Vuelta What do we think so far?
Vino'sGhost
Posts: 4,129
For me the outstanding performance is Contador. For a man supposedly a long way from his peak ability he seems like the only person who is a credible threat to Froome in this mountainous version.
The racing has been good with unexpected attacks and sprint stages which in the TDF are frequently 5 hours of tedium with ten mins of excitement with a pimple at the end are few and far between. The whole race still has a much less commercial feel and to me feels and looks like real racing.
Thumbs up from me.
The racing has been good with unexpected attacks and sprint stages which in the TDF are frequently 5 hours of tedium with ten mins of excitement with a pimple at the end are few and far between. The whole race still has a much less commercial feel and to me feels and looks like real racing.
Thumbs up from me.
0
Posts
Contador may be off his peak generally but he said he was on super form before the race. He's great value. Woods has been the revelation, hopefully he gets a stage especially given the team troubles. Chavez looks good but will get spanked in the TT. The Yates twins never really excite me unfortunately
Froome Contador Nibali Aru Bardet Yates x 2 Chaves TJVG Zakarin Kelderman Kruijswick all giving it a go ...what's not to like!
some first rest days seem to be the day before the race starts proper !
The only downer I would say is that the televeision coverage is a bit poor in my opinion. The director concentrates on some of the lower placed breakaway finishers with the GC battle still going on down the road. Also, way too many helicopter shots of castles and churches, held for too long. OK maybe in the middle of a stage with nothing much going on but there have been times in the final few kilometres where they switched to a landmark for what seems like an interminable time with some sort of battle raging on the road.
I think we all are really
Speak for yourself, I'm hoping for Froome to crush all possible opposition on the major climbs, take two minutes at least out of his nearest rival in the ITT and win six stages. I think my fantasy is more likely than yours.
A Froome win will be good for my PTP...
Not really.
His legion of insufferable, bitter, whining fans don't deserve the pleasure.
A pity for him as he's OK.
I can't comment on the Vuelta so far as I have only seen stages 1, 8 and 9 live, plus bits of the rest.
Caught up with the Andorra stage today.
Very good, but on the subject of Contador again, he was truly awful: a jours sans and a half.
He's been much, much better (from what I have seen) since the race got into Spain and the climbs became short and steep.
Fantasy willy waving !
anyroadup I'm right behind my man Kelderman who I'm hoping keeps his leegs and starts climbing the top 10 (always feel there is a bad day coming though ....
Well not been too much major controversy yet, if Froomigal happens again for example I reckon there will be a longer thread.
Seems to be a lot of people on holiday - PTP has more people choosing multiple stages at once than usual. Also we're missing the July fans who only turn up for le tour.
@DrHeadgear
The Vikings are coming!
He loves this race doesn't he?
Beaming all over the place. Very relaxed.
I suppose it was where he discovered - for real - that he was actually in the league of winning a GT. If it wasn't for a profoundly suspicious performance from Cobo (if I could find the emoji for "c'mon now! Of all the GT winning performances that haven't been busted since 2000, this must ring the dodgy klaxon the loudest?", then I'd put that here), he'd have had it in the bag already by the time Sky were considering who to pick as leader for the 2012 Tour... And how might that have changed the last 5 years for British cycling?
Besides which, he's somehow managed to take the Tour without being at his best and come to the Vuelta with pinging form, so no wonder he's "beaming". Surely it was a risky tactic - which in itself is so unlike the control-freakery that Team Sky gets slated for?
I've never seen him looking so relaxed, and at the same time buzzing. Much lower pressure than the tour, fewer jeering partisan spectators. Oh, and smashing the race.