Vuelta - VeloNation - Cycling Forums, Bicycle Forums, Community Forums

Posts:2881

08/14/2021 08:57 PM
Great opening TT. Hoping for great things from Bardet.

zootracer

Posts:833

08/15/2021 02:40 PM
Yeah, usually skip time trials. Watched the whole thing...

Posts:4209

08/24/2021 06:51 PM
Crazy stage today…Roglic attacks out of nowhere and looks to out the whole race on ice, but crashes on the descent…remains to be seen how badly he is injured, I guess, but could he have put the whole race in jeopardy now? And STILL Bernal and Yates managed to lose time….

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:4499

08/24/2021 06:58 PM
I don't think there are any significant consequences for Roglic other than maybe some hurt pride. But could have ended a lot worse. Surprised to see Mas hanging in there for so long. Maybe things are finally coming together for him. Sucked the way Valverde had to exit the race the other day. Same with Bardet. Bernal has two good excuses, his back and the Covid episode which is affecting his fitness. Yates not so much. Kruiswijk also had Covid, maybe why he is continuing to ride sub-par. Kuss looks to be on the up and up as support for Roglic.

Posts:2881

08/24/2021 08:50 PM
Thanks for this update. Roglic went down at speed, I was concerned about the potential injuries. Valverde's crash really sucked. An all time great, on his last go round, gets dumped into the blender by a stupid rock in the road. If his line was 1 cm different he would have been fine. Beyond unjust, just plain cruel ! Just one more comment: I NEVER thought I'd say this, but the NBCSN commentary with Bobke and VdV is better than the never ending chatter on the full time stream. The female color commentator is smart and can add a lot, but she supplies too much chatter soley to fill in the dead space, and the play by play guy could be good but is just plain irritating because his speculations attempting to make every little develpment into something big is dumb. It makes paul and phil bingo enticing by comparison. Would be fine if they just watched the race a bit in silence, or discussed from 10k feet, i.e. the Vuelta was here when Ocana was a pup. the olive oil here is good, this is where the spanish inquisition happened etc . I miss Sean Kelly, who could just watch a race with us, and add his insights when appropriate, which was never continuously.

Posts:4499

08/24/2021 09:53 PM
I was recently exposed to Chris Horner podcast analyses of tour stages. Holy cow dude, talk about misplaced over analysis with the hindsight of knowing who ended up winning and losing. I had to tell my friend to switch them off. Could not stomach them over breakfast or any other time of day for that matter.

Posts:4209

08/25/2021 09:00 AM
The female color commentator is smart and can add a lot, but she supplies too much chatter soley to fill in the dead space, and the play by play guy could be good but is just plain irritating because his speculations attempting to make every little develpment into something big is dumb. hannah Walker is quite good, IMO....and having a unique voice commentating is a great change. Anthony McCrossen is OK, but very monotone. Agreed 100% that he tries to make everything seem more important than it is...every move is a "big attack", even if it is just a guy moving to the front. But I'll take him any day over Bobke and VdV.....

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

zootracer

Posts:833

08/25/2021 10:14 AM
Try watching an NFL game....

Posts:4209

08/25/2021 10:47 AM
Welp....guess we have our answer re: any lingering effects from Rog's crash yesterday!

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:4499

08/25/2021 11:13 AM
Clearly no side effects for Roglic from yesterday's slide. Mas is looking really good though. Lopez also not far behind so between the two of them Movistar can still make it interesting.

Posts:4209

08/25/2021 02:45 PM
Agreed re: Mas....he actually looked stronger than Roglic on the climb today, but got outmaneuvered.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:2881

08/25/2021 07:08 PM
What was the conversation when Roglic and Mas dialed it down for a few hundred meters, when it was clear they were head and shoulders above the rest of the field? Should we let this poor guy in pink win? May the best man win? Loser buys the beer tonight? Whatever it was, the show of respect after the drag race to the line was impressive.

Posts:4499

08/25/2021 07:38 PM
I think Mas was trying to drop Roglic realized it wasn’t happening, decided he didn’t want to pace him to line either so they stalled. Either way the outcome was inevitable hard to beat Roglic on a finish like that.

Posts:2881

08/25/2021 08:08 PM
Still gotta acknowledge the shows of respect after the finish - but supporting your theory more from Mas

Posts:4499

08/25/2021 08:27 PM
Yes nice embrace at the end. Also nice nudge by Mas where the barriers narrowed on bottom part of climb “hey I’m still here Rog, don’t close me in”.

