Vuelta starts tomorrow Saturday move to spoilers

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  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 19,430
    Pokerface wrote:
    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.

    Martin in the 'training race for the world's category'
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • Pokerface
    Pokerface Posts: 7,960
    TailWindHome wrote:
    Pokerface wrote:
    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.

    Martin in the 'training race for the world's category'

    Yes and no. Publicly yes, Privately no. My conversations with him were more along the lines of he wanted to ride for GC and do well. I that doesn't work out, he'll target stages and the World's. Ideally he'd like to do well/win both!
  • rob churchill
    rob churchill Posts: 272
    Milton50 wrote:
    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.

    True, that. He wept for days when Surdave wouldn't budge on the zero tolerance thing.
    I have a policy of only posting comment on the internet under my real name. This is to moderate my natural instinct to flame your fatuous, ill-informed, irrational, credulous, bigoted, semi-literate opinions to carbon, you knuckle-dragging f***wits.
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Pozzo to miss the Vuelta unfortunately:

    “I was descending towards Malles, on a long, steep straight, at 70kph,” Pozzovivo told Gazzetta dello Sport. “I saw a cat coming from the left-hand side of the road, out of the grass. Let’s say that we looked one another in the eyes. I tried to avoid him but he bumped my front wheel.

    “The bike went flying and he ran off. I slid for twenty metres on the left side of my body and I finished up against the guard rail. I could see where I was going and I change direction. I curled up but I hit the guardrail with my right leg, just under the knee.”

    http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/pozzovi ... d-by-a-cat
    Contador is the Greatest
  • RideOnTime
    RideOnTime Posts: 4,712
    I'm waiting for this to become the spoiler thread :):)
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Horner looking good at the Tour of Utah.

    I think Cadel is racing the Vuelta? He won two mountain stages there as well (one from a breakaway, one from 15km attack with another rider).
    "[Evans'] tactics in the last two corners caught us all off guard," said the [Horner]. "It was beautiful to watch – and painful at the same time."
    Contador is the Greatest
  • Serious Cat
    Serious Cat Posts: 489
    So often the insane vuelta gradients, suffering and out and out racing has made it THE grand tour not to be missed, the TDF has had the excitement of a budget speech by Alastair Darling by comparison , especially 2012 which was a landmark in dull TDF`s as opposed to a vuelta barnstormer.
    This serious internet site..............I serious cat
  • thomthom
    thomthom Posts: 3,574
    Serious Cat wrote:
    So often the insane vuelta gradients, suffering and out and out racing has made it THE grand tour not to be missed, the TDF has had the excitement of a budget speech by Alastair Darling by comparison , especially 2012 which was a landmark in dull TDF`s as opposed to a vuelta barnstormer.

    Again, that's because the tv coverage begins with only 40-50km to go. You only get to see that one and only climb on the stage. Is that how we want it?
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,252
    ThomThom wrote:
    Serious Cat wrote:
    So often the insane vuelta gradients, suffering and out and out racing has made it THE grand tour not to be missed, the TDF has had the excitement of a budget speech by Alastair Darling by comparison , especially 2012 which was a landmark in dull TDF`s as opposed to a vuelta barnstormer.

    Again, that's because the tv coverage begins with only 40-50km to go. You only get to see that one and only climb on the stage. Is that how we want it?
    Do Vuelta stages have more than one climb?

    Here's the full Vuelta parcours in one easy image.

    original.jpeg
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Serious Cat
    Serious Cat Posts: 489
    ThomThom wrote:
    Serious Cat wrote:
    So often the insane vuelta gradients, suffering and out and out racing has made it THE grand tour not to be missed, the TDF has had the excitement of a budget speech by Alastair Darling by comparison , especially 2012 which was a landmark in dull TDF`s as opposed to a vuelta barnstormer.

    Again, that's because the tv coverage begins with only 40-50km to go. You only get to see that one and only climb on the stage. Is that how we want it?



    In a perfect world of course not, but if that one and only climb is of angliru magnitude or similar than any cyclist could not fail to be engrossed.Vuelta gradients are absolutely epic , hopefully there wont be too many transitional flat stages or if there are hopefully there will be whipping crosswinds to liven them up.
    This serious internet site..............I serious cat
  • mike6
    mike6 Posts: 1,199
    So as long as a GT is won by a specialist climber its ok then? How predictable is that? Why would the rest bother to turn up. Some of the recent Vuelta's have been a joke aimed purely at a Spanish climber winning.
  • Serious Cat
    Serious Cat Posts: 489
    mike6 wrote:
    So as long as a GT is won by a specialist climber its ok then? How predictable is that? Why would the rest bother to turn up. Some of the recent Vuelta's have been a joke aimed purely at a Spanish climber winning.



    So you would rather have a tour based on mostly tedious flat stages where the riders chat to each other for 4 hours then in the last 200m the sprinters go for the line ? Give me the mountain epics every time.
    This serious internet site..............I serious cat
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,252
    Serious Cat wrote:
    mike6 wrote:
    So as long as a GT is won by a specialist climber its ok then? How predictable is that? Why would the rest bother to turn up. Some of the recent Vuelta's have been a joke aimed purely at a Spanish climber winning.

