Vuelta stage 6 un-related spoiler.
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BigMat wrote:That'll be a minute on J-Rod surely? Froome appears to be quite good at climbing and quite good at time-trialling, I think he'll cope with that bump OK.
Sure, but the hill makes the job a lot easier for J-Rod. Froome will gain time, but it won't be enough to win the race overall.0 -
afx237vi wrote:powerbookboy wrote:Impressive from Froome. I'm assuming he'll pull more than 1min over all the other GC contenders in the TT, he's going to have a have a bad day to lose that time.
The question remains can anyone remain that hot for that long? It'll be nearly 3 months at peak form he'd end up exhibiting. History shows it's very very rare to remain that high for that long, so it's likely that he's going to blow eventually.
Shame, because he deserves at least one GC out of last 3 he's entered.
Wouldn't be so sure about a 1 min gain in the TT...
I would've thought that would favour him even more than a traditional TT. He's shown he can blitz the flat, climbs like a goat. I'm not sure about his descending prowess - anyone seen him flying off a mountain?
Only person I can see holding him to < 1min will be Contador, and we don't know which Contador has turned up this year. Can J-Rod hold high speed climbs on his own for long periods? Explosive yes, diesel I dunno. I've never noticed that characteristic in him.
Uran looks like the backup plan for Sky. Their strength in depth is frightening...0 -
Contador has a cloud over him -non?
Froome surely can't keep that up, Rodriguez has the will, but has he got the legs, I like to think he will win this year, plenty of finishes in his favour, and the TT -- how many times have we seen a leader do really well in a TT, despite not having a great record in the discipline0 -
powerbookboy wrote:afx237vi wrote:powerbookboy wrote:Impressive from Froome. I'm assuming he'll pull more than 1min over all the other GC contenders in the TT, he's going to have a have a bad day to lose that time.
The question remains can anyone remain that hot for that long? It'll be nearly 3 months at peak form he'd end up exhibiting. History shows it's very very rare to remain that high for that long, so it's likely that he's going to blow eventually.
Shame, because he deserves at least one GC out of last 3 he's entered.
Wouldn't be so sure about a 1 min gain in the TT...
I would've thought that would favour him even more than a traditional TT. He's shown he can blitz the flat, climbs like a goat. I'm not sure about his descending prowess - anyone seen him flying off a mountain?
Only person I can see holding him to < 1min will be Contador, and we don't know which Contador has turned up this year. Can J-Rod hold high speed climbs on his own for long periods? Explosive yes, diesel I dunno. I've never noticed that characteristic in him.
Uran looks like the backup plan for Sky. Their strength in depth is frightening...
Agree, Froome and Contador will do well on that tt course. Froome not a great descender I don't think, but no idea how technical that is. I would have thought not too bad given its a tt. He has way more power than J-Rod so will take time on all sections I would expect.0 -
dylanfernley wrote:Contador has a cloud over him -non?
Froome surely can't keep that up, Rodriguez has the will, but has he got the legs, I like to think he will win this year, plenty of finishes in his favour, and the TT -- how many times have we seen a leader do really well in a TT, despite not having a great record in the discipline
Pantani, Rasmussen...
Its less common these days for some reason.0 -
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BigMat wrote:dylanfernley wrote:Contador has a cloud over him -non?
Froome surely can't keep that up, Rodriguez has the will, but has he got the legs, I like to think he will win this year, plenty of finishes in his favour, and the TT -- how many times have we seen a leader do really well in a TT, despite not having a great record in the discipline
Pantani, Rasmussen...
Its less common these days for some reason.
Rasmussen did really well in a TT?
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dylanfernley wrote:Contador has a cloud over him -non?
Froome surely can't keep that up, Rodriguez has the will, but has he got the legs, I like to think he will win this year, plenty of finishes in his favour, and the TT -- how many times have we seen a leader do really well in a TT, despite not having a great record in the discipline
Hummmm. If there's one thing I've learned to really distrust it's sudden changes in TT performance. It's not called the race of truth for nothing. Motivation and balls don't suddenly make you able to pack yourself into the most aero shape whilst putting out more power than you've done before.
Sorry, but if anyone does an unusual ITT it's time for a Dimbleby...0 -
J-Rod tends to take himself out of contention with a complete off-day in the mountains well before the decisive TT....
