contador could be the greatest of all time

[Descender]

I'm hesitating between "no" and "no", but to be honest I think I'll go with "no".

 

[moi123]

People who just say 'NO', don't want to even think about it. If he gets a 2 year ban and quits cycling or never returns to his top form, I'd say no. However he's a great already. Can he become the greatest of all time? Things change fast, so it's unpredictable in a way. My feeling says he can, but a lot depends on others..

It's always hard to compare cyclists from a different era, different times, a different competition. Some things of the past can never be done in modern cycling anno 2011.

Alberto Contador Velasco is cycling's last hope...

 

[luckyboy]

Think AC could be the first rider to win two of every GT.

Edit: Ah yeah, Hinault has done that.

 

[warmfuzzies]

Alberto Contador Velasco is cycling's last hope...

I disagree. For every race, there will be a champion. All cycling needs to turn the page on Contador is a GT without Contador. Fan standards are quite low in this sport - witness the masses that believe Armstrong/Contador are great champions rather than cynical cheats.

 

[The Hitch]

Fan standards are quite low in this sport .

What? In cycling? And what sports would you nominate as having a higher standard of fans?

 

[Ramira]

For me there's a simple way to decide this:

Contador: 6 (including this Giro) GT's 0 Monuments
Merckx: 11 GT's 19 Monuments

Until Contador beats Eddy in at least one of these categories this question shouldn't even be asked.

 

[Parrulo]

i just laugh when people compare merckx era with the current era of cycling. it's just sad that people can't see how much the sport has changed.

and if those people trully believe that merckx could win P-R and a GT on this era well they are just delusional

btw i am not saying that contador is or can be the best ever nor am i saying that merchx was and always will be the best ever. in fact i trully dislike the expression "best ever"

 

[roundabout]

You can only beat the people that you're riding against.

Anything else is guesswork.

 

[Flamin]

i just laugh when people compare merckx era with the current era of cycling. it's just sad that people can't see how much the sport has changed.

and if those people trully believe that merckx could win P-R and a GT on this era well they are just delusional

btw i am not saying that contador is or can be the best ever nor am i saying that merchx was and always will be the best ever. in fact i trully dislike the expression "best ever"

Yep. Even a Giro-Tour or Tour-Vuelta double would be an absolute out-of-this-world-achievement nowadays.

 

[Señor_Contador]

He's 29 years old.

He's got 3 TdF.

He's got 2 GdI.

He's got 1 VaE.

I think he's definitely going to break the 10 GT mark.

Now, as far as "best ever" goes... that's an oxymoron I will not comment any further on.

 

[will10]

He's 29 years old.

He's got 3 TdF.

He's got 2 GdI.

He's got 1 VaE.

I he's definitely going to break the 10 GT mark.

Now, as far as "best ever" goes... that's an oxymoron I will not comment any further on.

You'll excuse me for taking the opinion of someone with the username "Señor_Contador" with a pinch of salt.

He could lose two peak years and never win another GT after June, we just don't know.

 

[luckyboy]

The most he will lose is 17 months, or maybe only 5.

 

[Marva32]

I have to agree with those that say it is difficult to compare riders from different eras. But, I would have to say that riders who specialize in a few races a year don't compare to those riders who perform well all season.

 

[Señor_Contador]

You'll excuse me for taking the opinion of someone with the username "Señor_Contador" with a pinch of salt.

He could lose two peak years and never win another GT after June, we just don't know.

It's just an opinion. My opinion.

 

[md2020]

If he doesn't have to sit in a "time out" for the next two years I would say it's possible for him to be one of the greatest ever. I think the doping controls of the past few years have made the gains more marginal and the results are at least a little more believable. Personally, I wouldn't count any GT win (from anyone) between the mid 90's until probably 2009 when making a list of best ever.

 

[goggalor]

Everything's impossible until someone's good enough to do it.

 

[Mishrak]

Contador is the first rider I've seen that I actually believe he has a chance at winning all three GT's in a year. It would be an unbelievable accomplishment, but I think he can do it. He's been so dominant in the Giro, and assuming he's allowed to ride the Tour, he'd be definitely a Top 3 favorite to win that. The Vuelta would almost be an afterthought.

Having said that, 3 GTs in the same year is absoultey brutal, with just barely a month's time between each one to recover. I don't really know if it can be done, but I'd like to see Contador try.

Greatest ever? If he wins 3 GT's in the same year, or wins a few more of each in a few years, I think we can include him in that conversation. But no one will ever accomplish what Eddy Merckx was able to do. So "Greatest Ever" may be a mantle that stays with Merckx.

