Vuelta starts tomorrow Saturday move to spoilers

specialgueststar

seems soon!

starts with a ttt

Pinot down to ride??

Aru

Kelderman Gesink and Ten Dam - get in !

thomthom

Apparently been a while since I've taken a look at the stage profiles. Thought they were better this year.

Unipublic continues to make 10+ odd stages which are completely flat and end with one steep climb. It's dreadful. It's only beacuse the tv coverage starts with 50km to go - and not like in the Tour - that everyone is all excited about it. They never get to see the first 70% of the stages.

Worrying tendency.

jscl

Cav is riding too. Definitely going to be a really good Vuelta.

Macaloon

Froomewatch. We need an emissary to report back on how the all important numbers are looking. I don't think he'll ride for GC, if he even makes the start. Dave has other ideas, including a belter about building for the 2015 Tour at the Vuelta.

“It’s a bit early to say on that one,” Brailsford said. “There is a certain amount of training that needs to be done and a level of fitness Chris needs to achieve before the Vuelta.

Chris Froome abandoned the Tour after crashing twice on stage five

“I think it’s important he gets a Grand Tour in his legs and, from my point of view, the 2015 Tour de France starts now and the Tour of Spain is part of our build-up to trying to win the Tour back next year.”

gsk82

Lets not forget that sky's two tour winners had raced the vuelta to win the previous year, as did froome when he finished second to Wiggins. Wiggins also said It was important part of his pre tour training.

frenchfighter

The 2013 Tour de France winner Chris Froome (Sky), the runner up in that race Nairo Quintana (Movistar), past world number one Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha), 2013 Vuelta champion Chris Horner (Lampre), 2011 Tour victor Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team) and this year’s Tour podium finisher Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) are all slated to take part.

So too former race winner Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), 2013 double stage victor Warren Barguil (Giant Shimano), Critérium du Dauphiné champion Andrew Talansky (Garmin Sharp), former world champion Philippe Gilbert (BMC Racing Team), plus climbing specialists Mikel Nieve (Sky), Samuel Sanchez (BMC Racing Team), Rigoberto Uran (Omega Pharma-QuickStep), Fabio Aru (Astana), Dan Martin (Garmin-Sharp), Haimar Zubeldia (Trek Factory Racing), Laurens Ten Dam (Belkin Pro Cycling Team) and Robert Gesink (Belkin Pro Cycling Team).

http://cyclingtips.com.au/2014/08/froom ... or-vuelta/

thomthom

That's an incredible lineup. It really is. GC wise.

What's the status on the sprinters? I reckon they aren't bothered with the stupid parcours but you never know..

rick_chasey

Good worlds prep innit?

Which reminds me....

specialgueststar

Betancur is on the start sheet ?

Surprised Kelderman doesn't get a billing - 4th Dauphine 7th Giro this year - at 23 looks a real talent - and must be well rested

RichN95.

The pre-selection startlist: http://www.pelotonwatch.com/calendar/20 ... tlist.html

This comes from the official list released by the Vuelta. But Caution! It is highly provisional with reserves listed and certain to change (for example Europcar won't start with ten, Tinkoff won't start with seven and I doubt Stannard will be in the Sky team).

But one thing is certain - if your name's not on the list you're not doing the Vuelta.

joelsim

ThomThom wrote:

Apparently been a while since I've taken a look at the stage profiles. Thought they were better this year.

Unipublic continues to make 10+ odd stages which are completely flat and end with one steep climb. It's dreadful. It's only beacuse the tv coverage starts with 50km to go - and not like in the Tour - that everyone is all excited about it. They never get to see the first 70% of the stages.

Worrying tendency.

Agree with you. If more could be like stage 2 of the Tour, then so much the better. It's not all about one mountain explosion at the end.

tailwindhome

RichN95 wrote:

But one thing is certain - if your name's not on the list you're not doing the Vuelta.

Is Wiggins not being on the Sky list old news?
Have I missed something.

joelsim

TailWindHome wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

But one thing is certain - if your name's not on the list you're not doing the Vuelta.

Is Wiggins not being on the Sky list old news?
Have I missed something.

Froome is riding, so Wiggo is very unlikely to be on there. I imagine.

DeVlaeminck

TailWindHome wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

But one thing is certain - if your name's not on the list you're not doing the Vuelta.

Is Wiggins not being on the Sky list old news?
Have I missed something.

News to me too. Be interesting if that decision was after he made his recent statement about road racing or whether that was behind it.

Pross

Going to be a PTP nightmare!

RideOnTime

Is it all on ITV4? I thought it was.

squired

It is slightly disappointing to see neither Boswell or Dombrowski in the Sky list and an interesting comparison to the path of two other youngsters (the Yates brothers). Dombrowski was on a 2 year contract and seemed destined for big things. Assuming he is moving elsewhere next season hopefully he will get back on track pretty quickly.

