Vuelta Stage 17 **Spoiler**

gabriel959

It stinks though, Contadope, Val.Piti and I don't hope much hope for J-Rod either. The African disease boy didn't inspire me much confidence either.

LangerDan

Froome's going to need lights.

thomthom

Tactical masterpiece this. That's all.

Reporter just said that the tactics had been planned right from this morning of.

bigmat

disgruntledgoat wrote:

BigMat wrote:

COME ON SADA! (Only joking, a Contador-Valverde 1-2 would be great for the sport... )

Who was the last Spaniard to test positive in Spain? Heras?

Dunno, Mozquera? (sic)

Re Tiralongo, you could almost believe he's doing a mate a favour, him and Bertie have history after all. Although the CN feed kindly reminded us that he's Sicilian!

ContrelaMontre

gabriel959 wrote:

It stinks though, Contadope, Val.Piti and I don't hope much hope for J-Rod either. The African disease boy didn't inspire me much confidence either.

Is it another example of the bad old days today?

Worth watching the highlights tonight?

Lichtblick

Harmon says he's going to eat his hat

RichN95.

frenchfighter wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

Paying another team to do all the work for you isn't really the way a 'True Champion' is it?

You obviously are not watching the stage. Watch it this evening then you will see why your comment is stupid.

You said yourself that he'd obviously paid Tiralongo.

Still, the rest day seemed to be just the shot in the arm Bertie's form needed.

gabriel959

ContrelaMontre wrote:

gabriel959 wrote:

It stinks though, Contadope, Val.Piti and I don't hope much hope for J-Rod either. The African disease boy didn't inspire me much confidence either.

Is it another example of the bad old days today?

Worth watching the highlights tonight?

It is good racing. Best we have seen in a GT this year but its the protagonists who don't inspire confidence.

chrisday

Sounds like an exciting stage (following text commentary and this thread @ work, looking fwd to highlights), but am I the only one to be a little uncomfortable with the associations this phrase on cyclingnews commentary:
"Contador has blown the race to pieces the day after the rest day."

Or am I just too cynical?

Not a troll, genuine question.

afx237vi

Last GT stage with the top four GC riders in 4 different groups on the road way before the finish? This just doesn't happen any more :shock:

thomthom

ContrelaMontre wrote:

gabriel959 wrote:

It stinks though, Contadope, Val.Piti and I don't hope much hope for J-Rod either. The African disease boy didn't inspire me much confidence either.

Is it another example of the bad old days today?

Worth watching the highlights tonight?

Not at all. It's an absolutely brilliant display of how important tactics can be in cycling.

Alberto is not doing anything extraordinary here. He is not keeping an entire peloton away. Saxo got Jrod isolated and this is why he is about to win the Vuelta. Riduculosuly good racing.

pb21

Well Contador has clearly found his legs at last. Its a very impressive display and I have to respect his attitide and motivation, I just hope its legit.

afx237vi

Millar: OMG this is old school, and I mean good old school, not bad old school.

LangerDan

Funny how on the Armstrong / Hamilton threads, Riis is a stain that should be expunged from the sport. In the Vuelta, his man goes up the road like a rocket and Riis is a master tactician..

frenchfighter

RichN95 wrote:

frenchfighter wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

Paying another team to do all the work for you isn't really the way a 'True Champion' is it?

You obviously are not watching the stage. Watch it this evening then you will see why your comment is stupid.

You said yourself that he'd obviously paid Tiralongo.

Still, the rest day seemed to be just the shot in the arm Bertie's form needed.

Paying him back with a contract. He is meant to be joining Saxo anyway.

Further more he didbt make a HUGE impact to Contador's lead. Contador took the racing initiative and attacked early. He bridged and rode with his domestique to create the gap. He then went created the lead with Tira. He then went solo with 13.5km to go. Simple

Lichtblick

Maybe he had some nookie last night. That'd put the heart back into a man.

Ignore that.

dsoutar

RichN95 wrote:

frenchfighter wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

Paying another team to do all the work for you isn't really the way a 'True Champion' is it?

You obviously are not watching the stage. Watch it this evening then you will see why your comment is stupid.

You said yourself that he'd obviously paid Tiralongo.

Still, the rest day seemed to be just the shot in the arm Bertie's form needed.

You're not wrong there

frenchfighter

Hang on in there Contador.

frenchfighter

30 secs to Valv. You have to be kidding me

smithy21

pb21 wrote:

Well Contador has clearly found his legs at last. Its a very impressive display and I have to respect his attitide and motivation, I just hope its legit.

Pretty much this. Surely its got to be though. Gap to Valverde is 30 secs now so that would be consistent with J rod being on a bad day.

Lichtblick

GO ALBERTO!!!!!!!

afx237vi

Valverde gaining time on Bert suggests to me that this is a really shitty J-Rod day rather than a super Bert day.

smithy21

2km to go and they can see him. Bertie is sh!tting himself here.

bigmat

Hang on, are people suggesting Valverde's performance should be taken as the benchmark for whether someone is clean or not? Say what?!

rick_chasey

LangerDan wrote:

Funny how on the Armstrong / Hamilton threads, Riis is a stain that should be expunged from the sport. In the Vuelta, his man goes up the road like a rocket and Riis is a master tactician..

smithy21

Bertie to gift the stage to Valverde seeing as the Vuelta is won?

maddog 2

Bertie's looking like he'll do it

thomthom

Brilliant tactics.
Brilliant racing.
Brilliant stage.
Brilliant riders.

rick_chasey

smithy21 wrote:

Bertie to gift the stage to Valverde seeing as the Vuelta is won?

Nuh uh.

Wants the bonus seconds.

Crozza

Contador deserves this