Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[Serpentin]

Re:

https://twitter.com/albertocontador/status/925377606593208321

For those interested in the magazine, here is a link to purchase the digital or regular edition:
http://motorpress.suscripcionesrevistas.es/producto/especial_albertocontadorD
http://motorpress.suscripcionesrevistas.es/producto/especial_albertocontador

Must have a copy, thanks!

 

[HelloDolly]

At Rouler Classic

https://www.facebook.com/pg/Polartec/videos/?ref=page_internal

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

At Rouler Classic

https://www.facebook.com/pg/Polartec/videos/?ref=page_internal

Cool thanks

In other news
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/contador-and-basso-present-polartec-kometa-continental-squad-news-shorts/?utm_content=buffer57c84&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

 

[LaFlorecita]

Nice video about Shanghai criterium:
https://twitter.com/TrekSegafredo/status/927176413123305473

 

[Red Rick]

Re:

Nice video about Shanghai criterium:
https://twitter.com/TrekSegafredo/status/927176413123305473

Wasn't dancing on the pedals on the ramp to the podium. Clearly struggling. Retired just on time

 

[HelloDolly]

Re: Re:

Nice video about Shanghai criterium:
https://twitter.com/TrekSegafredo/status/927176413123305473

Wasn't dancing on the pedals on the ramp to the podium. Clearly struggling. Retired just on time

He put on abut 20 lbs in as many days ....looks more like his brother now

Still think like Riis, Contador had another year or 2 in him

 

[LaFlorecita]

Berto actually says he is the same weight now as before his retirement but with less muscle and more fat

 

[jens_attacks]

...and he set a new record on his test climb. Duh.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Hands up if you thought we'd ever see Berto in his jammies

https://twitter.com/albertocontador/status/929096629004783616

 

[LaFlorecita]

New signings for Polartec-Kometa, yet to be officially announced:
Dutch climber Kevin Inkelaar
Eritrean Awet Habtom
Colombian MTBer Wilson Steven Peña

That would make 7 nationalities, 8 if rumored Albanian-Italian rider Xhuliano Kamberaj joins as well.
http://cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/team.asp?year=2018&teamcode=PKO

 

[May0maniac]

Habtom is a great talent, this year he was pretty much thrown to the wolves, the Gio del Trentino was his first race in Europe, a hard race with a strong field and pretty low temperatures (morning frost), he finished 75th on gc, that was actually a decent result., on the final stage he finished 37th in a group with Cataldo, Cattano and Montaguti. Maybe this team will be a better fiit for a young rider like him who still has to get used to riding in Europe.

 

[cellardoor]

Re:

Habtom is a great talent, this year he was pretty much thrown to the wolves, the Gio del Trentino was his first race in Europe, a hard race with a strong field and pretty low temperatures (mourning frost), he finished 75th on gc, that was actually a decent result., on the final stage he finished 37th in a group with Cataldo, Cattano and Montaguti. Maybe this team will be a better fiit for a young rider like him who still has to get used to riding in Europe.

Mourning Frost is a great name for a doom metal band. I'd copyright that if I was you.

 

[LaFlorecita]

New signings for Polartec-Kometa, yet to be officially announced:
Dutch climber Kevin Inkelaar
Eritrean Awet Habtom
Colombian MTBer Wilson Steven Peña

That would make 7 nationalities, 8 if rumored Albanian-Italian rider Xhuliano Kamberaj joins as well.
http://cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/team.asp?year=2018&teamcode=PKO

No, Kamberaj will join the U23 team. The Conti team will consist of the following 11 riders: Gazzoli, Moschetti, Sevilla, Camacho, Canton, Ballesteros, Habtom, Ries, Gamper, Inkelaar, Peña.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Interesting to see UCI president Lappartient support Berto's idea to establish a budget cap

 

[Carols]

Re:

Interesting to see UCI president Lappartient support Berto's idea to establish a budget cap

It's a good idea, cap by Team not rider. It would certainly add more parity across the teams!

