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Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

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No_Balls

Jul 30, 2009
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Re: Re:

Red Rick said:
LaFlorecita said:
Interesting comment from Unzue, apparently in 2010 Alberto had agreed to a contract with Movistar, but because the prolongation with Movistar as a sponsor was delayed, Alberto chose Saxo instead.
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So many what ifs. However, how long would that have lasted?

Contador, Quintana and Valverde seems too much on one team, especially considering Movistar's budget isn't all that big. Also, that must've been before the positive came out.
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Lol Valverde and Contador in the same team would have worked sooo well :rolleyes:
 
Gigs_98

Gigs_98

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Re:

Valv.Piti said:
They need to bring back that climb in TdF, Rui Costa and Valverde demolished the field before the real ascent had even started! That was such a scary pace and Purito really went for it, beautiful stage.
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A bit off topic but that result basically shows why people dislike the last two tours so much. Even though the gc wasn't always close the mountain stages were at least raced properly which led to results like only 4 riders within 2 minutes although attacks only happened on the last climb. I looked at the Izoard stage from this year for comparison and there you had 15 riders within 2 minutes.
 
Red Rick

Red Rick

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Re: Re:

Gigs_98 said:
Valv.Piti said:
They need to bring back that climb in TdF, Rui Costa and Valverde demolished the field before the real ascent had even started! That was such a scary pace and Purito really went for it, beautiful stage.
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A bit off topic but that result basically shows why people dislike the last two tours so much. Even though the gc wasn't always close the mountain stages were at least raced properly which led to results like only 4 riders within 2 minutes although attacks only happened on the last climb. I looked at the Izoard stage from this year for comparison and there you had 15 riders within 2 minutes.
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I don't think that climb is that special. What happened on those climbs is they started faster than they could do the whole climb. What happens is people either drop super early to ride their own pace, or they hang on until they blow up, and only a select few haven't been blown up by the time the last elite domestique lets go. Sky used to do this when Froome was the strongest. Now they do the reverse thing, ride a negative split (biggest effort at the end of a stage) which suits Froome best when he's not dominant, minimizes any chance of blowing up, keeps the train intact for super long, etc.

I think the super aggro approach does work best on easier starting parts of the climb, as that's the place where you can't really go ride your own pace as air resistance is still so important.

The whole kamikaze climb approach happened once this year. Quintana won, and only 5 riders finished within 2 minutes of him.
 
Valv.Piti

Valv.Piti

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I agree the climb wasn't anything special, but every MTF was ridden that way in 2013 either by Sky or Movistar. Riding reverse splits like Sky has done recently is really something of the most boring racing imaginable - look how most part of the Angliru almost got neutralised. That has obviously also something to do with Nibali not having legs, Lopez already being dropped, Contador being up the road in the first place, but apart from Contador it was actually a pretty dreadful climb.

Still its a genuinely hard MTF, very comp able to Alpe d Huez, a little steeper and shorter.
 
Serpentin

Serpentin

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Long time lurker here for many years, finally I have registrered. I got to see Alberto in the San Sebastian race in 2016 and he didn`t look relaxed at all. But to see him race in person was a big thing for me as I have been a fan since 2005. So happy that he got to go out in style with the beautiful victory on Angliru. But I would have liked one more season with giro vuelta double. Feel a little bit empty now and it`s a long time until the spring races. Thank you Alberto!
 
S

Singer01

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casati said:
Carols said:
Dedelou said:
Alberto thrilled me for ten years and all the way to his last race. I am grateful I was witness to his amazing career. I watched cycling for a very long time. I cheered lots of great up close along hundreds mountain stages in the past 60 years. Nobody enchanted me like he did when he climbed up those tough slopes, flying with style, dancing on the pedal off the saddle, determined to win. Humbled by losses, he remained always generous winner. I will miss his presence in the peloton. My love for cycling remains even as my heros seem to dwindle and i see them go one by one. I hope that in some way, Alberto's legacy will touch some young ones who might in the future remind us of his presence by embodying his spirit imitating his style. Good bye, then.. we are fortunate we saw him racing
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I completely understand.

Pantani is the only one to engender the same level of enchantment and awe as the Great Alberto Contador.


