Is Contador THAT hated in U.S

[hammt34]

Upon waking up this morning,I did my usual routine of checking race results and was suprised that Cadel won Fleche. But even more of a suprise was that A.C placed third. At this point I checked Twitter feed on the race and Wow the response from Americans was pure Joy that cadel outsprinted A.C in the last hundred yards,and how AC wasnt worth a damn. So my question is,Did LA JB and Versus do THAT good of a job Demonizing this Polite Young man, who it seems to me honors The true spirit of cycling by contesting every race he is in, EVEN if it doesnt suit his strengths.Meanwhile If Lance wins or even Podiums in A Semi-pro race Like Gila Everone will blow their load on how great he is What gives Man!

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Twitter is full of sad people who think their opinion matters. hardly worth checking out or taking serious

 

[red_flanders]

I don't know. I don't hate Contador at all, and in fact had I gotten up earlier, I'd have been rooting for him to win. I quite like him actually. Not a fan on Evans and his whiny voice and...whining. Actually I don't really dislike Evans that much, I'm just not a fan.

I think what you see is the effect of a lot of cycling fans who don't yet fully understand race tactics, and therefore swallowed the garbage spewed by Armstrong and his mouthpieces at the Tour last year. And sour grapes, if such is imaginable when we're talking about a guy who won the Tour 7 times. It's well past someone else's turn.

 

[shadowblue]

Twitter is full of sad people who think their opinion matters. hardly worth checking out or taking serious

lovely response.

for me, conta's my fav rider. outside of christian vande velde, i don't much like any of the other american riders.

 

[theswordsman]

Upon waking up this morning,I did my usual routine of checking race results and was suprised that Cadel won Fleche. But even more of a suprise was that A.C placed third. At this point I checked Twitter feed on the race and Wow the response from Americans was pure Joy that cadel outsprinted A.C in the last hundred yards,and how AC wasnt worth a damn. So my question is,Did LA JB and Versus do THAT good of a job Demonizing this Polite Young man, who it seems to me honors The true spirit of cycling by contesting every race he is in, EVEN if it doesnt suit his strengths.Meanwhile If Lance wins or even Podiums in A Semi-pro race Like Gila Everone will blow their load on how great he is What gives Man!

The English speaking media really did a number on him last year. Even the New York Times misquoted him, and since then people have bought into LA's propaganda. Many believe that Alberto isn't bright, doesn't care about teammates, lies through the Spanish press, and all the other garbage.

This from my old blog, just to get the truth out there one more time:

I trust the BBC to make the effort for an honest and accurate translation.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/cycling/8172975.stm

And here's my transcription of the translation:
<blockquote>"Well, my relationship with Lance is zero. My relationship with him is zero. I think that independently of what his character is, he's still a great champion. He's won seven Tours and played a big part in this one, too. But it's different to speak at a personal level. I have never really admired him that much, or will ever, but of course as a cyclist, he is a great champion."</blockquote>

It's hardly incendiary, and in my mind doesn't deserve the response it received from people willing to pass judgment based on a snippet of a sound bite of a translation.

In case you're skeptical, and what pro cycling fan isn't these days, you can hear the pretty much identical translation from Reuters

http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoChannel=1004&videoId=108718

 

[alberto.legstrong]

I don't think that sampling is representative of most people's feelings towards AC. Maybe in 2 or 3 years after people get tired of him winning so frequently, but certainly not today.

I wonder what the typical poster's knowledge of cycling is that you saw. The only Americans I know that dislike AC are diehard Lance fans. But, conversely, Lance hatred is not limited to AC fans. It crosses many boundaries and borders.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

Lance fans hate Contador for putting the smack down on their hero.

 

[jaylew]

Not this American. As another poster mentioned, I love how AC races to win at almost every race he does, no matter the time of year. It's a refreshing change from the LA years.