 

[ice&fire]

Still, nothing would prevent star riders from getting extra income for advertising goods and/or services from brands external to the team and not involved in cycling sponsoring.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08_HIWuacUk

If they want to set a salary cap by team they'd need to pay attention to these sort of loopholes.

 

[hrotha]

Re: Re:

Interesting to see UCI president Lappartient support Berto's idea to establish a budget cap

It's a good idea, cap by Team not rider. It would certainly add more parity across the teams!

Or it could further increase the gap between the stars and the vast majority of riders. It's tricky and the UCI has to be very careful if they want to regulate this without creating even bigger problems.

 

[Leinster]

Re: Re:

Interesting to see UCI president Lappartient support Berto's idea to establish a budget cap

It's a good idea, cap by Team not rider. It would certainly add more parity across the teams!

Or it could further increase the gap between the stars and the vast majority of riders. It's tricky and the UCI has to be very careful if they want to regulate this without creating even bigger problems.

It may or may not turn out that way. But the teams where the big star demands the big fee will then struggle to provide the top quality domestiques.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

Interesting to see UCI president Lappartient support Berto's idea to establish a budget cap

It's a good idea, cap by Team not rider. It would certainly add more parity across the teams!

Or it could further increase the gap between the stars and the vast majority of riders. It's tricky and the UCI has to be very careful if they want to regulate this without creating even bigger problems.

Maybe raise the minimum salary as well
I tend to agree with Leinster, yes domestiques on teams with big stars would get offered less, but then they could move to another team.

 

[Gigs_98]

Re: Re:

Interesting to see UCI president Lappartient support Berto's idea to establish a budget cap

It's a good idea, cap by Team not rider. It would certainly add more parity across the teams!

Or it could further increase the gap between the stars and the vast majority of riders. It's tricky and the UCI has to be very careful if they want to regulate this without creating even bigger problems.

Maybe raise the minimum salary as well
I tend to agree with Leinster, yes domestiques on teams with big stars would get offered less, but then they could move to another team.

This. If a team throws massive amounts of money on some stars they won't have enough money left to convince other strong riders to rather stay with them as domestiques than move to another team where you can be a leader. Right now we have the ridiculous situation of WT teams with something like 5 riders who are all bigger stars than the biggest star of another WT team.
I'm also not 100% sure how exactly to execute a budget cap but just saying "it's not gonna work, teams will find ways around it" is no real argument. After all there are sports where budget caps exist and where it works fine.
Ofc making the cap too low means that there is a danger that riders won't earn enough money, so I'd still make it a bit higher than the lowest budget of the World tour. That would mean that teams still don't have 100% equal chances but at least it makes it impossible for teams like Sky to use guys like Thomas, Poels, Landa or Moscon as domestiques. Sure they get their own chances in a few races but other riders as good as them get a whole team and a schedule 100% focused on them.

 

[yaco]

I am more along the lines of setting a cap which lists the maximum you would spend - Thinking a figure of around 22m Euros - So under this scenario probably around 3 to 5 teams would pay 22m, while the rest would probably pay between 12 to 21m This way you have less of a gap between the rich and the poor.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

I am more along the lines of setting a cap which lists the maximum you would spend - Thinking a figure of around 22m Euros - So under this scenario probably around 3 to 5 teams would pay 22m, while the rest would probably pay between 12 to 21m This way you have less of a gap between the rich and the poor.

That is what Berto suggested

 

[yaco]

Re: Re:

I am more along the lines of setting a cap which lists the maximum you would spend - Thinking a figure of around 22m Euros - So under this scenario probably around 3 to 5 teams would pay 22m, while the rest would probably pay between 12 to 21m This way you have less of a gap between the rich and the poor.

That is what Berto suggested

Great minds think alike.

 

[amih77]

Does anyone knows Alberto's results in his 2 recent running races he participated in?

 

[staubsauger]

Since Contador is scheduled as a special guest for tomorrow's Giro route presentation and given Vegni is talking about surprises on the start list: Any chance Contador actually races the Giro for Israel Cycling Academy after all!?