Vuelta stage 10 **spoilers**

135

Comments

  • hypster
    hypster Posts: 1,229
    I must admit I don't understand Froome's tactics. If he's pacing himself on the climbs and riding to his power meter, why give away 25-30 seconds to the rest before he shifts up a gear? He's never going to catch Quintana under those circumstances and it wasn't as if the peloton was going that fast when he dropped off.

    Why not just mark Quintana and then try and blow him away on the latter part of the climb? All he seems to be doing at the moment is conceding the initiative to Quintana.
  • topper_harley
    topper_harley Posts: 597
    he is not putting himself in the red when the other attack, he knows his watts and he is saving as much energy as he can for the TT, bertie shows what happens when you go with Quintana too early
  • hypster
    hypster Posts: 1,229
    Topper harley wrote:
    he is not putting himself in the red when the other attack, he knows his watts and he is saving as much energy as he can for the TT, bertie shows what happens when you go with Quintana too early

    I know what he is doing it's just how many watts must he have been burning up to catch and pass Valverde and Contador? I doesn't add up in my mind.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    There's always the possibility he was actually struggling at that point. I know he likes to let attacks go and reel them back but it sounds like he dropped from a peloton that wasn't going full gas, which you'd expect him to be able to stick with without having to dig deep at all.
  • above_the_cows
    above_the_cows Posts: 11,406
    Maybe gradients played a role. He knew he'd be more effective if he waited for gradients more suited to him rather than go into the red on gradients that don't?

    I have no idea though I couldn't even watch it. Will catch the highlights though.
    Correlation is not causation.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 21,816
    Well, that was a weird and wonderful stage. I really enjoyed it.
    It's been a long time coming.
    Ride of the day: Omar Fraile's. Similar to Senor Froome's.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • joelsim
    joelsim Posts: 7,552
    Yep, cracking stage and shows it's all still to play for. Wouldn't surprise me to see Froome bang on it on Wednesday.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    Just watching the highlights - as Froome said to Friebe before the stage he has struggled on that climb twice before today, so perhaps not a surprise he struggled again...

    As an aside, Friebe's interviews are another reason why the ITV coverage is so much better than Eurosport and Kirby's incessant jokes to himself.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,272
    great racing, good to see the favourites battling it early on... wish the Tour was half as good
    left the forum March 2023
  • thegibdog
    thegibdog Posts: 2,106
    Great stage. Wondering how much of Sky's tactics were a training exercise.
    https://gibworth.mypixieset.com
  • specialgueststar
    specialgueststar Posts: 3,418
    bobmcstuff wrote:
    Aaahhh missed the finish! Just been up Swiss Hill, Cat & Fiddle and Mam Tor in the sun though so can't be too upset...

    Sounds like one for the highlights for sure!

    Froome definitely has a thing for getting dropped then riding back on - clearly wants to entertain the fans...

    Sad thing is he never actually seems entertaining - lacks some thing in the FLAIR department - but he is the winner so hey ho
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    SpecialGuestStar wrote:
    bobmcstuff wrote:
    Aaahhh missed the finish! Just been up Swiss Hill, Cat & Fiddle and Mam Tor in the sun though so can't be too upset...

    Sounds like one for the highlights for sure!

    Froome definitely has a thing for getting dropped then riding back on - clearly wants to entertain the fans...

    Sad thing is he never actually seems entertaining - lacks some thing in the FLAIR department - but he is the winner so hey ho

    Don't entirely agree, his break with Sagan in the Tour was entertaining.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,158
    SpecialGuestStar wrote:
    bobmcstuff wrote:
    Aaahhh missed the finish! Just been up Swiss Hill, Cat & Fiddle and Mam Tor in the sun though so can't be too upset...

    Sounds like one for the highlights for sure!

    Froome definitely has a thing for getting dropped then riding back on - clearly wants to entertain the fans...

