Contador offered $12M/year

[Galic Ho]

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.

This entire thread has me thinking that some people need to be told the harsh truth. LEAVE THE NUMBERS TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE ADVANCED NUMERICAL AND MATHEMATICAL SKILLS and have experience with the theoretical and practical applications of market appraisal and worth.

"Mickelson winning 5X more tournaments and earning 80% less money". Think about this derailleur. Most or almost all of the tournaments Tiger wins pay several million for the win. Golf tournaments have enormous prize pools and would have irrespective of Tiger Woods presence. Tiger makes most his money from endorsements. Tiger has 97 (give or take a few) tournament wins in his career. Mickelson increasing his wins five fold? Not a chance if Tiger weren't competing. He'd have more wins, but not even twice as many, let alone five fold. Logically he would win more tournaments, not by a multiple of X, but an amount X (add not multiply). Phil woulds also earn more in endorsements if one assumes he fills a void created in Woods absence.

Contadors assumed maximum salary this year has been rumoured at Euro $4 million, more than any other pro cyclist. Who is next? At best, the second on the list is Valverde and I don't see him earning much more than Euro $1.5 to $2 million. Wishing to be realistic whilst considering other sports I figure at most Contador was paid Euro $3 million. Low and behold everyone bought this absolute garbage of Euro $8 millon. Denied by his brother. I mean, 2.5 times higher than what I think is his maximum take home salary and nobody bothered to sound the BS alarm? Anyone care to take a stab at how much more that is than what would be generous for the second highest paid Pro Tour cyclist? Quadruple. Markets don't operate in such a fashion. Contador is good, but not that good.

Can we all keep it real in future? This isn't the clinic. Euro $8 million would sink any team. One season and it would be over. Perspective; 8 million is more than some teams entire budgets. F1 drivers don't make that coin! Jensen Button got $4 million this season. Plus he took a paycut! Coming from someone whose background deals heavily in numbers and market value, some posters here need to exercise some common sense in future. Part of me wonders if this BS rumour wasn't thrown out in the media to make AC look like a douchebag. Until I see such a contract I won't believe a word of it. Not in this sport, in the current market, in this season. Contador's brother Fran said the offers so far are not even half the 8 million amount. $3 million Euros max guys and girls. $3 million!

derailleur don't take offense. I'm not singling you out, just the ideas raised in the thread which hold not basis in reality. Don't even get me started on the notion of LA raising Contador's market value. Mostly BS as well. Value is based on performance, perceived and actual. Contador already had this without Lance. Lance inflates Lance's value and perhaps Bruyneel's. Nothing else.

 

[Anonymous]

.but you see him as slimy
as they say ...i do not think that word means what you think it means.....
or is it some kind of brit thing i dont understand......again

i think probably you dont understand

to me, slimey, is the sort of greasy, sneaky, usually and sadly, but unracist, spanish or italian, slick hair, snappy suit, the kind of guy who works in a bar and tries to impresse your girlfreind by talking crap in a sexy foreign language, and smarm his way into her affections..

will smarm his way over to her as you are leaving a restaurant, come out with some smarmy greasy one liner and hand her a rose, and she goes home dreaming of how wonderful and romantic he is, when you're the one paying for dinner..

slimey like a snake, untrustworthy, greasy, unpleasant..

ugh...

 

[Ferminal]

Value is based on what sponsors/TV rights commit to the sport. F1 drivers only get what their teams can pay based on their share of the Concorde and sponsorship. A football club (excluding the few with owners who just sink debts) likewise. A cycling team - fairly similar I guess (how does TV rights work in cycling - are they even that big?).

So basically, to say that Armstrong caused a wages boom, you're implying that he dramatically increased the profile of the sport? Sure he did, in Anglo nations. Therefore, you're saying that most of the money entering cycling is from the US?

Sorry actually read the post I was referring too. You're suggesting that the 09 "war of words" is the cause of an extravagant bidding war over Contador? Nothing to do with the fact that he's the best GT rider we will see for decades entering the prime of his career possibly coming out of contract.

 

[DavidVilla7]

i think probably you dont understand

to me, slimey, is the sort of greasy, sneaky, usually and sadly, but unracist, spanish or italian, slick hair, snappy suit, the kind of guy who works in a bar and tries to impresse your girlfreind by talking crap in a sexy foreign language, and smarm his way into her affections..

will smarm his way over to her as you are leaving a restaurant, come out with some smarmy greasy one liner and hand her a rose, and she goes home dreaming of how wonderful and romantic he is, when you're the one paying for dinner..

slimey like a snake, untrustworthy, greasy, unpleasant.. ( not always)

ugh...

these kind of guys are always very attractive!
and almost every spaniard/italian is like this!

