Three Grand Tour in one year -- is it possible?

[Mellow Velo]

The only GT he didn't win in 2008, was the one Carlos Sastre took.
Remember? The one that Armstrong said was a p*ss weak race.
He was just 25.
Improbable? Sure.........very.
Impossible? How will we know until the best GT rider in an age gives it a serious shot and gets all the breaks?

 

[Weapons of @ss Destruction]

Because Contador never rode 2 GT in a row so you can't say wether he can do that or not.
And if Pantani can win 2 in a row, sure as hell Contador can.

Sure, but wouldn't it make more sense to let him prove it first? Then start asking about the possibility of 3 in a row?

 

[ericthesportsman6]

Besides Andy Schleck everyone is a second rate field against Contador in a 3 week stage race.

Ricco could challenge on the climbs, and I'm sure someone else will develop into a threat in the coming years.

 

[theswordsman]

Just hours after Bjarne Riis confirm the arrival of the latest winner of the Tour de France to his squad for next season, attended Contador Francisco Eduardo Huts and Fernando Gomez, Eurosport commentators to explain that his brother was very happy to the new venture to be undertaken from next January 1, 2011.

Very surprised, the agent of the current leader of the UCI ranking soon disprove the words of Saxo Bank's sports director, who said Alberto Contador had said he wanted to win all three Grand Tours in one season: "I imagine that there will been a translation error. Conquer Giro, Tour and Vuelta in the same year is impossible. We have very clear that the priority is the Tour and then, seeing as it will work is planned in each of the two campaigns that we have signed. "

. In his words, Fran Contador said his brother has asked Riis to try to retain in the ranks of Saxo Bank to several of the corridors that form the core of Danish education, "Let's see what happens with Cancellara and many others. do not know if they will stay or if they will go along with the Schleck brothers. On the other hand, we would like that Alberto also came a few men of his confidence as Dani Navarro and Jesus Hernandez. "

http://es.eurosport.yahoo.com/03082010/47/contador-ira-tres-grandes.html

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Ricco could challenge on the climbs, and I'm sure someone else will develop into a threat in the coming years.

And Contador can only shed the rest when he is 100%

In the Giro he won he wasn't and he had trouble in many mountain stages (not only with Ricco').

If he tries to win the Vuelta at 90%, but meets a 100% Gesink, Anton and Ricco there (just an example), he is going to have a hard time

 

[saganftw]

http://es.eurosport.yahoo.com/03082010/47/contador-ira-tres-grandes.html

well thats pretty much closed discussion now

though i would like to see him trying

 

[ManInFull]

The only GT he didn't win in 2008, was the one Carlos Sastre took.
Remember? The one that Armstrong said was a p*ss weak race.
He was just 25.
Improbable? Sure.........very.
Impossible? How will we know until the best GT rider in an age gives it a serious shot and gets all the breaks?

And AC didn't lose that one--he wasn't even allowed to compete for it.

 

[used to row]

it would be nice to see him try!

tho i think it won't be an exiting race, either three of them.

 

[El Pistolero]

Ricco could challenge on the climbs, and I'm sure someone else will develop into a threat in the coming years.

The one that couldn't even keep up with Carlos Sastre in the GC in the 2008 Tour de France while being doped?

No... Just no...

We all know that Contador wasn't prepared at all for the Giro. He wasn't at 100%, not even at 90% in that Giro.

 

[Ryaguas]

Perspective : Contador has never even won 2 GTs in a row. He's always had at least 1 GT on the calendar between each of his wins. Why are we even talking about 3 in a row?

Because dreams sometimes becomes true...

Well next year Contador is going for Tour - Vuelta tho... Giro - Tour is not likely cuz He has seen that those who rode Il Giro were fack up in Le Tour... so is better start "fresh" Le Tour (also he has to defend his title) and then try La Vuelta, cuz es mucho mejor correr en casa!

 

[saganftw]

The one that couldn't even keep up with Carlos Sastre in the GC in the 2008 Tour de France while being doped?

No... Just no...

We all know that Contador wasn't prepared at all for the Giro. He wasn't at 100%, not even at 90% in that Giro.

well his last race ( last he won,maybe not last raced) before giro was pais vasco so thats like less than 3 weeks before he started preparation for giro...so i think he was in near top form in second and third week of giro

 

[luckyboy]

Nope .....

 

[boardhanger]

Those

Pasta and Herrings.......washed down with a Carlsberg. Welcome to the Tour of Denmark !!

 

[hfer07]

http://es.eurosport.yahoo.com/03082010/47/contador-ira-tres-grandes.html

oh god- they just joined forces and here we have the first "misunderstanding"......

 

[scribe]

oh god- they just joined forces and here we have the first "misunderstanding"......

What's AC crying about now??

 

[hrotha]

What's AC crying about now??

He's a baby who won't try to win 3 GTs in the same year.

 

[Anonymous]

No way a clean athlete can pull that off. He just might be able to do it.

 

[cyclopeon]

oh god- they just joined forces and here we have the first "misunderstanding"......

Definitely a mis-something. In the CN article, I can't find Riis saying anything about what Contador does or doesn't think about it; only that Riis has said he thinks Contador can. So AC's brother and/or the journalists is/are talking through their hats.

