Tour of Catalunya - *Spoilers*

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  • LeicesterLad
    LeicesterLad Posts: 3,908
    Stage 4 - Queen Stage. Look extremely difficult.

    http://www.inthegc.com/2013/03/volta-catalunya-port-aine-queen-stage.html

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    http://www.twitter.com/InTheGC http://www.InTheGC.com http://www.facebook.com/intheGC
  • cogidubnus
    cogidubnus Posts: 860
    Its fallen on my day off too. Can't wait to sit back and see the battle on the final climb
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    LeicesterLad wrote:
    Brad's deffinition is ridiculous.

    Yeah - so much for losing weight for the GTs. He hasn't got any chance to remove weight to improve performance same with Froome.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Richmond Racer wrote:
    Wiggins knows he attacked too early

    :roll:
    :lol:
    Contador is the Greatest
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,177
    I like Quintana, will he get a go at riding a GT for himself this year?

    Edit - Probably not as I keep forgetting how young he is, hopefully he'll get a young rider jersey though.
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    edited March 2013
    Just watched the race. At least VDB had some balls to attack. He attacks a decent amount.

    Sky choo choo shut him down though.

    Tom D with a point to prove went on the attack, but the blue sky express train shut him down too.

    They deterred all other attacks also.

    If Quintana hadn't been charged with protecting Valverde I suspect he may have attacked. He has eaten the Sky train before.

    Rujano over 4mins down. Not good at all.
    De Gendt 3 mins down. Expect more.
    Roche down 3mins also. So much for the big GC talk.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Pross wrote:
    I like Quintana, will he get a go at riding a GT for himself this year?

    Edit - Probably not as I keep forgetting how young he is, hopefully he'll get a young rider jersey though.

    Maybe a Vuelta or a Giro one day but his TT just doesn't cut it at the moment. However maybe he will surprise us with some crazy long rangers.

    He is the type of rider who I yearn to go on a polka dot chase. Just like other 'top 20' GC riders who would do the fans and their salary earnings more by getting exposure going for the mountains jersey.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Valverde often wears no arm warmers but leg warmers. Not a good look.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Good to see Anton and Nieve not too far off. Hopefully they will be in contention tomorrow.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • LeicesterLad
    LeicesterLad Posts: 3,908
    frenchfighter wrote:
    Valverde often wears no arm warmers but leg warmers. Not a good look.

    :lol: I've noted this too, i'm not usually one for picking up on riders for the way they look on the bike, but the leg-warmer/three quarter length thing with Valverde really gets to me.
    http://www.twitter.com/InTheGC http://www.InTheGC.com http://www.facebook.com/intheGC
  • alihisgreat
    alihisgreat Posts: 3,872
    Laurens ten Dam's Strava for today's stage:

    http://app.strava.com/activities/45197696
  • DeadCalm
    DeadCalm Posts: 4,243
    frenchfighter wrote:
    Just watched the race. At least VDB had some balls to attack. He attacks a decent amount.

    Sky choo choo shut him down though.

    Tom D with a point to prove went on the attack, but the blue sky express train shut him down too.

    They deterred all other attacks also.
    Erm, my memory is that the Sky 'train' was barely on the front at all. Uran did indeed set a steady pace for a couple of kilometres but it could hardly have been called a train. I do recall a long line of Movistar riders at the front for most of the climb though.
  • DeadCalm
    DeadCalm Posts: 4,243
    ALIHISGREAT wrote:
    Laurens ten Dam's Strava for today's stage:

    http://app.strava.com/activities/45197696
    Interesting. Thanks!
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,661
    DeadCalm wrote:
    frenchfighter wrote:
    Just watched the race. At least VDB had some balls to attack. He attacks a decent amount.

    Sky choo choo shut him down though.

    Tom D with a point to prove went on the attack, but the blue sky express train shut him down too.

    They deterred all other attacks also.
    Erm, my memory is that the Sky 'train' was barely on the front at all. Uran did indeed set a steady pace for a couple of kilometres but it could hardly have been called a train. I do recall a long line of Movistar riders at the front for most of the climb though.

    You re confusing the situation with facts again DC. Facts, like Lance Armstrong, have no place in cycling!
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • nweststeyn
    nweststeyn Posts: 1,574
    Well... you can prove anything with facts, can't you.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4n-UGQcG3Jw
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,241
    nweststeyn wrote:
    Well... you can prove anything with facts, can't you.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4n-UGQcG3Jw

    That reminds me of 'Dr' Neil Fox on Brass Eye: "There's no real evidence for it, but it's scientific fact"

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEolSjlcqng
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • nic_77
    nic_77 Posts: 929
    ALIHISGREAT wrote:
    Laurens ten Dam's Strava for today's stage:

    http://app.strava.com/activities/45197696
    Shame data is collected on his Garmin Forerunner 210 watch... I'm not that convinced by Strava's power algorithm.
    Can understand why he wouldn't publish anything more meaningful, of course.
    Strava
    Race reports
    Bike Aero Data
  • Turfle
    Turfle Posts: 3,762
    DeadCalm wrote:
    frenchfighter wrote:
    Just watched the race. At least VDB had some balls to attack. He attacks a decent amount.

    Sky choo choo shut him down though.

    Tom D with a point to prove went on the attack, but the blue sky express train shut him down too.