 

[BikeCentric]

I'm an American and I think it's incredible to see a skinny little GT rider contest the Classics and get 3rd at la Fleche. When was the last time this happenned? It's been a long time and it's good for cycling. Contador is a great champion in the mold of Indurain and he's very good for the sport.

Now I can tell you that there certainly are a number of Americans that hate him and these are your typical Lance chamois sniffers that don't understand the sport. They are your stereotypical fat old club riders who are new to the sport and/or d-bags that drive SUV's and scream at you to get your bike off the road while wearing their Livestrong bracelet.

On the other hand, within the racing community (and it's pretty big in California) pretty much everyone at least respects Contador a lot and the majority actually hate Armstrong now for what he's doing to the sport and for the way he disrespected Contador.

So yes it's true, the majority of the American racing community are now Haters. Haters unite; it is the love of cancer that binds us.

 

[cawright1375]

I'm not much of an AC fan, but I will say that I do enjoy watching him race for the same reasons already mentioned here. He races, he doesn't sit around waiting and puts on a show. I'll admit to being a Lance fan, not die-hard like some, but I can appreciate what AC has done and never really thought Lance had a chance last year.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Twitter is full of sad people who think their opinion matters. hardly worth checking out or taking serious

Sad and more pointedly, desperate.

 

[Publicus]

I'm an American and I think it's incredible to see a skinny little GT rider contest the Classics and get 3rd at la Fleche. When was the last time this happenned? It's been a long time and it's good for cycling. Contador is a great champion in the mold of Indurain and he's very good for the sport.

Now I can tell you that there certainly are a number of Americans that hate him and these are your typical Lance chamois sniffers that don't understand the sport. They are your stereotypical fat old club riders who are new to the sport and/or d-bags that drive SUV's and scream at you to get your bike off the road while wearing their Livestrong bracelet.

On the other hand, within the racing community (and it's pretty big in California) pretty much everyone at least respects Contador a lot and the majority actually hate Armstrong now for what he's doing to the sport and for the way he disrespected Contador.

So yes it's true, the majority of the American racing community are now Haters. Haters unite; it is the love of cancer that binds us.

Didn't Andy get second last year?

 

[therhodeo]

For the record Cadel and Contador have whiny voices. Good riders though. I'd put money on either of them over Lance right now.

 

[BikeCentric]

Didn't Andy get second last year?

Doh. I forgot about Andy - yes second behind Ivanov.

 

[rhubroma]

Contador is an artist, and you have to give artists their space. He showed class today even if he didn't win. In the interviews I have listened to he actually, as someone else mentioned, comes across as a real gentleman.

And he was shamelessly misquoted and demonized by the US/British press last year who don't know what to do in the post-Lance era. Whereas a certian teammate of his last year put up a vile smear campaign against his persona, which the same press never exposed as the actual deplorable thing.

 

[El Oso]

I think the Pistolero celebration makes some people think AC is arrogant. But I don't think most people realize it's a message to somebody.

However, it probably wouldn't bother people if he didn't win so often. For example, Flecha's archer celebration was pretty sweet, but you didn't see it too ofter. You see the Pistolero just about every time AC races

 

[Cerberus]

Doh. I forgot about Andy - yes second behind Ivanov.

Not Ivanov, that was Amstel Gold (with Kroon coming in second for Saxo I think). Davide Rebellin won Fleche last year.

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

You see the Pistolero just about every time AC races

You'd figure he'd get a huge following from the God/Guns crowd here. I think S. Palin should be his #1 fan. Oh, wait.. He's not white though. Forget it.

 

[WinterRider]

Upon waking up this morning,I did my usual routine of checking race results and was suprised that Cadel won Fleche. But even more of a suprise was that A.C placed third. At this point I checked Twitter feed on the race and Wow the response from Americans was pure Joy that cadel outsprinted A.C in the last hundred yards,and how AC wasnt worth a damn. So my question is,Did LA JB and Versus do THAT good of a job Demonizing this Polite Young man, who it seems to me honors The true spirit of cycling by contesting every race he is in, EVEN if it doesnt suit his strengths.Meanwhile If Lance wins or even Podiums in A Semi-pro race Like Gila Everone will blow their load on how great he is What gives Man!

