Giro d'Italia 2011: Stage 14 Lienz to Monte Zoncolan

[Midnightfright]

Harsh to call Contador slimy or unsportsman for what he done today. I do feel he shows a high level of gamesmanship but champions are ruthless and i cant fault him for behaving accoridngly. What if he blows up at some point and ends up winning the Giro 6 seconds ahead of Nibali.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

GO ANTON! I knew this guy was a real talent when I saw him at last years vuelta. what a ride by him today and we know he is not at top form. He is aiming for this years vuelta. well I love to see contador get beaten. Come on if contador really had a lot left in him and didnt want to attack. Common sense would tell him to just stick on antons wheel and give him the stage win. Admit it contador fan, Contador wasnt as comfortable as before. thats because a monster climb like the zoncolan exposes you. He is human afterall, after all his effort on stage 13.

Igor's been a real talent for a long time now. He burst onto the scene back in 2006, with a mountaintop win at Calar Alto, a 6th to La Pandera (ahead of his team leader) and 15th overall at the Vuelta. In 2007 he top 10ed Castilla y León, GP CTT Correios de Portugal, Romandie and the Vuelta. 2008 he went all out as the team leader for the Vuelta, was 2nd in the Euskal Bizikleta and 3rd in the Tour de Suisse. He was with the elites to La Rabassa, and on Pla de Beret he was the only man able to answer the attacks of Contador and Valverde, and was lying 6th overall before crashing out on Angliru.

Crashing out then really derailed his career for a while; he missed most of the offseason and took most of the 2009 season to get back up to speed.

We saw what he could do in 2010 - drop and defeat Contador (Alto del Morredero), compete in the Ardennes (4th at LFW, 6th at LBL), superdomestique like few others in the world (Lagunas de Neila) and carry with him all the skills to win a GT (Vuelta) except possibly bike handling.

Zoncolán's just another feather in his cap.

 

[Kwibus]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgad4igNuho

Watch from 10:00.. You see Contador coming from a tunnel. He's looking back then he looks to the front again. What does his face look like?
Don't tell me he's smiling there because he's going to humiliate Nibali by waiting for him and attackign again. He's suffering and he sees he can barely create a gap on Nibali.
It wouldn't surprise me if he slowed down a bit for Nibs to make contact with him again so he could make another accelaration. It certainly wasn't because he was playing with Nibali.

I'm not going to believe Contador waited for Nibali to humiliate him. You can say a lot about Contador. I'm not a fan of him, but I do have a lot of respect for his racing. I will never believe AC did that on purpose.

Just watched some more. AC is giving everything from 10:00 on. His face is tilted becuase he's workign his *** off. At 10:30 you see AC working hard. They switch for 4 secs to Anton and then back to Nibali. You can Nibali is only 10 metres away from AC.

For me it's 100% certain AC didn't wait for Nibali, because he wanted to humiliate him.

Here a picture of a relaxing Contador....

 

[rhubroma]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgad4igNuho

Watch from 10:00.. You see Contador coming from a tunnel. He's looking back then he looks to the front again. What does his face look like?
Don't tell me he's smiling there because he's going to humiliate Nibali by waiting for him and attackign again. He's suffering and he sees he can barely create a gap on Nibali.
It wouldn't surprise me if he slowed down a bit for Nibs to make contact with him again so he could make another accelaration. It certainly wasn't because he was playing with Nibali.

I'm not going to believe Contador waited for Nibali to humiliate him. You can say a lot about Contador. I'm not a fan of him, but I do have a lot of respect for his racing. I will never believe AC did that on purpose.

Just watched some more. AC is giving everything from 10:00 on. His face is tilted becuase he's workign his *** off. At 10:30 you see AC working hard. They switch for 4 secs to Anton and then back to Nibali. You can Nibali is only 10 metres away from AC.

For me it's 100% certain AC didn't wait for Nibali, because he wanted to humiliate him.

Here a picture of a relaxing Contador....

I don't think he did either. However, I find it rather pathetic to say that by attacking Nibali he, Contador, was "actually showing him respect." This only adds baseness to his vile act, by trying to take us all for morons.

What utter BS. The dignified and classy thing to have done would have been, at 1.5 k out, since he did no work previously and he didn't have a teammate up the road to take over; to up the pace and even ferociously, yes, but steadily. At that point Nibali would have had nothing but his own legs to respond with, without having felt slighted for having witnessed the breaking of a deal any class act would have quite naturally felt was binding. Perhaps this way Alberto may not have gained the 6 seconds extra or whatever it was, though this wouldn't make or break his Giro.

Anton would have been reeled back some just the same, however, and, to top it all off, Contador would have affirmed his undoubted nobility of strength and talent, while also demonstrating being a class act before a colleague who busted his a$$ over the last ks of the climb to the Spaniards convenience. Indurain would have handled it thusly.

The way Alberto rather chose to handle the situation, was, in my book, simply weak and unsportsmanlike.

 

[Dutchsmurf]

The dignified and classy thing to have done would have been

This is the problem though. There is no dignity and class in sports. Mutual respect maybe, but nothing more than that. Just look up the big champions in the sport. Most (if not all) show no dignity or class during the competition. Outside the competition is a completely different story. But while racing dignity and class should be throw out of the window.

 

[Kwibus]

I don't think he did either. However, I find it rather pathetic to say that by attacking Nibali he, Contador, was "actually showing him respect." This only adds baseness to his vile act, by trying to take us all for morons.

