Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

Well I guess we can hope for a good TT, but it looks like the podium is now out of reach. Maybe drop some time and go for a stage win now?
In any case, he has tried and animated the race more than the other favorites.
One more week until retirement....

Where is DFA when we need him? How could Contador, with all his experience, make such a big mistake in his attempt to finish on the podium? He lost all hope now!

 

[LaFlorecita]

Damn. I really need to find a next gen rider to cheer for. The masochism of being an AC fan in 2017 (in GTs). Heart of a champion, as always. No risk, no reward. But I wonder if he'd abandoned his champion's heart and stayed tucked in the bunch, would Lopez have gained so much? Zakarin? Would he have held on to Froome's wheel instead of coughing up 41 seconds?

That is not how he is. He went all in to try and win time and perhaps the stage. It backfired, but I don't think he regrets it.
Damn, imagine how dreadful this stage would have been if Alberto hadn't attacked.

 

[Red Rick]

Damn. I really need to find a next gen rider to cheer for. The masochism of being an AC fan in 2017 (in GTs). Heart of a champion, as always. No risk, no reward. But I wonder if he'd abandoned his champion's heart and stayed tucked in the bunch, would Lopez have gained so much? Zakarin? Would he have held on to Froome's wheel instead of coughing up 41 seconds?

That is not how he is. He went all in to try and win time and perhaps the stage. It backfired, but I don't think he regrets it.
Damn, imagine how dreadful this stage would have been if Alberto hadn't attacked.

It would've been a #Wattsbazooka from MAL in the last 2km.

 

[Matteo.]

Re: Re:

Well I guess we can hope for a good TT, but it looks like the podium is now out of reach. Maybe drop some time and go for a stage win now?
In any case, he has tried and animated the race more than the other favorites.
One more week until retirement....

Where is DFA when we need him? How could Contador, with all his experience, make such a big mistake in his attempt to finish on the podium? He lost all hope now!

You are agree with me, am i right? He ###### everything today

 

[Climber123]

Yeah, Bertie went all in and lost some. This Superman person better be the real deal

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

Well I guess we can hope for a good TT, but it looks like the podium is now out of reach. Maybe drop some time and go for a stage win now?
In any case, he has tried and animated the race more than the other favorites.
One more week until retirement....

Where is DFA when we need him? How could Contador, with all his experience, make such a big mistake in his attempt to finish on the podium? He lost all hope now!

The tactics were right today imo to finish on the podium; if he could have stayed with Lopez he'd have been in with a decent shout of finishing 3rd overall - possibly even threatening Nibali with a good TT. But unfortunately he cracked hard when Lopez turned on the gas. He did quite well in the last km to limit his losses to just 30 seconds though I think.

Top 3 looks very difficult now though, with Lopez so strong and Nibali/Zakarin with a healthy advantage. Hopefully he'll keep fighting though.

 

[Red Rick]

Today we witnessed an old warrior determined to die with sword in hand.

 

[Matteo.]

Re:

Yeah, Bertie went all in and lost some. This Superman person better be the real deal

I told you this morning

 

[Climber123]

Re: Re:

Well I guess we can hope for a good TT, but it looks like the podium is now out of reach. Maybe drop some time and go for a stage win now?
In any case, he has tried and animated the race more than the other favorites.
One more week until retirement....

Where is DFA when we need him? How could Contador, with all his experience, make such a big mistake in his attempt to finish on the podium? He lost all hope now!

You are agree with me, am i right? He ###### everything today

Jip conservative riding and he was on with a shot. Now its gone.

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

Well I guess we can hope for a good TT, but it looks like the podium is now out of reach. Maybe drop some time and go for a stage win now?
In any case, he has tried and animated the race more than the other favorites.
One more week until retirement....

Where is DFA when we need him? How could Contador, with all his experience, make such a big mistake in his attempt to finish on the podium? He lost all hope now!

You are agree with me, am i right? He ###### everything today

Jip conservative riding and he was on with a shot. Now its gone.

I disagree with that. Lopez went at the same time and had catapulted himself as a probably favourite for the podium now. I think the tactics were fine; Contador has to take time back somewhere if he wants to finish 3rd - and the TT alone against Zakarin and Nibali probably won't be enough. He just doesn't have the legs to make the podium it seems.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

His Lion Heart is Strong, but the legs betray him yet again. But he was a Lion until the end, always trying to gain the win. Age it gets all of them

Indeed. It is good to see him fighting till the end. It's the reason so many people love him.

