Vuelta, preliminary thread

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Comments

  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    This Vuelta is aaaaall about the worlds this year.

    Everyone's pumped for an exciting looking route in Florence (!).

    The GC will be a side show compared to the assessing of World Champ chances. No doubt some poor sod will end up in the top 3 after 13 stages and will have to ride the whole three weeks, only to scupper their Worlds chances.
    _
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    markhewitt1978 wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    The Vuelta dull? Heaven forbid...

    Will be interesting to see who rides the full 3 weeks given most of the likely contenders will be likely worlds contenders.

    That's the trouble with all races except for the Tour de France; it's a question of "who's going to compete". With the winner almost being decided by who doesn't turn up as much as who does.

    Trying to spot the pointers to form for the big races etc is something I totally love.

    You'll see me in spring analysing every ride from every favourite in every one day race up until Flanders and Roubaix. Maybe you won't get a proper 5 star favourite head-to-head before the race itself, ratcheting up the tension, putting more strain on your prediction and analysing skills. That's the fun bit of the cycling season. It gives the whole season a narrative and a shape. The Tour is odd in that respect. It sits apart from the other races. It just relies on its own narrative. Stories of riders doing well in the Dauphine and Giro are just footnotes, at the bottom of a stage, or filler for the commentators.

    In that respect, races after the Tour do seem a little lost. That's why. At least the worlds is there, to lend the back end a bit of shape. Doing well in Paris-Tour? Coming good with some strong 2nd week performances in the Vuelta? Doing some work for a fellow Italian on a different team for no good racing reason?? Look out for him at the worlds.
    _
  • jerry3571
    jerry3571 Posts: 1,532
    If Wiggins is back from his injury or exile or whatever it was then the Vuelta looks like a shoe in. Any rider who rode the Tour would be knackered. A rider who rode the Tour badly (Hesjdal, Evans) are probably still pooped from the Giro and they need a good rest so I can only think of Sanchez and he's not that hot.
    There is the threat if a new random rider getting super charged up for a one off appearance though. If Wiggo doesn't show then a lot of riders will be dosed up for this opportunity of not having any big contenders present and in good shape.
    Nibs may be vulnerable as his form will be good towards the end of the Vuelta so he can still be on form for the worlds.
    Interesting stuff! :)
    “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”- Albert Einstein

    "You can't ride the Tour de France on mineral water."
    -Jacques Anquetil
  • trek_dan
    trek_dan Posts: 1,366
    It'll be Nibbler vs Uran, possibly with a bit of Purito thrown in early doors until he fades towards the end of the second week. Going from form at the Giro we already know who the stronger of Nibbler and Uran is.
  • TimB34
    TimB34 Posts: 316
    If Nibali is concentrating on the Worlds (as the media suggests, with reports that he's already been riding the course) then will he really ride the Vuelta to win, or will he hold back a bit?
  • trek_dan
    trek_dan Posts: 1,366
    If he can win without killing himself in the process as he did at the Giro I don't expect he'd look a grand tour sized gift horse in the mouth.. and being Sicilian you'd expect he'd know all about gift horses (or their heads at the very least) :lol:
  • Ed-tron
    Ed-tron Posts: 165
    ITV Cycling ‏@itvcycling 5m
    We will be showing highlights of La Vuelta this year, on @ITV4 and online #lavuelta2013

    Retweeted by Cycling Weekly

    That mean Eurosport showing it live?
  • lloyd_bower
    lloyd_bower Posts: 664
    jerry3571 wrote:
    If Wiggins is back from his injury or exile or whatever it was then the Vuelta looks like a shoe in. Any rider who rode the Tour would be knackered. A rider who rode the Tour badly (Hesjdal, Evans) are probably still pooped from the Giro and they need a good rest so I can only think of Sanchez and he's not that hot.
    There is the threat if a new random rider getting super charged up for a one off appearance though. If Wiggo doesn't show then a lot of riders will be dosed up for this opportunity of not having any big contenders present and in good shape.
    Nibs may be vulnerable as his form will be good towards the end of the Vuelta so he can still be on form for the worlds.
    Interesting stuff! :)

    I'd don't see the Vuelta would be a shoe for Wiggins if he went for it, in just the same way I never saw the Giro being a shoe in either. Wiggins's CV has GT win with the tour last year, a 3rd in the 2011 Vuelta and whatever his finish in 2009 Tour his classified as these days (4th, officially 3rd, or maybe the first clean rider) outside that it's unremarkable.
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    Wiggins isnt riding the Vuelta - thats been confirmed. He's riding ToB which starts on the final day of the Vuelta.