Sometimes I think the two Contadors play the media like the Schlecks play the mountains, ie divide and conquer. But sometimes an agent is just an agent.

I don't know if it is possible or not, but everyone needs a good challenging objective to aim for, even if it seems impossible. One can set hard goals and fail and be remembered for attempting the impossible, or one can set easy goals and be remembered as just another winner. I prefer the former, but I suspect the majority prefer the latter.

 

[hasen96]

Marino Lejarreta

Remember Marino Lajarreta, the man of 3 tours!

 

[Bob Sanders]

Maybe he could try for a "Tiger Slam." Tour, Vuelta, Giro. All 3 in the same year would be nearly impossible though.

 

[Jeanne]

Best left in the Clinic. And no, I don't think it is.

That`s what methinks aswell

 

[Polish]

Alberto winning 3 GT's in a year?
I would be happy to see him do ANY race between now & February 2011.

Alberto winning 3 GT's in a year conflicts with his current staregy of taking seven months off each year.

But NO WAY Alberto could have won all three THIS year.
Heck, some argue he did not "win" even one

 

[theswordsman]

Some of the international press is wondering if...the translation wasn't complete, but if Riis I guess came up with the three grand tour story for publicity?

It raised another question for me. Fran told Eurosport commentators that it was impossible, but I wonder if Alberto actually mentioned it to Bjarne as a dream he'd like to attempt one day? That got me questioning whether the final contract, and possibly even the bank's renewed sponsorship, might have been influenced by them thinking there might be an attempt. It would make a ton of publicity for everyone.

I've said elsewhere that I'm disappointed that Contador isn't racing the Vuelta or elsewhere in August and September, because he and Andy were dead even at the Tour, have the same eleven months to prepare, and Schleck's continued training, and especially the three weeks of the Vuelta, put Andy ahead in preparation. So I don't see Alberto racing three when he's wasting a chance for this one.

BUT. If he was going to try for it as the best year of his career, the last thing he would do was announce it ahead of time. He'd be a fool to put that kind of pressure on himself before the Giro even started, and if he didn't win that race, even if he won the Tour, he'd look like a failure. Horse owners don't announce they're trying to win the Triple Crown - they try their best to win the Kentucky Derby. Tennis players don't say they're going for a Grand Slam - they try to win the Australian Open.

So if there's any truth to this, in the year of the attempt, I wouldn't expect to see any more than an announcement that he'll ride the Giro, and a possibly lighter early season race schedule. If he wins in Italy, he could announce he was going to the Tour de France to attempt the double, and if he won that, hey surprise everyone, I'm going to the Vuelta.

I wonder how Alberto will like boot camp?

 

[El Pistolero]

Some of the international press is wondering if...the translation wasn't complete, but if Riis I guess came up with the three grand tour story for publicity?

It raised another question for me. Fran told Eurosport commentators that it was impossible, but I wonder if Alberto actually mentioned it to Bjarne as a dream he'd like to attempt one day? That got me questioning whether the final contract, and possibly even the bank's renewed sponsorship, might have been influenced by them thinking there might be an attempt. It would make a ton of publicity for everyone.

I've said elsewhere that I'm disappointed that Contador isn't racing the Vuelta or elsewhere in August and September, because he and Andy were dead even at the Tour, have the same eleven months to prepare, and Schleck's continued training, and especially the three weeks of the Vuelta, put Andy ahead in preparation. So I don't see Alberto racing three when he's wasting a chance for this one.

BUT. If he was going to try for it as the best year of his career, the last thing he would do was announce it ahead of time. He'd be a fool to put that kind of pressure on himself before the Giro even started, and if he didn't win that race, even if he won the Tour, he'd look like a failure. Horse owners don't announce they're trying to win the Triple Crown - they try their best to win the Kentucky Derby. Tennis players don't say they're going for a Grand Slam - they try to win the Australian Open.

So if there's any truth to this, in the year of the attempt, I wouldn't expect to see any more than an announcement that he'll ride the Giro, and a possibly lighter early season race schedule. If he wins in Italy, he could announce he was going to the Tour de France to attempt the double, and if he won that, hey surprise everyone, I'm going to the Vuelta.

I wonder how Alberto will like boot camp?

Erm, haven't you ever heard Andy Schleck when he said he'll win next year's Tour? He said that 2 years ago, he said that last year, and he said it this year as well after the Tour.

 

[The Hitch]

3) Being on the same team as Cancellara he can gain time if there is a TTT. Those will be crucial seconds if he is only 97% in the mountains.

Schleck was with cancellara in the last tdf ttt. They lost 40 seconds to radioshack i mean astana even though canc was in yellow and put big pulls at the front, and i think they lost time to others as well.

Team Time trials are just that, team efforts. So what if cancellara can go 50.35 km/h in a 50km time trial while tony martin can only go 50.25 km/h and loses 17 seconds over 50km. Over a team time trial of 22km cancellara will have a few km at the front and frankly it wont matter too much if he takes it easy and goes 47km/h or goes all out and does 53km/h for his 3 minutes at the front. What matters is how quick the other 7 riders in the team go for the 25 or so minutes they will be at the front and how well team plays it strategy wise.

Remember theres no cancellara in ttt.