Vuelta al Pais Vasco 2013 *SPOILERS*

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Comments

  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Tux on it. Takes points with Pinot just behind.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • danlikesbikes
    danlikesbikes Posts: 3,898
    jibberjim wrote:
    Danlikesbikes wrote:
    Poss move from Movi & Astana for later on?

    2 guys down the road is not enough, would be ideal situation for Sky really, not that hard to control 2 with 4 riders even if Saxo showed no interest.

    discounting Bert as don't see him as being a breakaway rider, but later on if the gap is still only at 35ish then movi could attack just before the summit & the breakaway rider could sit up and wait. Would cause all hell to break loose in the peloton to bring the break back.
    Pain hurts much less if its topped off with beating your mates to top of a climb.
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    Ah. Snow now
  • LeicesterLad
    LeicesterLad Posts: 3,908
    Danlikesbikes wrote:
    Also P Gilbert has abandoned

    His extra training and form finding went well again then...
    http://www.twitter.com/InTheGC http://www.InTheGC.com http://www.facebook.com/intheGC
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    If anyone wants to follow on twitter:
    https://twitter.com/search?q=%23PaisVasco&src=hash
    Contador is the Greatest
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    LeicesterLad wrote:
    Danlikesbikes wrote:
    Also P Gilbert has abandoned

    His extra training and form finding went well again then...

    Very well. Racing in pouring rain and snow all day today isn't really very clever is it.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • LeicesterLad
    LeicesterLad Posts: 3,908
    frenchfighter wrote:
    LeicesterLad wrote:
    Danlikesbikes wrote:
    Also P Gilbert has abandoned

    His extra training and form finding went well again then...

    Very well. Racing in pouring rain and snow all day today isn't really very clever is it.

    He's been sent there as a kick up his a*se to sort his form out from what I gather? Chucking in the towel probably wasn't considered to be part of the plan, especially as this stage has something of the 'Ardennes' about it. Plenty of riders out in the rain and doing just fine.
    http://www.twitter.com/InTheGC http://www.InTheGC.com http://www.facebook.com/intheGC
  • danlikesbikes
    danlikesbikes Posts: 3,898
    LeicesterLad wrote:
    Danlikesbikes wrote:
    Also P Gilbert has abandoned

    His extra training and form finding went well again then...

    Training possibly but form not by the looks - Was getting over a cold though & guess the cold/wet may have finally gotten to him, who knows maybe he got the cursed W/C jersey?
    Pain hurts much less if its topped off with beating your mates to top of a climb.
  • LeicesterLad
    LeicesterLad Posts: 3,908
    Danlikesbikes wrote:
    LeicesterLad wrote:
    Danlikesbikes wrote:
    Also P Gilbert has abandoned

    His extra training and form finding went well again then...

    Training possibly but form not by the looks - Was getting over a cold though & guess the cold/wet may have finally gotten to him, who knows

    Everyone knows you shouldnt ride or exercise with a cold - it lowers your immune system. He had a cold so couldn't race on a Sunday? But was ok to travel to Spain and race again on Monday?

    I'm not buying it.
    http://www.twitter.com/InTheGC http://www.InTheGC.com http://www.facebook.com/intheGC
  • danlikesbikes
    danlikesbikes Posts: 3,898
    think he had his cold from P-N & was over the worse of it but not the greatest hence the team move around.

    Looked like he was struggling a bit the other day but hard to tell - guess with the snow today maybe too much for him
    Pain hurts much less if its topped off with beating your mates to top of a climb.
  • danlikesbikes
    danlikesbikes Posts: 3,898
    LeicesterLad wrote:

    I'm not buying it.

    what then?
    Pain hurts much less if its topped off with beating your mates to top of a climb.
  • DeadCalm
    DeadCalm Posts: 4,249
    127 km to go. Rui Costa (54 - Movistar), Herrada (55 - Movistar), Silin (68 - Astana) and Talansky (176 - Garmin) have 25 seconds ahead of the Sky-led peloton
  • danlikesbikes
    danlikesbikes Posts: 3,898
    Herrada, Silin, Rui Costa and Talansky are 25 "ahead of the pack
    Pain hurts much less if its topped off with beating your mates to top of a climb.
  • LeicesterLad
    LeicesterLad Posts: 3,908
    Danlikesbikes wrote:
    LeicesterLad wrote:

    I'm not buying it.

    what then?

    Just that he was in poor form, waste of space riding Flanders, pack him off to a stage race to sort his life out.
    http://www.twitter.com/InTheGC http://www.InTheGC.com http://www.facebook.com/intheGC
  • danlikesbikes
    danlikesbikes Posts: 3,898
    LeicesterLad wrote:

    Just that he was in poor form, waste of space riding Flanders, pack him off to a stage race to sort his life out.

    certainly doesn't look that good currently form wise, which is a shame :-(
    Pain hurts much less if its topped off with beating your mates to top of a climb.
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    Danlikesbikes wrote:
    Herrada, Silin, Rui Costa and Talansky are 25 "ahead of the pack


    Talansky fancying doing a Dan Martin?
  • LeicesterLad
    LeicesterLad Posts: 3,908
    Danlikesbikes wrote:
    LeicesterLad wrote:

    Just that he was in poor form, waste of space riding Flanders, pack him off to a stage race to sort his life out.

    certainly doesn't look that good currently form wise, which is a shame :-(

    He might be in the World Champs jersey but he's been pretty poor since the end of 2011.
    http://www.twitter.com/InTheGC http://www.InTheGC.com http://www.facebook.com/intheGC
  • danlikesbikes
    danlikesbikes Posts: 3,898
    Richmond Racer wrote:

    Talansky fancying doing a Dan Martin?

