Is there anyone riding the Vuelta??

135

Comments

  • trek_dan
    trek_dan Posts: 1,366
    Richmond Racer 2 wrote:
    trek_dan wrote:
    What about the third tier, bearing in mind that Cobo and Horner actually happened anybody have any tips for outside bets?


    Also needs to be a rider in Last Chance Saloon. Out of contract end of the season.

    Mr consistency Haimar Zubeldia to do a Horner at 39. You heard it here first :lol:
  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,598
    Richmond Racer 2 wrote:
    FocusZing wrote:
    Nibali will head to Rio with good form after finishing the Tour de France but revealed to Gazzetta dello Sport that he is still angry and looking to make a point after being criticised for his performances at the Tour de France.

    “I’m not a robot. Everybody always expects a lot from me, I get that but I never said I was going for the classification. That’s why I think I was far to heavily criticised when I was dropped on the first mountain stage in the Massif Central,” Nibali said hitting back.

    “I want to point that I had a great first part of the season. I won in Oman in February, I rode strongly in March at Tirreno-Adriatico and I won the Giro d’Italia. I’ve always been very focused and I only had one day off in the winter so that I’d be on form for 2016.

    “As I said, I’m only human, I’m not a robot. I always try my best and I tried hard to win a stage but you’ve got to know how to listen to your body and measure your effort, especially considering the goals ahead. When my legs told me I wouldn’t be a GC contender, I worked for the good of the team, which is the right thing to do. The guys at Astana have given their all for me on many occasions, so it was good to give something back.”

    http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/nibali- ... -olympics/


    Nibz seems to spend an awful lot of emotional energy fretting about what the media write about him

    That's because of the inferiority complex he's developed by never beating anyone.
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • Richmond Racer 2
    Richmond Racer 2 Posts: 4,698
    trek_dan wrote:
    Richmond Racer 2 wrote:
    trek_dan wrote:
    What about the third tier, bearing in mind that Cobo and Horner actually happened anybody have any tips for outside bets?


    Also needs to be a rider in Last Chance Saloon. Out of contract end of the season.

    Mr consistency Haimar Zubeldia to do a Horner at 39. You heard it here first :lol:


    The Vuelta is such a circus, nowt would surprise me
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,435
    Richmond Racer 2 wrote:
    trek_dan wrote:
    Richmond Racer 2 wrote:
    trek_dan wrote:
    What about the third tier, bearing in mind that Cobo and Horner actually happened anybody have any tips for outside bets?


    Also needs to be a rider in Last Chance Saloon. Out of contract end of the season.

    Mr consistency Haimar Zubeldia to do a Horner at 39. You heard it here first :lol:


    The Vuelta is such a circus, nowt would surprise me

    I'm actually really looking forward to it. Last year's was good fun and the hockey stick stages and the scenery make it feel very different to the Tour or the Giro.
  • Richmond Racer 2
    Richmond Racer 2 Posts: 4,698
    Always think of Charly Wegelius on the subject of the Vuelta in his book Domestique:

    "..(the field) is like the crew of a pirate ship".. full of weary and unmotivated riders looking to redeem a season..."either riders didn't want to be there or they were desperate to perform"
  • salsiccia1
    salsiccia1 Posts: 3,725
    RichN95 wrote:
    It seems that it's unlikely that Quintana will be riding. Valverde's a possibility though (according to PCS)

    Heavyweight. A top 10 in each GT in a season would be a fantastic achievement.
    It's only a bit of sport, Mun. Relax and enjoy the racing.
  • joelsim
    joelsim Posts: 7,552
    Salsiccia1 wrote:
    RichN95 wrote:
    It seems that it's unlikely that Quintana will be riding. Valverde's a possibility though (according to PCS)

    Heavyweight. A top 10 in each GT in a season would be a fantastic achievement.

    Quintana is riding it.
  • jerry3571
    jerry3571 Posts: 1,532
    Richmond Racer 2 wrote:
    Always think of Charly Wegelius on the subject of the Vuelta in his book Domestique:

    "..(the field) is like the crew of a pirate ship".. full of weary and unmotivated riders looking to redeem a season..."either riders didn't want to be there or they were desperate to perform"

    Sorry, but that is great. :)))
    “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
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    No Rodriguez for Katusha. He will not race in Spain again. And that is sad.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • dish_dash
    dish_dash Posts: 5,647
    RichN95 wrote:
    No Rodriguez for Katusha. He will not race in Spain again. And that is sad.

    Yeah... seems that Olympics will be his last race... I'd hoped to see him at Vuelta and Lombardy :(
  • above_the_cows
    above_the_cows Posts: 11,406
    RichN95 wrote:
    No Rodriguez for Katusha. He will not race in Spain again. And that is sad.

    I was really hoping he would win this Vuelta. :cry:
    Correlation is not causation.
  • Mad_Malx
    Mad_Malx Posts: 5,182
    He has been looking good this summer too - decent showing in Tour & San Sebastian.
  • joelsim
    joelsim Posts: 7,552
    Above The Cows wrote:
    RichN95 wrote:
    No Rodriguez for Katusha. He will not race in Spain again. And that is sad.

