Contador Racing & Training in 2010

[cyclopeon]

In a recent article at Astana Fans, it said that his problems coincide with the season when the European poplars release the fluff.

Fair enough, but the operative phrase is "coincide with", not the same as causation. The fluff, being obvious to everyone, masks the actual agent, which is in at least a part of the world an unobtrusive grass; I get the impression that this is a relatively recent discovery (<20years). Nature is sneaky this way!

Apologies to anyone in the forum who considers this off-topic, I just wanted to ensure that a performance fact is not in error.

 

[Publicus]

Do you know how many lanquages Martinelli speaks?
Hopefully Spanish is in his repertoire...

Turns out he speaks three (in addition to Italian): Spanish, French and English (at least as reported by albertocontdornotebook.info who apparently spoke with him yesterday).

 

[theswordsman]

The two-time Tour champ punched the accelerator in the closing kilometer of Wednesday’s 157km first stage at the five-day Algarve tour in a searing attack that quickly blew apart the peloton. Sprinter teams scrambled to reel in Contador, and just when they did, savvy

French rider Benoit Vaugrenard counter-attacked with 800m to go and rode away with the stage victory.

“I hadn’t raced in such a long time, I wanted to test the legs at top-end speed to see how they would react,” Contador said after finishing safely in the main pack. “I wasn’t really thinking about winning the stage, but rather I wanted to feel the sensations in the legs. I can say I am satisfied.”

Joining Contador in Algarve are many of his Astana teammates who will join him on the road to the Tour.

“I was very pleased with how the team rode today. They were motivated and we rode well as a unit,” he said. “That’s a good sign because we have some new riders coming onto the team. It was cold and rainy sometimes, but the team rode well together.”

http://iamspecialized.com/road/news-article/contador-ramps-it-up-in-season-debut

Vaugrenard can thank defending Algarve champ Alberto Contador (Astana), who just couldn’t help himself in the final kilometer in what is the Tour de France champ’s season debut.

“Contador attacked with about a kilometer to go on the second to last little hill and everyone chased him down. After the pack caught him, there was a little pause in the bunch as we came through a round-about, and that’s when I attacked,” Vaugrenard said. “Horrach was ahead of me and I went full-gas to pass him and I knew with 200 meters to go that I would win.”

http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/02/news/vaugrenard-surprises-at-algarve-opener_105420

Tomas Vaitkus finished the stage after a crash but went to the hospital afterward for tests.

http://sportas.atn.lt/straipsnis/47423/dviratininkui-tvaitkui-po-finiso-teko-vykti-i-ligonine

 

[theswordsman]

De Standard had an exclusive chat with Contador (because they though to ask). Here's part of it via Google Translate:

Armstrong talks a lot about you Are you obsessed with him?

(chuckles) "No, I think not. I think Armstrong is sleeping peacefully, just like me. I attach no value to what he says and I will race a different car because he was not participating. I just go my own way. "

Armstrong clearly plays a psychological game. Are you willing to play up to the Tour?

"My strategy in preparation for the tour is simple: train and stay focused. Doing what I did last year. Of the rest I pull me nothing. "

How does your upcoming tour? The race seems harder than last year.

"Certainly. It is demanding. In principle it is good for me in the mountains there are more opportunities to make a difference. The tactical approach is very different than last year. Then sat the course two weeks been locked by the team time trial. Now there are many more possibilities. "

This year there is an insidious kasseienrit to Wasquehal. Are you afraid of it?

"Hombre, I'm just afraid of death. Of course I know that the cobblestones are not for me. But I will be well prepared. "

Armstrong ride the Tour of Flanders as preparation, Schleck and Valverde even thought in that direction. Do we also Contador on April 4 at the start in Brugge?

"No, certainly not. I evade the high risks that such a dangerous course entails. I will explore ever cobblestones. Where and when, we must decide. "

http://www.standaard.be/artikel/detail.aspx?artikelid=V92MH0IE