    Hope so - but think with all the ups & downs the big teams can afford to send someone up but with Sky only having 4 none GC riders and 1 or 2 of those protecting the GC riders leaves them pretty thin on the ground.
    Pain hurts much less if its topped off with beating your mates to top of a climb.
  • danlikesbikes
    danlikesbikes Posts: 3,898
    LeicesterLad wrote:

    He might be in the World Champs jersey but he's been pretty poor since the end of 2011.

    Appart from winning the W/C jersey yes I'd agree
    Pain hurts much less if its topped off with beating your mates to top of a climb.
  • LeicesterLad
    LeicesterLad Posts: 3,908
    Danlikesbikes wrote:
    LeicesterLad wrote:

    He might be in the World Champs jersey but he's been pretty poor since the end of 2011.

    Appart from winning the W/C jersey yes I'd agree

    Don't get me wrong, I like Phil Gil as much as the next guy - but he's dissapointed me a lot. 2011 was exceptional and nobody can expect him to achieve it again, but since then he hasn't even looked remotely like they same bike rider, or indeed like he's given a sh*t!
    http://www.twitter.com/InTheGC http://www.InTheGC.com http://www.facebook.com/intheGC
  • deejay
    deejay Posts: 3,138
    Danlikesbikes wrote:
    LeicesterLad wrote:

    He might be in the World Champs jersey but he's been pretty poor since the end of 2011.

    Appart from winning the W/C jersey yes I'd agree
    Very suspicious ?
    Organiser, National Championship 50 mile Time Trial 1972
  • danlikesbikes
    danlikesbikes Posts: 3,898
    edited April 2013
    LeicesterLad wrote:

    Don't get me wrong, I like Phil Gil as much as the next guy - but he's dissapointed me a lot. 2011 was exceptional and nobody can expect him to achieve it again, but since then he hasn't even looked remotely like they same bike rider, or indeed like he's given a sh*t!

    We are in the same boat then. Just hope that he sorts whatever his issues are out be it training/fitness/form or something else. He reminds me of an old skool rider, able to attack and without much need of team support.
    Pain hurts much less if its topped off with beating your mates to top of a climb.
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Gap is coming down. Sun is coming out. 2 degrees.

    If Gilbert catches a cold or worse here it will outweigh any 'form' benefit he would have gained.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • danlikesbikes
    danlikesbikes Posts: 3,898
    edited April 2013
    deejay wrote:
    Very suspicious ?

    Personally I don't think so. Just poor form, tried to get it back with racing hard which didn't work but he was better towards the end of season which is when the W/C race was held. Plus he has the advantage of not needing a full team support so easy for him to hide his intentions till the end.
    Pain hurts much less if its topped off with beating your mates to top of a climb.
  • LeicesterLad
    LeicesterLad Posts: 3,908
    frenchfighter wrote:
    Gap is coming down. Sun is coming out. 2 degrees.

    If Gilbert catches a cold or worse here it will outweigh any 'form' benefit he would have gained.

    This is true of course, but...

    ...the cold virus has nothing to do with weather or temperature, so whether he's riding in glorious sunshine or a bit of snow it shouldn't really matter?
    http://www.twitter.com/InTheGC http://www.InTheGC.com http://www.facebook.com/intheGC
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    Danlikesbikes wrote:
    deejay wrote:
    Very suspicious ?

    Personally I don't think so. Just poor form, tried to get it back with racing hard which didn't work but he was better towards the end of season which is when the W/C race was held. Plus he has the advantage of not needing a full team support so easy for him to hid his intentions till the end.


    To be fair the Belgian team rode pretty hard for him (and Boonen) at the Worlds
  • danlikesbikes
    danlikesbikes Posts: 3,898
    Richmond Racer wrote:


    To be fair the Belgian team rode pretty hard for him (and Boonen) at the Worlds

    Fair point - I meant generally as he doesn't need a train to finish the job as was the GB (sky) plan or maybe that was the Belgian plan to not ride specifically for him but to string out the rest
    Pain hurts much less if its topped off with beating your mates to top of a climb.
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    LeicesterLad wrote:
    frenchfighter wrote:
    Gap is coming down. Sun is coming out. 2 degrees.

    If Gilbert catches a cold or worse here it will outweigh any 'form' benefit he would have gained.

    This is true of course, but...

    ...the cold virus has nothing to do with weather or temperature, so whether he's riding in glorious sunshine or a bit of snow it shouldn't really matter?

    Technically correct yes but but you are statistically more likely to catch a 'cold' in cold weather due to immune system strength being reduced (and any dormant systems take hold much more easily). Mild pneumonia is an issue also.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • danlikesbikes
    danlikesbikes Posts: 3,898
    Silin, J Izaguirre, Costa, Herrada, Moreno, Fuglsang, Cherel, Navarro & Talansky. Gap is 1' after 66.5km
    Pain hurts much less if its topped off with beating your mates to top of a climb.
  • DeadCalm
    DeadCalm Posts: 4,249
    Danlikesbikes wrote:
    Silin, J Izaguirre, Costa, Herrada, Moreno, Fuglsang, Cherel, Navarro & Talansky. Gap is 1' after 66.5km

    2 Movistar, 2 Astana. Cherel there after yesterday's exertions. Good show.

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