All the little gaps appearing now are fine, bit the big time gaps will be in the last week (Ancares, Cuitu Negru and Bola del Mundo). Saturday in Andorra the first proper one, 7 km @ 8%. There may be loads of mountain top finishes, but they build it up nicely0 -
The way Contador attacked on Stage 3 now seems similar to his attacking early on in the TdF last year (was it stage 8?) when he went on to struggle somewhat in the high mountains....0
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Rick Chasey wrote:Rick Chasey wrote:frenchfighter wrote:TheBigBean wrote:Contador used to look good on these sort of finishes though.
Nah not really. Very fast pace up the climb then a sprint finish. Could give you lots of egs/. His sprint is far behind the other top GT riders.
So what about the climb up to Mende in the 2010 TdF?
and the 2010 Fleche? Came third there.
Seriously? Fleche and Mende are completely different. Both are a ton steeper.
Check out the stages where Samu and Andy Schleck gained time in last kmContador is the Greatest0 -
FJS wrote:J-Rod tends to take himself out of contention with a complete off-day in the mountains well before the decisive TT....
Didn't happen that way in the Giro though.“New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!0 -
I thought this was to be expected. The longer the race still is the better for Alberto and, of course, the opposite for Froome. Chris can't keep this going for 2 more weeks and he'll surely have off days - unless, of course, he does what no one has been able to do since in a long time... :roll: (edit: have to remind myself that Wiggins, in fact, won the Tour and not Froome but points still stands...)
JRod, on the other hand, looks a favorite at the moment. Quite a few bonus seconds to nick as well for him.0 -
His form (rodriguez) is excellent this year, and he is 'fresh' for this , he's not going to do a pantani in the TT ( :oops: ) but could lessen his losses enough, he lost a fair bit in the Giro, but the TT in the vuelta may suit better ?0
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Rick Chasey wrote:Sastre.
I resisted the temptation to mention Don Limpio!0 -
frenchfighter wrote:Rick Chasey wrote:Rick Chasey wrote:frenchfighter wrote:TheBigBean wrote:Contador used to look good on these sort of finishes though.
Nah not really. Very fast pace up the climb then a sprint finish. Could give you lots of egs/. His sprint is far behind the other top GT riders.
So what about the climb up to Mende in the 2010 TdF?
and the 2010 Fleche? Came third there.
Seriously? Fleche and Mende are completely different. Both are a ton steeper.
Check out the stages where Samu and Andy Schleck gained time in last km
True that, Morzine Avoriaz in 2010? Flattens off massively towards the top there though, back in the big ring for a sprint finish stuff, not like today's finish.0 -
The descent has got corners so is pretty technical (up to about where there’s the slight rise at km 30, after which it’s more straight-forward and then the flat bit at the end.).BigMat wrote:powerbookboy wrote:
I would've thought that would favour him even more than a traditional TT. He's shown he can blitz the flat, climbs like a goat. I'm not sure about his descending prowess - anyone seen him flying off a mountain?afx237vi wrote:
Wouldn't be so sure about a 1 min gain in the TT...powerbookboy wrote:Impressive from Froome. I'm assuming he'll pull more than 1min over all the other GC contenders in the TT, he's going to have a have a bad day to lose that time.
The question remains can anyone remain that hot for that long? It'll be nearly 3 months at peak form he'd end up exhibiting. History shows it's very very rare to remain that high for that long, so it's likely that he's going to blow eventually.
Shame, because he deserves at least one GC out of last 3 he's entered.
http://www.lavuelta.com/12/imgrecorrido/11_perfil.png
Only person I can see holding him to < 1min will be Contador, and we don't know which Contador has turned up this year. Can J-Rod hold high speed climbs on his own for long periods? Explosive yes, diesel I dunno. I've never noticed that characteristic in him.
Uran looks like the backup plan for Sky. Their strength in depth is frightening...
Agree, Froome and Contador will do well on that tt course. Froome not a great descender I don't think, but no idea how technical that is. I would have thought not too bad given its a tt. He has way more power than J-Rod so will take time on all sections I would expect.
But I’m surprised anyone is talking about the TT when there’s still Andorra to come first.0 -
I've just read Millar's book, and he says the same thing about his comeback after his ban. He said he approached his comeback thinking he was in the form of his life, and then as soon as he started racing he realised he was the best professional cyclist in the world at training as opposed to racing.Gazzetta67 wrote:Contador has only raced about 12 days since February - As Sean Kelly said training miles are not the same as racing miles. so it's only realistic for him still to be off the pace a bit, I expect him to be up there in the last week....so i dont know where your line of questioning is going ????0 -
I put my money on Rodriguez, who at 10/1 was the value bet IMO, long way to go, but haven't seen anything to dissuade me , --watch him crash out tomorrow !0
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Rodriguez still at 6/1 with Corals which pretty much tells you everything. But good luck.0
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afx237vi wrote:powerbookboy wrote:Impressive from Froome. I'm assuming he'll pull more than 1min over all the other GC contenders in the TT, he's going to have a have a bad day to lose that time.