As for the Vuelta itself, it looks like it could be a really competitive race with a proper battle for victory. With Sky sitting in 10th in the World Tour team ranking they will be looking for something big to make up for what has been a rather mediocre season. It will also be good to see the geriatrics (Evans and Horner) try to prove that they aren't washed up yet. The big question for me is whether Valverde will be expecting Quintana to ride for him, or the other way round. Either way, Movistar will probably cement their World Tour team ranking lead and look good for a second consecutive year as number one in the rankings.

Pross

squired wrote:

It is slightly disappointing to see neither Boswell or Dombrowski in the Sky list and an interesting comparison to the path of two other youngsters (the Yates brothers). Dombrowski was on a 2 year contract and seemed destined for big things. Assuming he is moving elsewhere next season hopefully he will get back on track pretty quickly.

As for the Vuelta itself, it looks like it could be a really competitive race with a proper battle for victory. With Sky sitting in 10th in the World Tour team ranking they will be looking for something big to make up for what has been a rather mediocre season. It will also be good to see the geriatrics (Evans and Horner) try to prove that they aren't washed up yet. The big question for me is whether Valverde will be expecting Quintana to ride for him, or the other way round. Either way, Movistar will probably cement their World Tour team ranking lead and look good for a second consecutive year as number one in the rankings.

He's been injured for a large part of the time he's been there.

Snorebens

RideOnTime wrote:

Is it all on ITV4? I thought it was.

Daily highlights

RideOnTime

Snorebens wrote:

RideOnTime wrote:

Is it all on ITV4? I thought it was.

Daily highlights

Hopefully this will help with my post Tour blues.

it was just too big this year what with Yorkshire and everything.

Then when it was over there was this empty void. :shock: :shock:

frenchfighter

Well well, this is interesting. These two said they saw Contador training on climbs twice at the end of July. Despite Tinkoff downplaying his recovery. We can live in hope he starts the Vuelta.

Ulrich Fluhme, who is the CEO of the Gran Fondo New York, has told CyclingTips that both he and his wife Lidia saw the rider training on climbs on two separate occasions.

He said the first such instance was on Monday July 28 as Fluhme descended the Marzio climb from Marchirolo to Brusimpiano at Lago di Lugano in Italy.

“I saw a rider come up and immediately knew he was a pro. A second later I realized it was Contador who lives somewhere in Lugano, which is about 20 kilometres from there. He wore full Tinkoff kit and had a bandaged knee. I stopped and turned around but was already about 30 metres behind him at that moment. And just then he started to accelerate out of the saddle so I let it go immediately.

“Lidia was descending a little further back and saw me turn around as well as Contador get out of the saddle. When she came to me she said ‘What? Contador?’ We were laughing at my attempt to catch him when he was going hard.

“It even looked like he tried to get away from me, but he could have gone out of the saddle at that moment coincidentally.”

Fluhme said that two days later he and his wife were descending the Campanna Bar climb, which he describes as a ‘long and hard’ ascent north of Lugano, and which would take a pro rider more than half an hour to scale.

“I saw a fit looking rider coming up in long-long (it was a cool day) just before Bidogno. From there, you can either climb Bar or continue up Val Colla. When we passed each other, I realized it was Contador again, this time riding in a blue/white Alberto Fundacion kit.”

http://cyclingtips.com.au/2014/08/conta ... e-claimed/

takethehighroad

Meanwhile, at Frenchie HQ

jimmythecuckoo

ThomThom wrote:

That's an incredible lineup. It really is. GC wise.

Could be a classic again. Really love this race.

Pross

Training in the mountains two weeks after breaking a leg sounds highly unlikely to me.

RichN95.

With Tinkoff signing Sagan as their new poster boy and Majka continuing to produce the goods, it is clear to me that Contador is finished. Finished, I tell you.

Pross

Rumour I hear is he is going to Sky as a domestique for Porte in next year's Giro.

milton50

I've heard from someone in the know that Contador's desperate to join Sky for next year as the final man in Froome's mountain train. The signing of Sagan would seem to give this credence. It's likely to be his last year as a pro and even though he can't win the big races anymore he wants to be involved in a team capacity. Supposedly he thinks that the Sky way of riding Grand Tours is beautiful and that Froome is the most stylish man in the peloton.

Just a rumour.

Pross

I think you'd better go into hiding now.

joelsim

jimmythecuckoo wrote:

ThomThom wrote:

That's an incredible lineup. It really is. GC wise.

Could be a classic again. Really love this race.

Just looking at the lineup, cracking.

tailwindhome

http://www.stickybottle.com/races-resul ... -exciting/

Pokerface

Larely overlooked, Garmin may have a strong team with Martin, Talansky and Hesjedal all riding. Not sure who team leader will be but I suspect it'll be whoever shows themselves the strongest. Or stays upright the longest.