There is a hole in my cycling life today, I know I will move on, but will Never Forget the Great One!
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I certainly understand, I have been riding and following cycling for over 35 years, My favorite is Anquetil, Contador ( the great one) is a close second, I will miss him immensely. No one quite like him
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Wasn't he the total opposite to the likes of Contador and Pantani? Any why would your favourite be someone you never saw cycle? Not being snarky, just curious.
 
LaFlorecita

LaFlorecita

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LaFlorecita said:
https://twitter.com/Laura_Meseguer/status/907673504954376194
https://twitter.com/BorjaCuadrado/status/907667462975639553
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DJjEZmjWAAImv7R.jpg
 
bob.a.feet

bob.a.feet

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Puccini said:
Red Rick said:
perico said:
To be fair, Hernandez had his moments as a good helper. He wasn't always completely useless. He was pretty good with Astana and was about the only help he had in the 2014 Vuelta on the climbs.
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Didn't he get a random top 10 on the Ancares?
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http://www.procyclingstats.com/race/Tour_de_France_2013_Stage_20_Le_Semnoz
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Almost every rider in that results list is still at around the same level as they were 4 years ago (apart from the retired riders obviously), and then there is Kreuziger. Feel sorry for him he pretty much never got near that level in a GT again
 
lenric

lenric

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Re:

LaFlorecita said:
https://twitter.com/albertocontador/status/907684767549870080 Jarlinson <3
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That was touching. Less than a year together, yet they have developed such a close relationship.

Also, it's nice to see one more time how friendly was the environment at Trek. When you don't have a dumbass as a team manager (whether what comes out of this mouth is right or wrong), it's always way easier for the riders to work at their best level.
 
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Electress

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Re: Re:

lenric said:
LaFlorecita said:
https://twitter.com/albertocontador/status/907684767549870080 Jarlinson <3
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That was touching. Less than a year together, yet they have developed such a close relationship.

Also, it's nice to see one more time how friendly was the environment at Trek. When you don't have a dumbass as a team manager (whether what comes out of this mouth is right or wrong), it's always way easier for the riders to work at their best level.
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It is very pleasing how Olga's accusations have been so thoroughly demolished by what we've seen at Trek. Though, quite frankly, from what I've seen, any team with Market Irizar in it would struggle to be anything but friendly and fun. He seems to have a really infectious sense of humour.
 
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No_Balls

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On the same note as Lauras article. I like this one:

Cycling can be a monotonous sport, and the best rider in the world today is a robotic dude who stares at a power meter. Contador’s dominant career is an affront to the idea that steady, machinelike riding is the only way to be a winning cyclist. He spent his entire career bobbing and weaving above his handlebars, ripping away from his opponents with some of the most vicious and sudden attacks the sport has ever known, and punishing those who would try to keep pace with him. The sport is losing a star who, to some, represents the last vestiges of an evil era that the sport needed to move on from. But that’s not Contador’s most prominent legacy. He’s a true bike racer, a risk taking madman in a sport that’s growing more staid. Cycling won’t be the same..
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https://www.google.se/amp/deadspin.com/alberto-contador-was-one-of-cyclings-last-cowboys-1802946701/amp
 
Carols

Carols

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No_Balls said:
On the same note as Lauras article. I like this one:

Cycling can be a monotonous sport, and the best rider in the world today is a robotic dude who stares at a power meter. Contador’s dominant career is an affront to the idea that steady, machinelike riding is the only way to be a winning cyclist. He spent his entire career bobbing and weaving above his handlebars, ripping away from his opponents with some of the most vicious and sudden attacks the sport has ever known, and punishing those who would try to keep pace with him. He’s a true bike racer, a risk taking madman in a sport that’s growing more staid. Cycling won’t be the same..
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+100

Sigh, the cycling I've known and loved for decades may have died on Sunday.

But there is hope, Nibali is no robot and a youngster with 'the goods' may show up :).
 
Carols

Carols

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jsem94 said:
Gigs_98 said:
Don't really know where to put this but I just had a laugh when I was watching the GCN video about Contador's bike for the Vuelta, where Daniel Lloyd translated "querer es poder" as "love is power" :lol:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VhPLCKqHEs&t=21s
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That was funny as hell.

New profile picture after about six years. Was about time, and couldn't think of a more fitting one.
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Nice new avatar :)
 
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