La Vuelta 2021 - Stage 18: Salas > Altu d’El Gamoniteiru 162,6 km **Spoilers**

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Comments

  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,730
    Mader saving Haig's bacon again.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,912
    bernal getting droped
    "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 pm
  • Dorset_Boy
    Dorset_Boy Posts: 7,610
    Movistar get their win, but Spain don't!
    Tough final km.
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 28,227
    That was a good climb.
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,912
    superman
    "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 pm
  • Dorset_Boy
    Dorset_Boy Posts: 7,610
    Roglic second with a slight gap to Mas & Bernal.
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,912
    what were bahrain thinking?
    "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 pm
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 28,227
    Very close for 4th on GC, I think Haig still has it.
  • Dorset_Boy
    Dorset_Boy Posts: 7,610
    Thick fog at the top, and 17% last part to the line is cruel.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,730
    Not a patch on yesterday's stage, which was to be expected.
    Pretty disappointing.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,262
    blazing_saddles said:



    Absolutely lost as to what Bahrain's goal has been.
    Chase the break all the way to the final climb then toodle along no quicker than the guy who has been riding solo for 50kms.

    I think their strategy was to control the pace to keep Haig within a TT's gap to Lopez on the podium.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Dorset_Boy
    Dorset_Boy Posts: 7,610
    Haig saying they were hoping someone would crack after yesterday's efforts.
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,912
    Dorset_Boy said:

    Haig saying they were hoping someone would crack after yesterday's efforts.

    Mmmmm
    "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 pm
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,730
    edited September 2021
    Dorset_Boy said:

    Haig saying they were hoping someone would crack after yesterday's efforts.

    Someone almost did: Haig.
    Lopez will be on the attack on Saturday's stage. His confidence will be up and that's a big issue with him and how he rides.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,593
    blazing_saddles said:

    So, Roglic jumps on the wheel of the guy who's in 6th, but lets the guy in 3rd swan off the front.

    I was thinking the same. Pay back for Movistar chasing down everything Ineos did early in the race.

    Such a shame Bernal came into the race undercooked although if he had this form to start with it would just be a classic Roglic gaining bonus seconds race.
  • poweredbyidris
    poweredbyidris Posts: 848
    Pross said:

    blazing_saddles said:

    So, Roglic jumps on the wheel of the guy who's in 6th, but lets the guy in 3rd swan off the front.

    I was thinking the same. Pay back for Movistar chasing down everything Ineos did early in the race.

    Such a shame Bernal came into the race undercooked although if he had this form to start with it would just be a classic Roglic gaining bonus seconds race.

    Plus he wouldn't be putting enough time into Roglic to negate the TT either
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,262
    Pross said:

    blazing_saddles said:

    So, Roglic jumps on the wheel of the guy who's in 6th, but lets the guy in 3rd swan off the front.

    I was thinking the same. Pay back for Movistar chasing down everything Ineos did early in the race.

    Such a shame Bernal came into the race undercooked although if he had this form to start with it would just be a classic Roglic gaining bonus seconds race.

    I think if Bernal hadn't attacked yesterday, Roglic would have stuck to type and ridden like he did today.

    I'm baffled at Orla on Eurosport keeping on saying he's a 'pure racer' (whatever that is) and 'so exciting' when he's the most conservative GC winner since the man sitting next to her. It think it must be the standard lazy media practice of treating him and Pogacar as the same.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,593
    He seems to fear Bernal more than any of the other riders even though he is well over 4 minutes behind. I get that Bernal has a Tour and Giro to his name but it is interesting that Roglic really does seem reluctant to let him out of his sight.
  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,620
    Pross said:

    He seems to fear Bernal more than any of the other riders even though he is well over 4 minutes behind. I get that Bernal has a Tour and Giro to his name but it is interesting that Roglic really does seem reluctant to let him out of his sight.

    He has a history of focusing on one opponent. Carapaz won the giro while Roglic was gawping at Nibali. Pogacar rode away on Peyresourde while Roglic did nothing.
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,575
    mididoctors said:

    what were bahrain thinking?

    Haig prefers a strong, consistent pace, rather than repeated accelerations, so Bahrain rode to his strengths on a climb that really doesn't suit him.
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 28,227
    andyp said:

    mididoctors said:

    what were bahrain thinking?

    Haig prefers a strong, consistent pace, rather than repeated accelerations, so Bahrain rode to his strengths on a climb that really doesn't suit him.
    They rode the whole day which meant they were down to two with half the last climb to go.
  • jimmyjams
    jimmyjams Posts: 784
    kingstongraham said:

    andyp said:

    mididoctors said:

    what were bahrain thinking?

    Haig prefers a strong, consistent pace, rather than repeated accelerations, so Bahrain rode to his strengths on a climb that really doesn't suit him.
    They rode the whole day which meant they were down to two with half the last climb to go.
    I don't have Haig's exact words but afterwards he said something like:

    "We rode partly to do with the team competition, to maintain our lead. I also wanted us to push hard the whole day, to see if anyone had problems after the hard day yesterday. We wanted to put the others under pressure and ride at a good pace so that one or the other might fade on the final ascent. But as it turned out, they were all still very strong to the end“
  • bm5
    bm5 Posts: 599
    edited September 2021
    Sad that Matt Holmes finished outside the time limit. Team say he has had a lower respiratory tract infection for a couple of days. Always a shame when a rider has managed to finish such a difficult stage and is so near the end of the tour
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    Pross said:

    He seems to fear Bernal more than any of the other riders even though he is well over 4 minutes behind. I get that Bernal has a Tour and Giro to his name but it is interesting that Roglic really does seem reluctant to let him out of his sight.

    Maybe I am too conditioned by early '00s pro cycling but maybe he's just trying to get in Bernal's head for future races.
    _

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