 

[robertocarlos]

I find it hard to compare.
Merckx rode in a different time. Back then it was possible to be up there in all terrains, provided the talent was there.

Nowadays racing is so specialized. The guys going for the cobbles are built for the cobbles, their level is very high in modern day cycling. Same goes for the GT men, and even the hilly classics, tho it seems this area less then the others. But yeah, we wont see a guy ever dominate like eddy did. The fact of the matter is racing has progressed and reached a very high level over the years. If eddy rode nowadays he wouldn't do what he did 30-40 years either...

That being said, AC has potential to be the greatest stage racer ever.
However with the whole steak incident, his career will always have doubts cast over it. Not attempting to bring clinic issues in this thread, nor am I suggesting the doubts are plausible, but simply doubters and controversy have developed from the last 12 months.

well not big enough of a shadow. i think mercks case is a worst scenario but not that many cycling fans talk about it. I do agree with you on the specialization department. today some riders could claim to be the best at; but not the best.

 

[CatsNK]

+1. I am not a huge fan of the guy, but if he takes TdF as well as Giro, I would have to root for him at the Vuelta. He's also still young - he's got a few years left at least, barring injury.

Contador is the first rider I've seen that I actually believe he has a chance at winning all three GT's in a year. It would be an unbelievable accomplishment, but I think he can do it. He's been so dominant in the Giro, and assuming he's allowed to ride the Tour, he'd be definitely a Top 3 favorite to win that. The Vuelta would almost be an afterthought.

Having said that, 3 GTs in the same year is absoultey brutal, with just barely a month's time between each one to recover. I don't really know if it can be done, but I'd like to see Contador try.

Greatest ever? If he wins 3 GT's in the same year, or wins a few more of each in a few years, I think we can include him in that conversation. But no one will ever accomplish what Eddy Merckx was able to do. So "Greatest Ever" may be a mantle that stays with Merckx.

 

[Descender]

You can only beat the people that you're riding against.

Anything else is guesswork.

Are you a Rod Laver fan? He said something to that extent using the word "guesswork" too.

 

[khardung la]

If the question is if Contador is better than Merckx, Hinault, Indurain...yes. He is a more perfect "human machine" and can ride faster than those others in the total of a 3 weeks race. If we are talking about achievements he is far from Merckx and probably will never reach him.

 

[The_Mikester]

If the question is if Contador is better than Merckx, Hinault, Indurain...yes.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! AM I hearing this? If The Great One raced like they do today (picking and choosing part of the year) then he would still be winning! Yes, Lance would still be on that bike winning! Whoops... I mean The Really Great One!

Y'all are freakin me out, man!

 

[rzombie1988]

Contador will never be better than Eddy but if he wins all 3 GT's in a year and can get a medal, he'd have some bragging rights against him.

 

[c&cfan]

Contador will never be better than Eddy but if he wins all 3 GT's in a year and can get a medal, he'd have some bragging rights against him.

why? you guys are real funny...

you guys pick gimondi merckx and Mr roubaix as the best ever and forget that those 3 were the only ones wining in those days (weak competition, amateurs comparing to these riders). the same days were only ONE KIND OF CYCLIST EXISTED. all rounders. they were all "merckx". between them, the best won (or maybe he wasn't even the best...we know about all the "help" he had).

today we have sprinters TTers cobble specialists puncheurs grimpeurs GT racers one week racers etc.

if a guy like merckx was riding today, with the best training and even the best drugs against the rest, like he had in the days, 0 wins. beated by conti, canc, cav, gilbert, boonen etc. right now the complete riders are mostly stage racers , and contador is following the path to be the best ever "complete" rider very quickly.

no opinion, no tastes. just facts. talking about palmares is hilarious and i justified why. trying to compare a era of just all rounders against these perfect human machines? pathetic. them you have competition... the average rider after 1980\90 is much more stronger. this isn't about just endurance races anymore when the guy with the hardest life wins because the others end races almost dead. not only that, there isn't the gap of quality in products today like existed in merckx era. others using alcohol anphetamines and steroids and merckx using that plus all the top notch drugs. only he was busted.. again, some fanboyism here is pathetic.

to the ones with this excuse:

"he only used that single product at the end of his career". if you believe that and are coherent, you also believe in mussew, armstrong, basso's excuse (he was going to use..but he didn't) etc. if you only believe in him, well, pathetic again.

 

[red_flanders]

if a guy like merckx was riding today, with the best training and even the best drugs against the rest, like he had in the days, 0 wins. beated by conti, canc, cav, gilbert, boonen etc. right now the complete riders are mostly stage racers , and contador is following the path to be the best ever "complete" rider very quickly.

I'm sorry, but that's just flat out ridiculous.





In my opinion.