'Dale Posted August 20, 2012 Author Posted August 20, 2012 'Berto attacked about 6 times today.... Geeez!!!! Tomorrow is gonna be some serious gradient, especially at the end! http://www.lavuelta.com/12/imgrecorrido/4_perfil.png
Cav' Posted August 20, 2012 Posted August 20, 2012 The three Musketeers during the vuelta, Berto,froome,A rod should provide us with a good couple of stages. Can't wait
GrumpyOldGuy Posted August 20, 2012 Posted August 20, 2012 'Berto attacked about 6 times today.... Geeez!!!! Yeah, as usual 'Berto animated the race, that explosive power is really quite incredible, especially with so little racing in his legs. I know Matt Keenan said it a few times, but I have to agree, it would have been a very different race in July were 'Berto there. Never the less, I am a big Valverde fan and he played his cards just perfectly, but truth be told, judging by today, I cant see anyone chasing 'Berto down in the rare altitude of the really big mountains next week. Chro Mo 1
Squier Posted August 21, 2012 Posted August 21, 2012 Man! Now that is what I call bike racing! What a breath of fresh air after the tedium we witnessed in July. It's clear that Contador is bringing it. I would have thought that he would've been more subdued in his approach of the final climb, as it is only stage 3, but he went out firing! Granted, it was a cat 1 that was only about 5 km long, so not really the type of terrain where you would expect to see him head and shoulders above the rest, but that didn't stop him from racing and attacking like a mad man! All of this despite the 2 km downhill run in to the finish where he was always going to struggle if it came down to a sprint. It didn't come off for him, unfortunately, but I'm sure he'll be cofident that he'll have some legs when they hit the high mountains. Froome is looking good. I liked Keenan's analogy: "The diesel engine of Froome vs the turbo of Contador". He just brought himself back steadily every time Contador went on the attack. He did really well, but it's a risky game to play against Contador and I have a feeling it's going to bite him in the high mountains where staying on Contador's wheel is paramount. Things will get interesting when we get to the real steep stuff. I also think Froome will be in trouble in the latter part of the race given that he'll still have the Tour in his legs where he did a lot of work. Especially at this pace. They never had to chase down anything like this in the Tour. Valverde had a great day and it all worked out perfectly for him. He had to do a lot of work though to make it happen. However, I don't see him contend when we reach the high mountains. Rodriguez is looking good again, and he could potentially be the closest to Contador on the big climbs, but he'll probably fall out of the bus again in the TT (even though it's not a very long one). I'm just glad to see some real fireworks again on the climbs. This is shaping up to be an exciting three weeks!
'Dale Posted August 21, 2012 Author Posted August 21, 2012 I miss Hesjedal to also spice up the GC battle.
GrumpyOldGuy Posted August 21, 2012 Posted August 21, 2012 Man! Now that is what I call bike racing! What a breath of fresh air after the tedium we witnessed in July. It's clear that Contador is bringing it. Yeah, with you there. Say what you like about the man, he is never scared to go out and give it stick, makes for super viewing and as you say, that to me as well, is what pro bike racing is all about.
LOOK695 Posted August 21, 2012 Posted August 21, 2012 Yeah, with you there. Say what you like about the man, he is never scared to go out and give it stick, makes for super viewing and as you say, that to me as well, is what pro bike racing is all about. :clap: Makes for great viewing. TdF was realy boring, as mentioned no real attacks. Alberto is bringing some spice back and makes it much more interesting. Looking forward to the big mountain stages
Chro Mo Posted August 21, 2012 Posted August 21, 2012 :clap: Makes for great viewing. TdF was realy boring, as mentioned no real attacks. Alberto is bringing some spice back and makes it much more interesting. Looking forward to the big mountain stages+1000!The shorter stages also make for more animated racing.
GrumpyOldGuy Posted August 21, 2012 Posted August 21, 2012 On what channel is the vuelta showing? Its on SS6 from about 4pm.
'Dale Posted August 21, 2012 Author Posted August 21, 2012 +1000!The shorter stages also make for more animated racing. Yeah, that was the strategy of the course designer to bring more exciting racing, including about 6 summit finishes.
'Dale Posted August 21, 2012 Author Posted August 21, 2012 http://www.lavuelta.com/12/imgrecorrido/4_puerto_2.gif
'Dale Posted August 21, 2012 Author Posted August 21, 2012 From The Inner Ring The Finish: it’s 13km at 5.2%. The steepest part comes at the start with a 9% gradient and the first part is the hardest. We should see a selection here but anyone who makes the grade has a chance to hang on later on as the gradient eases. The pace might pick up but a weaker rider can try to cling on to the back, benefiting from the draft. Note how much it flattens out towards the top with the last kilometre being just 2% and easing to 1% on the line.
Chro Mo Posted August 21, 2012 Posted August 21, 2012 The short, violent hills just kill me! I prefer the long steady climbs. I, for one, would be dreading the high mountains in this race, where it is a combination of the two for most mountain stages. Tough!
Chro Mo Posted August 21, 2012 Posted August 21, 2012 I miss Hesjedal to also spice up the GC battle.Next year!The Canadian is going to rock!
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