Shebeen Posted July 29, 2015 Posted July 29, 2015 I'm not sure what the recovery rate is for a pro cyclist. But if Froome "died a thousand deaths" on Alpe d'Huez, then yes, doing well in the Vuelta may look just too suspicious. Are there any top riders who skipped the Tour in favor of the Vuelta?maybe Fabio Aru could be in that category as he went for Giro win
Pah Bear Posted July 29, 2015 Posted July 29, 2015 Whoohoo. Looks frightening. And most interested to check if the "fantastic four" are all going to enter. Sorry TJ, five. Would love to see if Nibbles can make a comeback and if Bertie can make a race of it this time. Is Spartacus and Tony M fit to ride. Not sure of the recovery time for ribs and collar bones.
Pah Bear Posted July 29, 2015 Posted July 29, 2015 maybe Fabio Aru could be in that category as he went for Giro winI find value in that selection. Fabio looked in spirited form the last time and sat out the TdF so probably a certainty for the Vuelta.
milky4130 Posted July 29, 2015 Posted July 29, 2015 Heheheee. See after the op your opinion still hasn't improved at all. Lol How are you doing? Recovering well I hope.heehee hey I was Froomey Fan for the tour, but come on you have to be realistic with expectations sometimes. Post op was hell first 2 weeks but the Tour kept me sane, now no longer need pain meds & have my first follow-up on Friday. Looks good thus far.
Gen Posted July 29, 2015 Posted July 29, 2015 Whoohoo. Looks frightening. And most interested to check if the "fantastic four" are all going to enter. Sorry TJ, five. Would love to see if Nibbles can make a comeback and if Bertie can make a race of it this time. Is Spartacus and Tony M fit to ride. Not sure of the recovery time for ribs and collar bones.BERTIE is not racing for the rest of the year. . He is kaput and wants to sleep.[emoji6] He was scheduled to ride san sebastian the weekend, but withdrew. Calling an end to this yrs racing calender. There is nothing easy about the vuelta... that thing is brutal.
jimmycool Posted July 29, 2015 Posted July 29, 2015 And watch nibbles will come and blow the field away while not even breaking a sweat or breathing through his mouth
HappyMartin Posted July 29, 2015 Posted July 29, 2015 Wonder if Daryl Impey will ride this since he missed most of the Tour with a broken collar bone.
ScottCM Posted July 29, 2015 Posted July 29, 2015 maybe Fabio Aru could be in that category as he went for Giro win Don't forget Landa and the rest of the superhuman squad dressed n baby blue
Shebeen Posted July 29, 2015 Posted July 29, 2015 Don't forget Landa and the rest of the superhuman squad dressed n baby blueYip, they will be fresh! only tanel kangert did both Giro d'Talia start list Astana Pro Team21 Fabio Aru (Ita)22 Dario Cataldo (Ita)23 Tanel Kangert (Est)24 Mikel Landa Meana (Spa)25 Davide Malacarne (Ita)26 Diego Rosa (Ita)27 Luis León Sánchez Gil (Spa)28 Paolo Tiralongo (Ita)29 Andrey Zeits (Kaz) Tour de france Start List Astana Pro Team1 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita)2 Lars Boom (Ned)3 Jakob Fuglsang (Den)4 Andriy Grivko (Ukr)5 Dmitriy Gruzdev (Kaz)6 Tanel Kangert (Est)7 Michele Scarponi (Ita)8 Rein Taaramäe (Est)9 Lieuwe Westra (Ned)
tombeej Posted July 29, 2015 Posted July 29, 2015 The thing about the Vuelta is that it always kicks up new contenders each year - sometimes they are 'big surprises'. Yes, the big names have won in the past, but the list of past winners - esp. since the mid 90's - reads like a roll call of honorary presidents of 'Dope City'.Tony RomingerLaurent JalabertAlex ZulleAbraham OlanoJan UlrichRoberto HerasDenis MenchovAlexandre Vinokourov Alejandro Valverde is also a past winner (2009) . Like I say, the Vuelta also kicks up 'big surprises'. No-names who have never won anything, but suddenly they appear as contenders at the Vuelta, and more often than not they are Spanish. For example, here are the winners of the 2001 and 2002 Vueltas (ever heard of them?):2001: Ángel Casero2002: Aitor González Unsurprisingly, both of these idiots were implicated in the 2006 'Operacion Puerto' doping affair, along with Valverde. I'm not sure if the Spanish laws have changed yet (please feel free to enlighten me), but AFAIK doping is still not actually a criminal offence in Spain. Incredible, I know. They did pass a new law in 2013 (read here) to try and improve their very tarnished reputation, but not sure if it's actually been enforced - the Spanish don't have the same attitudes towards doping as the rest of the world it seems. I've read memoirs of ex pro racers who've said that the Vuelta was a race to try and avoid if possible, because they had to race in 40 degree heat and generally at insanely high average speeds (because people could dope with impunity). There was a lot of cynicism about the local Spanish no-names who were duking it out in the big mountains and in the mix during the sprints - it was so obvious. Well that's the unsavory history of the race (and of Spanish racing in general). I hope we are far down the road from those bad old days. I will be watching the Vuelta with interest, looking forward to some more great grand tour racing (can't wait). But I will also have a very keen eye out for any johnny-come-lately who appears out of the blue as a contender. Especially if they're Spanish. Keen eyes should be able to pick them out quite quickly.
tombeej Posted July 29, 2015 Posted July 29, 2015 One suspicion I have of the performance of Astana at the Giro (impossibly dominant) vs. the TDF (just another team) is the very strict French laws and very strong enforcement of those laws. It just doesn't pay to try anything in France. Spain is a whole new story. It's the Wild West for doping and the most lax of all the big cycling nations. Many officials either couldn't give a damn, or worse are complicit in it. So my prediction: another massive stand-out performance by 'The Blue Train'.
Mntboy Posted July 29, 2015 Posted July 29, 2015 One suspicion I have of the performance of Astana at the Giro (impossibly dominant) vs. the TDF (just another team) is the very strict French laws and very strong enforcement of those laws. It just doesn't pay to try anything in France. Spain is a whole new story. It's the Wild West for doping and the most lax of all the big cycling nations. Many officials either couldn't give a damn, or worse are complicit in it. So my prediction: another massive stand-out performance by 'The Blue Train'.Especially if Aru and Landa is included in the team. Something a little off with the two of them.
Gen Posted July 29, 2015 Posted July 29, 2015 Especially if Aru and Landa is included in the team. Something a little off with the two of them.Landa is going to be a Sky rider next yr.
shawnvan Posted July 29, 2015 Posted July 29, 2015 Please please please can we get the Dan Kirby comentary, and not the Phil/Paul show... Only some much of "And now Richie Froome is in a precarious position..." I can take in one year.
Mntboy Posted July 29, 2015 Posted July 29, 2015 Landa is going to be a Sky rider next yr.Ai tog, that's just more amo for the Anti-Sky brigade. His performances were a bit suspicious at best at the Giro and now Sky want him after they wouldn't have Dave Millar as a part of their team? Makes one wonder what Brailsford is thinking. Definitely not good in my opinion.
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