Alberto Contador is the Greatest

frenchfighter

Regarding Alberto Contador, you all know I hold him above any other rider by a long margin and that remains true now as it did many years ago. My admiration and respect for Contador has not and will not wane and as a fan he has always been able to trigger the greatest emotions for me. He epitomizes what I love about this beautiful sport and encapsulates elements I look for in riders: exciting, fighting spirit, bravery, tactician, mental strength, romance, fallibility, longevity, appreciation of fans, stylish, consistent, determined, attacking, humble beginnings. I genuinely believe he has never taken performance enhancing drugs and fully believe he has won nine Grand Tours on the road. The only regret I have is not having a photo of him in Spanish RR Champion kit. I hold him as favourite for the Tour next year and his 10th Grand Tour win. He has fully earned his place in the pantheon of Greats and has cemented his legend forever.

Contador is a man from a poor family in Pinto, whose parents didn’t have enough money to buy him a bike or come and see him race. He was first spotted at 15 by Javier Fernandez (team Embajadores) who saw him putting older riders to the sword whilst riding a very heavy Orbea and his tracksuit flapping all over the place. He has been winning ever since.

David Millar is a huge fan of Contador and over the years he has said some great things, lots of which mirror what I say. The list of anecdotes and opinions from pros about Contador is overwhelmingly positive, far surpassing any other rider. He is most certainly a complete rider and clearly the greatest stage race rider of his generation.

He lends his money and time to numerous charitable causes and has an U23 team which he intends to take to WorldTour level in time.
http://www.fundacioncontadorteam.com

As you can imagine I have saved more photos of him than any other rider. Here is just a selection:

(Article by Manuel Martinez published in l'Equipe, July 27, 2009, translated by Christine Kahane)

After a close encounter with death in 2004, Alberto Contador forged a indestructible morale to triumph on the Tour de France for the second time.

Alberto Contador's life could have come to a stop on a descent in the Asturian mountains May 12, 2004. The young Liberty Seguros rider lies on the ground without moving. He fell all of a sudden for no apparent reason. When Santiago Fernandez Zubizarreta arrives on the scene, Contador is still breathing.

The Tour of Asturias doctor attempts first aid without real conviction. However, these first survival efforts will have their importance. Nobody knows it yet, but Alberto Contador has just experienced the beginning of a brain aneurysm. Admitted as an emergency case to Oviedo hospital, his condition is serious but the first aid performed on the side of the road has clearly saved his life. He recovers consciousness and asks to return home.

At his home in Pinto, a dormitory town of 40,000 inhabitants, located in the southern suburbs of Madrid, the Contador family is worried. They have already experienced, several years earlier, their quota of drama. Raul, Alberto's younger brother, suffers from cerebral palsy. Their worries are justified, when less than a week later Alberto has to be admitted once again, this time to Madrid hospital. The diagnosis is ominous: the Madrid rider has a cavernoma, a lesion of the brain resulting from a congenital vascular malformation.

"This was a particularly hard time for the whole family," said Francisco Javier, Alberto's elder brother and now manager. "We were all a bit helpless. We all supported each other a lot. We tried to appear strong because Raul was there too and we could not show him how distressed we were. But in the end, it was Alberto who showed us the way ahead."

Alberto Contador Velasco came through three long hours of surgery immortalized today by the marks of seventy stiches to the head. During these particularly trying moments, Manolo Saiz, Liberty's manager, was at his side the whole time. He has always been a precious moral support for the Contador family. Even today Alberto is grateful for that. "It's not for me to judge what he might have done but, as far as I am concerned, he was of great comfort to my family during difficult times," according to the dual winner of the Tour.

The Pinto rider started to walk again by August 2004, and could eventually get back on a bike again in December. "I knew that I had to remount a bike," he said. "It was the right choice."

The words have an echo one month later when he resumes competition at the Tour Down Under in Australia and wins a stage. "Where there's a will there's a way," he had remarked for this resurrection, as he had already whispered in the ears of his mother when he woke up after his surgery.

"That victory in Australia remains as the best moment of my life."

Alberto Contador grew up on the streets of Pinto, next to the four-lane highway which leads to Andalucia. The large amusement park created by Warner Brothers had not yet arrived in the Madrid suburbs. Alberto spent his holidays in Barcarota, an Extremadura village, where his parents come from.