 

[python]

this is a repeat of an earlier rumour.
proskurin already denied it. there are too many inconsistencies in the offer to be credible. the chief being the new title sponsor's commitment to the uci was only 3 years. another - it would overshadow the kcf goal of "domesticating" astana. in 11 days the latest we should know.

Don't know, Fran is apparently confirming that Astana is putting big dollars on the table

No.
Contador's manager denies mega-contract offer from Astana
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/contadors-manager-denies-mega-contract-offer-from-astana

as i said above -- too many obvious inconsistencies in the belgian paper's article.

 

[Publicus]

No.
Contador's manager denies mega-contract offer from Astana
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/contadors-manager-denies-mega-contract-offer-from-astana

as i said above -- too many obvious inconsistencies in the belgian paper's article.

Take it up with Andrew Hood at Velonews. I just passed on the article.

 

[python]

Take it up with Andrew Hood at Velonews. I just passed on the article.

i just passed a reasonable doubt and explained why. so it's the reader's choice to be skeptical or not. apparently i was more skeptical than you and appear to be close to what actually transpired.

 

[Publicus]

i just passed a reasonable doubt and explained why. so it's the reader's choice to be skeptical or not. apparently i was more skeptical than you and appear to be close to what actually transpired.

You speculated and I found a source that seemingly (or as I noted in my original post "apparently") confirmed that Astana had offered a big contract. That source was wrong. Not me. I just passed it along. But kudos to
you for being sceptical at the outset.

 

[python]

You speculated and I found a source that seemingly (or as I noted in my original post "apparently") confirmed that Astana had offered a big contract. That source was wrong. Not me. I just passed it along. But kudos to
you for being sceptical at the outset.

publicus i don't really see it as my special anything or you doing anything im critical of. in fact i enjoy your posts a lot. not a big deal either way. i just felt that the media's obsession with repeating each other sometimes turns me critical. cheers.

 

[Publicus]

publicus i don't really see it as my special anything or you doing anything im critical of. in fact i enjoy your posts a lot. not a big deal either way. i just felt that the media's obsession with repeating each other sometimes turns me critical. cheers.

No worries python. I was going to update my original post that passed along Andrew Hood's article and note that he was wrong. It happens. As we say in my neck of the woods, it's all good.

EDIT: I think this is the internet version of "hugging it out". ***For those of you not from the States, it's a reference from a popular HBO show "Entourage"***

 

[ak-zaaf]

Quick step is said to have offered 5 million euros a year for 4 years. Specialized will put extra money in the team but only if Bertje joins. (wow, deja-vu)

I thought Quick-step would pull out in 2010? Teams are going a bit crazy now that there is a sure-shot at tour victory available for the first time since.....(Hinault??)

source: gazzetta btw

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

Quick step is said to have offered 5 million euros a year for 4 years. Specialized will put extra money in the team but only if Bertje joins. (wow, deja-vu)

I thought Quick-step would pull out in 2010? Teams are going a bit crazy now that there is a sure-shot at tour victory available for the first time since.....(Hinault??)

source: gazzetta btw

With Contador on board, Specialized would in the driver's seat for a TdF victory and an outside chance at sweeping the podium with Alberto and the Schlecks.

They're smart enough to know whatever money they add now will pay off handsomely in July.

 

[Angliru]

...for me, i still think the rider that deserved to win the tour, and the rider in who my mind won it is Andy Schleck

You really need help. I'm assuming you have your very own censored version of the Tour with the Arcalis and Verbier stages edited out. It must have been sheer torture for you to endure the 3 weeks considering. What makes you believe Andy is as pure as the fresh fallen snow? He does ride for Riis. He is Frank's little brother. He often looks as if the entire effort for him is close to effortless. I imagine you're hoping impatiently for the announcement of a Contador positive test so that this fantasy of your's becomes a reality.

 

[Angliru]

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?

Agreed. Kloden was primarily riding in support of Armstrong. Levi, before he crashed out, was simply hoping to sneak in under the radar and creep on to the podium. Contador sacrificed a potential win on Ventoux to ensure Armstrong's spot on the podium. Contador, with the exception of the TTT was held back more than he was helped by Bryuneel's strategy.

