|
Post by stevo on Aug 16, 2013 15:50:54 GMT
For the last of the Grand Tours this year, it seems to me that there is not a massive amount of interest from some of the big name players. Why is this do you think?
|
|
|
Post by Radchenister on Aug 24, 2013 17:33:34 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Radchenister on Aug 24, 2013 17:34:26 GMT
Calling @fluffkitten and the other usual GT scrutinising suspects!
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2013 22:08:49 GMT
Calling @fluffkitten and the other usual GT scrutinising suspects! I think today was much of a muchness really as I find the team time trial for me is the least interesting part of a stage race as a spectacle & the fact the course is pretty much uphill from now on! I did feel sorry for Movistar being held up by the lagging Katushka riders as they may have bettered Sky & even OPQS if they hadn't been impaired. I think what will be interesting is to see if Valverde & Rodriguez can carry their form from le tour into la vuelta and see if Nibali & Uran can pick up where they left off at the Giro. Not to mention it could get interesting if there is an internal battle at Sky between Henao & Uran for team leadership! As an aside has anyone been watching the US Pro Challenge? It's been great to watch and I've really enjoyed seeing more of Colorado as it's a place I've always really wanted to go to since reading about Boulder being a massive area for cyclists when I was a bairn!
|
|
|
Post by Radchenister on Aug 25, 2013 17:07:27 GMT
It was a testing team time trial; I like the idea that you get the teams out in what might almost feel to them like training conditions but asking them to boot it.
It gets the teams gelled, minds focussed on the job in hand and sets them up for some serious road racing ahead by forcing them in mode.
Just watched the highlights from yesterday again on ITV4 - Dan Martin had a bit of bad luck, I enjoyed watching Cancellara, who is such a class act; rocked it for his team like a Derny bike but also knew that the team behind (Nibali's Astana crew) were going to top him by nous and instinct. Sky's Henao and Rowe are nicely tucked in and set up for the serious GT racing ahead. Nibali appears difficult to challenge, perhaps not perfectly on form at the mo' but looking like the engine will burn off its coking as the next couple of weeks pan out, allowing him to peak into the race.
Missed today's stage as busy setting up at the local Berkeley Show; will watch highlights on ITV4 again later.
|
|
|
Post by phred1812 on Aug 27, 2013 11:09:41 GMT
Great win by Chris Horner yesterday. Amazing that at almost 41 years of age (I am a great supporter of mature sportsmen) he went up that final climb like a spring chicken leaving a lot of talent like Nibali, Rodriguez and Valverde for dead. I guess that they will claim that they are keeping their powder dry for later stages but a great win nonetheless. Picture this. I watched the race on my laptop whilst sitting on the ridge of my two storey house where I am doing repairs to the pointing on the ridge and hip tiles. No scaffolding but at least there was no wind. Not had time to ride the bike for a week now. Grrrr.
|
|
|
Post by Phil on Aug 27, 2013 11:56:40 GMT
It was an impressive climb, but I couldn't help thinking how wide are his handlebars!?
Unfortunately I've not really caught much of the Vuelta, but hoping that will change from today now that I'm sat at my desk working once again. Wondering how long Sky will be supporting Henao for rather than getting behind Uran completely.
|
|
|
Post by sodafarl on Aug 27, 2013 22:28:15 GMT
Nicholas Roche enough said.
|
|
|
Post by phred1812 on Aug 29, 2013 15:16:18 GMT
What a stage today! Tony Martin soloed in front for the entire stage. With 10k to go the peleton was bearing down with a gap of about 15 seconds. Anyone else would have sat up but he held them off until the last 20 metres. He still finished 7th in the same time as the winner whoever that was. Chapeau indeed.
|
|
|
Post by sodafarl on Aug 29, 2013 17:29:21 GMT
What a stage today! Tony Martin soloed in front for the entire stage. With 10k to go the peleton was bearing down with a gap of about 15 seconds. Anyone else would have sat up but he held them off until the last 20 metres. He still finished 7th in the same time as the winner whoever that was. Chapeau indeed. Sounds like a great stage will see it later. Thank god you posted thought my Roche had killed it.
|
|
|
Post by phred1812 on Aug 30, 2013 9:15:41 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Radchenister on Aug 30, 2013 10:42:28 GMT
Carlton Kirby does get animated with a long lone breakaway for some reason - shame DM couldn't stick it as it would have been worth shouting about.
|
|
|
Post by phred1812 on Aug 30, 2013 12:09:55 GMT
I think to really appreciate this, one needed to have watched the whole 2 hour broadcast. I had it on in the background and it initially just looked like another long flat day with a breakaway that gets caught near the end with a bunch sprint in the last kilometre. The difference this time was that the breakaway consisted of one guy on his own. We all know how much harder it is to do this rather being in a small bunch where the work can be shared. Guys mooching along in the peleton can save 30% of their energy which is of course what the sprinters do so that they mount a charge at the end.
Yesterday's race was fairly soporific from the spectator's view with Carlton and Sean chuntering on as they do. Both agreed that Tony Martin was putting in a good stint as training for the Worlds' time trial and of course it would only be only a matter of time before he was swallowed up. Most of the speculation was whether or not TM had a saddle sore and which sprinter was favourite.
At 20k to the finish it seemed as if the prophecy was correct and TM's lead was down to a few seconds. However as they hit the outskirts of Caceres, the parcours became a bit more technical with big sweeping roundabouts and turns an it dawned that TM was actually pulling away from the peleton. It seemed possible that there just might be a chance for him. With 500 to go it seemed a very real possibility. Ultimately Cancellara just managed to drag a few sprinters up to his wheel and he was pipped with 20 to go but for me this was a truly epic ride. It won't show in the history books but will live long in my memory.
|
|
|
Post by Radchenister on Aug 30, 2013 12:59:42 GMT
I watched it until 30 out, the way I saw it is that the lone breaker is good for sterilising a further fresh legged breakaway if left to carry the torch until very near the end, he pulled a cheeky one by upping the pace and almost caught them napping, had they sussed how much he had left sooner and put the pace on properly earlier, then they would have swallowed him further back - he nearly pulled a master's trick and they all almost got it wrong. Good training run though, bet he aches today!
|
|
|
Post by namegoeshere on Aug 31, 2013 11:51:28 GMT
Been a great GT so far, excited about today's stage. I'd love to see Purito take the overall though, he's my kind of rider and it'd be a shame for him never to win a GT.
|
|