"He enjoyed everything," recall his family and friends. "You could not stay angry with him because he immediately burst out laughing." As a youngster he also had the bad habit of putting his fingers in electric plugs.

Alberto loved birds. He was fascinated watching them fly. He enjoyed going out early in the morning with his brother Fran on his grandfather's tractor. Happy days.

Contador always needed to have diverse interests. He started riding to imitate his big brother Francisco Javier. One day, he was handed down the old Orbea bike, a pair of oversized shorts, and an old sweater for a jersey. "He stuck to our group during a club bike ride. The road started climbing and he left everybody behind," says Fran.

Alberto Contador Velasco could have been a cross country runner or played soccer, but he had a gift for cycling. After his demonstrations on his old steel bike, it was time to take a step forward and join a club. The family has limited resources, the Velo-Club Portillo is ready to take him, and uncle Abelardo is there to offer him the first bike worthy of the name.

First race in Zamora, first fall, and first tooth left on the pavement. "He came back in tears but not because he was hurt. Because the bike had a knock," recalls Francisco.

At the age of 19, Alberto Contador left for the Basque Country to promote himself to Juan Gonzalez, the sports director of the Wurth team, a subsidiary of Team Once.

The start of the great adventure. Manolo Saiz of course noticed him, and gave him his first professional contract. He wins a stage of the Tour of Poland in his first year in 2003.

Not a mountain stage but a time trial. The Tour of Asturias accident could have broken him completely, but "Where there is a will there is a way," is a frequent expression of Francisco the patriarch.

The child from Pinto has made a name for himself. At the age of 26, he yesterday conquered his second Tour de France title after his 2007 victory. At an age where some riders hope that they still have a chance of building a nice record within one or two years, Alberto already has won two Tours, a Giro and a Vuelta.

Three weeks of the 2009 Tour have vaccinated him for ever against stress. He proved his strength on the road, and has shown himself to be one of the best climbers in the world, as well as an expert time trial rider, and the undisputed winner of this Tour de France.

Off the road, he did not succomb to the highly-charged asmosphere. "I had prepared myself to put up with a tense situation," he said. “I showed how strong I can be.”

Reasuring words for Francisco, his father, who can no longer watch his son's races on the television. He has to ask Paquita, the matriarch, "Well, did everything go all right?"

Everything went well, Senor Contador.

bompington

No, he isn't. Lance Armstrong is.

ddraver

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19704211#p19704211]frenchfighter[/url] wrote:

As you can imagine I have saved more photos of him than any other rider. Here is just a selection:

Every photo except the most important one...

BelgianBeerGeek

I say chapeau to FF. Nice montage and story.

manic_esso

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19704211#p19704211]frenchfighter[/url] wrote:

He lends his money and time to numerous charitable causes

But you should see the interest rates - phew !!

Only joking

wallace_and_gromit

I think Berto may be in the twilight of his career now but his record in GTs when not trying to do the Tour after the Giro is quite remarkable.

He must have balls of steel to have faced down Lance and the rest of the Astana team in 2009.

I still can't believe he rode an entire Cat 1 climb with a broken bone in his leg losing relatively little time in last year's Tour.

Shame about the doping, the intelligence insulting bullsh*t relating to his 2010 test failure and the almost predictable performances after the 2nd rest day. Hell of a rider, though.

But of course, there is but of a tiny glimpse of the world's greatest bike rider in his orange and blue kit in the montage above.

carbonclem

Great back story to him and clearly a phenominal rider.

The doping cant be ignored though but more importantly nor can his inability to admit what he did

Part of me forgives him almost everything for 2009 TDF though

Daz555

Doper and a one-trick pony - and yes admittedly his one-trick was being a GC rider which is as good as it gets.

Still, a doper and that means his sporting achievements are dead to me.

Yellow Peril

Certified heavyweight best thread ever! FF superbly rolls the grenade into the forum with post 29,999!

You must not leave the Forum! (I also believe that the Jehovah's Witnesses have re-written their armageddon prediction to include if you leave at post 30K)

gweeds

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19704211#p19704211]frenchfighter[/url] wrote:

RI genuinely believe he has never taken performance enhancing drugs and fully believe he has won nine Grand Tours on the road.

