99th Volta Ciclista a Catalunya March 25th-31st *Spoilers*

blazing_saddles
blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
edited April 2019 in Pro race
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Stage 1: Monday 25th Calella – Calella 164kms
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Stage 2: Tuesday 26th Mataró – Sant Feliu de Guíxols 179.6kms
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Stage 3: Wednesday 27th Sant Feliu de Guíxols – Vallter 2000 179kms


Stage 4: Thursday 28th Llanars (Vall de Camprodon) – La Molina 150.3kms
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Stage 5: Friday 29th Puigcerdà – Sant Cugat del Vallès 188.1kms
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Stage 6: Saturday 30th Valls – Vila-seca 174.3kms
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Stage 7: Sunday 31st Barcelona – Barcelona 143.1kms
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Favourites 2019 Volta a Catalunya

***** Simon Yates, Enric Mas, Miguel Ángel López, Egan Bernal #sky
**** Adam Yates, Romain Bardet, Thibaut Pinot, Alejandro Valverde
*** Daniel Martin, Chris Froome, Steven Kruijswijk
** Richie Porte, Marc Soler, Wilco Kelderman
* Ilnur Zakarin, David Gaudu, Pello Bilbao, Ben o'Connor
"Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
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Comments

  • Alejandrosdog
    Alejandrosdog Posts: 1,975
    proper tour training miles.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    For some reason I am having a problem posting and viewing one of the stage maps.

    Stage 3: Wednesday 27th Sant Feliu de Guíxols – Vallter 2000 179kms
    49ead
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • ridgerider
    ridgerider Posts: 2,852
    I follow Laurens ten Dam on Strava and he has spent quite a bit of time training in the area, so with no lead climber in the team, perhaps its a chance for him to get a result??? Seems a bit pointless taking him otherwise...
    Half man, Half bike
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    BOTD: Gougeard (ALM), De Gendt (LTS), Madrazo (BBH), Cuadros (CJR), Maté (COF) & Duyn (ROC).
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    Thomas de Gendt KoM and in with a shout for taking the stage. Headwind finish though.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    De Gendt giving the peloton a right beating with a big stick, leaving them for dead in the Catalunyan dust.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • Dorset_Boy
    Dorset_Boy Posts: 7,556
    Big lead for TdG after stage 1.
    Bernal mixing it with the sprinters?
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    Nice little Costa Brava circuit with a Valverde designer finish, but he was well beaten by Matthews, who is looking great for someone with just 4 days racing under his belt.

    Another crash for Froome. Looked a bit sore. Sat up and wandered home 15 minutes down.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Blazing Saddles wrote:
    Nice little Costa Brava circuit with a Valverde designer finish, but he was well beaten by Matthews, who is looking great for someone with just 4 days racing under his belt.

    Another crash for Froome. Looked a bit sore. Sat up and wandered home 15 minutes down.
    MM wasn’t bad in MSR.

    Usually people who are on an upward trajectory going into MSR tend to start to fly thereafter.
    _
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Blazing Saddles wrote:
    Nice little Costa Brava circuit with a Valverde designer finish, but he was well beaten by Matthews, who is looking great for someone with just 4 days racing under his belt.

    Another crash for Froome. Looked a bit sore. Sat up and wandered home 15 minutes down.
    MM wasn’t bad in MSR.

    Usually people who are on an upward trajectory going into MSR tend to start to fly thereafter.

    He certainly was on an upward trajectory of sorts: he crashed out on day 1 of Paris-Nice. :lol:
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • ocdupalais
    ocdupalais Posts: 4,317
    Adam Yates vs 3 Colombians with a KM to go...
  • ocdupalais
    ocdupalais Posts: 4,317
    Dan Martin joins after being dropped...!
  • ocdupalais
    ocdupalais Posts: 4,317
    1. Yates
    2. Bernal
    3. Martin
  • MissedTheBreak
    MissedTheBreak Posts: 173
    Quintana sucks the joy out of cycling almost as much as the air of the wheel in front of him :roll:

    Decent finish from the rest though, good stage.
  • ocdupalais
    ocdupalais Posts: 4,317
    De Gendt finishing just behind Valverde - to keep the leader's jersey. The latter of whom doing his usual of not having a good time on 2000m climbs...
  • twotoebenny
    twotoebenny Posts: 1,542
    edited March 2019
    Only disappointment for me is Quintana got 4th, I'd hoped they'd all beat him at end. Why does he never take a turn? If he'd kept going with Bernal could have had at least second and more time (most likely).