Posts:2881

08/25/2021 08:50 PM
To be continued . . .

Posts:4209

08/26/2021 10:21 AM
Helluva finish…the peloton was strung out single file for the last 5K+. Bike Exchange was throwing down, all to no avail. I’d be pretty upset if I was them right now…two days of turning themselves inside out for Matthews and he coms up well short on both days.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:3180

08/26/2021 10:34 AM
Anybody hear how Roglic's doing after his crash? Yes, he got back on without difficulty but we all know that doesn't always tell the whole story.

Posts:4499

08/26/2021 11:46 AM
Sounds like BikeExchange (Matthews) mucked up the transition from catch to sprint and EF jumped in smartly during that transition. Back in the day Matthews was billed as the next Freire but he's never been able to deliver on that promise.

Posts:4499

08/26/2021 01:14 PM
Posted By 79 pmooney on 08/26/2021 10:34 AM Anybody hear how Roglic's doing after his crash? Yes, he got back on without difficulty but we all know that doesn't always tell the whole story. Roglic is fine. Kruijswijk sustained a few scrapes but otherwise OK.

Posts:3180

08/27/2021 11:40 AM
D-QS! They ride all day for Jacobsen. He flats at the last corner. Nothing changes except the last leadout man didn't ease up to give him the win. A great day for a guy who draws a good salary to not have his name in the news!

Posts:4499

08/27/2021 11:56 AM
Clearly not a lot of sprint competition in this Vuelta, particular after Philipsen had to abandon. Him and Jacobsen were a major cut above the rest.

Posts:4209

08/27/2021 12:45 PM
Man, that field was strung out at the end....looked brutal. Avg speed for the last 15 minutes was 33mph+!!

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:4499

08/27/2021 02:51 PM
Yes, sounds like it was massively fast forcing Bernal to explain how he ended up at the sharp end and why the 5 seconds he gained on Roglic don't matter. This was a net loss for him, cause now he spent more time in front of microphones and less time recovering and getting ready for tomorrow LOL.

Dale

Posts:1767

08/27/2021 03:31 PM
Posted By Orange Crush on 08/27/2021 02:51 PM This was a net loss for him, cause now he spent more time in front of microphones and less time recovering and getting ready for tomorrow LOL. Trying to explain to a someone who doesn't follow pro cycling/ cycling tactics why giving up the leaders jersey in a stage race is like trying to explain a card trick to a Bassett hound. (and yes, I know he wasn't in the leaders jersey but the point remains)

Posts:3180

08/29/2021 11:01 AM
Great win for Rafal Majka. A hard, determined, well planned and well executed ride. No mistakes; ridden like a seasoned pro. (He made the late kms a bit of a snooze. No one was going to touch the first two places and Kruijswijk never made inroads on him.) The fight to get into the break! The CN live broadcaster summed it up in one sentence - smartest race tactic seen today? Richard Carapaz who chose to DNS. .

Posts:2881

08/29/2021 01:01 PM
Caked on dried sweat on every jersey. Brutal to hold a stage race in Spain in the summer.

Posts:4499

08/29/2021 01:32 PM
At the same time the Basque part of Spain where they’ll be next week can be wildly cold and wet even this time of year being exposed to Atlantic weather patterns. It looks and feels much different from rest of Spain, far greener and lush. Looks like the race will come down to Wednesday Thursday hard mountain stages and then the final iTT Sunday.

Posts:4209

08/30/2021 07:28 AM
Jeez…what a boring weekend of racing. Best action was the first 60km yesterday trying to get a break formed. Meh.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:4499

08/31/2021 02:35 PM
It does feel like we've been riding towards a foregone conclusion and I have watched very little so far. But will be turning on the live feed over next two days.

Posts:4499

09/01/2021 11:06 AM
As said, cold and wet in this part of Spain, even in summer. And that should be a wrap for the Vuelta.

Posts:4209

09/01/2021 12:54 PM
Props to Bernal for giving it a go from so far out....he was willing to lose it in order to win it. OK, maybe not win it since Rog went with him, but he laid it all on the line to grab a spot on the podium. Good stuff.... Was hoping for more from Mas today....maybe the cold / wet just did not agree with him. made a decent move at one point, but Yates brought him back relatively easily. I'm guessing Bernal pays for today's exploits tomorrow, unfortunately.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:4499

09/01/2021 01:08 PM
Both Mas and Guillaume Martin were involved in a crash yesterday. Martin was complaining about hurt ribs being very painful. Not sure the degree to which Mas was affected but it could not have done him any favors. Or maybe he's just simply running out of gas. I am thinking Kuss will get free reign tomorrow. He looked very fresh.

