Face It. Contador is a phenom.

thunder

I dont think he can make an attack stick. If Evans is the second best GC climber, he can easily limit the damage.

I think 2009 could be a doozy. Lots more depth, the new folk like Dekker and Cunego and Schleck hitting their peak years. At the moment the best GT riders, like Basso went for doping.

That said, I think Evans IS cleaner. Even tho TheCyclist will disagree.

nns1400

about 15 seconds cleaner...

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This stuff is just crap...Hitchy

hawkeye87

He had a brain aneurysm. It requires surgery to fix.

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"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." -- Wayne Gretzsky

Jan the man

Contador isn't a patch on Ullrich.

micron

The competition is as poor as I think most of us can remember - and Contador's palmares before he hooked up with Bruyneel were average at best. Even with 2 GTs in the bag there is no real depth there - no Classics, for example, which all the true greats counted in their palmares. Cunego, with his 2 Lombardy victories, 2 Tours of Trentin, Amstel Gold, Giro d'Italia and Coppi e Bartali has excellent well rounded palmares and may well add a TdF win this summer and he's the same age as Contador. Frankly, until we see the latter ride and win a few Classics, or take all the jerseys at a Tour as Merckx did on his first attempt at b arely 25, then we need some perspective.

thoughtforfood

I have to say I agree with that assessment. Cunego would destroy the field in any GT if he rode for The Hog. Let us not forget that Contadope inhereted the TdF win last year. He was the luckiest doper, not the best one there. Ras would have taken the title had he not been so stupid, by a safe margin.

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Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.
-- Albert Einstein

thunder

best, does not necesarily = strongest (re: Rass)

he was allowed to go up the road, and get the yellow in an early break.

If the peloton was vigilant, and it should have been, as there were whispers Rass had rectified his major flaw in the tt, they would never have let him out of their sights. No yellow jersey. The race completely changes complexion, there is a chance Evans would have had yellow early in the race, he may have struggled to defend it, and perhaps Leipheimer may have won.

thoughtforfood

I agree. What I am sure of are two things, Evans sucked wheels too much, and Contadope wasn't the strongest rider in that race.

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Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.
-- Albert Einstein

thunder

I really don't see anyone who showed themselves to be the strongest single rider.

Evans was the collective strongest in the tts.

Levi was the best in the last week thanks to his transfusion, when you net the tt and mtns.

Contador got his time with Rass.

Rass got his time on a break which the GC candidates were negligent to allow.

Came down to tactics.


Do the sums on Levi. Net out the 20 sec time penalty if the mechanical never happened. Then put Contador at Levi's disposal.

Suddenly Levi is about 90 seconds ahead of Contador, instead of third. That ability Contador had to accelerate in the mtns obfuscated things. He could never make an attack stick, and he needed Rass to accelerate and ride away with.

Now, if all of the team is behind Levi, no doubt he beats Contador hands down.



This is from someone who dislikes Levi, and marvels Contadors ability to accelerate in the mtns. But it is clear, he could not ride away. He could have got 60 seconds on Evans on a climb or two, but not enough to win.

fscyclist

So...what you're saying is if the race didn't happen at all like it did, then Evans would win?

Crankyfeet

I may be out of my league here... but I don't think he needed Rass. Rass was lucky to hold on going up Plateau de Bielle. And even if they thought Rass was a GC contender earlier on... you can't IMO suddenly have a bunch of domestiques keeping up with him. However I may be wrong... cause my memory of that early stage 8 (?) victory is sketchy.

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thoughtforfood

OK, so I know one thing...well.....two..I cannot stand Contadope and The Hog is the embodiment of evil.......and I like chocolate......and JEFF VADER RULES FUCKIN'

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Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.
-- Albert Einstein

thecyclist

I doubt he is outdoping the group that won the TDF 8 times in the last 9 years, unless they are now more limited in what they can do, because of this anti-doping program.

I know what you are refering to but in this case I don't doubt that team Bruyneel has/had one of the best doping programs in the sport.

Crankyfeet

Saying someone dopes just a little bit is pathetic. If you're going to dope... be a man and get on the program. Doping a little bit is like stealing a little bit... you are just an immoral wimp instead of being an immoral man...

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