Vuelta 2018 Stage 2 Spoiler Thread

DeadCalm

In the absence of Blazing Saddles and as nobody else has started one yet, here is an inferior stage 2 spoiler thread.

Today's stage is 163.5km running from Marbella to Caminito del Rey and is described as 'flat' but I don't think it is for the pure sprinters. Stage 2 of the 2015 Vuelta also finished at Caminito del Rey. The stage was won that day by Esteban Chaves from Tom Dumoulin. There were some moderately reasonable time gaps. Froome came in 7th and lost 30 seconds for example so expect the GC guys to be paying attention at the front. Dennis has said he won't try too hard to keep hold of the jersey. A stage win for Sagan? Kwiatkovski to take red?

The profile:

DeadCalm

The break of the day:

Alexis Gougeard (AG2R-La Mondiale)
Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal)
Pierre Rolland (EF-Drapac)
Pablo Torres (Burgos-BH)
Jonathan Lastras (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA)
Luis Angel Mate (Cofidis)
Hector Saez (Euskadi-Murias)

They have 4 minutes with 72km to go. Bora have just gone to the front of the peloton.

salsiccia1

Ordinarily you'd look at Sagan but he's not looking very clever so far today.

thegibdog

Looks like it could be an interesting finish. I was going to watch it on Eurosport but Kirby is commentating so I’ll hang on for the ITV4 highlights later.

indyp

TDG called it a day and back in peleton. Break down to 1.40 with 40k to go. Bora on the front for Sagan along with BMC. Sky quiet ATM.

indyp

Sagan is dropped so not a good day for him. Sky on the front

No_Ta_Doctor

Sky train drilling it into the bottom of the climb.
Nibz off the back somewhere. POrte also.
Rohan Denis 5 minutes behind?

RonB

Pace is really affecting GC favourites already. Still 3.5km to go.

No_Ta_Doctor

Valverde takes it from Kwiatkowski in a two up sprint.
Interesting finish that.

twotoebenny

Nothing ive read described that stage to be as decisive as it was, great finish by Bala. Favourites all over the hill!!!

No_Ta_Doctor

There was some great work from My Man Tao again there. Closed down multiple attacks.

GC carnage for a cat 3 finish.

salsiccia1

What a bloody bike racer that Valverde is. Superb.

RichN95.

So Nibali, Porte and A.Yates lose loads of time. Zakarin and Martin over a minute. The great GC battle isn't really materializing.

Kelderman 4th today - I starting to think he'll win this Vuelta.

above_the_cows

I was going to watch this and then I fell asleep on the sofa. Seems like I missed some action.

RichN95.

For the second GT in a row I picked Richie Porte for GC.

If I do this again can someone pop round by house and kick me in the balls.

twotoebenny

Apparently Porte has lost 13 mins

r0bh

RichN95 wrote:

So Nibali, Porte and A.Yates lose loads of time.

A. Yates was never expected to contend the GC, they are backing S. Yates

DeadCalm

Given what happened on the same finish in 2015 I was expecting gaps but not GC challenge ending gaps.

Slightly weird finish. Kwiatkovski looked like he had successfully wheel-sucked Valverde to the win only to go too early and allow Valverde to come back around him.

DeadCalm

No tA Doctor wrote:

There was some great work from My Man Tao again there. Closed down multiple attacks.

For how long is he contracted to Sky? Really hope he goes somewhere else soon. He is wasted as just another cog in the Sky machine. Same goes for Sisakov.

gsk82

DeadCalm wrote:

Given what happened on the same finish in 2015 I was expecting gaps but not GC challenge ending gaps.

Slightly weird finish. Kwiatkovski looked like he had successfully wheel-sucked Valverde to the win only to go too early and allow Valverde to come back around him.

It was a different climb according to the inrng.

RichN95.

DeadCalm wrote:

No tA Doctor wrote:

There was some great work from My Man Tao again there. Closed down multiple attacks.

For how long is he contracted to Sky? Really hope he goes somewhere else soon. He is wasted as just another cog in the Sky machine. Same goes for Sisakov.

That's what they used to say about Thomas. Now he has a Tour win. He wouldn't have got that at Trek.

Pross

DeadCalm wrote:

No tA Doctor wrote:

There was some great work from My Man Tao again there. Closed down multiple attacks.

For how long is he contracted to Sky? Really hope he goes somewhere else soon. He is wasted as just another cog in the Sky machine. Same goes for Sisakov.

They're youngsters learning their trade and they are probably better doing it there without the pressure for results. How many hopefuls have moved on from Sky for their big chance and done nothing?

craigus89

Craigus89 wrote:

On a side note can we stop talking about Porte like he is a sure contender for GT's. Nibali sure, but not Porte.

