Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[ferryman]

I am touring in Scotland and just heard the news... it is good I am busy! congrats to grande Campeon, one of the very best I have witnessed in the last 50+ years! Long may his Legend live on to inspire new cyclists. He will be sorely missed

Hi Carols, I tried to PM you but not sure it worked. Jist of it was, hope you are enjoying Scotland and if you are passing near to North Queensferry, I would be delighted to meet up and buy you a coffee/lunch and talk all things Alberto North Queensferry is just under the rail/road bridges about 8 miles from Edinburgh airport

Wow sorry I missed this,i've been off line! Last night I was at the Tattoo, awesome, and left Edinburg this am. now I'm just outside Inverness, heading tk Skye by tomorrow pm. so sorry to have missed your Kind Offer!

To my shame as an Edinburgher, I've never been to the Tattoo You will love Skye My Mum was born not far from Inverness, so I love it up there The offer stands if you are passing near NQ on your way South Enjoy, but look oot for the midges on Skye

 

[Electress]

Even for a rider and fighter like Contador, it must get harder and harder to sacrifice for one more win - he's won so much after all. I have wondered whether what happend to Porte this tour, and the crashes AC has had recently, have also taken their toll on his motivation and mental energy needed to continue. And perhaps there are family reasons we'll not know about. He spent a long time living in a place he didn't much like, and even though he's moved back to Pinto, the amount of time away from family must get wearing.

Whatever - I only hope he won't disappear. He's been a big inspiration for me.

 

[Scarponi]

So the final mountain of his career is going to be the feared Angrilu. Hopefully he rides with some good form, it will be sad to see him struggle up it when he destroyed it 9 years ago. If he is out of GC contention this is the one mountain I want to see him win, having Angrilu twice on your palmares would be amazing.

 

[Red Rick]

Cmon. Everyone knows he's gonna attack like a madman on the Cobertoria, Nibali will join in on the descent, they'll ride to the finish together, where Contador will gift Nibali the GC (Contador wins the stage) in exchange for the promise that Nibali will not retire before he's made cycling great again.

 

[arvc40]

Re:

Even for a rider and fighter like Contador, it must get harder and harder to sacrifice for one more win - he's won so much after all. I have wondered whether what happend to Porte this tour, and the crashes AC has had recently, have also taken their toll on his motivation and mental energy needed to continue. And perhaps there are family reasons we'll not know about. He spent a long time living in a place he didn't much like, and even though he's moved back to Pinto, the amount of time away from family must get wearing.

Whatever - I only hope he won't disappear. He's been a big inspiration for me.

How motivated he looks will depend on how high Sky can keep the Watts.

 

[perico]

A beautifully written tribute (in French)

http://chroniqueduvelo.fr/dernier-bal-pistolero/

 

[Red Rick]

I could smell the beauty coming from google translate. Thanks for that.

 

[lenric]

I'd really like to see him wearing 2 red jerseys a couple of weeks from now. It's a wishful thinking and it will hardly happen, but one can only hope. Going out with a bang.

 

[contador922]

Father time is un-defeated. I think Alberto's consistency has let him down in the last 3 years and it's too much for him to overcome to win a grand tour. He mentioned a record time up a climb before the 2017 Tour, yet he looked like he was under-trained at the Dauphine, yet strong in the early season. Contador inspired me to mimic his actions because the video was incredible. It inspired me to ride up the steepest hills in my area, as fast as I can, just pretending I was him, looking over my shoulder and leaning hard to the left with every downstroke. I was alone on the hill but had one image in my mind to ride like Alberto.

 

[lenric]

He may have been strong in spring, but was he strong in absolute terms, of relatively speaking?
Because it's one thing to be as strong in the spring as in the Tour, but a completely different thing to be stronger than your competition in spring just because they are at a much lower level than they will be in the TDF.

 

[arvc40]

I love all this old father time stuff. Contador looks ok apart from when he faces top competition at the Tour when they all have the same agenda, which is to win and not just to prepare.

Something caught up with him but it was not old father time.

He consistently shows he can not handle the high intensity that Froome and Porte can. He just starts melting and that's because he does not have the Physiological ability they do.

That's not to say he cant win any given race, but he has bad days just like Porte and its usually on the first uphill battle.

 

[LaFlorecita]

You keep repeating that but it's just your opinion, not a fact.

 

[Red Rick]

Contador was good on PdbF. I'm hanging on to that till the day the Vuelta goes uphill.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

Contador was good on PdbF. I'm hanging on to that till the day the Vuelta goes uphill.

Didnt look particular good to me - he was largely saved by the tactical play in the flat section altho he recovered well.

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

Contador was good on PdbF. I'm hanging on to that till the day the Vuelta goes uphill.

Didnt look particular good to me - he was largely saved by the tactical play in the flat section altho he recovered well.

Please, leave a man to his delusions, one last time.

 

[LaFlorecita]

I have no hopes for la Vuelta. Although uni-climb stages should suit him the short steep finishes definitely will not and neither will the long flat TT.
I would be delighted if he could win a stage.

 

[arvc40]

Re:

You keep repeating that but it's just your opinion, not a fact.

Your right, its not a fact. I will have a look at some facts about each stage of Tour since 2011. See if I can come up with some excuses that will sit well with posters here.

 

[Climber123]

Re:

I have no hopes for la Vuelta. Although uni-climb stages should suit him the short steep finishes definitely will not and neither will the long flat TT.
I would be delighted if he could win a stage.

Flo, wouldn't you consider a podium finish realistic? He can't be worse than last year surely.

 

[Red Rick]

According to Koen de Kort, Contador's shape is fine head of the Vuelta. He was part of the CN podcast where they discussed Contador's impending retirement.

 

[hazaran]

:lol: not this game again. Where is the mysterious retired pro riding with Contador on climbs afar saying he's going "extremely well"?

Or was that Quintana. Can't keep track of the excuses.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

:lol: not this game again. Where is the mysterious retired pro riding with Contador on climbs afar saying he's going "extremely well"?

Or was that Quintana. Can't keep track of the excuses.

I've never heard of that

 

[Red Rick]

If you can't keep track, then please go ahead and stop bothering.

and FYI, I think you're referring to quote's about Quintana from before the Tour.

 

[Ariane]

Re:

According to Koen de Kort, Contador's shape is fine head of the Vuelta. He was part of the CN podcast where they discussed Contador's impending retirement.

Also, according to Koen de Kort, although he - (Koen de Kort) has ridden in many teams, Alberto was one of the best leaders he has ridden for who really knew how to motivate his 'troops'. There were a few questions raised about this under the ghastly Tinkoff's 'reign'.

 

[Tonton]

Well, let's just hope that Contador gets in the mix, the course isn't bad for him. His TdF performance wasn't great though. I don't see much and hope that he will target a couple of stages, go crazy...GC wise, and I hope I'm wrong, I can't see it.

 

[Ikbengodniet]

Why are you all so pessimistic? Because of his tour performance? Too many race days?