Contador deserved much better today...

He deserved much better on so many occasions this year... unfortunately that doesn't earn him anything except respect and pity.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

Well I guess we can hope for a good TT, but it looks like the podium is now out of reach. Maybe drop some time and go for a stage win now?
In any case, he has tried and animated the race more than the other favorites.
One more week until retirement....

Where is DFA when we need him? How could Contador, with all his experience, make such a big mistake in his attempt to finish on the podium? He lost all hope now!

The tactics were right today imo to finish on the podium; if he could have stayed with Lopez he'd have been in with a decent shout of finishing 3rd overall - possibly even threatening Nibali with a good TT. But unfortunately he cracked hard when Lopez turned on the gas. He did quite well in the last km to limit his losses to just 30 seconds though I think.

Top 3 looks very difficult now though, with Lopez so strong and Nibali/Zakarin with a healthy advantage. Hopefully he'll keep fighting though.

His chances for a podium, with the TT still ahead, would have been much better if he stayed with the Sky group. Won't you ever admit you were just wrong?

 

[portugal11]

Re: Re:

Well I guess we can hope for a good TT, but it looks like the podium is now out of reach. Maybe drop some time and go for a stage win now?
In any case, he has tried and animated the race more than the other favorites.
One more week until retirement....

Where is DFA when we need him? How could Contador, with all his experience, make such a big mistake in his attempt to finish on the podium? He lost all hope now!

Don't feed him... he is always bashing contador because his favourite rider has a inferiority complex about contador

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

Well I guess we can hope for a good TT, but it looks like the podium is now out of reach. Maybe drop some time and go for a stage win now?
In any case, he has tried and animated the race more than the other favorites.
One more week until retirement....

Where is DFA when we need him? How could Contador, with all his experience, make such a big mistake in his attempt to finish on the podium? He lost all hope now!

You are agree with me, am i right? He ###### everything today

No, I don't. I was sarcastic. He rode as he always does, with his heart, all or nothing, death or glory. Podium is not his goal, his goal is GLORY.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

Well I guess we can hope for a good TT, but it looks like the podium is now out of reach. Maybe drop some time and go for a stage win now?
In any case, he has tried and animated the race more than the other favorites.
One more week until retirement....

Where is DFA when we need him? How could Contador, with all his experience, make such a big mistake in his attempt to finish on the podium? He lost all hope now!

Don't feed him... he is always bashing contador because his favourite rider has a inferiority complex about contador

Valverde? It does explain DFA's obsession with riding for the podium, after all Valverde has made a career out of that. I guess secretly he's just jealous Contador is willing to leave everything on the road and Valverde isn't

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

Well I guess we can hope for a good TT, but it looks like the podium is now out of reach. Maybe drop some time and go for a stage win now?
In any case, he has tried and animated the race more than the other favorites.
One more week until retirement....

Where is DFA when we need him? How could Contador, with all his experience, make such a big mistake in his attempt to finish on the podium? He lost all hope now!

The tactics were right today imo to finish on the podium; if he could have stayed with Lopez he'd have been in with a decent shout of finishing 3rd overall - possibly even threatening Nibali with a good TT. But unfortunately he cracked hard when Lopez turned on the gas. He did quite well in the last km to limit his losses to just 30 seconds though I think.

Top 3 looks very difficult now though, with Lopez so strong and Nibali/Zakarin with a healthy advantage. Hopefully he'll keep fighting though.

His chances for a podium, with the TT still ahead, would have been much better if he stayed with the Sky group. Won't you ever admit you were just wrong?

Well yes, but that's only because his legs were bad today. In hindsight, seeing how he capitulated, it would have been better to wait in the peloton - but that wouldn't have really helped him claim 3rd place either. Today showed that the podium is very unlikely whatever he did - because Lopez looks much stronger and Froome/Nibali/Zakarin have a healthy lead and will TT pretty much as well, if not better, than Contador.

He had to try to take time to make the podium - and given how Angliru and Machucos don't really suit his style nowdays, it was correct to go for it today imo.

 

[portugal11]

Re: Re:

Well I guess we can hope for a good TT, but it looks like the podium is now out of reach. Maybe drop some time and go for a stage win now?
In any case, he has tried and animated the race more than the other favorites.
One more week until retirement....

Where is DFA when we need him? How could Contador, with all his experience, make such a big mistake in his attempt to finish on the podium? He lost all hope now!

