 was one of his best and consistent efforts ever.

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

he's not to skinny, he's just been in the game a long time been at the top from nearly the very start and now he's fading, no shame in that, age catches up to everyone

Sure, but in this case he faded a bit too much from Apr to Jun compared to ALL the others. Something ain't right. He was beating everyone bar Valverde Feb-Mar now Bennet and Meintjies smokes him? Sorry, something has gone amiss, somewhere.

Maybe he had to peak in the spring to be competitive at his age now, whereas previously he could win those races with his base level. And he was hoping somehow to maintain that through to the Tour, but he just can't sustain it.

He has always looked to peak in spring, rest and build to a peak again. This is nothing new for him.
And spring 2017 was one of his best and consistent efforts ever.

Yeah, that's kind of what I mean. He did his usual peak for the spring, but at his age that's taken too much out of him. He can't then reach the second peak. I think the Vuelta last year falls into the same category; he just doesn't have the gas any more to reach top form so often each year.

 

[Climber123]

Re: Re:

he's not to skinny, he's just been in the game a long time been at the top from nearly the very start and now he's fading, no shame in that, age catches up to everyone

Sure, but in this case he faded a bit too much from Apr to Jun compared to ALL the others. Something ain't right. He was beating everyone bar Valverde Feb-Mar now Bennet and Meintjies smokes him? Sorry, something has gone amiss, somewhere.

Maybe he had to peak in the spring to be competitive at his age now, whereas previously he could win those races with his base level. And he was hoping somehow to maintain that through to the Tour, but he just can't sustain it.

He has always looked to peak in spring, rest and build to a peak again. This is nothing new for him.
And spring 2017 was one of his best and consistent efforts ever.

Yeah, that's kind of what I mean. He did his usual peak for the spring, but at his age that's taken too much out of him. He can't then reach the second peak. I think the Vuelta last year falls into the same category; he just doesn't have the gas any more to reach top form so often each year.

If it's true then he should try and do one peak for Giro next year. Train through spring races like Nibali. One last glorious effort.

 

[lenric]

Re: Re:

he's not to skinny, he's just been in the game a long time been at the top from nearly the very start and now he's fading, no shame in that, age catches up to everyone

who is talking about shame ?
plus I guess you dint read what I wrote when I said he was flying against these guys a few months ago....that is some fast past it journey

You can think what you like but Contador himself was looking for a return to form by the Alps so he obviously believes he is not past it....and he is not an idiot

I only hope he never reads this thread

Which, in itself, is pretty meaningless, since you don't know if Contador was at 90% and Quintana, for example, was at 70%.
So, as you can see, close performance between 2 riders at a given moment of the year won't necessarily be the same in July.

 

[portugal11]

I can't understand him... he was looking great with 8 km to the finish line... he wasn't even grimacing!!

 

[portugal11]

Tomorrow is his day!! Short and brutal stage