Professional Cycling For the Fans - Contador is a class act

I didn't say he wouldn't have won any; I don't think he would have won four.
List the great teams. Saxo? I don't see him going to Saxo and Andy being his domestique. Garmin? That would be a great choice. Lampre? Milram? (where the hell was Linus Gerdemann?) Silence? Columbia? They're more of a spring stage behemoth. AG2R, Liquigas, FdJ?

There are a few teams that offer him the same opportunity to wind GTs. And a bunch of other teams, opportunity ... not so high.


if contador could win this year with a team full of backstabbers he could have won with lotto as his team. seriously. when you are as dominant as contador is you don't need a great team.

the only guy that could hang with AC was AS and i believe AC could have ridden away from schleck any time he wanted to. in fact he did a couple of times and took time.

a lot was made out of how tough the competition was this year and i think that's bull. i think the field was relatively weak and contador was clearly superior to everyone.

i'm not taking anything away from andy but he doesn't climb well enough not to be able to TT. fact is contador is a better climber and a much better TTer.

if contador had ridden his race i could see the final gaps being double of what they were.

so that's what i "think" :thumb:.

ed rader

I really hope AC leaves Astana no matter where he ends up. I'd hate for him to miss another TDF because of the team he's on. Surely a contract buyout can be had.

And speaking of bad estimations of Contador's intelligence by the English speaking commentators--Sherwin, Liggett, and Roll--is it my imagination or do they diss or at least patronize every rider of note who is not of a North American or Northern European nationality? Perhaps if these guys learned a little Spanish, French, and Italian, they could converse with the larger portion of the peloton and learn a little more about what's really going on. Frankly, I never considered Bob Roll particularly sagacious, but my esteem of Liggett's analysis went down considerably this year.

if contador had ridden his race i could see the final gaps being double of what they were.



I agree. The Astana "team" plan held back Contador from riding the best race for him.

And speaking of bad estimations of Contador's intelligence by the English speaking commentators--Sherwin, Liggett, and Roll--is it my imagination or do they diss or at least patronize every rider of note who is not of a North American or Northern European nationality? Perhaps if these guys learned a little Spanish, French, and Italian, they could converse with the larger portion of the peloton and learn a little more about what's really going on. Frankly, I never considered Bob Roll particularly sagacious, but my esteem of Liggett's analysis went down considerably this year.

Phil and Paul both took healthy swigs of the kool-aid. They are full on idol worship mode. I used to think they were above it. But they let it get in the way of "analysis" of the race. Some of their comments made me wonder if they were watching the race or just reading all of the other mainstream US media coverage of it.

First, Johan Bruyneel is not the only DS capable of putting together a winning team. Second, I didn't hear any squawking from US fans in 1986 when Greg LeMond didn't play according to The Plan. Third, Contador is way beyond being Lance Armstrong's protege. He's not a kid. And fourth, I don't care how successful the organization is, if you can't stand working with them you owe it to yourself to get out.

Besides, the brilliance of Johan Bruyneel is estimable but overrated. As DS he has never won a Grand Tour without Lance Armstrong or Alberto Contador, and he won just one spring classic, with George Hincapie at Ghent-Wevelgem in 2001.

Contador will do just fine. He represented himself with intelligence, restraint, and honor in the post-Ventoux interview, in contrast to the insinuating sputters and twitters of Armstrong and Bruyneel. He maintained his composure and kept his own counsel to win by 4:11.

Well said.

And speaking of bad estimations of Contador's intelligence by the English speaking commentators--Sherwin, Liggett, and Roll--is it my imagination or do they diss or at least patronize every rider of note who is not of a North American or Northern European nationality? Perhaps if these guys learned a little Spanish, French, and Italian, they could converse with the larger portion of the peloton and learn a little more about what's really going on. Frankly, I never considered Bob Roll particularly sagacious, but my esteem of Liggett's analysis went down considerably this year.

this morning sherwin said that contador blew a podium sweep...and then he said if levi hadn't of gotten hurt astana could have taken the top four positions. what a brown noser.

ed rader

this morning sherwin said that contador blew a podium sweep...and then he said if levi hadn't of gotten hurt astana could have taken the top four positions. what a brown noser.

ed rader

Its just shameful.

this morning sherwin said that contador blew a podium sweep...and then he said if levi hadn't of gotten hurt astana could have taken the top four positions. what a brown noser.

ed rader

LOL! This isnt original but............"If Armstrong ever comes to an abrupt halt, then Sherwin, Ligget , and Roll's heads will go straight up his arse like a
San Marco Concor saddle!"

I'm sure Contador is crying himself to sleep in the arms of the podium girls every night at how many fat americans on the internet don't like him. :roflmao2:

Be sure to pick up your XXXL Radioshack kit and new Madone on the way out.