The question remains can anyone remain that hot for that long? It'll be nearly 3 months at peak form he'd end up exhibiting. History shows it's very very rare to remain that high for that long, so it's likely that he's going to blow eventually.
Shame, because he deserves at least one GC out of last 3 he's entered.
Wouldn't be so sure about a 1 min gain in the TT...
That doesn't look like much of a climb. 400 meters gained in 10km? That's not really the sort of climb that J-Rod likes is it?0 -
Sets is up very, very nicely.
Froome coming off the Tour; can he last 3 weeks?
Rodriguez faded badly in the Vuelta last year. Can he last?
Contador out of racing all year. Will he improve quickly enough?
It could come down to who has their weakest days at the worst times. Contador may well have the advantage as his weak days are before racing really kicks off.0 -
Congratulated by Froome after the stage for how he had raced, Rodríguez said, "He was much stronger, so I had to use my head, because that was the only way I was going to win here. It wasn't a lot, but we've seen in previous races" - like the Vuelta 2012 - "that even a handful of seconds can be important."
"For a climb that supposedly didn't suit him, he did a very good job. It was a really tough stage, really hot, and with the speed we went through Jaca [at the foot of the climb], it seemed like we were going to end up doing a bunch sprint."
"I stuck on Froome's wheel, I couldn't have done much more the pace they [Sky's Sergio Henao, Rigoberto Urán and Froome] were setting."
"I didn't know what was going on behind, I thought that Alejandro [Valverde] would be the strongest. I have to thank my [Katusha] teammate Angel Vicioso" - who lives in nearby Zaragoza - "He came here and looked out the stage and he got it exactly right. It was very useful information and helped me a lot."
"But I'm not surprised that Froome is going so well. He was arguably the strongest rider in the Tour de France, and he has clearly come here to win."
Asked whether he was as strong as in 2010, when he finished fourth in the Vuelta - his best finish in the Spanish race to date - Rodríguez evaded the question slightly and said, "I'm feeling good."
"The most important thing is that we're pretty much the same line-up that raced in the Giro [where Rodriguez finished second - ed.], and we know how to work well together. On top of that we've got Denis [Menchov] here as extra reinforcements. It's looking good."
I'm not surprised Contador is suffering from the heat. For a Spanish rider, he often has problems when it gets very hot. That is why he flies in the Giro and performs best on the cold days.Contador is the Greatest0 -
Just realised Le Mevel and Cunego are riding. This should have been a Cunego stage. Anton massively off the pace again.
Machado also racing...not that great.
Menchov 5mins down.
Sicard is riding...will he ever show anything.
JVB comes in 9mins down...fail. A guy who fancies the Tour podo should be able to finish higher than that without trying much.
Quintana 10mins down...hope he is waiting to show on a big stage win.Contador is the Greatest0 -
Turfle wrote:Sets is up very, very nicely.
Froome coming off the Tour; can he last 3 weeks?
Rodriguez faded badly in the Vuelta last year. Can he last?
Contador out of racing all year. Will he improve quickly enough?
It could come down to who has their weakest days at the worst times. Contador may well have the advantage as his weak days are before racing really kicks off.
Agreed. Gets more interesting everyday. You have to think that the guy on an upward curve (AC) has got a better chance.
Although Sky are the strongest team by far. Nicely poised!0 -
Machado is indeed an even bigger disappointment than Sicard.___________________
Strava is not Zen.0 -
I’ve calculated that I’ve only spent 14 nights in my own bed since May 1 this year, which means I’ve been unpacking my suitcase most evenings and packing it again most mornings in between.
On the bright side, we’ve been staying in the same hotel in Logrono for the last two nights, which at least means I could leave my suitcase alone.
The hotel, however, is built on top of a supermarket which means we have to eat in the supermarket cafe. It’s a cheap, €5, all-you-can-eat type of thing where the food, as you can imagine, is geared more towards casual shoppers and truck drivers than professional cyclists. It has been miserable.
When you nearly break a tooth on a piece of pasta, you know there’s something wrong and we’ve resorted to having one of the soigneurs cook our pasta on the team bus instead of eating the supermarket stuff.
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