La Vuelta 2021 - Rest day one *SPOILERS*
I've barely seen any of this years Vuelta though, so what's the chat? Roglic walkover? Ineos tactics? Movistar being Movistar?
How's young Pidcock doing? Does he have a role here, or is he free to ride and learn?
Bring me up to speed!
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Roglic walkover.
Ineos failing.
Moviestar 2 & 3. And team, natch.
Pidcock on a training course.The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
I am not sure. You have no chance.Veronese68 wrote:PB is the most sensible person on here.0 -
The main chat is whoever is directing the TV it doesn't know anything about how to direct a bike race but does know a good dramatic story when they see it, with the full director's cut of Valverde's eventual withdrawal but otherwise appalling coverage which leaves most people with little idea of wtf is going on.3
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Due to moving house, only just having internet again and GCN+ having expired with no deal on the horizon, I've simply not seen a single stage yet, so it's hard to take part in any discussion really. 🤭PTP Champion 2019, 2022 & 20231
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It's been a very frustrating watch coverage wise . ... Ineos not really getting it together . Roglic looks very good for it. Movistar going to get on podium and are riding entertainingly ... Haig under the radar ."If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0
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Coverage is pretty ropey, cut away at vital moments, wobbly cameras.
Roglic looking really happy and relaxed.
Shame for Valverde on possibly his last Vuelta.
Shame about Carthy as well.
They travelled an awfully long way last week. A lot of teams have got little reward. I think there may be many more abandons in coming days.0 -
I get a feeling everyone is banking on him collapsing in the 3rd .....may be wishful thinkingRichN95. said:Roglic only has a 50% record of winning Grand Tours that he was 'definitely going win' at this stage
"If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm1 -
Lack of itv4 Coverage has killed it in the forum I think"If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0
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Just can't get excited about this Vuelta, having seen very little due to work. What I have seen has been a snooze fest - who ever thought a flat sprint stage would be good on a Saturday?? Hardly compelling viewing.
Roglic is an incredible athlete, no question, but he's just so dull. Tbf English is not his first language but he's just not a very exciting bike rider. Maybe its just me - I've watched a lot of cycling this year so perhaps I'm burnt out (kind of like this Vuelta).
Roll on PR and the Worlds, and looking forward to ToB - especially last day when I'll cycle up the Cairn to see them fly up a climb that kills me.Scott Foil RC
Scott Addict RC
Trek Emonda1 -
I think marking Carapaz as a potential leader was a mistake- he's clearly over the hill form-wise this year, and who can blame him after the Tour and Olympics. They'd probably have been better off with another domestique.
Movistar look pretty good despite losing Valverde (and another I think?)1 -
I've watched it for many years, and this is really the worst footage of any grand tour I have ever seen - they must have changed production company/stopped paying them or something?rick_chasey said:The main chat is whoever is directing the TV it doesn't know anything about how to direct a bike race but does know a good dramatic story when they see it, with the full director's cut of Valverde's eventual withdrawal but otherwise appalling coverage which leaves most people with little idea of wtf is going on.
Felt F70 05 (Turbo)
Marin Palisades Trail 91 and 06
Scott CR1 SL 12
Cannondale Synapse Adventure 15 & 16 Di2
Scott Foil 181 -
The highlights on Quest are so poor I've given up on them. Added to the terrible camera work and direction are random cuts in the highlights edit with no explanation e.g cut from the Valverde crash at 45km to go straight to 9km to gomididoctors said:Lack of itv4 Coverage has killed it in the forum I think
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Same.No_Ta_Doctor said:A grand tour should have a spoiler thread every day, even when they're not riding...
I've barely seen any of this years Vuelta though, so what's the chat? Roglic walkover? Ineos tactics? Movistar being Movistar?
How's young Pidcock doing? Does he have a role here, or is he free to ride and learn?
Bring me up to speed!
I have Eurosport and have even set the tv box to record every stage and the highlights show and haven't managed to watch pretty much any of it apart from 5 minutes here and there.
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I've watched most of it. The day they showed the stage from the start was a good day of racing, and the day Cort won was a good last hour. There's been too much flat boringness on most of the other days, even when it finishes with a ramp at the end.
Next weekend should be good.0 -
The opening week was pretty flat in many ways to be honest.
Pidcock may have featured earlier in the stages, but I've only noted him a few times at the pointy end later in proceedings, and nowhere that I have seen in the closing km.
I suspect he is just using this for miles in the legs, and experience more than anything.
Mas is looking to be one of the few people who can really challenge Roglic.
Carapaz and Bernal have looked to be in similar form, ie not as good as Roglic.
Yates has looked really promising at times, but so far Movistar have always pulled him back, in support of Rog obviously.
Carapaz looks to be struggling for absolute form, perhaps struggling post olympics, and Bernal may be having back issues again :-(
I expect they are maybe thinking they should have bought Martinez instead of one of them.
Saturday (14), Sunday (15), Wednesday (17) and Thursday (18) look like they might be the pick of the remaining stages, where someone/some teams might have a concerted crack at something.
So far though, if someone attacks, Rog is more than up to closing it down when he feels like it, and then nipping past for bonus seconds as he does.Felt F70 05 (Turbo)
Marin Palisades Trail 91 and 06
Scott CR1 SL 12
Cannondale Synapse Adventure 15 & 16 Di2
Scott Foil 180 -
I think a lot of people are in my situation of having bought the early bird GCN offer around last year for 20 Squids, pretty much watched 2 full seasons of cycling, but now has to pay 40 squids to have a braying monkey ruining the coverage.mididoctors said:Lack of itv4 Coverage has killed it in the forum I think
I'm trying to get into watching the Quest highlights but sticking the last few kms of the stage on when the commentary is giving you zero context makes it a tough watch. All I'm really doing is following the Boulting/Millar podcast which, by not-design, only talks about it tangentially anyway...
We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
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Yup!daniel_b said:
So far though, if someone attacks, Rog is more than up to closing it down when he feels like it, and then nipping past for bonus seconds as he does.
Makes it look like he has been on a cafe run prior to making the jump.The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
I am not sure. You have no chance.Veronese68 wrote:PB is the most sensible person on here.1 -
This is exactly where I am.ddraver said:
I think a lot of people are in my situation of having bought the early bird GCN offer around last year for 20 Squids, pretty much watched 2 full seasons of cycling, but now has to pay 40 squids to have a braying monkey ruining the coverage.mididoctors said:Lack of itv4 Coverage has killed it in the forum I think
I'm trying to get into watching the Quest highlights but sticking the last few kms of the stage on when the commentary is giving you zero context makes it a tough watch.2 -
I too hope Pidcock is in there for training miles, prior to a proper good crack at the WCs and PR.2
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I hope he's been riding himself in to form with the intention of winning 5 stages in the next 2 weeksyorkshireraw said:I too hope Pidcock is in there for training miles, prior to a proper good crack at the WCs and PR.
"Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago0 -
I like Fabio Aru's shoes:
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Me too, along with the sports overload this summer and the knowledge that it's a Spring Classics World's and Roubaix in 4 weeks time.Mad_Malx said:
This is exactly where I am.ddraver said:
I think a lot of people are in my situation of having bought the early bird GCN offer around last year for 20 Squids, pretty much watched 2 full seasons of cycling, but now has to pay 40 squids to have a braying monkey ruining the coverage.mididoctors said:Lack of itv4 Coverage has killed it in the forum I think
I'm trying to get into watching the Quest highlights but sticking the last few kms of the stage on when the commentary is giving you zero context makes it a tough watch.
Will probably watch loads of the TOB as that's ITV4 and then look for the next GCN offer0