    Sad thing is he never actually seems entertaining - lacks some thing in the FLAIR department - but he is the winner so hey ho
    He's the most entertaining GC rider around at the moment. Apart from speaking Spanish what do others do he doesn't?
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Mad_Malx
    Mad_Malx Posts: 5,006
    That was a good.

    +1 for liking Friebe's interviews.
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    RichN95 wrote:
    He's the most entertaining GC rider around at the moment. Apart from speaking Spanish what do others do he doesn't?

    +1

    Far and away the most exciting GC rider.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    Kevin says he's in good hands.

    CrDSOJtXEAEBovw.jpg:small
  • joelsim
    joelsim Posts: 7,552
    SpecialGuestStar wrote:
    bobmcstuff wrote:
    Aaahhh missed the finish! Just been up Swiss Hill, Cat & Fiddle and Mam Tor in the sun though so can't be too upset...

    Sounds like one for the highlights for sure!

    Froome definitely has a thing for getting dropped then riding back on - clearly wants to entertain the fans...

    Sad thing is he never actually seems entertaining - lacks some thing in the FLAIR department - but he is the winner so hey ho


    Depends on what you think is exciting. He attacks as much as anyone in the GC crowd, in fact far more. What he doesn't do is constantly change his speed, he goes once and does it big.
  • above_the_cows
    above_the_cows Posts: 11,406
    Joelsim wrote:
    SpecialGuestStar wrote:
    bobmcstuff wrote:
    Aaahhh missed the finish! Just been up Swiss Hill, Cat & Fiddle and Mam Tor in the sun though so can't be too upset...

    Sounds like one for the highlights for sure!

    Froome definitely has a thing for getting dropped then riding back on - clearly wants to entertain the fans...

    Sad thing is he never actually seems entertaining - lacks some thing in the FLAIR department - but he is the winner so hey ho


    Depends on what you think is exciting. He attacks as much as anyone in the GC crowd, in fact far more. What he doesn't do is constantly change his speed, he goes once and does it big.

    As someone who has 'finally' learned how to climb without consistently blowing up I totally understand climbing without changing speed. It's very hard to do and do well, to do it and to make it stick because it is all too easy to go into the red. Does anyone actually climb like this nowadays and 'win' using this tactic?
    Correlation is not causation.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,158
    RonB wrote:
    Kevin says he's in good hands.

    CrDSOJtXEAEBovw.jpg:small
    Well that's one cyclist we now know doesn't use Tramadol.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • ocdupalais
    ocdupalais Posts: 4,234
    RonB wrote:
    Kevin says he's in good hands.

    CrDSOJtXEAEBovw.jpg:small

    If that's the nurse that treated Bertie's hurty knee in the 2014 Tour, we should see Kev back on his bike by Thursday...
  • orraloon
    orraloon Posts: 12,695
    Only catching up via recorded highlights package from ITV4. Did Froome have a mechanical at the start of the final climb as mentioned on commentary?
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    Speculation by commentators at the time I think. No-one said anything about mech troubles after the stage.
  • curium
    curium Posts: 815
    RonB wrote:
    Kevin says he's in good hands.

    CrDSOJtXEAEBovw.jpg:small

    Will he need a TUE for the tramadol?
  • The_Boy
    The_Boy Posts: 3,099
    curium wrote:
    RonB wrote:
    Kevin says he's in good hands.

    CrDSOJtXEAEBovw.jpg:small

    Will he need a TUE for the tramadol?

    Read the sign.
    Team My Man 2018: David gaudu, Pierre Latour, Romain Bardet, Thibaut pinot, Alexandre Geniez, Florian Senechal, Warren Barguil, Benoit Cosnefroy
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,272
    SpecialGuestStar wrote:

    Sad thing is he never actually seems entertaining - lacks some thing in the FLAIR department - but he is the winner so hey ho

    I disagree, his bouncing back is very exciting... just as the rest of the attacks.
    The Vuelta gives a glimpse of what the Tour could be if it wasn't freakly controlled by Sky... maybe ASO need to think hard how to make their race as exciting as the Giro or the Vuelta...