    They deterred all other attacks also.
    Erm, my memory is that the Sky 'train' was barely on the front at all. Uran did indeed set a steady pace for a couple of kilometres but it could hardly have been called a train. I do recall a long line of Movistar riders at the front for most of the climb though.

    It was an interesting change of tactic. Don't control the bottom and middle of the climb, but instead control the top of it. Maybe it was just the personnel they had today (trying to keep Cataldo and Lopez up there too), or maybe they were trying something new.
  • oneof1982
    oneof1982 Posts: 703
    Turfle wrote:
    DeadCalm wrote:
    frenchfighter wrote:
    Just watched the race. At least VDB had some balls to attack. He attacks a decent amount.

    Sky choo choo shut him down though.

    Tom D with a point to prove went on the attack, but the blue sky express train shut him down too.

    They deterred all other attacks also.
    Erm, my memory is that the Sky 'train' was barely on the front at all. Uran did indeed set a steady pace for a couple of kilometres but it could hardly have been called a train. I do recall a long line of Movistar riders at the front for most of the climb though.

    It was an interesting change of tactic. Don't control the bottom and middle of the climb, but instead control the top of it. Maybe it was just the personnel they had today (trying to keep Cataldo and Lopez up there too), or maybe they were trying something new.

    The new interesting tactic is that the "sky choo choo" appears to be able to operate from the middle of the peleton!
  • LeicesterLad
    LeicesterLad Posts: 3,908
    Little article on Quintana and his ambitions:

    http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/03/news/road/with-catalunya-stage-win-quintana-continues-steady-rise_278481
    http://www.twitter.com/InTheGC http://www.InTheGC.com http://www.facebook.com/intheGC
  • alihisgreat
    alihisgreat Posts: 3,872
    nic_77 wrote:
    ALIHISGREAT wrote:
    Laurens ten Dam's Strava for today's stage:

    http://app.strava.com/activities/45197696
    Shame data is collected on his Garmin Forerunner 210 watch... I'm not that convinced by Strava's power algorithm.
    Can understand why he wouldn't publish anything more meaningful, of course.

    It looks like the right ballpark when you compare it to the other data on the leaderboards from people with power meters... but its always going to be a bit off when he's getting sucked up the climbs in a massive peloton.
  • ocdupalais
    ocdupalais Posts: 4,314
    Quintana, Henao and Uran share an apartment? Oof... that's a chaingang in Pamplona you might swerve if they say they're doing a few hills...
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,177
    OCDuPalais wrote:
    Quintana, Henao and Uran share an apartment? Oof... that's a chaingang in Pamplona you might swerve if they say they're doing a few hills...

    Living there also seems to increase the ageing process!
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,811
    Cogidubnus wrote:
    Its fallen on my day off too. Can't wait to sit back and see the battle on the final climb

    I've been off all week but have to work tomorrow when E3 is on, I am totes fumes
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    LeicesterLad wrote:
    Little article on Quintana and his ambitions:

    http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/03/news/road/with-catalunya-stage-win-quintana-continues-steady-rise_278481

    I am proud to be one of those escarabajos, the mythical Colombian climber who can tackle the long climbs. We train on climbs that are 40km long

    if you have enough advantage in the mountains, you can manage to defend in time trials

    Love it.

    there are even better younger riders whom we have to bring to Europe
    :shock:
    Contador is the Greatest
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Re Hej, the big mountain days are a month and a bit away. He was the same last year.
    _
  • Turfle
    Turfle Posts: 3,762
    He's in the break today, too. Along with 22 others.
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    7 BETANCUR, Carlos (COL/Ag2R)
    15 ARU, Fabio (ITA / Astana)
    23 TEN DAM, Laurens (NED / White)
    27 Kruijswijk, Steven (NED / White)
    36 SANTAROMIT A, Ivan (ITA / BMC)
    46 SALERNO, Cristiano (ITA / Cannondale)
    ASTARLOZA 54, Mikel (ESP / Euskaltel)
    68 PICHON, Laurent (FRA / FDJ)
    71 Hesjedal, Ryder (CAN / Garmin)
    75 MARTIN, Daniel (IRL / Garmin)
    82 LOSADA, Alberto (ESP / Katusha)
    87 TROFIMOV, Yury (RUS / Katusha)
    101 Van de Walle, Jurgen (BEL / Lotto)
    114 HERRADA, Jesus (ESP / Movistar)
    121 BRAMBILLA, Gianluca (ITA / Omega)
    128 VERONA, Carlos (ESP / Omega)
    148 KISERLOVSK I, Robert (CRO / RadioShack)
    157 PATE, Danny (USA / Sky)
    171 ROCHE, Nicolas (IRL / Saxo)
    184 Ruijgh, Rob (NED / Vacansoleil)
    191 ARROYO, David (ESP / Caja Rural)
    203 Bagot, Yohan (FRA / Cofidis)
    206 MOLARD, Rudy (FRA / Cofidis)

    at 2.30

    110km raced

    Movistar leading the peloton

    -

    Guardini and Chaoufi (Moroccan rider for Euskaltel) have abandoned
    Contador is the Greatest
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    37.7 km/h for the first three hours.

    Gap is coming down.

    Valverde has crashed and has difficulty getting back to the peloton. Him and Sky have previous.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • jam1e
    jam1e Posts: 1,068
    Actually crashed or just knackered crashed?

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