    So you would rather have a tour based on mostly tedious flat stages where the riders chat to each other for 4 hours then in the last 200m the sprinters go for the line ? Give me the mountain epics every time.
    Surely some balance is needed. A little bit of everything, as much as the terrain allows. Look at the oft maligned Eneco Tour for example - that looks set to give us good racing. Climbs are great but after the second or third one, hockey stick stages get a little dull.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • r0bh
    r0bh Posts: 2,436
    RichN95 wrote:
    Serious Cat wrote:
    mike6 wrote:
    So as long as a GT is won by a specialist climber its ok then? How predictable is that? Why would the rest bother to turn up. Some of the recent Vuelta's have been a joke aimed purely at a Spanish climber winning.

    So you would rather have a tour based on mostly tedious flat stages where the riders chat to each other for 4 hours then in the last 200m the sprinters go for the line ? Give me the mountain epics every time.
    Surely some balance is needed. A little bit of everything, as much as the terrain allows. Look at the oft maligned Eneco Tour for example - that looks set to give us good racing. Climbs are great but after the second or third one, hockey stick stages get a little dull.

    Exactly this. By the 3rd/4th/5th/6th time the same 3 or 4 riders are going for the time bonuses on a short steep climb at the end of the stage it gets a little tired.
  • milton50
    milton50 Posts: 3,856
    The Vuelta has been pretty boring in recent years. The problem with having a flat stage with one steep mountain at the end is that the peloton arrives pretty much fresh and a group of about 5-10 struggle to make any real time gaps. Over and over again. What you really need is less mountain stages and two or three climbs before the summit finish.

    I mean don't get me wrong it is a sight to see pros riding up mountain's like the Angliru but I don't think it's great racing.

    This year should be more interesting because the top riders who would usually have ridden the Tour are now focusing on the Vuelta.
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Quintana talks:
    http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/quintan ... a-a-burgos
    Boy is ready to rip it up and he will also race Lombardy. Wet weather rider like Contador and Nibs, true champ.

    It started yesterday.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • FocusZing
    FocusZing Posts: 4,373
    "Whenever I'm at my house or my parents'
    house, I sleep at 2,800 meters and train almost
    at the same altitude," he said. "And when I stay
    with my parents, sometimes I like being in my
    room which is at 3,100 meters. Yes, you can
    say I'm always highly concentrated on training
    [while in Colombia]."

    Sleeping at 10168ft no wonder he climbs like a goat. I like the way he says he is training all the time.
  • Tom Dean
    Tom Dean Posts: 1,723
    Contador to ride the Vuelta according to INRNG: https://twitter.com/inrng/status/499834912250560512
  • mm1
    mm1 Posts: 1,063
    Tom Dean wrote:
    Contador to ride the Vuelta according to INRNG: https://twitter.com/inrng/status/499834912250560512

    Contador has just tweeted to say he's riding.
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    BOOM

    Best news for cycling fans.

    Real fighter, real champion.

    No 6 months safety rest as in other teams.

    I knew it.

    Find his form in the first 10 days and hope his leg has repaired itself by the time the tasty stages come. Knowing him though if his leg is not killing him he will hold in contention.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • specialgueststar
    specialgueststar Posts: 3,418
    mm1 wrote:
    Tom Dean wrote:
    Contador to ride the Vuelta according to INRNG: https://twitter.com/inrng/status/499834912250560512

    Contador has just tweeted to say he's riding.

    That is incredible
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    “I love the Vuelta because there’s a lot of space for climbers,” Horner said. “I love Spain. I love the atmosphere. I’m looking forward to be there again. It’s going to be spectacular. I’m excited.”
    Contador is the Greatest
  • salsiccia1
    salsiccia1 Posts: 3,725
    SpecialGuestStar wrote:
    mm1 wrote:
    Tom Dean wrote:
    Contador to ride the Vuelta according to INRNG: https://twitter.com/inrng/status/499834912250560512

    Contador has just tweeted to say he's riding.

    That is incredible

    Incredible as in amazing, or incredible as in Armstrong? :wink:
    It's only a bit of sport, Mun. Relax and enjoy the racing.
  • r0bh
    r0bh Posts: 2,436
    Contador says he is just riding for a stage win. Bit disrespectful of the race IMHO, expected more from a True Champion like him.





    :wink:
  • specialgueststar
    specialgueststar Posts: 3,418
    Salsiccia1 wrote:
    SpecialGuestStar wrote:
    mm1 wrote:
    Tom Dean wrote:
    Contador to ride the Vuelta according to INRNG: https://twitter.com/inrng/status/499834912250560512

    Contador has just tweeted to say he's riding.

    That is incredible

    Incredible as in amazing, or incredible as in Armstrong? :wink:

    Incredible as in broke leg in the Tour riding the Vuelta amazing. Play nicely :)
  • poppit
    poppit Posts: 926
    Does that mean we've got 3 weeks of BOOM, best grand tour rider of his generation, etc, etc. Great!
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  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,310
    It seems a rather uninspiring course... bit like the TdF of the early 1990s. The highest mountain peaks at just over 1000 mt, which lacks ambition in a country that doesn't lack mountains... that might broaden the field to one day heroes in the GC?
    left the forum March 2023
  • joelsim
    joelsim Posts: 7,552
    There are 5 stages at 1600-2000.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,310
    That shows how well I looked at the altimetry... :oops:
    left the forum March 2023
  • mike6
    mike6 Posts: 1,199
    Let me get this straight. Contador broke his leg in the TDF, only a few weeks ago, a broken leg means a long time off the bike, plus the healing process....... and he is riding the Vuelta?

    Sounds to me like he simply knew he was not riding well enough to win the Tour and used a crash as an excuse to drop out and prepare for the Vuelta. Or he is going to be horribly unfit and is riding because Oleg said he must. Pick one. :D

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