Contador: Which Team?

sonny73
sonny73 Posts: 2,203
edited October 2008 in Pro race
Having just read yet another article about Contador potentially considering his place on the Astana team http://www.rte.ie/sport/cycling/2008/09 ... adora.html
I was wondering who you guys think he will ride for if he does come to leave Astana?

Sorry if this topic has been covered already, I couldn’t see a thread anywhere :D
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Comments

  • Jez mon
    Jez mon Posts: 3,809
    I'd like to see him go to Garmin! but I'm really not sure who he would ride for, not that many teams have the man power to mount a really serious campaign in the tour.
    You live and learn. At any rate, you live
  • hot rod
    hot rod Posts: 412
    he should stay were he is win the giro then just fly past lance on ventoux :twisted: with radio problems!! :oops:
  • He's joining Yorkshire Velo. He fancies winning the Yorkshire Ladies Open 15 next year.
  • I never thought id say this because i never considered myself a fan of contadors...but as long as he beats armstrong i couldnt care less who he's riding for
  • hot rod
    hot rod Posts: 412
    I never thought id say this because i never considered myself a fan of contadors...but as long as he beats armstrong i couldnt care less who he's riding for
    nail well and truly on the head there :D
  • Eurostar
    Eurostar Posts: 1,806
    He'll have to go to Tinkoff or Rock. Refugees from Bruyneel's team are all dirty so he can't ride for any team that has a reputation to protect.
    <hr>
    <h6>What\'s the point of going out? We\'re just going to end up back here anyway</h6>
  • drenkrom
    drenkrom Posts: 1,062
    He should stay at Astana and show Lance what "setting the pace" can mean.
  • Cant see him staying at Astana. He's a big enough rider now in his own right. He wont want to play second fiddle to anyone
  • I've heard rumours linking him to Team CSC who want to continue their dominance as the #1 pro cycling team and mount a challenge against Armstrong in the Tour de France. I can't realistically see this happening. Any opinions?
  • leguape
    leguape Posts: 986
    drenkrom wrote:
    He should stay at Astana and show Lance what "setting the pace" can mean.

    Or "doing a Hinault" as it's otherwise known. I think that would be the most exciting/amusing option for all of us. You know that grumpy texan face Armstrong does, I reckon we'll be seeing a lot of that this season as Bert asks him if he's OK with 30km/h up a one in ten.
  • Garry H
    Garry H Posts: 6,639
    Eurostar wrote:
    He'll have to go to Tinkoff or Rock. Refugees from Bruyneel's team are all dirty so he can't ride for any team that has a reputation to protect.

    Like Garmin with Millar you mean...
  • Would he not go to a spanish team like Caisse d'Epargne?
  • sonny73
    sonny73 Posts: 2,203
    edited September 2008
    I have no real foundation for this comment other than Sastre going to Cervelo, but I can imagine Contador at CSC Saxo Bank if he does leave Astana.
  • Brian B
    Brian B Posts: 2,071
    I've heard rumours linking him to Team CSC who want to continue their dominance as the #1 pro cycling team and mount a challenge against Armstrong in the Tour de France. I can't realistically see this happening. Any opinions?

    Only that I wish it were true as I thought about CSC being the only team with enough muscle to compete with Astana as well. Fingers crossed.
    Brian B.
  • sonny73
    sonny73 Posts: 2,203
    Brian B wrote:

    Only that I wish it were true as I thought about CSC being the only team with enough muscle to compete with Astana as well. Fingers crossed.

    I would have to agree Brian B, as it would certainly make for a great tour :D
  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    Does CSC have the budget for Contador? Isn't that the reason they gave for parting company with Sastre? (Although there were obviously other reasons too, given Sastre's comments at the end of the Vuelta.)
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,069
    They probably do now they have a new sponsor, IT Factory.
  • Patrick1.0
    Patrick1.0 Posts: 290
    edited September 2008
    leguape wrote:
    drenkrom wrote:
    He should stay at Astana and show Lance what "setting the pace" can mean.

    Or "doing a Hinault" as it's otherwise known. I think that would be the most exciting/amusing option for all of us. You know that grumpy texan face Armstrong does, I reckon we'll be seeing a lot of that this season as Bert asks him if he's OK with 30km/h up a one in ten.

    I don't think either will be doing 30 km/h up a one in ten for much distance.















    That will be on the 12% gradients! :lol:
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 16,646
    afx237vi wrote:
    Does CSC have the budget for Contador? Isn't that the reason they gave for parting company with Sastre? (Although there were obviously other reasons too, given Sastre's comments at the end of the Vuelta.)

    if contador moved CSC would be in the running I think

    the difference being sastre asking for a boat load of money and losing the tour and contador asking for a boat load and winning.

    Barjne can get the money if he is going to win... especially if its against the texan.. he would love to chalk that up
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    andyp wrote:
    They probably do now they have a new sponsor, IT Factory.

    Fair point, although I haven't seen anything about how much the deal is worth or whether the team budget will be going up or down next year. Besides, I can't see him at CSC for some reason. They got rid of Sastre to make room for Schleck Jr, surely.

