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Alberto Contador has 40-odd bikes and keeps them in "a kind of museum"

He’s a bit of a hoarder is our Alberto

If you’re wondering how many bikes someone like Alberto Contador has, the answer is “42 or 43” which he keeps in “a kind of museum”.

It’s sometimes tempting to think that pro cyclists have a similar relationship to bikes as many of us have to office stationery; that they’re a commodity so freely available as to be almost worthless.

Then again, what is a pro cyclist without a bike? Not a pro cyclist is the needless answer to that particular rhetorical question. The two must operate in unison for long hours of training and racing. They go through tough times together. If the material worth of a bike might seem irrelevant to a racer, the psychological value is, if anything, exaggerated.

“If you were to ask me about the jerseys, I’d have to look for them,” Contador told AS. “But I have hung on to the bikes, from the first one to the last one.”

Alberto Contador gets custom Trek Emonda SLR bike for final race (+ gallery)

The Spaniard makes the point that his early years helped him value what would come later.

“I began to watch cycling because my brother brought home videos of races. He lent me my first bike, a mountain bike. Later I inherited an old Orbea [which he says he still has].”

In Contador’s early days racing, high-end bikes didn’t materialise in quite the same was as they did later in his career.

“My team-mates had good bikes… And I remember betting on the football pools in the hope that I would win and be able to buy myself a good one. I spent a lot of afternoons listening to the matches and thinking about the bike.”

The interview also sees him discussing a couple of his rivals. He touches on the difficulties of racing in the same team as a returning Lance Armstrong – “Bruyneel had more of a relationship with him and for the team he was more profitable” – and also makes the somewhat jarring revelation that he and Chris Froome have on at least one occasion spent time in a bar together.

Alberto Contador's retirement marks "end of an era" says Chris Froome

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

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8 comments

Avatar
Gourmet Shot | 6 years ago
1 like

I bet he doesn't tell the wife how many bikes he's got either 

Avatar
beezus fufoon replied to Gourmet Shot | 6 years ago
0 likes

Gourmet Shot wrote:

I bet he doesn't tell the wife how many bikes he's got either 

probably not the only thing he doesn't tell her - it's just the tip of the iceberg!

Avatar
don simon fbpe replied to Gourmet Shot | 6 years ago
0 likes

Gourmet Shot wrote:

I bet he doesn't tell the wife how many bikes he's got either 

Is that a thing? Are folks scared of telling the other half how much they spend on stuff?

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BarryBianchi replied to don simon fbpe | 6 years ago
2 likes

don simon wrote:

Is that a thing? Are folks scared of telling the other half how much they spend on stuff?

Hahaha. Hahaha. Haha.  Ha...........shuuuush...

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peted76 replied to Gourmet Shot | 6 years ago
0 likes

road.cc wrote:

If you’re wondering how many bikes someone like Alberto Contador has, the answer is “42 or 43” which he keeps in “a kind of museum”.

It's 42 of course!  Alberto has the answer to the meaning of life, the universe, and everything. 

P.S. I don't think we need to build up the museum idea too much, he probably means "garage at his parents house". 

Avatar
Rapha Nadal | 6 years ago
0 likes

"Then again, what is a pro cyclist without a bike? Not a pro cyclist is the needless answer to that particular rhetorical question."

Nope.  Pretty sure he/she is still a pro-cyclist.  Just one without a bike.

Avatar
Woldsman replied to Rapha Nadal | 6 years ago
1 like

Rapha Nadal wrote:

"Then again, what is a pro cyclist without a bike? Not a pro cyclist is the needless answer to that particular rhetorical question."

Nope.  Pretty sure he/she is still a pro-cyclist.  Just one without a bike.

 

I have to confess I misread that as 'needleless' at first pass. 

I'm never quite sure what to make of Mr Contador, but now knowing that he doesn't part with his old bikes means the old steak muncher has risen considerably in my estimation. 

Avatar
handlebarcam | 6 years ago
0 likes

Quote:

It’s sometimes tempting to think that pro cyclists have a similar relationship to bikes as many of us have to office stationery; that they’re a commodity so freely available as to be almost worthless.

No, it's syringes that are the pro cyclist's equivalent of the Post-it note or paper clip.

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