    Agree with post above, sucks the life out of racing
  • ocdupalais
    ocdupalais Posts: 4,317
    MissedTheBreak wrote:
    Quintana sucks the joy out of cycling almost as much as the air of the wheel in front of him :roll:

    Decent finish from the rest though, good stage.

    Yeah - he's not winning any more fans today...
  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,599
    TwoToeBenny wrote:
    Only disappointment for me is Quintana got 4th, I'd hoped they'd all beat him at end. Why does he never take a turn? If he'd kept going with Bernal could have had at least second and more time (most likely).

    Agree with post above, sucks the life out of racing

    That was embarrassing. He was the senior rider in that group and just acted like a prat.
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    gsk82 wrote:
    TwoToeBenny wrote:
    Only disappointment for me is Quintana got 4th, I'd hoped they'd all beat him at end. Why does he never take a turn? If he'd kept going with Bernal could have had at least second and more time (most likely).

    Agree with post above, sucks the life out of racing

    That was embarrassing. He was the senior rider in that group and just acted like a prat.

    Nairo Quintana: Prefers to allow other riders to rejoin a winning move, just so long as he doesn't have to put his nose in the wind.
    Net result: Gets 5th on GC instead of 1st or 2nd. :?

    Oh and Thomas de Gendt finishes one place behind Valverde. Chapeau that man.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • Dorset_Boy
    Dorset_Boy Posts: 7,556
    Someone needs to put Quintana into the barrier. Laziest f'er ever. Deserves nothing.
    Great rides from A Yates, Bernal and Dan Martin, all thoroughly deserving their podium spots.
    Brave by TdG too.
  • hanshotfirst
    hanshotfirst Posts: 400
    Dorset Boy wrote:
    Someone needs to put Quintana into the barrier. Laziest f'er ever. Deserves nothing.
    Great rides from A Yates, Bernal and Dan Martin, all thoroughly deserving their podium spots.
    Brave by TdG too.

    Bit harsh this. I don't like him as a rider either but nobody deserves to be put into a barrier.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    Half the peloton have gone up the road today, for the second consecutive mountain finish.
    As usual, Movistar have packed the break, Sky have not....
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • twotoebenny
    twotoebenny Posts: 1,542
    Quintana done his one turn for the year, for all of 2 seconds.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    Lopez takes over as new leader and the others cancel each other out.
    A great stage. Once again La Molina better than the sum of it's parts.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • joelsim
    joelsim Posts: 7,552
    Blazing Saddles wrote:
    Lopez takes over as new leader and the others cancel each other out.
    A great stage. Once again La Molina better than the sum of it's parts.

    Superman was just too powerful. Both Yates couldn’t keep up, and I have a feeling Nairoman has been on the limit in both stages which is why he hasn’t attacked. He’d have popped.

    I love the way Lòpez rides, always attacking.
  • specialgueststar
    specialgueststar Posts: 3,418
    "it's going faster each year...level is very, very high... I try to do my best, but I must admit that there are four or five riders who are above me on this event... there is a gap between these four or five first and the rest"

    Bardet in l'Equipe.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,435
    Eurosport just put adverts on with 2.3km to go, WTAF?

    Way to ruin the highlights.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    Having watched it yet, but Bernal and Woods crashed inside the final 3kms today.
    Kelderman went down while leading the group and they followed.
    Wilco failed to finish the stage, so not good.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • dabber
    dabber Posts: 1,978
    Blazing Saddles wrote:
    Having watched it yet, but it looks like Bernal and Woods may have crashed inside the final 3kms today.

    I never saw it either but, yes, I gather Bernal finished pushing his bike over the line.
    “You may think that; I couldn’t possibly comment!”

    Wilier Cento Uno SR/Wilier Mortirolo/Specialized Roubaix Comp/Kona Hei Hei/Calibre Bossnut
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    So, Keldermann slid off into a corner and hit had against some curbing at about 5kms out.
    No coverage at all of Bernal's bounce at about 350 metres or so, as it happened when Schachmann was crossing the line.
    However, he seemed fine. Ho rips or rashes that I could see.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.

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