The Vuelta

iainf72
iainf72 Posts: 15,784
edited September 2009 in Pro race
So little Schleck is doing it. And Geskink.

Also Evans. And Basso and Sanchez. Even Tom Danielson will be there to support Dan Martin.

And they say it's a climbers Vuelta.

It's going to the GT of the year. I can feel it in me bones.
Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
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Comments

  • drenkrom
    drenkrom Posts: 1,062
    A race about guys pushing pedals around? No thumb-typing wars in 140 characters or less? My, what a change! I can't wait!
  • The user and all related content has been deleted.
  • Mettan
    Mettan Posts: 2,103
    iainf72 wrote:
    So little Schleck is doing it. And Geskink.

    Also Evans. And Basso and Sanchez. Even Tom Danielson will be there to support Dan Martin.

    And they say it's a climbers Vuelta.

    It's going to the GT of the year. I can feel it in me bones.

    Andy needs to get off the mark, so to speak (sooner the better) - would be good if he could do it in Spain - give him yet more confidence, for future TDF's
  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    Depends if he actually decides to race rather than sitting back, holding Frank's hand.

    Tommy D is gonna rock, it's gonna be SUPER AWESOME.

    Is there any particular reason it's starting in the Netherlands? The Giro always has a reason. Garibaldi's birthday, Belgian mining disaster, etc etc. I like how they've invited Holland's 3rd best cycling team.
  • Mettan
    Mettan Posts: 2,103
    Will Vino be riding by any freak chance ?
  • afx237vi wrote:
    Depends if he actually decides to race rather than sitting back, holding Frank's hand.

    Tommy D is gonna rock, it's gonna be SUPER AWESOME.

    Is there any particular reason it's starting in the Netherlands? The Giro always has a reason. Garibaldi's birthday, Belgian mining disaster, etc etc. I like how they've invited Holland's 3rd best cycling team.

    Tommy D so needs a result
  • Will Contador be riding?
  • jim one
    jim one Posts: 183
    Andy said on velonews he is going as training for the world champs although perhaps if he is leading he might try and stay in the leaders jersey and win it.

    Contador has confirmed hes not riding as well but then again Astana have Vino :wink:
  • Rhods
    Rhods Posts: 400
    Regarding Astana, I saw Chris Horner noted as a GC Contender somewhere?! Is that serious? He's a good rider, but not a leader surely?
  • shannyla
    shannyla Posts: 28
    phips wrote:
    It'll be a snorefest in a dust bowl. Like usual then.

    +1 for truth. Long, long stages with no one watching, not even a donkey, through the arid moonscape.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    Mettan wrote:
    Will Vino be riding by any freak chance ?

    Yeah, he's going to be riding for Astana. It's been confirmed.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    shannyla wrote:
    phips wrote:
    It'll be a snorefest in a dust bowl. Like usual then.

    +1 for truth. Long, long stages with no one watching, not even a donkey, through the arid moonscape.

    Maybe no donkeys (unless Bruseghin is riding), but lots of these:

    bull.jpg
  • bipedal
    bipedal Posts: 466
    Schleck the youngers for the taking if he can be bothered to win it, surely?
  • pottssteve
    pottssteve Posts: 4,069
    The Vuelta is like the Tour of Qatar but with wine and olives, so at least Paul Sherwin will have something to talk about. :wink:
    Head Hands Heart Lungs Legs
  • gabriel959
    gabriel959 Posts: 4,227
    Not many stages through no mans land this year though - 50% of the stages are mountain stages.
    x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
    Commuting / Winter rides - Jamis Renegade Expert
    Pootling / Offroad - All-City Macho Man Disc
    Fast rides Cannondale SuperSix Ultegra
  • cswebbo
    cswebbo Posts: 220
    I'm going to see a couple of stages in Alicante/Murcia.

    Valverde 'region', so if he is still allowed to race then i think he could podium this year.
    It has a better route this year, and a good start list (so far).

