Contador offered $12M/year

[Anonymous]

Read the article again. I think you missed a few details.

ok hes not just a moneygrabbing *** hes also a arrogant **** basically saying he doesnt need vinos help to win the tour.. (he will say he won it alone last year, but we will never know.. lance, kloden etc may have been outgunned by him, but we will never know how the opposing riders would have reacted had they not had to watch lance, levi and andreas.. wether AC likes it or not those three acted as decoys, and also got him a ruddy great position after the TTT).. you cannot win a tour on your own...

the other option is of course, that he wants to leave astana, so he basically wants a contract that says if they get one positive he can leave.. i mean honestly, name one team that you are certain wont get 1 single positive..

 

[Anonymous]

the option for astana.. say yes to vino not riding the tour, but in return AC has to rider the vuelta IN SUPPORT of vino..

 

[Walshworld]

The offer means nothing.

Left unreported, this is not real money. Just Monopoly money.
Twisted Spoke
http://walshworld.wordpress.com/

 

[zoeart]

the other option is of course, that he wants to leave astana, so he basically wants a contract that says if they get one positive he can leave.. i mean honestly, name one team that you are certain wont get 1 single positive..

This could be interesting. What if they have a situation where a rider tests positive and then appeals the descision to suspend him. This could drag on for a year or 2. I hope the clause in Contador's proposed new contract clarifies this somehow.

 

[ggusta]

Left unreported, this is not real money. Just Monopoly money.
Twisted Spoke
http://walshworld.wordpress.com/

I hope he has better than mediocre representation trying to deal with these clowns. If cash is not up front, I would just tell 'em to fark off. They are going to screw him badly.

 

[Publicus]

ok hes not just a moneygrabbing *** hes also a arrogant **** basically saying he doesnt need vinos help to win the tour.. (he will say he won it alone last year, but we will never know.. lance, kloden etc may have been outgunned by him, but we will never know how the opposing riders would have reacted had they not had to watch lance, levi and andreas.. wether AC likes it or not those three acted as decoys, and also got him a ruddy great position after the TTT).. you cannot win a tour on your own...

the other option is of course, that he wants to leave astana, so he basically wants a contract that says if they get one positive he can leave.. i mean honestly, name one team that you are certain wont get 1 single positive..

I don't think he's saying that at all. I think it's a concern that Vino's presence at the TdF may hurt his chances to defend his title. I know that Vino shouldn't be punished further, but it's ASO's race and they can do what they want. Obviously this is a more positive spin than you've chosen, but I think it is much more likely under the circumstances (AC couldn't defend his 2007 title because of Vino's two positives at that Tour and I understand that they (AC and Vino) actually get along quite well).

 

[peloton]

greedy moneygrabbing **** is all i can say...

nobody needs 8m a year.. thats gonna be a nice boost for the UCI coffers when he fails a doping test..

dimspace, you are starting to sound like a LA fanatic.
just sayin'

 

[hfer07]

greedy moneygrabbing **** is all i can say...

nobody needs 8m a year.. thats gonna be a nice boost for the UCI coffers when he fails a doping test..

well-I DO !!!

It's as easy as rigging a poll:

johanbruyneel: I have my thoughts on this, but it's really up to you to decide -http://bit.ly/17kZbF

2009 TEAM ASTANA FAN AWARDS

Which rider was the MOST VALUABLE RIDER (MVP) in 2009?
Lance Armstrong
44%220
Alberto Contador
30%148
Andreas Kloden
11%54
Levi Leipheimer
15%

Based on the poll, Astana should have made that money offer to LA & Bruyneel, since they "appear to be so important for the team" LOL
I wonder how many PR guys were used in that poll to fvck it up in that horrendous way...

 

[Andre.J]

It's all bull**** posturing...Contador will either sign with QS or Caisse.

Andre

 

[Anonymous]

dimspace, you are starting to sound like a LA fanatic.
just sayin'

ive no idea what referring to contador has to do with LA to be honest.. lets try and have one thread, that doesnt involve lance, yes?

 

[Mellow Velo]

2009 TEAM ASTANA FAN AWARDS

What was the MOST IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCE in 2009?
Alberto Contador's Tour de France win
27%77
Levi Leipheimer's third straight Tour of California title
7%21
Lance Armstrong's third place at the Tour de France
51%147
Team Astana's winning the Tour de France Team Classification
13%38
Andrey Zeits in his first Grand Tour (Giro d'Italia)
1%

I think someone has found the source of Cyclingnews forum's sockpuppets.

Seems there is plenty of cash in the Astana coffers.
Makes you wonder where all that "can't pay the riders" nonsense came from.

Can't blame Contador for squeezing as much financial reward as possible, from a situation that otherwise offers little.

 

[craig1985]

He could buy the Livestrong.com company! Hostile takeover!

That would be priceless.

 

[derailleur]

Which rider was the MOST VALUABLE RIDER (MVP) in 2009?
Lance Armstrong
44%
Alberto Contador
30%
Andreas Kloden
11%
Levi Leipheimer
15%

Contador voted twice. For Lance.

But seriously, do you think anyone would give any credibility at all to the possibility of AC getting $12M if he hadn't got so much press over the summer? And would he have gotten nearly as much press if LA hadn't been there to create interest in Astana and the infighting?

And, here's the kicker: without that conflict, would next year's conflict be half as interesting and marketable? Half as valuable as a marketing vehicle for the sponsors of the team AC lands on?

Wherever Berto goes, he's going to get a truckload more money than if LA had been around his neck in 2009. Which means LA is the MVP of 2009, to Berto.

