I’ve been meaning to post this for a while, then I watched him win the Dauphine prologue last weekend. I mean, this guy was losing minutes to the stage winners only a few years ago and now he’s winning or near the top of any TT he does. When he won his first tour, didn’t he have to hang on b/c Evans and Levi, in 3rd, almost gained enough time in the final TT to beat him. I don’t see how it’s possible to go from so bad to one of the best. I can see some improvement to get him to the middle of the pack. How does this happen?
Guess what was Contador’s first professional win…
By the way, he won the prologue of the dauphine libere, and got beaten pretty badly in the TT yesterday.
Aaagghh!!!
Why do people always post this about Contador being a bad TT’er? It comes up every time he wins a big race.
I am not blaming you for not using the search function here on ST (no one does that), but just look at some cycling results.
Some of Contador’s first pro victories were in TTs, he’s been the Spanish national TT champ, etc. and has never been a bad TT’er.
Specificity of training plus bike fit and time in the wind tunnel.
duh, Power Cranks…
Contador was never a “bad” time trialist. When he won his first tour he finished fifth and seventh in the long time trials and something like top 20 in the prolouge. He may have been a couple of minutes down in those TTs, but he was also only 23 or 24 at the time. I think he has steadily improved over the years, as many time trialists do. He was also the Spanish U23 Time Trial champion at one time, so it seems he’s always had some TT ability.
Another thing to keep in mind is that a lot of riders like Contador, when they are younger, don’t focus much on TTs. They fit the climber’s mold so that is where they are focused, either by their own doing, or by their team director. As they get a little older and it becomes clear they have some Grand Tour abilities, they end up working in a wind tunnel and with a more focused effort on TTs.
Dude’s got some looong levers. His femurs look almost freakishly long to me in this shot. Even the little kid in the background is fixated by them.
OK, not that this necessarily matters… just sayin.
I agree, his results were always okay but he’s obviously worked on the discipline.
Does anyone remember Schumacher who came from nowhere to win a TT, then failed a drugs test.
He has always been an exceptional timetrialist. Maybe he has gotten even better.
Sergio
The same way Lance went from a one day racer to a TDF winner.
One of the mechanics forgot the recharge the batteries before his bad TT.
When he won his first tour, didn’t he have to hang on b/c Evans and Levi, in 3rd, almost gained enough time in the final TT to beat him. I don’t see how it’s possible to go from so bad to one of the best. I can see some improvement to get him to the middle of the pack. How does this happen?
I don’t know. Why don’t you ask Cancellara? Contador was “so bad” in that TT that he beat him by almost 40 seconds? Or Bert Grabsch, whom he beat by a couple of minutes? Seriously, what are you talking about?
1 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 1.02.44 (53.068 km/h)
2 Cadel Evans (Aus) Predictor - Lotto 0.51
3 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Caisse d’Epargne 1.56
4 Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 2.01
5 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 2.18
6 José Ivan Gutierrez Palacios (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne 2.27
7 George Hincapie (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 2.33
8 Oscar Pereiro Sio (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne 2.36
9 Leif Hoste (Bel) Predictor - Lotto 2.48
10 Mikel Astarloza Chaurreau (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 2.50
11 Thomas Dekker (Ned) Rabobank 2.55
12 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team CSC
13 Kim Kirchen (Lux) T-Mobile Team 3.00
14 Linus Gerdemann (Ger) T-Mobile Team 3.17
15 Stefan Schumacher (Ger) Gerolsteiner
16 Carlos Sastre Candil (Spa) Team CSC 3.24
17 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne 3.37
18 Sébastien Rosseler (Bel) Quickstep - Innergetic 3.46
19 Christian Vande Velde (USA) Team CSC 3.58
20 Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 4.06
21 Andry Grivko (Ukr) Team Milram 4.07
22 Bert Grabsch (Ger) T-Mobile Team 4.08
When he won his first tour, didn’t he have to hang on b/c Evans and Levi, in 3rd, almost gained enough time in the final TT to beat him. I don’t see how it’s possible to go from so bad to one of the best. I can see some improvement to get him to the middle of the pack. How does this happen?
I don’t know. Why don’t you ask Cancellara? Contador was “so bad” in that TT that he beat him by almost 40 seconds? Or Bert Grabsch, whom he beat by a couple of minutes? Seriously, what are you talking about?
1 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 1.02.44 (53.068 km/h)
2 Cadel Evans (Aus) Predictor - Lotto 0.51
3 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Caisse d’Epargne 1.56
4 Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 2.01
5 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 2.18
6 José Ivan Gutierrez Palacios (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne 2.27
7 George Hincapie (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 2.33
8 Oscar Pereiro Sio (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne 2.36
9 Leif Hoste (Bel) Predictor - Lotto 2.48
10 Mikel Astarloza Chaurreau (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 2.50
11 Thomas Dekker (Ned) Rabobank 2.55
12 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team CSC
13 Kim Kirchen (Lux) T-Mobile Team 3.00
14 Linus Gerdemann (Ger) T-Mobile Team 3.17
15 Stefan Schumacher (Ger) Gerolsteiner
16 Carlos Sastre Candil (Spa) Team CSC 3.24
17 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne 3.37
18 Sébastien Rosseler (Bel) Quickstep - Innergetic 3.46
19 Christian Vande Velde (USA) Team CSC 3.58
20 Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 4.06
21 Andry Grivko (Ukr) Team Milram 4.07
22 Bert Grabsch (Ger) T-Mobile Team 4.08
Yep. “So bad” he came in 5th. I’d like to hear how the OP “can see some improvement to get him to the middle of the pack.”
Contador’s first pro win was a time trial…
The same way Lance went from a one day racer to a TDF winner.
Contador had cancer and lost a bunch of weight?
Classic. Only Lance could convince people that taking 2 years off due to a devastating illness and losing 10 pounds turns one from an average Tour de France rider into one of the greatest Tour de France riders in history. Pass the Kool-Aid.
Classic. Only Lance could convince people that taking 2 years off due to a devastating illness and losing 10 pounds turns one from an average Tour de France rider into one of the greatest Tour de France riders in history. Pass the Kool-Aid.
ha ha. I should have put my reply in pink. I thought the sarcasm was evident.
That’s the irony of your comment. Mention that he changed his cadence and you’d hit the Grand Tour transformation trifecta!
I think we all know how this happens. It amazes me how people forget how another person could not hold his own in the TT and how miraculously they suddenly become know as one of the best. That ain’t training!!!
If you are wondering who I am referring to, have a look at this YouTube video when Indurain was passing Armstrong in the TT. Before anyone tries to defend the great Armstrong - no, he was not bonking.
He went by kind of like LA did to Ulrich but LA didn’t have the wheel set
Big Mig did
.