    I'll throw some abuse in the 'Vino' direction.....
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    afx237vi wrote:
    Is there any particular reason it's starting in the Netherlands? The Giro always has a reason. Garibaldi's birthday, Belgian mining disaster, etc etc. I like how they've invited Holland's 3rd best cycling team.
    No reason as far as I know, just money and international exposure I guess. Well, for the Liege stage they mention honouring the 'spanish immigrants' in the city; Italian mineworkers, Spanish?

    http://www.vueltadrenthe.com/

    The Giro and Tour don't have particular reasons next year:
    http://www.iamsterdam.com/en/pressroom/ ... /giro-2010
    http://www.tourdefrancerotterdam.nl/
  • timoid.
    timoid. Posts: 3,133
    FJS wrote:
    afx237vi wrote:
    Is there any particular reason it's starting in the Netherlands? The Giro always has a reason. Garibaldi's birthday, Belgian mining disaster, etc etc. I like how they've invited Holland's 3rd best cycling team.
    No reason as far as I know, just money and international exposure I guess. Well, for the Liege stage they mention honouring the 'spanish immigrants' in the city; Italian mineworkers, Spanish?

    http://www.vueltadrenthe.com/

    The Giro and Tour don't have particular reasons next year:
    http://www.iamsterdam.com/en/pressroom/ ... /giro-2010
    http://www.tourdefrancerotterdam.nl/

    Well The Netherlands used to be part of Spain back in the reign of Charles V, so there is some connection there.
    It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired.
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    Timoid. wrote:
    Well The Netherlands used to be part of Spain back in the reign of Charles V, so there is some connection there.
    :D
    You're onto something there. It was also part of Napoleon's empire, hence the Tour de France start. And parts of Holland are Catholic, so the Vatican sends it's Giro there. And England was conquered in 1066, which explains the London TdF Grand Depart. So now it's waiting for than Tour of Germany start abroad... oops.
  • knedlicky
    knedlicky Posts: 3,097
    Timoid. wrote:
    afx237vi wrote:
    Is there any particular reason it's starting in the Netherlands?
    Well The Netherlands used to be part of Spain back in the reign of Charles V, so there is some connection there.
    That was my first thought too.
    I also remembered Beatrix's son married a Spanish-speaking woman. But I just looked it up and she's from Argentina, although they apparently they met in Seville.
    Many Dutch footballers have had a long association with Spain, as players and as managers; Johann Cruyff still lives there.
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    edited July 2009
    knedlicky wrote:
    Timoid. wrote:
    afx237vi wrote:
    Is there any particular reason it's starting in the Netherlands?
    Well The Netherlands used to be part of Spain back in the reign of Charles V, so there is some connection there.
    That was my first thought too.
    I also remembered Beatrix's son married a Spanish-speaking woman. But I just looked it up and she's from Argentina, although they apparently they met in Seville.
    Many Dutch footballers have had a long association with Spain, as players and as managers; Johann Cruyff still lives there.
    I'm sorry, it's rubbish. I'm Dutch. There is no 'special relationship' between Holland and Spain. Charles V was more than 400 years ago! Yes, there is one between mostly Ajax and Barcelona, specifically. That the crown prince married a girl from Argentina he met in Seville as reason for a Vuelta start in an northern Dutch rural province is a bit of a stretch don't you think?; the royals have traditionnaly mostly married Germans. There is no more special relationship between Holland and Spain than between Britain and Spain with all the Costa pensioners.

    It really is just the Drenthe provincial tourist board and Vuelta organization aiming to increase their respective international profiles.
  • timoid.
    timoid. Posts: 3,133
    FJS wrote:
    knedlicky wrote:
    Timoid. wrote:
    afx237vi wrote:
    Is there any particular reason it's starting in the Netherlands?
    Well The Netherlands used to be part of Spain back in the reign of Charles V, so there is some connection there.
    That was my first thought too.
    I also remembered Beatrix's son married a Spanish-speaking woman. But I just looked it up and she's from Argentina, although they apparently they met in Seville.
    Many Dutch footballers have had a long association with Spain, as players and as managers; Johann Cruyff still lives there.
    I'm sorry, it's rubbish. I'm Dutch. There is no 'special relationship' between Holland and Spain. Charles V was 400 years ago! Yes, there is one between mostly Ajax and Barcelona, specifically. That the crown prince married and girl from Argentina he met in Seville is a bit of a stretch don't you think?; the royals have traditionnaly mostly married Germans. There is no more special relationship between Holland and Spain than between Britain and Spain with all the Costa pensioners.


    How about the fact that through the Transaction of Augsburg Charles V created the first autonomous Dutch(ish) state?