What utter BS. The dignified and classy thing to have done would have been, at 1.5 k out, since he did no work previously and he didn't have a teammate up the road to take over; to up the pace and even ferociously, yes, but steadily. At that point Nibali would have had nothing but his own legs to respond with, without having felt slighted for having witnessed the breaking of a deal any class act would have quite naturally felt was binding. Perhaps this way Alberto may not have gained the 6 seconds extra or whatever it was, though this wouldn't make or break his Giro.

Anton would have been reeled back some just the same, however, and, to top it all off, Contador would have affirmed his undoubted nobility of strength and talent, while also demonstrating being a class act before a colleague who busted his a$$ over the last ks of the climb to the Spaniards convenience. Indurain would have handled it thusly.

The way Alberto rather chose to handle the situation, was, in my book, simply weak and unsportsmanlike.

I don't think I've said Contador showed respect to Nibali. He himself says he respects Nibali a lot so he tried to put in some more time on Nibali.
I agree that it wasn't very respectful toward Nibali after sitting in his wheel for 3km. He could've helped.... , but he didn't have to. Contador would probably gained more respect if he took turns as well.

This wasn't my point though. My post was directed at the people who think that Contador was fooling around with his competitors and just gave Anton the win, because he felt like it. .

 

[El Pistolero]

Contador is a slimy sob because he attacked in the last km? So what is Nibali then for sucking wheels till the last km at the Etna and then attack? What a slimy scum that guy is!

OF course Contador was tired. He took 5 seconds at Tropea, a minute at the Etna and a minute and 30 seconds on the Glossglockner from Anton. Anton on the other hand was as "fresh" as a daisy at the Zoncolan. Just look what happened to Rujano.

I think Contador could have stayed on Anton's wheel, but Anton was strongest today.

 

[craig1985]

what was the matter with Andrea Noè who DNF on the Zoncolan in his final Giro (and his final ever race)?

 

[La Pandera]

That still doesn't justify sitting on the guy's wheel for 3k to let a friend win and then attacking him in the last K.

He should have pulled a bit (even a fake couple of pulls would have done), to then be free to not seem like a classless rider who benifits off the work of a direct rival. It doesn't show much respect for a colleague who worked his a$$ off and was "thanked" for it in this way.

There are dignified ways of doing business and undignifed ways. Contador erred on the latter today.

I can't see what advantage one gains in drafting on grades as steep as those on the Zoncolan. On that type of climb it's every man battling gravity's pull.
It seems it would be easier to ride on the front, at one's own rhythm as opposed to following someone else's rhythm. Essentially they just happen to be in the same vicinity, battling the same steep grades. I can't see any benefit he would've gained in riding behind Nibali on those grades.

Additionally Nibali had to make the effort to pursue Anton, as he was a potential threat to his position in the gc.

 

[The Hitch]

I think Pedro Horrilo has been reading this thread

as the riders (by now better referred to as “survivors”)

Pero si yo estuviera en la piel de uno de estos supervivientes -sí, esa es la palabra
But if i were in the shoes of one of the survivors - yes that is the correct word

http://www.elpais.com/articulo/deportes/Gracias/batalla/elpepudep/20110522elpepudep_39/Tes

 

[greenedge]

Well my friend, even nibali disagrees with you. it looks like contador was toying with him, as he said. contador attacked, literally stopped, and attacked again.

looks like nibali is p+ssed. i saw in eurosport contador almost standing still when nibbles appeared, i tought that it had something to do with mechanicals or the crowd. but when i read that.. well.. why toying with the guy?

but at least this confirms what i and others were saying. he had a looooooootttttttttttttttttttttttt left in him.

Sometimes the pure climbers have the abillity to accelerate quickly but when riding at a constant tempo blow up, eg Rasmussen Vs Contador, Shleck vs Contador. Both times they were going at a snail's pace in between. I reckon Contador stood there waiting to see if Nibali had the strength to again get on his wheel and resume pace- making and when he decided he could not he attacked. But if he was toying with him i find that disrespectful but a sign of his strength.

 

[rhubroma]

I can't see what advantage one gains in drafting on grades as steep as those on the Zoncolan. On that type of climb it's every man battling gravity's pull.
It seems it would be easier to ride on the front, at one's own rhythm as opposed to following someone else's rhythm. Essentially they just happen to be in the same vicinity, battling the same steep grades. I can't see any benefit he would've gained in riding behind Nibali on those grades.

Additionally Nibali had to make the effort to pursue Anton, as he was a potential threat to his position in the gc.

Not true, first because otherwise Nibali would have had no need to ask Contador more than once to pull and, secondly, because even at such low speeds when one is on another's wheel if he's not just hanging on (and Contador wasn't or else he would not have been able to attack twice after as he did) he's not riding all out and thus saving energy. There is also a psychological factor, which, under these circumstances, favors the one and penalizes the other.

Contador took advantage of this and then capitalized in a way that was unsportsmanlike, which, to me, counts in the final anlalysis of the time he gained and the time Nibali lost.

 

[rhubroma]

I can't see what advantage one gains in drafting on grades as steep as those on the Zoncolan. On that type of climb it's every man battling gravity's pull.
It seems it would be easier to ride on the front, at one's own rhythm as opposed to following someone else's rhythm. Essentially they just happen to be in the same vicinity, battling the same steep grades. I can't see any benefit he would've gained in riding behind Nibali on those grades.

Additionally Nibali had to make the effort to pursue Anton, as he was a potential threat to his position in the gc.

I obviously can't agree with this, for the reasons I have already mentioned. While it's not true that past champions have handled such circumstances deversely within a culture of fair play and sportsmanship.

They went on to win, as Contador undoubtedly will, just, in this case, did it with more class.