2017 Vuelta a España

[Gen]

Find the gap between 14 and 15 of interest. Louis is (certain) of 14th bar any major meltdown but will find it impossible to get into the top 10 again. Looking forward to the Angliru. Could produce major time gaps although top 10 look solid.

Nieve isn't there for GC..he is there to work for Froome..he just so happens to be good at it to still place in the top 20.

 

So no , you can not compare Meintjes and Nieve, two completely different objectives at the Vuelta ..one has a job to do for a team leader and the other. .well I am not exactly sure what his objective is.

 

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[EvanB]

Can't wait for the final climb tomorrow, going to be brutal, maxes at 28%

[HappyMartin]

I am most likely biased about Maincheese but so what. Here is my take.

 

A bike race is a puzzle, a thing to be figured out. How to train and rest, what races to do and what to sit out. Grand tours are the most difficult puzzles to unlock. Louis is clearly hugely talented but he is still young. Hasn't figured out what works for him. Perhaps he never will but my hope is he does. It took Froome some time to work it out. He was a bit of a late bloomer but watch him go now. All these grand tours are in Main cheeses legs. He is getting harder and cleverer. Working out his routines, nutrition and tactics. When I his age my main concerns were how little sleep I could get by on and how much beer I could force down my neck. Give him a chance.

[Long Wheel Base]

Nieve isn't there for GC..he is there to work for Froome..he just so happens to be good at it to still place in the top 20.

 

So no , you can not compare Meintjes and Nieve, two completely different objectives at the Vuelta ..one has a job to do for a team leader and the other. .well I am not exactly sure what his objective is.

 

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To race against the other 8 riders in the same kit as him whilst sitting at the back of the red jersey group.

[Gen]

To race against the other 8 riders in the same kit as him whilst sitting at the back of the red jersey group.

[emoji23] [emoji23]

 

 

 

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[DJuice]

How will a top 20 look if you take the contenders that did Tour de France and Vuelta?

 

I still support Louis, he is doing good, but I just can`t get use to his race tactics sitting at the back.

On Sundays stage he was from early on the back, jumped over and bridge a lot of gaps as the riders falls back.

Yes he probably saved energy and could keep up, but I will really like him to attack and go out succeeding(Maika) or burning(Yates).

[Oxter]

Alberto Contador (Trek-Segafredo): “I'm happy. I would have been very happy if I'd won the stage, but I'm happy. Furthermore, I didn't have time checks. I didn't know what the gaps were with my rivals, I was bit in the unknown. It was a good time-trial, and I'm even more motivated because the legs didn't hurt when I woke up. That means we made the most of the rest day and now let's see what we can do in this this last week. I knew it would be almost impossible for me to win such a flat time-trial. A climb would have favoured me but winning was impossible. It's getting more complicated to finish on the podium because my rivals, (Ilnur) Zakarin and (Wilco) Kelderman did a better time-trial than me. I have five more days as a professional rider and I have more to gain than to lose.”

 

Looking forward to some fireworks from Bertie

[Thor Buttox]

Louis has not attacked once in any of the Tours. And his time trial is average. If he really was on a plan to become a Grand Tour contender he would be smashing it in the way Lopez is whenever he can, finding his limits at the sharp end. If his limits are what he is showing now, then I hope I am wrong, but he is that 1 or 2% shy of being great. While he has had what I would still consider astonishing results at the Tour, you have to remember all the domestiques who could probably also be ahead of him if they raced for their own place.

 

The one thing converse to that is he probably could do better in a decent team with more support. It must be unbelievably dispiriting to have noone there beside you while Sky has 7 guys.

[Plentipotential]

TDF 2017 Results.

 

1. C Froome

2. R Uran

3.R Bardet

4. M Landa

5. F Aru

6. D Martin

7. S Yates

8. L Meintjes

9. A Contador

10. W Barguil

11. D Caruso

12. N Quintana

13. A Vuillermoz

14. M Nieve

15. M Buchmann

 

Vuelta 2017 so far.