Meanwhile in Narnia....

kleinstroker

Good for you Mr Frenchfighter sir! He seems like a nice guy, I certainly have warmed to him over the past few years.

bompington

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19704369#p19704369]kleinstroker[/url] wrote:

Good for you Mr Frenchfighter sir! He seems like a nice guy, I certainly have warmed to him over the past few years.

Absolutely. It seems to be a sad fact that nice guys can also cheat and lie.

schlepcycling

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19704211#p19704211]frenchfighter[/url] wrote:

David Millar is a huge fan of Contador and over the years he has said some great things

So one drug cheat quite likes another drug cheat.

Richmond Racer 2

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19704395#p19704395]schlepcycling[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19704211#p19704211]frenchfighter[/url] wrote:

David Millar is a huge fan of Contador and over the years he has said some great things

So one drug cheat quite likes another drug cheat.

Not like When We Were Young and Carefree, eh?

salsiccia1

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19704406#p19704406]Richmond Racer 2[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19704395#p19704395]schlepcycling[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19704211#p19704211]frenchfighter[/url] wrote:

David Millar is a huge fan of Contador and over the years he has said some great things

So one drug cheat quite likes another drug cheat.

Not like When We Were Young and Carefree, eh?

*boom*

bradsbeard

Tainted champion.

dinyull

Isn't the same rider post ban.

And David Millar is the man who claims to have ridden clean in the fastest stage race in history. In the breakaway that won I think?! Despite admitting (read caught) doping the year before and after.

fenix

No he's not - he's a very naughty boy.

tailwindhome

Coach H

Career defining image.

The overriding facts pertaining to his career are (in order), 5 teams ALL with proven/admitted/highly suspected systemic doping, the 'off the beach' Giro win, the positive, the implausible excuse, the performance dip post ban. Putting those together easily trumps the good stuff.

dabber

I think you're missing the point about who this thread is actually about.

gweeds

Surely not. The man has no ego*










*Not true

RoadPainter

You've got to be seriously deluded to believe either:
That he had a broken leg in last year's Tour
That he wasn't doping (admittedly his lawyers did an excellent job providing diversionary excuses he can hide behind)

iainf72

Not enormously popular in Spain, according to the Yellow Jersey Club (I think)

I don't mind Contador too much - He can be an exciting rider.

But I'm fairly sure he was doping for a chunk of his career at least. You have to be blinkered to believe anything but that. And part of being a fan is ignoring the pieces you don't like.

Funny career though - Was gifted first TdF win, with the chicken leaving the race. Wouldn't have won it otherwise. Won his first Giro because he was barred from entering the TdF. "Won" his second Giro because he thought he'd be banned from the TdF. Two Giro wins without any stage wins - That must be a record of some sort?

Still enjoy the Verbier performance, even though it was one of the most ridiculous things in history.

I do find this whole "from a poor family" blah blah story really patronising. Because he came from a "poor" background (but compared to large portions of the world, a fairly wealthy background) he's somehow more worthy?

wallace_and_gromit

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19704550#p19704550]RoadPainter[/url] wrote:

You've got to be seriously deluded to believe either:
That he had a broken leg in last year's Tour

I doubt it was a Luke Shaw type broken leg, but it seems reasonable to assume that there was something broken/fractured in his leg.

OfficerDigby

I just just like the way he moves... in Lycra..

Everything seems to perfect the shape the aesthetic, the style, the tan, the muscles, the calf definition,

Le je ne sais quois or plus que je l'aime personne plus.

To you AC.
Hopelessly endlessly yours

FF... (but good for BR).

takethehighroad

Do I need 26,000 more posts to tell everyone how much I love Cav?

GentlemanBear

See my problem with Contador is that you take one look at the teams he's ridden for, and his narrow miss at getting caught up properly in Puerto... and you just shake your head - even without his clenbuterol and plasticisers positives.

I'm not naive enough to deny that a swathe of the pro peloton are doping, or once doped, or have pushed right to the limits of legality. But to laud a banned, unrepentant and DQ'd doper as 'the Greatest' seems a bit disingenuous.

And I fricking hate that pistol celebration thing.

disgruntledgoat

I'm not reading all that...

gweeds

Worse that that. To actually state that he's clean. Has never doped. Despite everything that's happened. Blinkers much?

rudivoller22

He's no better than Lance. Apart from Lance was better at not testing positive