Vuelta 2018, Stage 14: Cistierna > Les Praeres. Nava - 171 km *Spoilers*
Comments
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GC
Yates
Valverde @ 20 seconds
Quintana @ 25 seconds
I haven't seen much of the race but it's certainly all to play for in the final week.0 -
He wasn't particularly incognito on stage 7.Blazing Saddles wrote:Gallopin remains in line to receive the Haimar Zubeldia award from Pello Bilbao, in Madrid.0 -
I hadn't made time to follow the Vuelta and just realized that there is no Sky rider in the top 20 overall. Would someone kindly let me know what happened? Did Kwiatkowski crash badly or he just didn't have it in him? Did Team B not bring Plan B?0
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Quintana continues to ride like a loser.Pross wrote:Yates from Lopez and Valverde. Yates back in red. The two Colombians looked like they'd pull Yates back but we're only interested in marking each other. Both of them need to sort themselves out and look at the bigger picture.
If he'd gritted his teeth and got on with it I reckon that would have stuck. Even if Lopez outsprinted him.
That's the difference between Quintana and Yates, once Yates has gone he commits 100%, Quintana never does.0 -
Kwiatkowski is in fact in the top 20. Just. He's 20th, 4 places behind de la Cruz in 16th. To answer your question though, Team B didn't bring a viable plan A, B or otherwise. Kwiatkowski was never going to challenge seriously on this parcours.mamil314 wrote:I hadn't made time to follow the Vuelta and just realized that there is no Sky rider in the top 20 overall. Would someone kindly let me know what happened? Did Kwiatkowski crash badly or he just didn't have it in him? Did Team B not bring Plan B?0 -
Yet you still think he will win tomorrow!0
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Or later on today as I suppose it now is0
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Yeah Quintana did attack. I think if Movistar decided to ride for one rider then they’d have the red jersey now. Although it might still work out for them.0
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DeadCalm wrote:
Funny, but I reckon you've chosen the wrong man for your advert. Quintana did attack. It was Lopez doing the wheel sucking. It was Lopez who lost a very good chance of the stage win by refusing to cooperate with Quintana.RichN95 wrote:New Nike Advert
They were as bad as each other. Both should have gained time on the rest, if my memory serves me right Lopez attacked earlier after Kruijswijk was pulled back and Quintana closed but didn't push on. Both then looked like closing the gap to Yates on several occasions but wouldn't work. I can understand Lopez's thinking as he's having to deal with a double threat from Movistar.0 -
Rolf Sørensen was impressed with Yates, holding his fire until late. Smart cycling, not just for avoiding burning his matches too early but for spotting that Lopez/Quintana wasn't ever going to work as a combo.Warning No formatter is installed for the format0
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I dont think this years race is a patch on the Giro.
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For me, it has been way better than the Giro.Vino'sGhost wrote:I dont think this years race is a patch on the Giro.
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So far it's been largely similar, with some of the same protagonists. The Giro had an amazing finale though. It was one of the great Grand Tours. I doubt this Vuelta will top it.DeadCalm wrote:
For me, it has been way better than the Giro.Vino'sGhost wrote:I dont think this years race is a patch on the Giro.Twitter: @RichN950 -
Is there some specific reason for that? Cos the racing has definitely been less exciting so far.DeadCalm wrote:
For me, it has been way better than the Giro.Vino'sGhost wrote:I dont think this years race is a patch on the Giro.
Of course if it manages to exceed the Giro final week then I'll change my mind.0 -
bobmcstuff wrote:
Is there some specific reason for that? Cos the racing has definitely been less exciting so far.DeadCalm wrote:
For me, it has been way better than the Giro.Vino'sGhost wrote:I dont think this years race is a patch on the Giro.
Of course if it manages to exceed the Giro final week then I'll change my mind.
Yes, cos it's not as if much happened in the final week of the Giro.
Other than the paint drying visit to Israel, by the penultimate Sunday of the Giro, we had had a number of major dust ups among the GC boys: Etna, Gran Sasso, Zoncolan and on stage 15, an amazing, early attack from Simon Yates, that at the time seemed to be the final nail in the coffin of Chris Froome.