    Caisse d'Epargne would seem like a good fit. Spanish team, absolutely packed with quality grand tour domestiques. But again, I doubt there's room for Contador and Valverde on the same team.

    I think he'll stay at Astana. For some reason I'm not even convinced Armstrong will ride the Tour.
  • Arkibal
    Arkibal Posts: 850
    afx237vi wrote:
    andyp wrote:
    They probably do now they have a new sponsor, IT Factory.

    Fair point, although I haven't seen anything about how much the deal is worth or whether the team budget will be going up or down next year. Besides, I can't see him at CSC for some reason. They got rid of Sastre to make room for Schleck Jr, surely.

    Caisse d'Epargne would seem like a good fit. Spanish team, absolutely packed with quality grand tour domestiques. But again, I doubt there's room for Contador and Valverde on the same team.

    I think he'll stay at Astana. For some reason I'm not even convinced Armstrong will ride the Tour.

    Dunno, Lance has scared the s*** out of Contador already...
    The only team I can see Contador switching is the new Russian team, they have money enough to buy him out and pay his salary...
    No way Valverde will share his team with Contador, no matter how good friends they are...
  • CSC may have some room in their salary budget if any of their riders come back positive in the tour re-tests...if the team survives??
  • But surely you're all forgetting about Dave Brailsford's mooted Team GB- it might have a couple of potential stage winners but it is clearly short of a GC contender. Senor Contador would look nice passing a puffing Lance at the Simpson stele on Mont Ventoux while sporting a Union Jack jersey. Just think of the symbolism!
  • Would Contador take a pay cut to get on a team that will let him win the tour without the shadow of LA ominously hanging over him. His got to be thinking if LA comes back and actually looks good Johan is definately going to be going to LA not matter whats been said now. Does he want to take that risk that LA wont perform, it is LA we are talking about the guy who cant stand not performing
    Take care of the luxuries and the necessites will take care of themselves.
  • Contador has got to move teams if he wants to have some sort of team backing for the TDF.
    I think the best he'll get out of Astana with Armstrong in it is to have a free ride for himself, the only team support he'll get is off the back of the team riding in support of Armstrong.
    I don't think he can take what ever guarantee he gets from bruyneel, especially this far out from the tour.
  • I think Caisse d'Epargne is the team most likely if he does move, and I think next season Valverde will give up his ambitions of winning Grand Tours and stick to doing what Bettini did best, staying close on the general until the first big mountain stage, then sitting up so he has enough rope to go on breaks. He will never win the Tour de France in a thousand million years, he messed up his only chance this year with one bad day then a time trial performance that smacked of having given up.
  • moray_gub
    moray_gub Posts: 3,328
    I think Caisse d'Epargne is the team most likely if he does move, and I think next season Valverde will give up his ambitions of winning Grand Tours and stick to doing what Bettini did best, staying close on the general until the first big mountain stage, then sitting up so he has enough rope to go on breaks. He will never win the Tour de France in a thousand million years, he messed up his only chance this year with one bad day then a time trial performance that smacked of having given up.

    Good points there but i get the feeling with Valverde if he could just put it all together without a bad day he could possible win a GT. He looked great on The Angliru but he cant seem to string three or 4 good days in the mountains together. Obviously if AC goes to Caisse then he maybe will have to accept he aint gonna be leader for a GT

    cheers
    MG
    Gasping - but somehow still alive !
  • ms_tree
    ms_tree Posts: 1,405
    What about this other new team (Ukranian?? sorry can't remember which former Eastern bloc country!) that Visconti is going to? Or, why not X??? Galicia :)
    'Google can bring back a hundred thousand answers. A librarian can bring you back the right one.'
    Neil Gaiman
  • Jez mon
    Jez mon Posts: 3,809
    Moray Gub wrote:
    I think Caisse d'Epargne is the team most likely if he does move, and I think next season Valverde will give up his ambitions of winning Grand Tours and stick to doing what Bettini did best, staying close on the general until the first big mountain stage, then sitting up so he has enough rope to go on breaks. He will never win the Tour de France in a thousand million years, he messed up his only chance this year with one bad day then a time trial performance that smacked of having given up.

    Good points there but i get the feeling with Valverde if he could just put it all together without a bad day he could possible win a GT. He looked great on The Angliru but he cant seem to string three or 4 good days in the mountains together. Obviously if AC goes to Caisse then he maybe will have to accept he aint gonna be leader for a GT

    cheers
    MG

    Not so sure, I get the feeling that Valverde will never really pull it together in July! He's put in some really strong performances, but something always seems to go wrong for him. All I know is, if I had Valv. and AC on my team, then Contador would easily be the leader for the tour.

    However, it often seems to be that the tactics of Caisse are rather hap hazard, they wouldn't be my first choice, if I was in Contador's shoes!
    You live and learn. At any rate, you live
  • I think it would be awesome if he went to Garmin... They probably don't have the budget and he may not be the right 'fit' but they need a high profile GC rider. I think Christian VDV is great but he's not going to win a grand tour IMO - no disrepsect intended. They need a GC rider of Contador's stature to take them to the next level. I love what they stand for, how they're run, etc. but they're woefully short on results!!!!!!