I hope all I'm doing here is engaging the "yup" responses of people who've grown up with pro sports and know that value and talent are very different things.

Without Tiger, Phil Mickelson wins 5X more tournaments and makes 80% less money. Without Lance, Berto wins just as many races and makes 60% less money.

 

[ak-zaaf]

Seems there is plenty of cash in the Astana coffers.
Makes you wonder where all that "can't pay the riders" nonsense came from.

I thought that was just done to force Bruyneel to take Vino back into the team.

 

[isayic]

Money is not everything

It's all bull**** posturing...Contador will either sign with QS or Caisse.

Andre

I agree. Staying with Astana he will be a stranger. Even more money can't make this team a home for him.

 

[peloton]

ive no idea what referring to contador has to do with LA to be honest.. lets try and have one thread, that doesnt involve lance, yes?

"
greedy moneygrabbing **** is all i can say...

nobody needs 8m a year.. thats gonna be a nice boost for the UCI coffers when he fails a doping test..
__________________

Then you said:

Id do as little as possible for that year and then id find a way to weasel my way out of the contract to be honest, and spend the next 40 years riding my bike and sitting in the sun...

but thats just me.,.

__________________

And then:

ok hes not just a moneygrabbing *** hes also a arrogant **** basically saying he doesnt need vinos help to win the tour.. (he will say he won it alone last year, but we will never know.. lance, kloden etc may have been outgunned by him, but we will never know how the opposing riders would have reacted had they not had to watch lance, levi and andreas.. wether AC likes it or not those three acted as decoys, and also got him a ruddy great position after the TTT).. you cannot win a tour on your own...

the other option is of course, that he wants to leave astana, so he basically wants a contract that says if they get one positive he can leave.. i mean honestly, name one team that you are certain wont get 1 single positive..
__________
more:

the option for astana.. say yes to vino not riding the tour, but in return AC has to rider the vuelta IN SUPPORT of vino..

___________

No, you did not mention LA, but let this speak of it's own.....

 

[the truth.]

all a load of bull.
wages are build around possible revenue - mostly from TV exposure.

At no point have i got a CORRECT quote or 'inside' info from Astana. no one knows. they are fecking about with the national budget which is not sustainable.

the 2 million is on target

 

[Lifeshape]

8m with the possibility of not getting another chance to defend yellow. WOW! I say take the money up front and see how the team does in supporting him (he may get the CE effect). If nothing else, he is a rich man vacationing in Curacao or any of the other beaches he frequents for the rest of his life.

 

[usedtobefast]

8m with the possibility of not getting another chance to defend yellow. WOW! I say take the money up front and see how the team does in supporting him (he may get the CE effect). If nothing else, he is a rich man vacationing in Curacao or any of the other beaches he frequents for the rest of his life.

i agree. he can not ride a bike forever. "make hay while the sun shines"

 

[Anonymous]

"
No, you did not mention LA, but let this speak of it's own.....

still dont think i mentioned LA.. i just hate Contador.. and its got nowt to do with lance or anyone else... i think hes slimy..

 

[Polish]

Penny-Wise, Pound-Foolish

Astana paid Armstrong, what, like a one dollar this year?

This means they think Contador is 12 million times better than Lance?

Yep, that sounds about right

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Still trying to find out just how accurate this is, and if Astana really has the money. The article is still up on the front CN page, so they seem to be holding to it.

Anyway you slice it, this is a sihtload of money. I mean, who would turn this down? Contador showed last year he didn't have much team support, and won the Tour anyway. If the money is real, and they can get him two dedicated domestiques for the Tour, he'd have to sign away.

 

[karlboss]

It seems reasonable to me. Do you have any idea the free advertising you get when a rider wins a stage in the tour. For a quick estimate check how much silence wanted in a civil suit when vino got busted after his TT win in 2007 which gave cadel the win, but not the publicity.
Other teams are willing to give a rider the same money for better conditions, this is a no brainer for the rider. So you have to make an equivalent overall offer...double the money. For me this is an admission from astana that they won't back down on vino riding the tour.
I would have thought they could come up with a clear plan for the season, who rides for who when and why, vino goes to the tour has freedom for predetermined stages and works for contador the rest of the time, contador works for vino at the vuelta, something, but if you don't trust them, its all over.
Also with this budget surely one super strong climber could be brought on board. I hear the name Basso, but wasn't it reported he wouldn't move even for a pay increase.
The no doping clause seems a good one, now that the JB, LA protection has gone. Good way to take your money and run.


http://www.cyclingnews.com/editions/first-edition-cycling-news-for-july-26-2007

 

[Murray]

Contador showed last year he didn't have much team support, and won the Tour anyway.

I know this has been done to death, but really. How can you say he didn't have much support?

I don't deny there was tension in the team and he didn't have the moral support of JB and LA with all the media foolishness...

... but on the road... he didn't win the TTT by himself... he didn't ride on the front into the wind wearing the Yellow jersey.... the rest of the Astana team did.

 

[karlboss]

TTT I'll give you. There were only 2 astana guys on the head of the bunch, Rast and Muravyev. Any team could equal those two. Uphill I didn't see lance, kloden, levi pull for contador at best they didn't bridge gaps when he attacked. The most help they offered was being there so they had to be marked, I suppose this has value. For me he never had direct support except the TTT.

to clarify...support in the Lance days would have seen the peloton hit the bottom of a hill, 9 astana boys on the front in order of strength and pull until you can't pull anymore, did you ever see anything that approached this at this years tour?
Further did you ever see, kloden, levi, lance on the front taking wind?