What has this race had? An excess of conservatism that sometimes has taken the form of apathy."Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
No that's exactly my point, the Giro was way better in my opinion, but the Vuelta still has some time to pull something ludicrous out in the final week. I know it's very unlikely to rival the Giro final week, but I was just covering my arseBlazing Saddles wrote:bobmcstuff wrote:
Is there some specific reason for that? Cos the racing has definitely been less exciting so far.DeadCalm wrote:
For me, it has been way better than the Giro.Vino'sGhost wrote:I dont think this years race is a patch on the Giro.
Of course if it manages to exceed the Giro final week then I'll change my mind.
Yes, cos it's not as if much happened in the final week of the Giro.
Other than the paint drying visit to Israel, by the penultimate Sunday of the Giro, we had had a number of major dust ups among the GC boys: Etna, Gran Sasso, Zoncolan and on stage 15, an amazing, early attack from Simon Yates, that at the time seemed to be the final nail in the coffin of Chris Froome.
What has this race had? An excess of conservatism that sometimes has taken the form of apathy. 0 -
Something of interest has happened on virtually every stage of this Vuelta whereas the Giro had way, way more dull stages.
On top of that, the Giro mountain stages were all won by a clearly stronger rider (Yates until his collapse, Froome thereafter) smashing the rest of the field. While I was delighted at the time to see my man Yates (Froome not so much) trouncing all and sundry on his way to an apparent victory, I actually find a battle between more evenly matched riders, each struggling to gain an advantage, more entertaining than watching a rider simply waltz away from the competition.
Yes, the Giro had a ridiculous twist to the plot on stage 19, but one stage does not make a Grand Tour in my view.0 -
I don't think you can judge how good a race is by how close the GC battle is. Much as people often bemoan a dominant rider seemingly being out of reach with a week left in the Tour particularly I think this Vuelta is showing that riders being close is often as no-one has been prepared to risk anything to gain a decent time gap.0
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Sun for the spectators and riders, views of the Picos, actual racing and an Asturian hat for the winner. Heaven0
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Another good thing that the Giro had was three riders peaking in different ways. Yates full gas early on, Dumoulin steady throughout and Froome betting it all on the the final few days. It was like a crime thriller where you were continually changing your mind, always with certainty, about whodunnit/whowonit in the final week. (Admittedly it turned out to be the serial killer - but you weren't sure)Twitter: @RichN950
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The Giro had 6 good stages in my opinion. The rest as I recall was largely dull. By this point in the Giro, Viviani had won three stages and Bennett had won two. We'd had a couple of uphill sprints, a mountain stage where all the GC riders rolled in together except for Carapaz who made a late dash to the line which nobody could be bothered to close down. Yates had won three stages with apparent ease and could have had a fourth if he'd not gifted the stage to Chaves. The excitement in the final week was basically confined to two stages. Yes, the plot twist was epic and unexpected but there was a lot of pointless waffle to wade through to get there.0
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DeadCalm wrote:Something of interest has happened on virtually every stage of this Vuelta whereas the Giro had way, way more dull stages.
On top of that, the Giro mountain stages were all won by a clearly stronger rider (Yates until his collapse, Froome thereafter) smashing the rest of the field. While I was delighted at the time to see my man Yates (Froome not so much) trouncing all and sundry on his way to an apparent victory, I actually find a battle between more evenly matched riders, each struggling to gain an advantage, more entertaining than watching a rider simply waltz away from the competition.
Yes, the Giro had a ridiculous twist to the plot on stage 19, but one stage does not make a Grand Tour in my view.
The Zoncolan stage was won by Froome. The following day he lost a minute and a half to Yates's surprise early attack, on the penultimate climb to Sappada.
Chaves amazingly was allowed to get into the break and went on to win on Etna. He later collapsed.
Carapaz attacked the GC group to win on Montvergine.
The "strongest rider", Yates had only won up Gran Sasso and Sappada, at the same point in the race.
