La Vuelta 2019, Stage 17: Aranda de Duero > Guadalajara 11/09/2019 - 219,6 km *Spoilers*

124»

Comments

  • dabber
    dabber Posts: 1,982
    PBlakeney wrote:
    Dabber wrote:
    After all that, Lopez has been handed a 10 second penalty.

    What was the penalty for?
    Hand sling.

    Ah, thanks... I missed that.
    “You may think that; I couldn’t possibly comment!”

    Wilier Cento Uno SR/Wilier Mortirolo/Specialized Roubaix Comp/Kona Hei Hei/Calibre Bossnut
  • larkim
    larkim Posts: 2,485
    Difficult to fault Valverde really, he was quick to confirm that his tactic matched what Millar assumed. And once he'd started trying to break the doms and Roglic he had to commit to keeping the pressure on, partly because he had his own podium position to protect too.
    2015 Canyon Nerve AL 6.0 (son #1's)
    2011 Specialized Hardrock Sport Disc (son #4s)
    2013 Decathlon Triban 3 (red) (mine)
    2019 Hoy Bonaly 26" Disc (son #2s)
    2018 Voodoo Bizango (mine)
    2018 Voodoo Maji (wife's)
  • I think it was a good try to shed the domestiques, in the end it didn't really work as Astana managed to keep numbers up there but worth rolling the dice. Quintana was still a couple of minutes off Roglic and has showed no signs he can climb with the best so if they wanted to win the race they needed to gamble.
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • larkim wrote:
    Difficult to fault Valverde really, he was quick to confirm that his tactic matched what Millar assumed. And once he'd started trying to break the doms and Roglic he had to commit to keeping the pressure on, partly because he had his own podium position to protect too.

    That bit's nonsense. If Kelderman got another 2.5 minutes to take Valverde off the podium, Quintana's in the red jersey.

    (I think the tactic probably worked to get Quintana as much time as possible. When Movistar hit the gas and cracked Jumbo Visma, the break had about 5:18, and he finished with 5:19. If that group had not been disrupted, I'd expect them to take time out of the lead group.)
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 22,025
    Jumbo–Visma DS said that he thought Movistar's Valverde tactic was a good racing move which they had anticipated, but could do little about. In the end, they were lucky to have a strong Astana team.

    Separately, Valverde did exactly the same thing last time Quintana won the Vuelta with a peloton split. He would accelerate up every climb, and then sit up which disrupted the chase. I don't see the Movistar problems that others do.