I'm sure Contador is crying himself to sleep in the arms of the podium girls every night at how many fat americans on the internet don't like him. :roflmao2:

Be sure to pick up your XXXL Radioshack kit and new Madone on the way out.

Ha ha ha now THAT was damn funny. And true no doubt. Poor Contador, he must be so sad.

...Besides, the brilliance of Johan Bruyneel is estimable but overrated. As DS he has never won a Grand Tour without Lance Armstrong or Alberto Contador, and he won just one spring classic, with George Hincapie at Ghent-Wevelgem in 2001...

By and large, I completely agree with you. However, his teams did with the Vuelta with Heras (as tarnished as that may now appear), and the Giro with Savoldelli. Neither Armstrong nor Contador rode in those victories.

I'm sure Contador is crying himself to sleep in the arms of the podium girls every night at how many fat americans on the internet don't like him. :roflmao2:

Be sure to pick up your XXXL Radioshack kit and new Madone on the way out.
Hahaha!

Armstrong raced to win. I don't ever recall a situation where he cared one way or another if he had another teammate on the podium with him. Same goes for Pantani, Ullrich, Indurain, Riis, Merckx...

Technically true, but misleading when it comes to Riis. When he realized he did not have the legs to win he stayed team leader, but not team Yellow hope and Ullrich got his only TDF win.

...contador is a great champion....

-1

And speaking of bad estimations of Contador's intelligence by the English speaking commentators--Sherwin, Liggett, and Roll--is it my imagination or do they diss or at least patronize every rider of note who is not of a North American or Northern European nationality? Perhaps if these guys learned a little Spanish, French, and Italian, they could converse with the larger portion of the peloton and learn a little more about what's really going on. Frankly, I never considered Bob Roll particularly sagacious, but my esteem of Liggett's analysis went down considerably this year.

There are times I think Sherwin may not be all that bad. Please understand I am NOT saying I come even close to liking what he says. It is just that now and then I catch him saying things where I wonder if he was in a position like Contador, having to follow team orders and every now ant then slanting things back toward rational as much as he could safely get away with. Remember he did not have Contador's huge advantage of being clearly the best.

By and large, I completely agree with you. However, his teams did with the Vuelta with Heras (as tarnished as that may now appear), and the Giro with Savoldelli. Neither Armstrong nor Contador rode in those victories.

Lance haters have such selective memories!

I agree. The Astana "team" plan held back Contador from riding the best race for him.

This is where Contador's lack of leadership showed up. He doesn't "need" to win by 8 minutes and 22 seconds. He is the leader of a TEAM, and it is not only his job to win the race, but his job to try to give the rest of his team the chance to have the best result as well. By attacking against the team plan, sure he built up an insurmountable lead, but he also hurt his team and proved to his teammates that he was in it only for himself. AC is the one who has been crying into his water bottle for the last 3 weeks about his team not supporting him, yet he has been the team's worst enemy. When you are the best rider on a team, and you have already proven it like he had, then you set about helping to make the rest of your teammates better, not attacking them and grousing about them not supporting you while they pull you through every flat stage and defend you against attacks in the mountains.

He is the leader of a TEAM, and it is not only his job to win the race, but his job to try to give the rest of his team the chance to have the best result as well. Is that a new rule this year?

He is the leader of a TEAM, and it is not only his job to win the race, but his job to try to give the rest of his team the chance to have the best result as well.

Poppycock

This is where Contador's lack of leadership showed up. He doesn't "need" to win by 8 minutes and 22 seconds. He is the leader of a TEAM, and it is not only his job to win the race, but his job to try to give the rest of his team the chance to have the best result as well. By attacking against the team plan, sure he built up an insurmountable lead, but he also hurt his team and proved to his teammates that he was in it only for himself. AC is the one who has been crying into his water bottle for the last 3 weeks about his team not supporting him, yet he has been the team's worst enemy. When you are the best rider on a team, and you have already proven it like he had, then you set about helping to make the rest of your teammates better, not attacking them and grousing about them not supporting you while they pull you through every flat stage and defend you against attacks in the mountains.

Never has team had a plan to try and sweep the podium. It was a completely unrealistic plan. At the time when AC attacked, he did not have an insurmountable lead. If they had let him attack early on he could have built that lead. Lance was upset at Arcalis because AC put time on him as well as all of the other GC contenders. But AC was not leading at the time. Andres Kloden and Lance Armstrong had no chance of knocking Andy Schleck out of second place. Period. At no point did they ever show that they were equal to Andy in climbing ability. Marginally better at the TT. But clearly worse once the roads went up. Astana sweeping the podium was a pipe dream. I wish people would let it go.

As for crying...Lance has been the one publicly causing the disturbance. His interviews and twitter messages after every stage brought the controversy into the open. If he had shut up and handled it behind closed doors, nobody would have known about the rift. Lance was pissed because AC didn't bend to his will.