Vuelta a Espana
Comments
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My man is in the breakaway! But there's a very big hill between him and the finish. Not to mention all the other riders.
And he got caught and passed before the finish by the main contenders.
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My man is in the breakaway! But there's a very big hill between him and the finish. Not to mention all the other riders.
And he got caught and passed before the finish by the main contenders.
And my man, Alejandro (I wish!), had a very bad day.
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Great win, and well deserved too, by Robert Gesink. Grand chase by Simon Yates too, who finished 4th, and took time out of the race leaders. He's now moved up to 4th overall, just behind his team-mate Estaban Chaves. Nario Quintana still leads Chris Froome
by the same amount as yesterday.He tried to get away a couple of times from Froome but couldn't manage it. Must be very frustating for him, having a shadow like that!!0 -
Yes indeed, an exciting stage, but not quite the shake up that I expected.
Here are the results after Saturday's stage:
1st Nairo Quintana (IanH)
2nd Chris Froome (Kennine) at +54 seconds
3rd Esteban Chaves (TtDA 2) +2:01
4th Simon Yates
6th Alberto Contador (TtDA) +3.28
7th Samuel Sanchez
10th Daniel Moreno (Nellie) +5:52
19th Alejandro Valverde (Pliers) +10:14 (disaster!)
108th Tejay Van Garderen (Goldie) +1:45:30
Rtd Miquel Angel Lopez (Runrig)
The CT prize is still up for grabs!
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Sunday's stage is only 118km and has two catagorised climbs and an uphill finish, but not as hard as yesterday.
Could someone have a go here? Will Simon Yates have enough left in the tank (or the inhaler?
)Will Quintana go again and will Froome be able to cover him again?
Questions, questions......
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Flippin' 'eck!
Did Froome fall asleep? Did the Sky computer crash? Did Froome's team mates all take a group bung?
But let's not diminish a superb stage from Nairo Quintana to pull out 2.5 minutes on Froome to give him nearly 3.5 minutes in hand......even more than what he said he needed for the time trial.
Well done too to Contador who has kept fighting all the way, despite his injuries in the first week.
Brilliant stage!
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I think that Froome fell asleep, at the start. He should have been on the shoulder of Quitana fron the off. Looks as if he's cooked, although he did manage to limit his losses without most of the Sky team. He'll have to look out for Chaves now, who seems
to be going from strenght to strength.0 -
Wow, that was just nuts.
What the heck were Sky and Oreca doing, it must have been obvious to the team managers in the cars just what Movistar and Tinkov were up to. So why didn't they pull the break back early on? Were they spent?
Nuts.
Like I said yesterday, what will happen next?
Fantastic stuff.
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Here are the results after Sunday's incredible stage:
1st Nairo Quintana (IanH)
2nd Chris Froome (Kennine) at +3:37 seconds
3rd Esteban Chaves (TtDA 2) +3:57
4th Alberto Contador (TtDA) +4:02
5th Simon Yates
6th Samuel Sanchez
11th Daniel Moreno (Nellie) +8:05
16th Alejandro Valverde (Pliers) +12:48
90th Tejay Van Garderen (Goldie) +2:41:25 (back in the top 100
)Rtd Miquel Angel Lopez (Runrig)
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Well, the days are starting to tick down now. Today there is a single climb (cat3) but it's a relatively steady gradient and an equally steady roll down the other side, so maybe a sprinters day?
Unlikely to have any effect on the GC standings, then Tuesday is a (much needed) rest day.
Wednesday sees another lumpy stage with (yet another) mountain top finish, Thursday is probably another sprinter's day (although not flat). Friday is the time trial and Saturday is another climbers day with (guess what?) a mountain top finish. With Froome
almost certain to close the deficit considerably in the time trial, it aint over yet as that last 'proper' stage on Saturday has a belter of a climb to the finish.0 -
Youwere right again Ian, a sprinter's finish and yet another surprise stage winner, Luxemburg's Jean-Pierre Drucker. No change in the overall standings. Wonder what Sky and Tinkoff have up their sleeves for Wednesday & Saturday's stages.
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Well it is Quintana's race to loose, but definately still a lot to play for. Even with over 3 min lead the rest of the week should have more action than the TdF.
For the record, I think the time cut-off should have been enforced. Over half the peleton sitting up and taking an inpromptu rest day, expecting to be allowed to stay in, is a damn site more disrespectful to those who pushed on, than any sprinters retirement
from the TdF.Sky (or Oreca) should not be allowed a second chance to attack Movistar and Tinkov, having taken an extra rest day.
Yes it maintains the spectacle, but hardly equitable in sporting terms.0 -
I tend to agree, Runrig.
