Vuelta stage 3 spoilers

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Comments

  • bompington
    bompington Posts: 7,674
    'Head writing cheques his doctor can't cash'
    FTFY
  • The_Boy
    The_Boy Posts: 3,099
    Pross wrote:
    TheBigBean wrote:
    bobmcstuff wrote:

    Not looking good for Contador...

    It's not although he has never been good at sprinting up short steep hills.

    He used to be able to hang in until the sprint started though.

    Bertie was alright on the super steep wall in the Tirreno the other year. Maybe he's just not on form


    Good discussion about Bert in the Cycling Podcast dropped last night. View that his racer instinct is a double-edged sword: it's why loads of fans love him racing, but at a time in his career now where he needs to use his head a bit more because he can't go with every move without risking paying a big price. 'Head writing cheques his body can't cash'

    Simpler (possible) explanation:

    He's old, has been riding GC for best part of a decade and his form has fallen very suddenly off the edge of a cliff in the same way as many others before him. Evans, for example.
    Team My Man 2018: David gaudu, Pierre Latour, Romain Bardet, Thibaut pinot, Alexandre Geniez, Florian Senechal, Warren Barguil, Benoit Cosnefroy
  • joelsim
    joelsim Posts: 7,552
    The_Boy wrote:
    Pross wrote:
    TheBigBean wrote:
    bobmcstuff wrote:

    Not looking good for Contador...

    It's not although he has never been good at sprinting up short steep hills.

    He used to be able to hang in until the sprint started though.

    Bertie was alright on the super steep wall in the Tirreno the other year. Maybe he's just not on form


    Good discussion about Bert in the Cycling Podcast dropped last night. View that his racer instinct is a double-edged sword: it's why loads of fans love him racing, but at a time in his career now where he needs to use his head a bit more because he can't go with every move without risking paying a big price. 'Head writing cheques his body can't cash'

    Simpler (possible) explanation:

    He's old, has been riding GC for best part of a decade and his form has fallen very suddenly off the edge of a cliff in the same way as many others before him. Evans, for example.

    Yep. Trek have themselves a bargain. Along with a Degenkolb who is yet to prove he will get back to his previous level.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    The_Boy wrote:


    Good discussion about Bert in the Cycling Podcast dropped last night. View that his racer instinct is a double-edged sword: it's why loads of fans love him racing, but at a time in his career now where he needs to use his head a bit more because he can't go with every move without risking paying a big price. 'Head writing cheques his body can't cash'

    Simpler (possible) explanation:

    He's old, has been riding GC for best part of a decade and his form has fallen very suddenly off the edge of a cliff in the same way as many others before him. Evans, for example.
    Both are true. He's getting older and his body is starting to fail, but his head is still in better days and he's failed to adapt. Compare him to Valverde who seems very aware of his limitations and has adapted his racing to suit his strengths (a bit like a cycling version of Ryan Giggs)
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • yorkshireraw
    yorkshireraw Posts: 1,628
    Tinkoff team is also a bit of a mixed bag in this Vuelta so Bert probably having to do a lot more work to look after himself, hold position in the bunch etc, than Froome and the Movistar big 2.

    Forget Bert's minor travails though - TJVG yesterday...... 7:55. shame.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    Where's the Stage 4 thread eh?
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 20,511
    bobmcstuff wrote:
    Where's the Stage 4 thread eh?

    I was wondering that! The expectations are too high for starting the spoiler threads.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    I'll do one now... 2 secs
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,200
    RichN95 wrote:
    The_Boy wrote:


    Good discussion about Bert in the Cycling Podcast dropped last night. View that his racer instinct is a double-edged sword: it's why loads of fans love him racing, but at a time in his career now where he needs to use his head a bit more because he can't go with every move without risking paying a big price. 'Head writing cheques his body can't cash'

    Simpler (possible) explanation:

    He's old, has been riding GC for best part of a decade and his form has fallen very suddenly off the edge of a cliff in the same way as many others before him. Evans, for example.
    Both are true. He's getting older and his body is starting to fail, but his head is still in better days and he's failed to adapt. Compare him to Valverde who seems very aware of his limitations and has adapted his racing to suit his strengths (a bit like a cycling version of Ryan Giggs)

    Is that true though, that Valverde has adjusted?

    In the GTs he's always been a decent bet for the podium but a poor bet for the win, his sole GT win was the Vuelta in 09, where he beat Evans, Sanchez, Basso and the like. I think he's always protected his position and avoided the all-or-nothing gambles in stage racing. Whereas Contador has always ridden as if the podium is pointless, except for the top step.
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