 

[Angliru]

In order to function as a decoy, conventional wisdom and the dictionary definition suggests a person has to draw attention. Doing nothing is certainly a novel strategy for a "decoy". In cycling terms your typical GC threat decoy has to actually attack since watching someone isn't particularly arduous. The decoy argument doesn't seem to have much merit to me.

Astana's decoys either didn't or couldn't perform as such. Most likely AC would have chased down the decoy himself since he would have realised that Bruynheel's "decoy" was probably going to morph into an agent of duplicity.

+1000. Very well said.

 

[Angliru]

i think probably you dont understand

to me, slimey, is the sort of greasy, sneaky, usually and sadly, but unracist, spanish or italian, slick hair, snappy suit, the kind of guy who works in a bar and tries to impresse your girlfreind by talking crap in a sexy foreign language, and smarm his way into her affections..

will smarm his way over to her as you are leaving a restaurant, come out with some smarmy greasy one liner and hand her a rose, and she goes home dreaming of how wonderful and romantic he is, when you're the one paying for dinner..

slimey like a snake, untrustworthy, greasy, unpleasant..

ugh...

Sounds more to me like you need to tighen up your game if your girl is so easily impressed. This entire explanation is quite revealing. Tell us more.

 

[Anonymous]

Sounds more to me like you need to tighen up your game if your girl is so easily impressed. This entire explanation is quite revealing. Tell us more.

im stereotyping and generalising.. ive never been to a spanish restaurant with the wife, and the only italian we go to, the waiter is 78 and you just want to hug him.. he doesnt smarm..

 

[lagartija]

i think probably you dont understand

to me, slimey, is the sort of greasy, sneaky, usually and sadly, but unracist, spanish or italian, slick hair, snappy suit, the kind of guy who works in a bar and tries to impresse your girlfreind by talking crap in a sexy foreign language, and smarm his way into her affections..

will smarm his way over to her as you are leaving a restaurant, come out with some smarmy greasy one liner and hand her a rose, and she goes home dreaming of how wonderful and romantic he is, when you're the one paying for dinner..

slimey like a snake, untrustworthy, greasy, unpleasant..

ugh...

dim , dude, you have missed the boat in this one, berto looks like a beneton ad , seriously, when he smiles, you smile, he calls his mom every day......
no grease or slick hair , not sure what your definition of snappy suit is , but he does wear nice fitted well cut ones, at least he did when he met with the president of spain.......the man is as they say in america a boy scout....
i dont want to say your being racist but it sounds like you are projecting some internal negative idealization..............comon did some female family member say ooohh he's cute..................

 

[lagartija]

In order to function as a decoy, conventional wisdom and the dictionary definition suggests a person has to draw attention. Doing nothing is certainly a novel strategy for a "decoy". In cycling terms your typical GC threat decoy has to actually attack since watching someone isn't particularly arduous. The decoy argument doesn't seem to have much merit to me.

Astana's decoys either didn't or couldn't perform as such. Most likely AC would have chased down the decoy himself since he would have realised that Bruynheel's "decoy" was probably going to morph into an agent of duplicity.

thats pretty much the way i saw it .................

 

[lagartija]

these kind of guys are always very attractive!
and almost every spaniard/italian is like this!

hey hey ............what are you trying to say.........

 

[Anonymous]

dim , dude, you have missed the boat in this one, berto looks like a beneton ad , seriously, when he smiles, you smile, he calls his mom every day......

He looks like a Benatton ad... EXACTLY.. slimey...

His smile makes me think.. you come anywhere near me with your sexy accent and your flowers and i will punch your lights out..

You wont change my mind.. clearly we have very different views on what is fashionable, what is popular, and what is just downright greasy..

 

[scribe]

This thread has taken a turn for the gay.

 

[progressor]

dim , dude, you have missed the boat in this one, berto looks like a beneton ad , seriously, when he smiles, you smile, he calls his mom every day......
no grease or slick hair , not sure what your definition of snappy suit is , but he does wear nice fitted well cut ones, at least he did when he met with the president of spain.......the man is as they say in america a boy scout....

Are you trying to make me puke? Especially the bolded part. You're making me dislike him, rather than be a bit suspect about him.

 

[progressor]

This thread has taken a turn for the gay.

Yep. But then theres alway's been something about the contador love around here that seems a little excessive.

 

[lucybears]

Entrevista. Fran Contador: ´Las posibilidades de que Alberto se quede en Astana son muy altas´
http://www.biciciclismo.com/cas/site/noticias-ficha.asp?id=19312