[quote Power13
That said, it is time to stick a fork in the idea of Porte being a GC contender.....he simply doesn't have the constitution / recovery capabilities for 3 weeks of racing at the front.[/quote]
I have been wondering this myself about Porte being a GC contender. It reminded me of Mick Rogers who tried for years early in his career to be a GC rider in GTs but then realised he was better suited to 7 - 10 day stage races then GTs.

I have been wondering this myself about Porte being a GC contender. It reminded me of Mick Rogers who tried for years early in his career to be a GC rider in GTs but then realised he was better suited to 7 - 10 day stage races then GTs.[/quote]
I sort of agree, but not sure this Giro is particular evidence of that. It was a puncture and then a crash that did for Porte more than anything else

Contador is on his own now and 50 seconds behind Aru. But seems like he attacks the climb now in true Contador-Style. Out of the saddle and flying past everyone else.

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10k - 30:48 / half - 1:06:40

Lot of road still ahead and the gap is coming down....

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Chicago Cubs - 2016 WORLD SERIES Champions!!!!

"If ever the time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin." - Samuel Adams

This is a great stage. Contador passed a jillion riders during his chase.

Well THAT didn't take long.....

Contador needs to ride smart and not attack anymore. Just mark his competition, ride wheels and get ready for July.

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Chicago Cubs - 2016 WORLD SERIES Champions!!!!

"If ever the time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin." - Samuel Adams

Yeah, but you gotta love those attacks. You gotta feel for Aru though, not only getting dropped by Landa two days in a row, but then also losing 2nd place.

I bet AC was thinking... STAHP Landa, STAHP!!! I want to recover now....

Agreed,

I wouldn't class myself as a Contador fan by any means, but I find more and more that I begrudgingly respect the guy.
I'd love to see him win here and then still be competitive at (or even win?) the Tour.

Wonder if Aru likes apples.

classy bunch, that Astana....shouldn't even be riding.....eff em

Apparently AC doesn't need a wheel from another team to get to finish line.

Seemed like a cheap move from Astana but gave AC one more example to show why he's the best GT rider of generation.

^^
This.

+2

And I bet if given the chance to win a stage, AC will set aside the energy-saving approach to throw Landa a beating, just to prove a point. He could have just caught up and sat on today but clearly wanted to put it on Aru.

Word. He's not stem staring, doing the math. He's all about smack down and pride and yet smart enough to say the right things to the media later. Fascinating athlete. Not the driven snow by any means but it seems he went through his adjustment period to a new, cleaner, approach.
All that said, it's hard to trash Astana for being dirty (which I stand by) and believe Contador is completely clean. As much as I like him, his day in day out performance, TT especially, is suspect.
I'm waiting for that jour sans that he just barely
survives. THEN I'll be happy.

True. Thought Contador was more than 2 minutes off Pantani's record up the Mortitolo, or something like 3-4% slower. Have to figure he was at his limit so maybe there's hope. Or I'm just wishful.

Regardless of clean or not, AC is certainly a more resolved and determined rider. Instead of balling up he put Aru down. The guy is physically gifted but also tough as nails psychologically; where LA lashed out nastily, AC is poised and respectful. Plus, Oleg Jerkov is at the ready with a cat 6 comment.

Further to your point about the comparison with LA, whereas Contador has won grand tours through all sorts of adversity, LA had an amazingly smooth run through his seven tours. Some of that was a function of great planning and execution, and some of that was just good luck. Contador has had his share of bad luck and handled it incredibly well. He gets back on the bike and rides hard. Perhaps LA would have been able to do the same, had lots of bad luck come his way (beyond getting cancer), and certainly he was a mentally tough and shrewd competitor. But, it's amazing how much Contador has been tested by adversity and come through it. (He's still a cheater and probably a jerk, but I admire his tenacity. No whining.)

Cheater, yes. Jerk, I'm not so sure. I have three buddies who race against him and all express the same type of admiration. Incredible athlete but still humble and low key. By all accounts he seems like a nice guy.

Kinda just replying to the thread in general but i agree... it's the adversity that he's persevered through that makes me a Contador fan... that and his tenacity... he wants to win and he's going to do everything he can to win. His attack on Fuente De is one of my favorite races ever... that guy wants to win and would rather finish 40th trying for 1st vs settling for 2nd.

I also love the fact that he gets that the fans matter. The guy always gives it his all and he always mentions trying to make things interesting for the fans to watch. I'm baffled by the professional athletes that seem to have no grasp on the fact that without fans there would be no professional sports.

Finally... doper... well that goes without saying.. but jerk... i don't see it. He always seems very gracious and thoughtful to me... kinda comes off as a guy that wants to win yet still avoid the spotlight.

With these guys you have to suspend disbelief, I think. If one can do that, Contador is just so dynamic and fun to watch. Kind of like Lance and Floyd and Pantini. What I cannot do is watch a whole train of guys blow up a field going uphill. Sky, Postal, now Astana.

I see Tejay and guys like that doing really well at TdF but still having to take a beating from the Astanas and Katushas in the peleton. Once Astana starts setting up Nibali on climbs it will beat down the clean guys. And yeah, if Tejay's not clean I'll throw all my bikes in the river. I'm biased toward US riders for sure. I think it's culturally just different. They're generally not desperate to escape poor conditions at home and have options other than bike racing. The Italians just cheat their asses off anyway. It's part of the game.

It was neat how Contador took over the 2009 TdF. Lots of stories about the friction between Armstrong and Contador during that race. Half of his team and the team's director were working for Armstrong, so Contador raced more or less on his own and ended up winning. Pretty impressive. Goodness knows what level of cheating he's been guilty of over the years, but he sure animates the races that he's done.

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"Human existence is based upon two pillars: Compassion and knowledge. Compassion without knowledge is ineffective; Knowledge without compassion is inhuman." Victor Weisskopf.

How'd that bias work out during the early 00's?

The idea that US riders are "cleaner" than other athletes simply doesn't jibe with reality.

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Chicago Cubs - 2016 WORLD SERIES Champions!!!!

"If ever the time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin." - Samuel Adams

Forget the pink?

They were absolutely hammering on the flats before the Mortirolo (both Astana on the front and the Contador group). Rogers tweeted after the race that his heart rate was already at 190BPM before they hit the base. I'm sure that slowed things down a bit.