Vuelta stage 8 *****Spoilers*****

mr_poll
mr_poll Posts: 1,547
edited August 2014 in Pro race
A flat stage to Albacete - sure the sprint teams won't be letting a break escape today.

8_perfil.png

If I am honest it is a weekend stage and one for viewers to sit down and enjoy a GC defining stage, and one for the TV companies to get high viewing figures. Stages like this are hardly compelling watching for 3 hours plus. The TdF did this on the penultimate Saturday, appreciate they have to take the route from area to area but surely they are missing a trick by not having the showcase stages at weekends.
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Comments

  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    Yes, a bit oddly planned that. The only thing that could rescue this is echelons. In the Vuelta crosswinds are most common inland, and this stage hits the plains of Spain...
  • jam1e
    jam1e Posts: 1,068
    Forecast is for the winds to be coming from the right direction for echelons but not anywhere near strong enough.
  • inseine
    inseine Posts: 5,788
    I've missed the whole of the weeks action and now I get to sit down to this? Bit underwhelmed.
    http://cyclinganddesign.blogspot.fr/
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Great Saturday stage :roll:
    _
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    Wait, are you heretics saying that flat sprinter stages are somehow not interesting or as exciting as stages with hills in them?
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,241
    iainf72 wrote:
    Wait, are you heretics saying that flat sprinter stages are somehow not interesting or as exciting as stages with hills in them?
    No they're good. But we've already had quite a few and this isn't a blockbuster sprinting field. Maybe they could have been spread out a little.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • inseine
    inseine Posts: 5,788
    iainf72 wrote:
    Wait, are you heretics saying that flat sprinter stages are somehow not interesting or as exciting as stages with hills in them?

    Yep
    http://cyclinganddesign.blogspot.fr/
  • thomthom
    thomthom Posts: 3,574
    It's no different from the previous 7 stages...

    It does differ from the other 20 stages in one part though - that frightening 60km descent to the finish line...

    It's laughable, really. The route that is.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,710
    ECHELON ALERT!
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • Art Vandelay
    Art Vandelay Posts: 1,982
    Blazing Saddles wrote:
    ECHELON ALERT!

    Sound the claxon!
  • jam1e
    jam1e Posts: 1,068
    It's happening!
  • antsmithmk
    antsmithmk Posts: 717
    ECHELONS!!!

    THIS IS NOT A DRILL!!!!!

    EVERYBODY TO THE FRONT
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,710
    We have 3 chunks.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • jam1e
    jam1e Posts: 1,068
    G1
    G2 +21
    G3 +38
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,710
    G3 = France. :P
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • The_Boy
    The_Boy Posts: 3,099
    Not going to stick, is it?
    Team My Man 2018: David gaudu, Pierre Latour, Romain Bardet, Thibaut pinot, Alexandre Geniez, Florian Senechal, Warren Barguil, Benoit Cosnefroy
  • The_Boy
    The_Boy Posts: 3,099
    Anyway, I went to the shop cos, you know, boring stage. Any chance someone knows who is on which group?
    Team My Man 2018: David gaudu, Pierre Latour, Romain Bardet, Thibaut pinot, Alexandre Geniez, Florian Senechal, Warren Barguil, Benoit Cosnefroy
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,241
    The_Boy wrote:
    Not going to stick, is it?
    If all the big names are in the front there's not much motivation.

    What we really needed is Valverde with some teammates in G1 and Quintana in G2.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • jam1e
    jam1e Posts: 1,068
    Splitting at the front again.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,710
    Quintana dropped
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • The_Boy
    The_Boy Posts: 3,099
    RichN95 wrote:
    The_Boy wrote:
    Not going to stick, is it?
    If all the big names are in the front there's not much motivation.

    What we really needed is Valverde with some teammates in G1 and Quintana in G2.

    You were saying?
    Team My Man 2018: David gaudu, Pierre Latour, Romain Bardet, Thibaut pinot, Alexandre Geniez, Florian Senechal, Warren Barguil, Benoit Cosnefroy
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,241
    Oooh. More splits. Quintana caught out.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,710
    20 riders max left.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • jam1e
    jam1e Posts: 1,068
    Quintana in 2nd group from new splits.
  • The_Boy
    The_Boy Posts: 3,099
    Barguil and degenkolb in the quintana group
    Team My Man 2018: David gaudu, Pierre Latour, Romain Bardet, Thibaut pinot, Alexandre Geniez, Florian Senechal, Warren Barguil, Benoit Cosnefroy
  • The_Boy
    The_Boy Posts: 3,099
    Regroupement
    Team My Man 2018: David gaudu, Pierre Latour, Romain Bardet, Thibaut pinot, Alexandre Geniez, Florian Senechal, Warren Barguil, Benoit Cosnefroy
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,241
    Degenkolb/Quintana back to G1. Movistar seemed to do sod all to help Nairo.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • The_Boy
    The_Boy Posts: 3,099
    Degwnkolb to put on a complaint just to spite bouhanni?
    Team My Man 2018: David gaudu, Pierre Latour, Romain Bardet, Thibaut pinot, Alexandre Geniez, Florian Senechal, Warren Barguil, Benoit Cosnefroy
  • Art Vandelay
    Art Vandelay Posts: 1,982
    Great stage and exciting sprint finish! Bouhanni played it well - bit of a check on Matthews on the finish though
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,241
    I really wanted Boonen to win there, but he just hasn't got it any more.

    G2 at +0.52. Not sure who was in it. Cofidis's main man obviously.
    Twitter: @RichN95

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