Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[Blanco]

Great performance by Alberto! It almost felt like good old times. Hopefully he'll win his stage at this year's race. Who knows, maybe he will try some crazy long range attack?

Oh, he will try tomorrow for sure, hopefully he'll be smart on Saturday and wait for Angliru, if he goes from far on that stage it's game over.

And when did he played smart? Of course he's going from far out on Saturday, I'm hoping already from Cobertoria. He wants the whole thing, he raced like that his whole career, so why would he change that on his last real stage. He doesn't want a stage, or a podium. If they come, good. Excellent! But he wants a real deal, he wants to go as one of the greats, and today he saw that he can drop them all. The temptation is just too big, I'm banking on him to go from a far!

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

Trek could have helped Bora and Astana chase down the breakaway, at least on the flat bits. Great ride today, didn't think he could keep up that tempo to the end.

Yes it is a little disappointing All it would have taken was 3 or 4 big pulls on the flat probably

 

[telencefalus]

don't worry for contador not winnig the sage he will give his all to win one of the three remaining stage , i think he wants to win the very last one on angliru

 

[LaFlorecita]

Great performance by Alberto! It almost felt like good old times. Hopefully he'll win his stage at this year's race. Who knows, maybe he will try some crazy long range attack?

Oh, he will try tomorrow for sure, hopefully he'll be smart on Saturday and wait for Angliru, if he goes from far on that stage it's game over.

And when did he played smart? Of course he's going from far out on Saturday, I'm hoping already from Cobertoria. He wants the whole thing, he raced like that his whole career, so why would he change that on his last real stage. He doesn't want a stage, or a podium. If they come, good. Excellent! But he wants a real deal, he wants to go as one of the greats, and today he saw that he can drop them all. The temptation is just too big, I'm banking on him to go from a far!

Maybe I'm a little selfish but I just want to experience the joy of seeing him win one last time, and I want him to experience it as well, he really deserves it after so many close calls this year but if he attacks from far on Saturday, of course he won't win on Angliru, he'll blow up. It's likely anyway, but almost inevitable if he goes on Cobertoria

 

[ruby]

i guess you don't watch Alberto for consistency- in this race alone there has often been a 'good' day followed by a ahem-'recovery' day, so i'm trying to enjoy the fun parts without expecting a podium- just to see him in this form after the last few tours is great

 

[Puccini]

Re:

Great performance. Best climbing performance since Ordizia or Courchevel '14

But let's wait till Angliru. The past years he performs better on really steep, somewhat shorter climbs and in TT's, then on long hard climbs. So maybe he will get dropped by the likes of Lopez and Nibali on Saturday.

But he leaves through the front door for sure. And that's the only way to end for such a great champion.

All the 2014 season was exceptional with Tirreno, Pais Vasco, Dauphiné or Vuelta a España .... several days of Giro 2015 and the prologue of Dauphiné 2016...but maybe the level of today is style 2014, yes keep it until Madrid everything can happen

(someone should offer a few million euros for him to continue at least in 2018 ... his level is exceptional)

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

Great performance. Best climbing performance since Ordizia or Courchevel '14

But let's wait till Angliru. The past years he performs better on really steep, somewhat shorter climbs and in TT's, then on long hard climbs. So maybe he will get dropped by the likes of Lopez and Nibali on Saturday.

But he leaves through the front door for sure. And that's the only way to end for such a great champion.

All the 2014 season was exceptional with Tirreno, Pais Vasco, Dauphiné or Vuelta a España .... several days of Giro 2015 and the prologue of Dauphiné 2016...but maybe the level of today is style 2014, yes keep it until Madrid everything can happen

(someone should offer a few million euros for him to continue at least in 2018 ... his level is exceptional)

He could have gotten those euros from Trek... he's made his decision, unfortunately for us, and he seems to be happy with it.

 

[telencefalus]

as i said his form is improving , at letour the crashes were limitating him , i tought that he would have been in contention at le tour but stage 9 ruined his plan , maybe now he are seeing his real level in gt this year , just like Nairo Quintana last year

 

[Amazinmets87]

Re:

i guess you don't watch Alberto for consistency- in this race alone there has often been a 'good' day followed by a ahem-'recovery' day, so i'm trying to enjoy the fun parts without expecting a podium- just to see him in this form after the last few tours is great

I wish he would have ridden Giro Vuelta from 2015 onwards. He would have faced derision for ducking the tougher competition at the Tour, but it would have been worth it to challenge Merckx's record, albeit unofficially.

