https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/aug/07/alberto-contador-retire-cycling-vuelta-a-espana
Was hoping he had a bit more left in him on a trek, but alas wasnt to be.
Too bad, had lots of tenacity the last couple years in the grand tours. More bad luck though.
Still a 9 time grand tour winner in my mind…
I’m glad he gave it one more go with Trek but it does seem like time to hang it up if Grand Tour GC is still his goal. I think there are enough up-and-comers to make up for his absence.
**Still a 9 time grand tour winner in my mind… **
Wait, how does he get a fond send off? Isn’t he a proven doper? Shouldn’t we be celebrating that another cheater of that time period is leaving the sport?
Saw him at the Tour. Truly animated in person, would have loved to had some one on one time with him.
When it comes to riders, he’s one that would try to win by throwing it all on the line on the road. Definitely was living the mantra, you can’t win unless you try to win.
Good riddance to another dirty doper!..
We only hate Lance, because he said he didn’t dope and was an a hole.
We only hate Lance, because he said he didn’t dope and was an a hole.
no one believed him (or anyone else)… so mostly it was the A-hole part… An A-hole can still be 7x TDF winner.
We only hate Lance, because he said he didn’t dope and was an a hole.
no one believed him (or anyone else)… so mostly it was the A-hole part… An A-hole can still be 7x TDF winner.
Actually there is currently no 7 time TDF winner.
We only hate Lance, because he said he didn’t dope and was an a hole.
no one believed him (or anyone else)… so mostly it was the A-hole part… An A-hole can still be 7x TDF winner.
Actually there is currently no 7 time TDF winner.
I predict LA will be reinstated down the line (with a * by his name)
We only hate Lance, because he said he didn’t dope and was an a hole.
no one believed him (or anyone else)… so mostly it was the A-hole part… An A-hole can still be 7x TDF winner.
Actually there is currently no 7 time TDF winner.
I predict LA will be reinstated down the line (with a * by his name)
wait till he passes… like what will probably be done with Charlie Hussle and the Baseball HOF
When it’s all over, will he celebrate with a nice Spanish Steak?
When it’s all over, will he celebrate with a nice Spanish Steak?
why not… no reason not too anymore.
**Still a 9 time grand tour winner in my mind… **
Wait, how does he get a fond send off? Isn’t he a proven doper? Shouldn’t we be celebrating that another cheater of that time period is leaving the sport?
Contador has always had the benefit of the doubt in my mind.
Spanish beef has a bit of a rep for clenbuterol.
Plus, it’s not a smart drug for a cyclist to take. Sure, it aids in stripping fat, but has some side effects that would really mess with his training and performance in general (nausea/vomiting, heart palpitations, tachycardia etc). If he wanted to dope, then I fail to see how it would be his drug of choice.
Wasn’t the clenbuterol introduced because of a blood bag as well? They found plasticizers when they checked his samples. At any rate, I don’t know why we would look at professional cyclists from that era or triathletes for that matter and be shocked at what they did. I wish more endurance athletes would come out and tell the truth about what was done through the 80s and early 2000s. Everyone deserves forgiveness and what people did, while wrong, was a product of the sporting culture during that time. If more people would talk and work against the omerta we would know better how and what is being used to cheat.
At any rate, Alberto is a dying breed of cyclist. His attacks were vicious. He didn’t go purely by numbers and animated the races spectacularly. Time and time again he made races thrilling to watch. His attack on the second to last day of Paris-Nice this year was absolutely insane. I for one will miss him.
We only hate Lance, because he said he didn’t dope and was an a hole.
no one believed him (or anyone else)… so mostly it was the A-hole part… An A-hole can still be 7x TDF winner.
Actually there is currently no 7 time TDF winner.
I predict LA will be reinstated down the line (with a * by his name)
Of course he will. It’s hard to make the argument that he was any different than Merckx, Anquetil, Indurain, and Hinault. It is likely there is no winner of the Tour who has not doped.
I think everyone deserves forgiveness if they actually tell the truth, show some sign of remorse and responsibility for their actions, and show a willingness to try and help make their sport cleaner. The likes of David Millar and Jonathan Vaughters have shown that you can dope in your career but redeem yourself and help to improve the sport.
Riders who stick to omerta deserve nothing but good riddance. Same goes for those who come clean but only to help themselves e.g. Lance with his big confession on Oprah once it became apparent he was going down anyway. I find it absolutely incredible that unrepentant ex-dopers like Vino and Riis are allowed to run pro teams.
I’ll admit to being a little torn on Contador. On the one hand the tainted beef story is one of the most plausible excuses for a failed doping test and I do think it would be awful to be convicted of doping over something that wasn’t your fault. On the other hand I find it very hard to believe that he was a clean rider, based on the trajectory of his career, the riders he was beating who we know to be dopers, and some of the teams and managers he’s been involved with. He was always entertaining, I’ll miss his attacks, but not too sorry to see him go.
Wasn’t the clenbuterol introduced because of a blood bag as well? They found plasticizers when they checked his samples. At any rate, I don’t know why we would look at professional cyclists from that era or triathletes for that matter and be shocked at what they did. I wish more endurance athletes would come out and tell the truth about what was done through the 80s and early 2000s. Everyone deserves forgiveness and what people did, while wrong, was a product of the sporting culture during that time. If more people would talk and work against the omerta we would know better how and what is being used to cheat.
At any rate, Alberto is a dying breed of cyclist. His attacks were vicious. He didn’t go purely by numbers and animated the races spectacularly. Time and time again he made races thrilling to watch. His attack on the second to last day of Paris-Nice this year was absolutely insane. I for one will miss him.
too much common in sense in this post. I enjoyed Contador a lot more in his latter blood passport days than his turbo doped attacks (ex: Verbier circa 2009). He has just operated with what goes with the times in cycling like the majority of his peers. I wonder if the blood passport was in full force back in his early days if he’d have been as dominant given that everyone would be on lower octane. At 34 even this year, if he did not hit the deck multiple times at the TdF the results would be brilliant. Given us a 25 year old Contador on the Galibier stage and maybe he holds everyone off. That attack from the base of Croix de Fer was insane and don’t forget he likely blew all his matches that he should have used on Galibier, catching back up after his flat on Telegraphe.
I am looking forward to the Vuelta. Good line up with Froome, Aru and Contador. Now that I am “recovered” from the daily TdF stage threads, do we need a daily for the Vuelta…the line up with 8 mountain stages and 5 uphill finishes seems worthy. Adding in all these guys on fried legs (vs Quintana trying to take on fresh leg guys at letour…I wish he had just pulled the plug on day 8 or so and then recovered for the Vuelta) and it could be interesting. Anyone know if Fuglsang is racing? I have not tracked his recovery…been too occupied with IAAF worlds
Great post above. I am actually going to be in Spain and will be riding and following the Vuelta for a week to support one of my friends who races professionally. It will be great to see with my own eyes, particularly seeing Contador go out in his home country. I’m very excited to go. I’ve been to the Tour and this will be my first Vuelta.