Vuelta Espana 2012

JustinLeeAtkinson

I'll be cheering for Froome, but looking forward to de Gendt too after his performance in the Giro.

rdt

Rjp_leeds wrote:

What is the TV coverage likely to be like on this? Eurosport appear to be showing an hour or two live in the afternoons.

Does anyone know if ITV4 will be covering it?

Yes - highlights confirmed:-

---

Thank you for your recent email to ITV Viewer Services regarding the La
Vuelta a Espana.

I am pleased to advise that we have been able to secure the broadcast
rights to the highlights this fixture.

There will be a one hour highlights programme on ITV4 commencing on
Saturday 18th August at 20:00.

We only see schedule information for up to 10 days in advance so I can
only confirm the time for Saturday. Please check your TV listing guide
or EPG for subsequent days.

---

More details to follow I guess...

hammerite

Strong squad from Sky http://www.bikeradar.com/road/news/article/froome-leads-strong-sky-team-at-vuelta-a-espaa-34876/

Thought this team may have done a lot of racing this year already, but after checking CQ looks like they'll end up with seasons similar to most others they've done. Stannard will have done more than his fair whack of racing by the end of the Vuelta though.

pomtarr

Interesting that Euskaltel are taking their only 2 non-Spanish riders.

inkyfingers

Good news for those of us who can't watch live - ITV to show highlights.

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/534303/itv-to-show-vuelta-highlights.html

frenchfighter

Valverde has opted to race

WheelieBad

Hopefully Roche will have team mates who actually bother to do something atal...I forget they were even in the Tour nearly!

frenchfighter

Confirmed for Saxo:

Alberto Contador
Jesus Hernandez
Rafal Majka
Daniel Navarro
Benjamin Noval
Sergio Paulinho
Bruno Pires
Nicki Sørensen
Matteo Tosatto

frenchfighter

Big J-Rod went toe-to-toe in the Giro and is back to swing it out again the the Spanish mountains. Heavyweight.

Pavel Brutt, Xavier Florencio, Mikhail Ignatyev, Alberto Losada, Denis Menchov, Daniel Moreno, Joaquim Rodriguez, Gatis Smukulis, and Angel Vicioso

dave_1

Going to be a great battle this Vuelta I think. Chris Froome Vs Alberto Contador. Foresee serious amounts of attacks by those two and two up battles between them for the summits

Monty Zoncolan

When last I checked it wasn't clear how extensive the Eurosport live coverage was going to be. Any details?

frenchfighter

Dave_1 wrote:

Going to be a great battle this Vuelta I think. Chris Froome Vs Alberto Contador. Foresee serious amounts of attacks by those two and two up battles between them for the summits

It's Froome's chance to show he is not all talk and posturing. He better not come up with some lame excuses if he fails.

rick_chasey

Monty Zoncolan wrote:

When last I checked it wasn't clear how extensive the Eurosport live coverage was going to be. Any details?

Should be the standard affair.

More or less as much as the Giro.

derbygrimpeur

frenchfighter wrote:

Dave_1 wrote:

Going to be a great battle this Vuelta I think. Chris Froome Vs Alberto Contador. Foresee serious amounts of attacks by those two and two up battles between them for the summits

It's Froome's chance to show he is not all talk and posturing. He better not come up with some lame excuses if he fails.

Is being knackered from the Tour & Olympics a lame excuse? Your hero couldn't manage Giro / Tour last year with a much bigger rest period between the two races

frenchfighter

No it isnt. Supposedly he was soft pedalling around France waiting for Wiggins...

You can't knock Contador's palmares. Best stage race rider this decade, sorry.

rick_chasey

Can't see it being close TBH.

tailwindhome

Looking forward to seeing J Rod in action again.

Missed him.

derbygrimpeur

frenchfighter wrote:

No it isnt. Supposedly he was soft pedalling around France waiting for Wiggins...

You can't knock Contador's palmares. Best stage race rider this decade, sorry.

I'm not knocking his palmares. Just trying to point out that we shouldn't necessarilly expect Froome to be in his best form so soon after the Tour / Olympics.

rick_chasey

derbygrimpeur wrote:

frenchfighter wrote:

No it isnt. Supposedly he was soft pedalling around France waiting for Wiggins...

You can't knock Contador's palmares. Best stage race rider this decade, sorry.

I'm not knocking his palmares. Just trying to point out that we shouldn't necessarilly expect Froome to be in his best form so soon after the Tour / Olympics.

Wouldn't say the olmypics would take anything out of him.

That he had to hold his form for a little longer maybe, but I doubt it'd have made much difference.

TdF - sure, he'll feel that and we'll see that in his legs.

inseine

I don't think he was knocking Bert, just saying it can happen to anyone.

frenchfighter

Vacansoleil-DCM team for la Vuelta a España
Thomas De Gendt, Martijn Keizer. Sergey Lagutin, Pim Ligthart, Bert-Jan Lindeman, Tomasz Marczynski, Wouter Mol, Rob Ruijgh and Rafael Valls

frenchfighter

“We’ve often been asked when Alberto will take the lead at the Vuelta but I don’t think it’s in our interest to have the red jersey too early,” said directeur sportif Bradley McGee. “Knowing Alberto, he’ll take it when it comes. He just loves to race. But we just have to concentrate on final details, stay focused all the way and recover when we can.

“There’s no way we’ll envisage by how much he’ll win the Vuelta,” he continued. “This is what makes it difficult to win. I guess Chris Froome will be the main rival. Our advantage will be that even Sky, with all their strength, would have a hard time dominating two Grand Tours the same year. However, I don’t think the challenge will come from individuals riding for GC, but from riders who have nothing to lose.”

frenchfighter

So four Dutch riders on Garmin's team, including Dekker, not ridden a GT since 2007.

Gazzetta67

I see the Vuelta is on ITV4 again. please god dont let it be that Aussie Matt Keenan commentating....he must be australia's answer to Stephen Merchant.