I'm also naive to the economic feasibility of such a schedule. I'm assuming a top riders presence at the Tour is far more lucrative for sponsors

 

[Puccini]

Re: Re:

Great performance. Best climbing performance since Ordizia or Courchevel '14

But let's wait till Angliru. The past years he performs better on really steep, somewhat shorter climbs and in TT's, then on long hard climbs. So maybe he will get dropped by the likes of Lopez and Nibali on Saturday.

But he leaves through the front door for sure. And that's the only way to end for such a great champion.

All the 2014 season was exceptional with Tirreno, Pais Vasco, Dauphiné or Vuelta a España .... several days of Giro 2015 and the prologue of Dauphiné 2016...but maybe the level of today is style 2014, yes keep it until Madrid everything can happen

(someone should offer a few million euros for him to continue at least in 2018 ... his level is exceptional)

He could have gotten those euros from Trek... he's made his decision, unfortunately for us, and he seems to be happy with it.

Yes, yes....
I know the story (thank you)
But many doubted their ability and we are verifying that at the moment its level is almost similar to 2014.
In how many stages has he attacked? .... really his only two "failures" have been Andorra (disease) and the TTT teams.

Some powerful sponsor should DOUBLE the economic offer and would certainly be "profitable" and a luxury for all fans.
Greetings and encouragement!

 

[LaFlorecita]

http://www.velonews.com/2017/09/vuelta-a-espana/contadors-storybook-ending-just-falls-short_447485

“It’s truly a pity that I couldn’t win the stage,” Contador said at the line. “It was a good stage, but even more so because my legs responded when I attacked.”
“These are the best legs I’ve had so far in this Vuelta,” Contador said. “When I got out of the saddle, the bike took off. I knew which wheel I had to follow, and that was López. When he jumped, I was a little bit behind, and when I caught up to him, I decided to go alone. I knew that no one would be attacking with as much conviction as I would be.”
"The podium? It’s closer, but still far. He took back a lot of time, so we are close and far at the same time,” Contador said. “I want to win, but I am also a realist. I have riders and rivals ahead of me who are very strong. Things can always happen, but it’s complicated.”

 

[telencefalus]

don't know if someone post it but Tomorrow stage has same 45 km of fuente de stage

 

[Jagartrott]

Great to see him going out on a (relative) high. After stage 3, I and many feared he would have a dreadful last race, but fortunately we were completely wrong.

 

[Angliru]

Re: Re:

Anyways, probably what Contador did today won't change anything, no stage win, and no movement in GC either.

Just a waste of energy. I hope he doesn't waste more energy tomorrow so he has at least a remote chance of winning on Saturday.

He gained time on all of his rivals in the gc. I really wouldn't call that a waste of energy. He was instrumental in putting Froome and some of his opponents in the hurt locker to limit their losses. They all know how dangerous he can be and just the thought of him being up the road creating havoc has to be not only physically draining but mentally as well. I think from our own personal perspectives we may see some of his actions as wasteful but for him it's just racing and enjoying these last few days as a professional. His idea of enjoying himself is being on the attack seeing what can happen as a consequence. He is ending his career striking fear into his rivals because they don't know if they might blow up or make a mistake (ala Froome's 2 consecutive crashes in a fit of panic) in their efforts to contain him. I can imagine that all the support that he receives on these final mountainous climbs gives him extra strength to push harder.

 

[Angliru]

Re: Re:

This is better than many other stage wins. It was epic and he actually properly smoked the other GC guys.

Yep. And considering he hasn't won a stage this year, it's comfortably his best and most memorable performance of the season for me.

He put a minute into Froome on a GT mountain stage. That doesn't happen every day.

His attack in Paris-Nice this year was easily more memorable. If he had won here, this would have just edged it out, but when you strip it of all the emotional value it was just a 2nd row GC contender attacking on the final climb with a breakaway rider staying away. That happens quite often, what he did in Paris-Nice was one of a kind.

I'm looking at it as the race within the race. No, he did not win the stage but the race between his gc rivals, he busted all of their derrieres. Many talk of riders being conservative to protect their gc positions and if that was the case then they all failed miserably. Contador may not have changed his gc position but he has put a sense of panic into all of his rivals with today's performance if he wasn't doing that already. He has multiple times altered the landscape of a race either to his own advantage with an ultimate victory or by way of creating chaos that left what seemed like a definite victory for a rival, making it into a vastly disappointing defeat.