Don't feed him... he is always bashing contador because his favourite rider has a inferiority complex about contador

Valverde? It does explain DFA's obsession with riding for the podium, after all Valverde has made a career out of that. I guess secretly he's just jealous Contador is willing to leave everything on the road and Valverde isn't

Yes. It is beyond me how can anyone thinks that the best strategy to threat the podium isn't riding like zaka, keldermann and chaves rode today

 

[Red Rick]

Not this again....

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

Yes. It is beyond me how can anyone thinks that the best strategy to threat the podium isn't riding like zaka, keldermann and chaves rode today

That was the best strategy for Zakarin and Kelderman, because they are already in or close to the podium positions. They could afford to be more conservative. Riders like Contador and Lopez - who are further back - have to take a few more risks if they are going to make up the ground they need to. For Lopez it worked out superbly, for Contador it backfired badly - but their tactic was essentially the same. Simply one rider was much stronger than the other.

 

[Carols]

Re: Re:

Well I guess we can hope for a good TT, but it looks like the podium is now out of reach. Maybe drop some time and go for a stage win now?
In any case, he has tried and animated the race more than the other favorites.
One more week until retirement....

Where is DFA when we need him? How could Contador, with all his experience, make such a big mistake in his attempt to finish on the podium? He lost all hope now!

You are agree with me, am i right? He ###### everything today

No, I don't. I was sarcastic. He rode as he always does, with his heart, all or nothing, death or glory. Podium is not his goal, his goal is GLORY.

Like the riders of days gone by Death or Glory!!!!! F**** podiums, go for it all!

 

[Cance > TheRest]

Zakarin's TT is generally really overrated, but whatever. Assuming that Alberto had maintained status quo with his direct competitors for the podium today, then there is little doubt that the real threat for the podium would have been Lopez, the best climber of the race and more than decent time trialist.

 

[Matteo.]

Re: Re:

Well I guess we can hope for a good TT, but it looks like the podium is now out of reach. Maybe drop some time and go for a stage win now?
In any case, he has tried and animated the race more than the other favorites.
One more week until retirement....

Where is DFA when we need him? How could Contador, with all his experience, make such a big mistake in his attempt to finish on the podium? He lost all hope now!

You are agree with me, am i right? He ###### everything today

No, I don't. I was sarcastic. He rode as he always does, with his heart, all or nothing, death or glory. Podium is not his goal, his goal is GLORY.

his goal is glory .... well, why he is not so glorious? so,he has won everything, he has done extraordinary racing ... I do not see what else he has to prove (my only criticisms are the double tried too late and not have never true seriosly the classics but it is another speech).
however, today he did not run well for me. I like every kind of attack but cycling is not a circus after all. a little serious goal you must always have. it was just podium to be tempted ... now there is nothing left. only others suicide attacks. my opinion do not offend

 

[skippo12]

Re:

Zakarin's TT is generally really overrated, but whatever. Assuming that Alberto had maintained status quo with his direct competitors for the podium today, then there is little doubt that the real threat for the podium would have been Lopez, the best climber of the race and more than decent time trialist.

He once had a great time trial in the Tour of Romandie and has been below average for a GC guy since.

 

[LaFlorecita]

@Matteo
If that is your opinion, that's fine, you're entitled to it. But I prefer to see him riding like this rather than hanging on like all others in the hopes of securing a podium position. His riding is like a breath of fresh air.

 

[Carols]

Re: Re:

Well I guess we can hope for a good TT, but it looks like the podium is now out of reach. Maybe drop some time and go for a stage win now?
In any case, he has tried and animated the race more than the other favorites.
One more week until retirement....

Where is DFA when we need him? How could Contador, with all his experience, make such a big mistake in his attempt to finish on the podium? He lost all hope now!

You are agree with me, am i right? He ###### everything today

No, I don't. I was sarcastic. He rode as he always does, with his heart, all or nothing, death or glory. Podium is not his goal, his goal is GLORY.

his goal is glory .... well, why he is not so glorious? so,he has won everything, he has done extraordinary racing ... I do not see what else he has to prove (my only criticisms are the double tried too late and not have never true seriosly the classics but it is another speech).
however, today he did not run well for me. I like every kind of attack but cycling is not a circus after all. a little serious goal you must always have. it was just podium to be tempted ... now there is nothing left. only others suicide attacks. my opinion do not offend

Because he thinks like a Champion. Most mere mortals don't understand it. Like all the greats it is better to try to win and fail, than not to try!