    Maybe riders should be classified in bands according to their track record... say band A are recent big race winners or GT podium finishers and band B are small race winners/big race top 10 finishers... and a team cannot have more than say 2 riders of band A and 3 of band B in a given race... Poels/Froome/Landa and Thomas would all be band A, Nieve, Kyrienka, Henao and Stannard band B
    left the forum March 2023
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 26,272
    bobmcstuff wrote:
    SpecialGuestStar wrote:
    bobmcstuff wrote:
    Aaahhh missed the finish! Just been up Swiss Hill, Cat & Fiddle and Mam Tor in the sun though so can't be too upset...

    Sounds like one for the highlights for sure!

    Froome definitely has a thing for getting dropped then riding back on - clearly wants to entertain the fans...

    Sad thing is he never actually seems entertaining - lacks some thing in the FLAIR department - but he is the winner so hey ho

    Don't entirely agree, his break with Sagan in the Tour was entertaining.

    And his attack on the descent. And yesterday - he did something different, the others just hung on until they couldn't hang on. He was like the T1000, regrouping and relentlessly coming back.
  • hypster
    hypster Posts: 1,229
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    I disagree, his bouncing back is very exciting... just as the rest of the attacks.
    The Vuelta gives a glimpse of what the Tour could be if it wasn't freakly controlled by Sky... maybe ASO need to think hard how to make their race as exciting as the Giro or the Vuelta...

    And I disagree with your appraisal of the Tour. It wasn't because of Sky's "freakly control" but because there wasn't anyone who was good enough to challenge Froome individually. The problem with this year's TdF was also too many long, dull stages with no incentive for any sort of GC race unlike the Vuelta which has kicked off from stage 1.

    Also this Vuelta has been characterised by Movistar's control of the race as well including yesterday's stage and that didn't stop it being exciting.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,272
    hypster wrote:

    And I disagree with your appraisal of the Tour. It wasn't because of Sky's "freakly control" but because there wasn't anyone who was good enough to challenge Froome individually. The problem with this year's TdF was also too many long, dull stages with no incentive for any sort of GC race unlike the Vuelta which has kicked off from stage 1.

    .

    Froome was never challenged... they had to challenge Thomas, Nieve and Poels before getting to Froome... considering Poels won the LBL, it's a pretty hard task to challenge him, let alone Froome. In a different team, Poels could have probably done podium
    left the forum March 2023
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 8,744
    Re. Froome I don't think he's any more or less exciting than the majority of GC contenders. He probably edges Quintana in that regard but Quintana is so conservative that it probably costs him results at times. What can be tedious is Froome's dominance rather than his riding style - fans tend to want a contest and there are many examples of sportsmen who only became loved when they became vulnerable. Not sure what Froome can do about that though other than lose a few races.

    Back to riding style though - the only stand out GC contender that springs to mind in terms of excitement has been Contador - if we don't see the best of him again then that is a loss to the sport. Other riders with his approach have tended to be classics riders - Sagan now and maybe Tom Boonen are two that have never been afraid to risk losing a race to try and win it.
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • joelsim
    joelsim Posts: 7,552
    DeVlaeminck wrote:
    Re. Froome I don't think he's any more or less exciting than the majority of GC contenders. He probably edges Quintana in that regard but Quintana is so conservative that it probably costs him results at times. What can be tedious is Froome's dominance rather than his riding style - fans tend to want a contest and there are many examples of sportsmen who only became loved when they became vulnerable. Not sure what Froome can do about that though other than lose a few races.

    Back to riding style though - the only stand out GC contender that springs to mind in terms of excitement has been Contador - if we don't see the best of him again then that is a loss to the sport. Other riders with his approach have tended to be classics riders - Sagan now and maybe Tom Boonen are two that have never been afraid to risk losing a race to try and win it.

    Not sure that has anything to do with being a Classics Rider. It's a one day race so you either take a risk or don't win.

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