Posts:2881

09/01/2021 01:29 PM
Crash potential tomorrow.

Posts:3180

09/02/2021 10:03 AM
From the CyclingNews live broadcast, "Damiano Caruso and other riders grab a newspaper to stuff down their jersey to offer some protection against the cool air. A newspaper is low-tech but works and easy to take and easy to dispose of." Yup. Still works and I still use them. (NY Times - good size and shape. Good ink. Portland Oregonian - too wide and too short. Ink used to be better than the freebies but I haven't used one in years so I no longer know.)

DonnaMobile

Posts:71

09/02/2021 07:44 PM
Some years ago in Italy I was leading a ride to a Palladian villa, and it began to rain. None of the clients had a jacket and one woman, Fran, got quite chilled. When we got into the town we stopped at a café, which I knew would have newspapers for its clientele. I asked the proprietor if she had any outdated ones for the suffering woman. She went in a back room and emerged wearing a big smile, and carrying La Gazzetta dello Sport. I explained to Fran, who was only a casual cyclist, that this pink newspaper was the sponsor of the Giro, and that great champions had stuffed copies down their jerseys to keep them warm on fabled mountain descents. She instantly felt connected to the history, traditions, and lore of cycling, was thrilled, and proud to stuff her jersey as generations of "real" cyclists had done. It transformed her, and she went on to buy a proper kit, clipless pedals, and eventually, a better bike, and became quite an ardent cyclist. The symbolism of that simple newspaper had worked its magic.

Posts:2881

09/02/2021 08:02 PM
Great story!

Posts:4499

09/02/2021 10:17 PM
Nice story. Can’t say I’ve ever used a newspaper.

Dale

Posts:1767

09/03/2021 05:25 AM
+1 on that story Donna, how fun to see her connect to the roots of cycling.

Posts:4209

09/04/2021 09:38 AM
Lopez losing his spot on the podium and Haig moving up onto it.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!

Posts:4499

09/04/2021 10:21 AM
Awesome stage today. Lopez reportedly dismounted in frustration and his team is trying to talk him back on bike.

Posts:4499

09/04/2021 10:24 AM
Exit Lopez is what Spanish TV says. More trouble in Movistar paradise

Posts:3180

09/04/2021 11:26 AM
The piece of bike racing that makes it so hard - a moment of inattention, a time too far back in the peloton, not having it at this moment can cost a race or an entire tour.

huckleberry

Posts:824

09/04/2021 12:30 PM
Loved today's stage!

Posts:3180

09/05/2021 11:08 AM
Final TT. And a Fabio Jakobsen has a shot at finishing with two jerseys! The green (in the bag) and a real shot at the (other) red jersey. All that stands between him and the coveted best (well, biggest) time on GC is his teammate, Josef Cerney (3 time Czech national TT champion)

Posts:2881

09/05/2021 01:45 PM
Nice Jumbo team gathering at the finale. Quite a backdrop!

Posts:3180

09/05/2021 02:58 PM
Posted By Frederick Jones on 09/05/2021 01:45 PM Nice Jumbo team gathering at the finale. Quite a backdrop! And the real reason for those lightweight bikes! So a skinny GC contender can get it overhead when 8 pounds down from his tour start line racing weight! (He, Kuss and the fellow on the right look like relief agency candidates.)

Posts:2881

09/05/2021 03:23 PM
Did you notice Sepp's bunny hop on the finish stage? Cute. Sagan would have done a wheelie.

huckleberry

Posts:824

09/05/2021 03:46 PM
I quite enjoyed this year's Vuelta, and Sepp's bunnyhop ; )

Posts:4499

09/05/2021 06:05 PM
All the guys already dressed down in sneakers but Kuss and Roglic still in cleats and black socks.

Posts:2881

09/05/2021 08:54 PM
High finishers, no time to shower

Posts:3180

09/05/2021 10:02 PM
Posted By christopher behrens on 09/05/2021 03:46 PM I quite enjoyed this year's Vuelta, and Sepp's bunnyhop ; ) If you bunnyhop the finishline and never touch it, doesn't that go down as DNF? And cursed CN commentary. Biggest finish of the Vuelta and not one word on that hop. And edit: Sepp Kuss is growing into one of my favorite riders. Fun to watch and clearly loves what he gets to do.

Posts:2881

09/06/2021 01:27 AM
High finishers, no time to shower