*Ahem*

Left this in a thread about a month ago, getting the excuses in even before the start of the first stage this time. Why does everyone keep giving on about the guy!?

gsk82

Craigus89 wrote:

Craigus89 wrote:

On a side note can we stop talking about Porte like he is a sure contender for GT's. Nibali sure, but not Porte.

*Ahem*

Left this in a thread about a month ago, getting the excuses in even before the start of the first stage this time. Why does everyone keep giving on about the guy!?

He's one of the best one week racers going. He's one of the best climbers in the world. Of the climbers he's one of the best TT'ers.

And Geraint Thomas will never win a grand tour.

the article don

Salsiccia1 wrote:

What a bloody bike racer that Valverde is. Superb.

This is correct!

Not bad for an old geezer

DeadCalm

gsk82 wrote:

DeadCalm wrote:

Given what happened on the same finish in 2015 I was expecting gaps but not GC challenge ending gaps.

Slightly weird finish. Kwiatkovski looked like he had successfully wheel-sucked Valverde to the win only to go too early and allow Valverde to come back around him.

It was a different climb according to the inrng.

Oh okay. I was going by what de Gendt said in the interview on Eurosport when he described the stage as almost identical to the one a couple of years ago. Maybe I misunderstood.

DeadCalm

RichN95 wrote:

DeadCalm wrote:

No tA Doctor wrote:

There was some great work from My Man Tao again there. Closed down multiple attacks.

For how long is he contracted to Sky? Really hope he goes somewhere else soon. He is wasted as just another cog in the Sky machine. Same goes for Sisakov.

That's what they used to say about Thomas. Now he has a Tour win. He wouldn't have got that at Trek.

That's true but I hope we see Tao and Sisakov at the sharp end of a GT before they are in their thirties.

Pross wrote:

They're youngsters learning their trade and they are probably better doing it there without the pressure for results. How many hopefuls have moved on from Sky for their big chance and done nothing?

To me, there seems to be an awful lot of pressure being placed on young riders at Sky, not to get results but to deliver as part of the train. Tao and Sisakov seem to be handling it well but a fair few others have fallen by the wayside.

I accept it is partly a selfish hope on my part, largely influenced by my dislike of Sky, but I do think they could both have come in within the top 20 on that stage if they hadn't been used up in the way that they were. I also think it was largely pointless given that, once the early Sky pressure from Castroviejo had seen off the strugglers, Movistar were obviously totally prepared to take it on for Valverde and Kwiatkovski merely had to follow wheels to achieve the exact same result.

inseine

[quote="DeadCalm"

I accept it is partly a selfish hope on my part, largely influenced by my dislike of Sky, but I do think they could both have come in within the top 20 on that stage if they hadn't been used up in the way that they were. I also think it was largely pointless given that, once the early Sky pressure from Castroviejo had seen off the strugglers, Movistar were obviously totally prepared to take it on for Valverde and Kwiatkovski merely had to follow wheels to achieve the exact same result.[/quote]

But it doesn't work like that really, on any team. Everyone uses up riders to get the top guys in place and Sky had 3 in the top 26 (after that the gaps were bigger), there's no need for them to have 5. No other team had more than 3, usually less. I don't think BMC had anyone. Sky were second best team on the stage.

DeadCalm

inseine wrote:

DeadCalm wrote:

I accept it is partly a selfish hope on my part, largely influenced by my dislike of Sky, but I do think they could both have come in within the top 20 on that stage if they hadn't been used up in the way that they were. I also think it was largely pointless given that, once the early Sky pressure from Castroviejo had seen off the strugglers, Movistar were obviously totally prepared to take it on for Valverde and Kwiatkovski merely had to follow wheels to achieve the exact same result.

But it doesn't work like that really, on any team. Everyone uses up riders to get the top guys in place and Sky had 3 in the top 26 (after that the gaps were bigger), there's no need for them to have 5. No other team had more than 3, usually less. I don't think BMC had anyone. Sky were second best team on the stage.

Yeah. I accept the reality. Just prefer that it would be otherwise.

inseine

DeadCalm wrote:

inseine wrote:

DeadCalm wrote:

I accept it is partly a selfish hope on my part, largely influenced by my dislike of Sky, but I do think they could both have come in within the top 20 on that stage if they hadn't been used up in the way that they were. I also think it was largely pointless given that, once the early Sky pressure from Castroviejo had seen off the strugglers, Movistar were obviously totally prepared to take it on for Valverde and Kwiatkovski merely had to follow wheels to achieve the exact same result.

But it doesn't work like that really, on any team. Everyone uses up riders to get the top guys in place and Sky had 3 in the top 26 (after that the gaps were bigger), there's no need for them to have 5. No other team had more than 3, usually less. I don't think BMC had anyone. Sky were second best team on the stage.

Yeah. I accept the reality. Just prefer that it would be otherwise.

It's OK to dream! I would loved to have seen how Tao could have gone too, same as I'd loved to have seen Bernal take a stage at the Tour.