    And both countries like orange.
    It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired.
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    Timoid. wrote:
    FJS wrote:
    knedlicky wrote:
    Timoid. wrote:
    afx237vi wrote:
    Is there any particular reason it's starting in the Netherlands?
    Well The Netherlands used to be part of Spain back in the reign of Charles V, so there is some connection there.
    That was my first thought too.
    I also remembered Beatrix's son married a Spanish-speaking woman. But I just looked it up and she's from Argentina, although they apparently they met in Seville.
    Many Dutch footballers have had a long association with Spain, as players and as managers; Johann Cruyff still lives there.
    I'm sorry, it's rubbish. I'm Dutch. There is no 'special relationship' between Holland and Spain. Charles V was 400 years ago! Yes, there is one between mostly Ajax and Barcelona, specifically. That the crown prince married and girl from Argentina he met in Seville is a bit of a stretch don't you think?; the royals have traditionnaly mostly married Germans. There is no more special relationship between Holland and Spain than between Britain and Spain with all the Costa pensioners.


    How about the fact that through the Transaction of Augsburg Charles V created the first autonomous Dutch(ish) state?

    And both countries like orange.

    The Dutch fought a war of independence against Spain, as part of the several wars the Habsburgs were fighting at the time. Spain didn't grant independence because they wanted to. What's now Austria, Czech Republic, South Italy, Hungary, Slovenia, etc. was also part of their empire at the time. That really has no resonance on a contemporary special relationship between Holland ans Spain, believe me.
    Would you say England has a special relationship now with Italy because the Romans once were here?
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Looking forward to seeing Martin vs Schlecks vs Gesink. Was disappointed when Gesink had to drop out this Tour as he would have added more excitement to the mountains.

    As for the route, have a look at all those lovely summit finishes! Three in a row too.

    perfilg1ing.gif
    Contador is the Greatest
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    perfilg2ing.gif
    Contador is the Greatest
  • The Jack
    The Jack Posts: 52
    The Schlecks are doing the Vuelta as preparation for world championships and might not even finish- certainly not go all out for victory.
    Also: Vinokurov is certainly not cleared for Vuelta. He might be a member of Astana by then, but he still needs to pay a years salary as punishment for doping before he is given licence to start.
    "Wo ist mein Fahrrad?"

    -Ralf Hutter of Kraftwerk waking up from a coma after a crashing with his bicycle-
  • Is Contador definitely not racing?
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,603
    Is the Sierra de la Pandera the climb from the 2006 Vuelta where Kash and Vino rode away from everyone?
  • knedlicky
    knedlicky Posts: 3,097
    FJS wrote:
    Timoid. wrote:
    FJS wrote:
    knedlicky wrote:
    Timoid. wrote:
    afx237vi wrote:
    Is there any particular reason it's starting in the Netherlands?
    Well The Netherlands used to be part of Spain back in the reign of Charles V, so there is some connection there.
    That was my first thought too.
    I also remembered Beatrix's son married a Spanish-speaking woman... they apparently they met in Seville. Many Dutch footballers have had a long association with Spain...
    I'm sorry, it's rubbish. I'm Dutch. There is no 'special relationship' between Holland and Spain. Charles V was 400 years ago! Yes, there is one between mostly Ajax and Barcelona, specifically. That the crown prince married and girl from Argentina he met in Seville is a bit of a stretch don't you think?; ... There is no more special relationship between Holland and Spain than between Britain and Spain with all the Costa pensioners.
    both countries like orange.
    The Dutch fought a war of independence against Spain, ...That really has no resonance on a contemporary special relationship between Holland ans Spain, believe me.
    Would you say England has a special relationship now with Italy because the Romans once were here?
    FJS, I wasn’t seriously suggesting there was any connection between these links and the Vuelta starting in the Netherlands, … although I do like Tomoid’s orange association idea.
    And I would welcome it if England had a special relationship with Italy.

    It’s probably ASO’s influence, like they push the TdF over the border more frequently than was the case in the past. (ASO half control the Vuelta)

    But for all we know, maybe it’s all been secretly arranged by Fred Rompelberg, as a sort of reciprocal agreement because he takes Dutch cyclists regularly to Majorca?
  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    Oh my, I seem to have started a diplomatic incident :oops: