Why is Contador never the story?

[**Uru**]

I am not sure why you chose to complain about Versus talking about Andy Schleck instead of Contador. At least at that point they were actually showing and discussing something that was going on live. Their coverage is horrible. It appears that the producer from Pros vs Joes got his big shot and decided to take the aesthetic from that stupid show and apply it to Tour non-coverage. I had to switch to Eurosport online in order to actually watch a big chunk of the action in Paris. The really good thing about the Tour being over is that Versus will not show the same athlete profiles on the same riders everyone knows over and over (Schleck, Farrar, Leipheimer, Hincapie, Horner, Cavandish, Contador, Millar, etc etc) in the place of actual race coverage.

 

[khardung la]

Contador was not in shape this year.. Smart competition should have seen it and taken advantage. 2010 will go down in his winning history as the tour he won using one leg (figuratively) because he couldn't use the other. That victory will be cherished in Contador's mind because it cost him a lot to get it. But get it , he did and i wouldn't want to be his competitors next time.

+1 I am thinking that way also, it was probably the better chance that AS will ever have to beat Contador at the Tour. AC is so used to say that he has allergia, or he is on antibiotics, or that he was in the beach before the Giro, or that he did not train good for a long period.... that I just thought he was going to be in shape anyway. But he actually had strong allergic problems, and then he was on antibiotics 2 weeks before the Tour. BTW the guy is often having to deal with issues related with his condition (brain surgery, epilepsia) which means that he has to take extra care all the time.

I bet he will be much stronger next year if sicknesses respect him.

 

[montagna lunga]

its not race, nor his ethnicity...
its not lance, its not peloton/sportif politics,
and its not the fickle finger of fate.

it just "is"...get over it

 

[No_Balls]

Because he's Spanish and some petty Anglo's will always be jealous.

Welcome to Nadal's world of 2005 and even 2008 after winning his first Wimbledon and becoming No. 1. The story was still all Federer all the time. I muted tennis commentary just like I mute Versus because all the jealous commies talk about was how to beat Rafa or Alberto.

But in 2010 after Rafa's second Wimbeldon win and second stint as No. 1 along with Federer's downfall, the story is slowly changing to be about Rafa. Or at least I'm hoping for a pro-Rafa US hard court tour.

So here's hoping Alberto will eventually get the respect he deserves in the English speaking world. He deserves it now but jealousy and ignorance are hard to kill.

Must have been a difficult year then given that the spanish have been triumphant in whatever competition labeled sport that has been entered.

 

[Denkoff]

it's realy funy))

 

[david2]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3gEMmUrsD8&playnext=1&videos=dQGhFe58ax8

hola soy español...the priemera time I saw the video excites me

 

[ManInFull]

Must have been a difficult year then given that the spanish have been triumphant in whatever competition labeled sport that has been entered.

The Spanish have dominated the TdF since 2006! Yes, I am counting Oscar P. as the winner of the 2006 TdF.

 

[ManInFull]

2009: "Attacked his own team" WTF? Declared leader for the TdF by team mgmt, then LA announces he's riding the TdF, then LA says "we'll settle it on the road," then LA Twittacks AC incessantly, by which point AC realizes what a joke his "team" is and wins the TdF on his own.

2010 MJ "mechanical" that wasn't really a mechanical: AS stomped the pedals and executed a rear shift at the same time - a mistake (with which "he's furious" according to brother Frank)

2010 mountaintop (I assume you're thinking of the Tourmalet): I couldn't agree with you more. I was sorely disappointed that AC didn't solo to a big win on this stage and I think his doing so would have stamped some real authority on the race. Since I'm not him, I don't know why he didn't - lacked the legs, saving it for later in the race (TT), trying to perpetuate the "Andy and Alberto, best of friends" image, etc. Who knows?

I don't think he had the legs. He won this Tour without being the dominant rider we have come to expect. It's either that or Andy Schleck is going to be dropping his *** on the climbs next year.

 

[Beech Mtn]

Alberto was apparently sick during some of this Tour and managed to "fake out" his rivals. According to Benjamin Noval:

Noval, who has Contador’s complete trust and is his roommate, added that “if Alberto said that he won the Tour at Morzine-Avoriaz, it was because he didn’t have one of his best days there, and he overcame it. Physically he wasn’t fine on that day, but he was fresh mentally for ordering Dani Navarro to pull hard so that the rivals thought that he was going to attack and didn’t make a move. It was a very good tactical decision to make when things were going badly.”

 

[LeonG2010]

One benefit of less media attention for AC is that it puts much more pressure on his adversaries. Frankly speaking, I had to wince each time Schleck claimed he was going to come out shooting before each mountain stage. All AC had to do was cover each move which he did for the most part with one aberration in the Alps at Morzine. If AC goes to the team Riis manages he will come back a better cyclist for it. The Schlecks new set up may or may not help short term. I would not presume Schleck is going to better AC next season based on this year's TdF. The Spaniard demonstrated plenty of experience and psychological prowess in overcoming a lack of consistent form to go on and win his third maillot jaune. With the media focussed so much on Schleck's rising and Armstrong in defeat, Alberto was able to conceal himself to some extent and succeed.

Another salient factor is that AC is not brash or provocative in his speech. He is generally gracious about his opponents. He does not explicitly seek publicity.

Where Europsport coverage is concerned, I turned the commentary down most of the time and listened to the French one on the Internet. This is by far superior to the English-spoken option. The jaundiced Eurosport perspective is peppered with ignorance, arrogance and personalised irrelevance. AC can survive well-enough without Eurosport's distortions.

 

[StyrbjornSterki]

I am not sure why you chose to complain about Versus talking about Andy Schleck instead of Contador....

Yes, you do. You're just saying that to be obtuse.

One benefit of less media attention for AC is that it puts much more pressure on his adversaries....

You think Andy Schleck spent a lot of time watching Versus during those three weeks?

 

[ManInFull]

Alberto was apparently sick during some of this Tour and managed to "fake out" his rivals. According to Benjamin Noval:

Interesting. Personally, I think that AS' growth from 2009 to 2010 was such that the gap between AS and AC is almost not discernible. AC better make some improvements this coming off season because Schleck certainly will.

 

[outrage9]

Contador was definitely the story last year, or at least shared equally with Lance continuing right through beating AS. This year there really wasn't much to report though, kind of a blah story other than repeating HIS near death experience in one of the 2 minute mini-dramas they do on flat stages with 3hrs of tempo. They tried a few interviews but I think the only English he knows is "I don't know" and "Yes, I am berry happy."

 

[ferryman]

Contador was definitely the story last year, or at least shared equally with Lance continuing right through beating AS. This year there really wasn't much to report though, kind of a blah story other than repeating HIS near death experience in one of the 2 minute mini-dramas they do on flat stages with 3hrs of tempo. They tried a few interviews but I think the only English he knows is "I don't know" and "Yes, I am berry happy."

Sigh. AC's English is actually very good. He speaks Spanish quite rightly and sensibly for most interviews to ensure he is not misquoted. He has been quoted stating this in English

 

[hrotha]

Sigh. AC's English is actually very good. He speaks Spanish quite rightly and sensibly for most interviews to ensure he is not misquoted. He has been quoted stating this in English

I'm not sure why the standard response to "Contador's English sucks" is "Contador's English is fine" instead of "why would that matter".

 

[ferryman]

I'm not sure why the standard response to "Contador's English sucks" is "Contador's English is fine" instead of "why would that matter".

Erm. 2nd sentence explains why it matters to him. What is not to understand about that?

 

[outrage9]

I'm not sure why the standard response to "Contador's English sucks" is "Contador's English is fine" instead of "why would that matter".

Because listening to a 2min interview of someone saying "what" and "I don't know" is not interesting.

 

[El Pistolero]

Start learning Spanish then you lazy bum

 

[**Uru**]

Yes, you do. You're just saying that to be obtuse.


You think Andy Schleck spent a lot of time watching Versus during those three weeks?

Perfect example of a trolling post. Quoted me out of context in order to make a straw man. The point of my post was about Versus' crappy coverage. This crappy coverage makes it difficult to know if their is a bias against Contador or just simply inept coverage.

 

[Dedelou]

Interesting. Personally, I think that AS' growth from 2009 to 2010 was such that the gap between AS and AC is almost not discernible. AC better make some improvements this coming off season because Schleck certainly will.

sometimes it is hard to project what the following year will be for top racers. Contador for example struck me as off all year long and yet he managed to win and animate quite a number of races including the Tour where he won while looking sort of out of it the whole time. Andy impressed us with his youth and power , we have to expect that each year he could grow. The long winter and following spring should be interesting for both as they will participate in a different program. I , for one , am looking forward to next year.

 

[dolophonic]

Because listening to a 2min interview of someone saying "what" and "I don't know" is not interesting.

Just as well he makes the preceding 4 hours of cycling exciting. That what really matters isn't it ?

 

[No_Balls]

sometimes it is hard to project what the following year will be for top racers. Contador for example struck me as off all year long and yet he managed to win and animate quite a number of races including the Tour where he won while looking sort of out of it the whole time. Andy impressed us with his youth and power , we have to expect that each year he could grow. The long winter and following spring should be interesting for both as they will participate in a different program. I , for one , am looking forward to next year.

Different riders - different programs.

You can´t judge baby Andys "huge progress" without looking at the whole season. He (Andy) wasn´t exactly set the world on fire up to June. Contador participated in many occasions and did well, yet didn´t look all too good either, but still won.

I hope Conta still participates a full season, and give at go, as this year, but no doubt he has learned something. It is difficult to be a winner all year long and still "look good" in Tour de France. Baby Schleck, for that matter, will continue riding the Lance Armstrong fit-for-Tour-de-France program.

 

[nicholaaaas]

Regarding the language, it's very simple, Contador is a profesional cyclist, he doesn't need to speak anything else than his native language, it's up to the journalist, if they call themselves good profesionals, to be able to communicate with the stars of the sport they have to follow, and after all, spanish is a very popular language in the world, it shouldn't be that difficult to find a translator or a journalist that is able to understand it. Many native english persons take for granted that everybody else in the world must speak english in a proper way, otherwise, they think you are stupid if you don't, when many of them are the ones unable to learn a second language, or at least, try to make the effort to learn it.

I know FIFA, the english language version of the rules is the "official" official version. Go to a F1 race... everyone in the paddock will be speaking english

 

[khardung la]

I know FIFA, the english language version of the rules is the "official" official version. Go to a F1 race... everyone in the paddock will be speaking english

So what?? Spaniards are 1/6 of the peloton at the TdF, and French the same or even more. Sum up the Italians and the ones coming from East Europe and you do not get an anglo-dominated sport.

Contador has to pedal faster than the rest. That is all about it. English is not needed for him, it is just a plus in case he wants to get even more money or media attention. I doubt it is a priority for Contador.

 

[c&cfan]

it is easy.

he is not the story because LA lovers hate him.(no need to tell why, right?)
he is not the story because LA haters hate him because he is not french.(ups)
the others think that cycling will be boring.

LA only made the tour boring.(no serious competition besides the first year and maybe 2nd)

contador made the last 4seasons boring by winning a lot of stage races and being the best ever stage racer at 27. only the spanish\portuguese people really like him xD (like me)

those that don't like him are talking about schleck and how he is amazing at 25! and they forget that by that age contador already had a tour and several other racers.

like i said, i wouldn't be surprised at all if andy finishes his career with 0 tour wins and perhaps some GT's wins when contador is not there. andy was unlucky, he is just 2 years younger.