Do you think they planned it as a 'rest day'? Risky tactics, leaving poor old Froome to get on with it by himself.
They might not have planned it before the start, but I bet they made a conscious decision to do just that, very early on in the stage.
Having got away with it, it sets a very dangerous precedent unless the uci or aso make a statement clarifying the enforcement of the rule.
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There was a spokesman from (I think) ASO, who now run the Vuelta, saying that they would need to "have a look at the rules" to prevent this happening again.
Not sure why, because the rules are very clear. It's the oprganisers application of the rules that seems to need looking into.
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Fine climbing by Mathais Frank to hold on and win the stage after getting away from the breakaway. Leopold Keonig of Sky made a basic error in letting himget too far ahead before the start of climb to the finish, and just didn't have enough gas to catch
him. The standings for GC remain the same as all the first 4 came in together, although at one point it did look as if Froome had been dropped by the other 3, but he managed to climb back to them just before the line.0 -
Froome did slip back, but he's like a diesel engine isn't he? Just keeps chugging away and gradually catches them back up.
Good work by all the leading GC riders, not to let anyone steal a march on them.
So that just leaves a sprint day today, then the TT then the last big climbing day.
I would say that it's still all to play for. This has been a brilliant bike race!
Poor old Tejay didn't finish the stage - he's not had a good race at all (nor have the rest of BMC to be honest),
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Here are the results after Wednesday's stage:
1st Nairo Quintana (IanH)
2nd Chris Froome (Kennine) at +3:37 seconds
3rd Esteban Chaves (TtDA 2) +3:57
4th Alberto Contador (TtDA) +4:02
5th Simon Yates
6th Samuel Sanchez
11th Daniel Moreno (Nellie) +9:03
16th Alejandro Valverde (Pliers) +13:48
Rtd Tejay Van Garderen (Goldie) just when he was doing so well!
Rtd Miquel Angel Lopez (Runrig)
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No change again at the top as the race ended in a sprint finish, with Magnus Cort Nielsen of Orica winning the stage. Tomorrow's TT should show a change in times but possibly little change in the order of the leaders..
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Following today's win by Chris Froome in the TT, leaving him 1min 21secs behind Quintana, tomorrows stage should be a cracker, with 3 teams trying to make up time on the leader and over each other. Quintana still favourite to win the race, though.
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What a chuffing race.
I wish I could watch it live tomorrow, but will have to avoid all news, web, etc and record the evening show.
Sky have to throw the kitchen sink at Movistar from the start. Let it wait for the final climb and Froome won't break Quintana.
It's going to be a long dull winter
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Jeepers.....it's really all to play for now!
Froome gained more time on Quintana than Quintana was hoping for, I reckon and that is going to make for an exciting 'final' day in the mountains today.
Poor old Sammy Sanchez took a heavy fall and dislocated his shoulder, has a large contusion which is preventing him from walking and suspected concussion.......and he still finished the stage! How many other sports would you see that in?! He's had to retire
from the race now though - such a shame at this late stage.Here are the results after Friday's stage:
1st Nairo Quintana (IanH)
2nd Chris Froome (Kennine) at +1:21
3rd Alberto Contador (TtDA) +3:43
4th Esteban Chaves (TtDA 2) +4:54
5th Andrew Talansky +7:12
6th Simon Yates +7:32
8th Daniel Moreno (Nellie) +10:07
12th Samuel Sanchex +12:25
15th Alejandro Valverde (Pliers) +14:22
Rtd Tejay Van Garderen (Goldie)
Rtd Miquel Angel Lopez (Runrig)
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I got to thinking......how do people feel about the huge impact that one stage - a time trial of only 37km - can have on the overall race?
Well the race, and also Le Tour, are supposed to give all types of cyclist, climbers, sprinters & time trialists a chance to win a stage. To make a time trial worth having it must be of a reasonable distance, over varied topography. Just at the moment CF
is both a great climber & a better TTist than NQ. I wonder, Ian, if you'd have asked the same question if it had been the other way round? As it has turned out NQ is as equally as good a climber than CF & his team were more alert than Sky on one particular
day, hence is victory in the race.0 -
I got to thinking......how do people feel about the huge impact that one stage - a time trial of only 37km - can have on the overall race?
I think the result stands for itself.
The race was hugely exciting right to the end. The prospect of the TT galvanised the attacks from those who needed to, and the TT itself just took it to another level at the end.
The route organisers should be applauded.
A great race, a worthy winner, a gracious loser, the young charger taking the last podium place from another gracious favourite. Then a few promising prospects for the future.
Brilliant
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