 

[Forever The Best]

He will win the Vuelta without a stage win.
Probably not, but I should be optimist.

 

[Puccini]

Re:

don't know if someone post it but Tomorrow stage has same 45 km of fuente de stage

Those three consecutive (historical) Colladas are lost for Alberto ... there is no respite and he knows it from very young to perfection; in a way and especially without heat and rainy weather can be a perfect scenario to continue reducing its difference with the leader... and perhaps to eliminate rivals.

It can be very similar to the stage of Paris - Nice of the last day in which so many times he has attacked (at least in 3 or 4 editions)
Stages very interesting the one of Santo Toribio .....

 

[telencefalus]

Re: Re:

don't know if someone post it but Tomorrow stage has same 45 km of fuente de stage

Those three consecutive (historical) Colladas are lost for Alberto ... there is no respite and he knows it from very young to perfection; in a way and especially without heat and rainy weather can be a perfect scenario to continue reducing its difference with the leader... and perhaps to eliminate rivals.

It can be very similar to the stage of Paris - Nice of the last day in which so many times he has attacked (at least in 3 or 4 editions)
Stages very interesting the one of Santo Toribio .....

SEEMS promising , don't have too hype you could be disappointed

 

[Angliru]

Great performance by Alberto! It almost felt like good old times. Hopefully he'll win his stage at this year's race. Who knows, maybe he will try some crazy long range attack?

Oh, he will try tomorrow for sure, hopefully he'll be smart on Saturday and wait for Angliru, if he goes from far on that stage it's game over.

And when did he played smart? Of course he's going from far out on Saturday, I'm hoping already from Cobertoria. He wants the whole thing, he raced like that his whole career, so why would he change that on his last real stage. He doesn't want a stage, or a podium. If they come, good. Excellent! But he wants a real deal, he wants to go as one of the greats, and today he saw that he can drop them all. The temptation is just too big, I'm banking on him to go from a far!

Maybe I'm a little selfish but I just want to experience the joy of seeing him win one last time, and I want him to experience it as well, he really deserves it after so many close calls this year but if he attacks from far on Saturday, of course he won't win on Angliru, he'll blow up. It's likely anyway, but almost inevitable if he goes on Cobertoria

I don't think it's selfish, because ultimately that's what he wants also but as someone else posted I'm just happy that he's going out with guns blazing, leaving nothing on the road. Like Sinatra sang: "I did it my way!"

 

[Matteo.]

I'm still sorry that He has not won. maybe it was the last chance

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

I'm still sorry that He has not won. maybe it was the last chance

Same. Still really disappointed, I don't think I'll sleep well tonight. Last night it suddenly hit me that there were only 5 stages left in his career and as you can imagine, it didn't make me very happy

 

[telencefalus]

Re: Re:

I'm still sorry that He has not won. maybe it was the last chance

Same. Still really disappointed, I don't think I'll sleep well tonight. Last night it suddenly hit me that there were only 5 stages left in his career and as you can imagine, it didn't make me very happy

why be so disappointed , his last 3 true stages will be a good show be positive

 

[Matteo.]

Re: Re:

I'm still sorry that He has not won. maybe it was the last chance

Same. Still really disappointed, I don't think I'll sleep well tonight. Last night it suddenly hit me that there were only 5 stages left in his career and as you can imagine, it didn't make me very happy

I recognize that in the last few days I did not care much about his whitdrawal, thinking it was a natural thing . But this show reminded me that he will leave an unmistakable void.
So sad

 

[Arredondo]

Re: Re:

I'm still sorry that He has not won. maybe it was the last chance

Same. Still really disappointed, I don't think I'll sleep well tonight. Last night it suddenly hit me that there were only 5 stages left in his career and as you can imagine, it didn't make me very happy

At least it's better to retire while showing you're best climbing legs in 3 years, then to retire the way he rode in, for example, the Tour.

I mean, for sure he can still fight for the win in races like PN, Tirreno, Pais Vasco and Catalunya. And for us fans it would be great to have him still around in '18. Also in the GT's, where we need some guerilla against the Sky-train.

But maybe for himself, it's the best way to retire.

 

[lenric]

He didn't win the stage, but imo he won something more important: confidence by dropping everyone battling for GC.

His endurance/stamina may not be half of what it was some years ago, but maybe he can throw one last roar some days from now.
I know it is really unlikely that he can win this Vuelta.. even in his prime it would be. It's no easy feat to win almost 3 minutes on Froome, but one can only dream.