In anycase, how are mountain stages being won by lesser riders, more interesting?DeadCalm wrote:The Giro had 6 good stages in my opinion. The rest as I recall was largely dull. By this point in the Giro, Viviani had won three stages and Bennett had won two. We'd had a couple of uphill sprints, a mountain stage where all the GC riders rolled in together except for Carapaz who made a late dash to the line which nobody could be bothered to close down. Yates had won three stages with apparent ease and could have had a fourth if he'd not gifted the stage to Chaves. The excitement in the final week was basically confined to two stages. Yes, the plot twist was epic and unexpected but there was a lot of pointless waffle to wade through to get there.
Viviani isn't doing too badly here either.
I have to call you out, here.
Nobody could be bothered to close down? This has been the sub-text of this entire Vuelta thus far.
That and the GC boys mostly rolling in together.
Could it be that you just have a more positive attitude to this GT?"Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
I'd have the Giro and this Vuelta down as good but not great editions (so far). A close GC doesn't *necessarily* make a race exciting but when the race looks done and dusted from the first mountain stage and one team has a train up the majority of every mountain top finish for me that certainly makes it pretty dull.[Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]0
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FTFYBlazing Saddles wrote:Could it be that you just have a more positive attitude to this GT because it isn't likely to be won by anyone from Sky in general or Froome in particular?0 -
This Vuelta has been steady. The Giro was miles better though.DeVlaeminck wrote:I'd have the Giro and this Vuelta down as good but not great editions (so far). A close GC doesn't *necessarily* make a race exciting but when the race looks done and dusted from the first mountain stage and one team has a train up the majority of every mountain top finish for me that certainly makes it pretty dull.0 -
These are in my 6 good stages although the Sappada attack by Yates never looked like it would do anything other than succeed.Blazing Saddles wrote:The Zoncolan stage was won by Froome. The following day he lost a minute and a half to Yates's surprise early attack, on the penultimate climb to Sappada.
Chaves amazingly was allowed to get into the break and went on to win on Etna. He later collapsed.
This isn't in my 6 good stages. Nobody cared.Blazing Saddles wrote:Carapaz attacked the GC group to win on Montvergine.
You've forgotten Osimo. Possibly my favourite stage of that Giro.Blazing Saddles wrote:The "strongest rider", Yates had only won up Gran Sasso and Sappada, at the same point in the race.
They aren't necessarily. I don't know where I've said that.Blazing Saddles wrote:In anycase, how are mountain stages being won by lesser riders, more interesting?
Two boring sprint stages in the Vuelta compared to 5 in the Giro at this stage.Blazing Saddles wrote:Viviani isn't doing too badly here either.
You're seeing a different race to me. Firstly, they haven't been rolling in together. There have been GC gaps (not big ones but gaps all the same) on each of the last three stages. Secondly, I'm seeing lots of attacks. That they aren't resulting in big GC gaps doesn't make it any less exciting (to me) to watch.Blazing Saddles wrote:I have to call you out, here.
Nobody could be bothered to close down? This has been the sub-text of this entire Vuelta thus far.
That and the GC boys mostly rolling in together.
We've also had a supposed sprinters' stage won by Valverde, the attacks of Yates, Lopez and Valverde on stage 4, the echelons on stage 6, Pinot in the break and a whole host of different riders wearing the leaders' jersey.
Yep. Definitely. It's my subjective view. In the same way that others have a attitude to that Giro skewed to the positive because of the way it panned out.Blazing Saddles wrote:Could it be that you just have a more positive attitude to this GT?0 -
Well, aren't you a clever boy.bompington wrote:
FTFYBlazing Saddles wrote:Could it be that you just have a more positive attitude to this GT because it isn't likely to be won by anyone from Sky in general or Froome in particular?0 -
DeadCalm wrote:The Giro had 6 good stages in my opinion. The rest as I recall was largely dull. By this point in the Giro, Viviani had won three stages and Bennett had won two. We'd had a couple of uphill sprints, a mountain stage where all the GC riders rolled in together except for Carapaz who made a late dash to the line which nobody could be bothered to close down. Yates had won three stages with apparent ease and could have had a fourth if he'd not gifted the stage to Chaves. The excitement in the final week was basically confined to two stages. Yes, the plot twist was epic and unexpected but there was a lot of pointless waffle to wade through to get there.
Good stages at the Giro - 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, 19, 20. Sorry, should have included stage 1 as well.
Even 6 out of 19 non TT stages is a decent hit rate IMO.0