    I was really hoping he would win this Vuelta. :cry:

    There's a 39km ITT...
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,649
    Am I the only one that doesn't have some sort of crush on Purito?

    He's very, very good at one particular part of cycling - sprinting the last few hundred metres of a steep finish. The Phil Gil of the mountains. But GC? He's never had the full package. A handful of podiums, but only one at the TdF and one at the Giro. Only the Vuelta, with it's hockey sticks for TV stages and habitual time bonuses has ever really offered him a chance.

    Sorry, I know it's considered rude to talk ill of the retiring, but he's quite severely overhyped.
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  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,547
    That's a bit harsh, as he's consistent year round which means he scores a lot of WT points. But he's never realistically looked like winning a GT and this year looks to have been a season too far.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    andyp wrote:
    But he's never realistically looked like winning a GT
    He should have won the 2012 Vuelta and probably the 2012 Giro too.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • above_the_cows
    above_the_cows Posts: 11,406
    No tA Doctor wrote:
    Am I the only one that doesn't have some sort of crush on Purito?

    It seems so.
    Correlation is not causation.
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,547
    RichN95 wrote:
    andyp wrote:
    But he's never realistically looked like winning a GT
    He should have won the 2012 Vuelta and probably the 2012 Giro too.

    You could argue he should've won both of those, but was anyone really that surprised when he didn't? He's never looked like a GT winner in my mind, someone who can be up there but never one making the race.
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,649
    andyp wrote:
    RichN95 wrote:
    andyp wrote:
    But he's never realistically looked like winning a GT
    He should have won the 2012 Vuelta and probably the 2012 Giro too.

    You could argue he should've won both of those, but was anyone really that surprised when he didn't? He's never looked like a GT winner in my mind, someone who can be up there but never one making the race.

    2012 Giro, lost to Hejsedal in the TT. The rest of the top 10 are De Gendt (still by far his best GT placing ever), Scarponi and Basso, Cunego, Uran, Pozzovizo, Henao, Nieve. You can argue there's plenty of experience and Giro wins there, but I don't see all that much depth in the competition. The three Italians were certainly edging toward the "past it" phase of their careers.

    2012 Vuelta he mugged Contador and Froome for bonus seconds on several occasions, but Contador bridged to teammates in a break and went solo for a stage win and plenty of time (True Champion, as some might say...). Valverde chased and closed some of it, but he'd lost time in a crash in an earlier stage. Valverde still got 2nd.

    Of course, he might have won both of those races if he could TT....
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  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 19,431
    Best of his generation not to win a GT?
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • salsiccia1
    salsiccia1 Posts: 3,725
    TailWindHome wrote:
    Best of his generation not to win a GT?

    I'd say that's a fair shout.
    It's only a bit of sport, Mun. Relax and enjoy the racing.
  • Richmond Racer 2
    Richmond Racer 2 Posts: 4,698
    Above The Cows wrote:
    No tA Doctor wrote:
    Am I the only one that doesn't have some sort of crush on Purito?

    It seems so.


    No Purito No Cry
  • m.r.m.
    m.r.m. Posts: 3,473
    A case could be made that he is overrated. A case could also be made, that he really isn't as talented as some of his GC rivals, but has been able to consistently make the most of his talents. If I am never good enough to win a GT, but manage to keep getting on the podium, am I a loser for never winning or a winner for always placing despite less ability (in general, not just Purito)?

    His mediocre TT position however does make me wonder if he actually tried to turn weaknesses into strengths, or just hone what he was already good at and enjoyed doing.
    PTP Champion 2019, 2022 & 2023
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 19,431
    Both Quintana and Valverde to ride.
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • salsiccia1
    salsiccia1 Posts: 3,725
    TailWindHome wrote:
    Both Quintana and Valverde to ride.

    Who'll ride for who? Will Quintana ride for Valverde, or will Valverde ride for Valverde?
    It's only a bit of sport, Mun. Relax and enjoy the racing.
  • jerry3571
    jerry3571 Posts: 1,532
    Think them two aren't much good for one another. I think Quintana needs to be number 1 and have a team of his own. Valverde wants to be the big man too much :/
    “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
  • jscl
    jscl Posts: 1,015
    The main issue for Purito is Puerto.

    He's retiring at the right time, that's for sure.

    One of my very favourite riders, but his past isn't far from catching up with him I fear.
    Follow me on Twitter - http://twitter.com/scalesjason - All posts are strictly my personal view.
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 9,104
    jerry3571 wrote:
    Think them two aren't much good for one another. I think Quintana needs to be number 1 and have a team of his own. Valverde wants to be the big man too much :/

    You couldn't blame Valverde for thinking he might ride his own race at the Vuelta - he sacrificed his Tour for Quintana and for whatever reason the Colombian couldn't deliver.
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,435
    I actually thought Valverde rode reasonably well for Quintana at the Tour
  • kleinstroker
    kleinstroker Posts: 2,133
    Could somebody point me in the direction of a grand tour that Quintana rode well?

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