    This year's Vuelta is going to be Nibz vs the Colombians + Valverde. Beta's riding it, Sky yet to announce but money's on Henao as leader (as Henao's reputed to be re-signing with Sky, unlike Uran) with Uran as either wingman or as joint leader. Wouldnt be surprised to see Purito giving it another shot - he was certainly looking better in the last few days of the Tour than at any time before that.
  • milton50
    milton50 Posts: 3,856
    Last year when the route was announced I'm guessing most people thought "wow this is going to be attacking, proper racing." But then after the second week it became a case of deja-vu. Three guys chugging up a very steep hill and then having a slow motion sprint with 1km to go.

    I mean it always looks good on paper but in reality having ~15% climbs day after day becomes boring. The Angliru should be quite good to watch this year though.

    The Worlds means more to me than the Vuelta. Certainly this year anyway.
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    I do agree. The Tour wins because of variety. Sometimes I think "Oh it's a boring flat stage" but you do need those and the sprints at the end to make up the entire package.
  • jerry3571
    jerry3571 Posts: 1,532
    Maybe if Uran hasn't secured how many Dollars he'll be getting if he leaves Sky then he'll be full gas for the Vuelta so he can get a better pay packet for next year.
    Still think Nibs will be a bit light on training in for the first week of the Vuelta and then ride himself in to form as the race goes on. A month is a long time to hold good form until the Worlds.

    Are Pitti and JRod riding this time?? Both will be running on empty for sure.

    Shame about Wiggins though as this may be his easiest chance for some time. There's always riders aiming for the Giro and Tour and this Vuelta has no big contenders (Nibs may use the race for training??)
    “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”- Albert Einstein

    "You can't ride the Tour de France on mineral water."
    -Jacques Anquetil
  • CoutinhoRed
    CoutinhoRed Posts: 67
    Lichtblick wrote:
    ThomThom wrote:
    It's all about Nibali


    No! He's going for the Worlds, in September, in Italy.

    What's the course like? More suited to climbers?
  • Tom Butcher
    Tom Butcher Posts: 3,830
    Each to their own but I had last year's Vuelta as one of the best Grand Tours of the last 10 years - maybe it's just me but watching the same GC men battle it out in the mountains day after day will do me especially when the end result is decided so late in the race. I'd rather have some cobbles and cross winds thrown into the mix too of course !
    it's a hard life if you don't weaken.
  • rubertoe
    rubertoe Posts: 3,994
    Any ITV coverage of this this year?
    "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got."

    PX Kaffenback 2 = Work Horse
    B-Twin Alur 700 = Sundays and Hills
  • LeicesterLad
    LeicesterLad Posts: 3,908
    CoutinhoRed wrote:
    Lichtblick wrote:
    ThomThom wrote:
    It's all about Nibali


    No! He's going for the Worlds, in September, in Italy.

    What's the course like? More suited to climbers?

    According to that numpty in the Eurosport studio it's pan flat.

    Until of course he was corrected and informed, much to his surpirse, that it's one of the hilliest Worlds courses ever with more climbing that this years Alpe stage. :roll:
    http://www.twitter.com/InTheGC http://www.InTheGC.com http://www.facebook.com/intheGC
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    rubertoe wrote:
    Any ITV coverage of this this year?


    Yes, highlights at least
  • Give me more
    Give me more Posts: 487
    Kreuziger's going to ride the Vuelta, but not with GC ambitions.
    “I’m not going in as leader, that would be too much for me this season,” Kreuziger told Biciciclismo. “I want to prepare the world championships, where I would like to do well, as the route is very hard. The leaders for the Vuelta will have to be Majka, Roche and maybe Chris Anker Sørensen. I’ll probably concentrate on trying to win a stage.”

    http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/kreuzig ... a-a-espana
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    ^^ told ya.

    All about the worlds.
    _
  • josame
    josame Posts: 1,162
    Balls.. Basso to walk it
    'Do not compare your bike to others, for always there will be greater and lesser bikes'
  • josame
    josame Posts: 1,162
    Balls.. Basso to walk it
    'Do not compare your bike to others, for always there will be greater and lesser bikes'
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    Purito predicting the Worlds RR winner to be a climber from the Vuelta line-up (surprise, surprise)

    http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/08/ ... lta_297948
  • lloyd_bower
    lloyd_bower Posts: 664
    LeicesterLad wrote:
    CoutinhoRed wrote:
    Lichtblick wrote:
    ThomThom wrote:
    It's all about Nibali


    No! He's going for the Worlds, in September, in Italy.

    What's the course like? More suited to climbers?

    According to that numpty in the Eurosport studio it's pan flat.

    Until of course he was corrected and informed, much to his surprise, that it's one of the hilliest Worlds courses ever with more climbing that this years Alpe stage. :roll:

    Maybe they were referring to the Road TT which is supposedly pan flat.

    Vuelta wise, for me it's always the 3rd of the 3GTs in statue. The Tours the top, and there's the problem, no one who has given the Tour a full shot, ever has much left in the tank to make a serious Vuelta bid. That's why Froome was never a serious contender last year.

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