Let me fix your title for you, it should have read " Is Contador THAT hated in U.S - SPOILER ALERT"

I thought I'd just check a few threads while I wait for my program to run, and in the first sentence you blew the whole race for me . Thanks.

It's not all your fault, I should have put two and two together and realized a new contador thread today might have been about the race he was just in, but next time maybe you could help a fellow fan out and just give a heads up.

cheers

 

[hawkeye87]

Upon waking up this morning,I did my usual routine of checking race results and was suprised that Cadel won Fleche. But even more of a suprise was that A.C placed third. At this point I checked Twitter feed on the race and Wow the response from Americans was pure Joy that cadel outsprinted A.C in the last hundred yards,and how AC wasnt worth a damn. So my question is,Did LA JB and Versus do THAT good of a job Demonizing this Polite Young man, who it seems to me honors The true spirit of cycling by contesting every race he is in, EVEN if it doesnt suit his strengths.Meanwhile If Lance wins or even Podiums in A Semi-pro race Like Gila Everone will blow their load on how great he is What gives Man!

I'm from the U.S. and am not a Contador fan but it has more to do with my animosity towards the way Spain refuses to engage in fighting doping and I think it is safe to assume the Spanish riders are higher than kites.

That said, I like Contador more than Armstrong. I can barely tolerate watching Versus anymore and am quite frustrated that I'm stuck with that coverage unless I go to the internet.

I found JB's and LA's conduct in the 2009 TdF reprehensible. But those two are a pair. I clearly recall Johan's comments after Alberto sealed the Vuelta in 2008. He was "bored" with cycling. AC responds to well to his "training" techniques? That's boring? It's too easy? Or is AC not caustic enough?

 

[dgodave]

You'd figure he'd get a huge following from the God/Guns crowd here. I think S. Palin should be his #1 fan. Oh, wait.. He's not white though. Forget it.

He'd need to do the pistolero thing with the one hand, and point it at an elk or wolf made with the other hand, which gets blown away and flops over.
.
Now that would be a finish line gesture!
.

 

[hawkeye87]

He'd need to do the pistolero thing with the one hand, and an elk or wolf with the other, which gets blown away.
.

Actually, I think he'd need to pretend he's shooting a shotgun ("lock & load") instead of a pistol.

A two-handed salute.

So, is his pistolero salute a slap at LA? If so, I may actually start to like this guy.

 

[alberto.legstrong]

You'd figure he'd get a huge following from the God/Guns crowd here. I think S. Palin should be his #1 fan. Oh, wait.. He's not white though. Forget it.

I think there is a thread for your political views. Please take them there.

 

[hfer07]

Upon waking up this morning,I did my usual routine of checking race results and was suprised that Cadel won Fleche. But even more of a suprise was that A.C placed third. At this point I checked Twitter feed on the race and Wow the response from Americans was pure Joy that cadel outsprinted A.C in the last hundred yards,and how AC wasnt worth a damn. So my question is,Did LA JB and Versus do THAT good of a job Demonizing this Polite Young man, who it seems to me honors The true spirit of cycling by contesting every race he is in, EVEN if it doesnt suit his strengths.Meanwhile If Lance wins or even Podiums in A Semi-pro race Like Gila Everone will blow their load on how great he is What gives Man!

HERE WE GO.....SAD......
The PR English-speaking-biased-Media BS -Propaganda has just started............................................................................
they love to start a war between Spanish and the Anglo-Saxon riders out of the inability to get results....

 

[Publicus]

Actually, I think he'd need to pretend he's shooting a shotgun ("lock & load") instead of a pistol.

A two-handed salute.

So, is his pistolero salute a slap at LA? If so, I may actually start to like this guy.

Nothing to do with Lance. It's a personal gesture to someone in particular, but I've never heard/read who that person actually is.