1    FROOME, Christopher (SKY) 62:53:25
2    NIBALI, Vincenzo (BAHRAIN - MERIDA) + 1:58
3    KELDERMAN, Wilco (SUNWEB) + 2:40
4    ZAKARIN, Ilnur (KATUSHA ALPECIN) + 3:07
5    CONTADOR VELASCO, Alberto (TREK - SEGAFREDO) + 4:58
6    LOPEZ MORENO, Miguel Angel (ASTANA) + 5:25
7    ARU, Fabio (ASTANA) + 6:27
8    POELS, Wout (SKY) + 6:33
9    CHAVES RUBIO, Jhoan Esteban (ORICA - SCOTT) + 6:40
10  WOODS, Michael (CANNONDALE DRAPAC) + 7:06
11  VAN GARDEREN, Tejay (BMC RACING) + 10:11
12  DE LA CRUZ MELGAREJO, David (QUICK - STEP FLOORS) + 10:14
13  KRUIJSWIJK, Steven (LOTTO NL - JUMBO) + 10:17
14  MEINTJES, Louis (UAE TEAM EMIRATES) + 12:44
15  NIEVE ITURRALDE, Mikel (SKY) + 23:20

 

       

Only 3 riders who rode the TDF in front of LM. And he is the youngest. Not bad. Can't TT so a Grand Tour win is highly unlikely unless he can improve that discipline.

[Gen]

Louis has not attacked once in any of the Tours. And his time trial is average. If he really was on a plan to become a Grand Tour contender he would be smashing it in the way Lopez is whenever he can, finding his limits at the sharp end. If his limits are what he is showing now, then I hope I am wrong, but he is that 1 or 2% shy of being great. While he has had what I would still consider astonishing results at the Tour, you have to remember all the domestiques who could probably also be ahead of him if they raced for their own place.

 

The one thing converse to that is he probably could do better in a decent team with more support. It must be unbelievably dispiriting to have noone there beside you while Sky has 7 guys.

I recall him being in a break away while still at MTN during i think the TDF..he was in the break with Purito. .. think he still crashed on a descent.. Purito went on to win the stage... that is the last time I recall seeing him do anything but hang on.. like I said that's the last one I recall. .I may be very wrong and if so ..sorry.

 

I know he is a saffa ..but there is nothing about his racing that excites me.. I am not saying he isn't good...he is a very good climber....he is able to stay with the best in the world...that's no easy feat..but he is a bit meh to watch.. perhaps at DDD he will get the support to ride more aggressive .. we will have to wait and see...

 

 

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[Pure Savage]

TDF 2017 Results.

 

1. C Froome

2. R Uran

3.R Bardet

4. M Landa

5. F Aru

6. D Martin

7. S Yates

8. L Meintjes

9. A Contador

10. W Barguil

11. D Caruso

12. N Quintana

13. A Vuillermoz

14. M Nieve

15. M Buchmann

 

Vuelta 2017 so far.

1    FROOME, Christopher (SKY) 62:53:25

2    NIBALI, Vincenzo (BAHRAIN - MERIDA) + 1:58

3    KELDERMAN, Wilco (SUNWEB) + 2:40

4    ZAKARIN, Ilnur (KATUSHA ALPECIN) + 3:07

5    CONTADOR VELASCO, Alberto (TREK - SEGAFREDO) + 4:58

6    LOPEZ MORENO, Miguel Angel (ASTANA) + 5:25

7    ARU, Fabio (ASTANA) + 6:27

8    POELS, Wout (SKY) + 6:33

9    CHAVES RUBIO, Jhoan Esteban (ORICA - SCOTT) + 6:40

10  WOODS, Michael (CANNONDALE DRAPAC) + 7:06

11  VAN GARDEREN, Tejay (BMC RACING) + 10:11

12  DE LA CRUZ MELGAREJO, David (QUICK - STEP FLOORS) + 10:14

13  KRUIJSWIJK, Steven (LOTTO NL - JUMBO) + 10:17

14  MEINTJES, Louis (UAE TEAM EMIRATES) + 12:44

15  NIEVE ITURRALDE, Mikel (SKY) + 23:20

 

       

Only 3 riders who rode the TDF in front of LM. And he is the youngest. Not bad. Can't TT so a Grand Tour win is highly unlikely unless he can improve that discipline.

 

I reckon now that he has a proper team around him, some security ITO contract, he can spend more time getting better at the TT. 

 

In fact, will invite him to sit on the front of our paceline for 202km in November to hone his TT skills

[JanJan]

Maybe Louis knows exactly what he is doing.

 

Maybe he knows that he doesn't have the power numbers to contest in breakaways or efforts at the front. He knows that he unfortunately for the rest of his career will face Quintana, Yates bro's, Dumoulin and Chaves.

 

I personally feel that he is doing the best in his situation. Instead of going for glory and possibly getting a stage win (which results in tired legs the following day), he has achieved 3 top ten finishes in the past 3 years. All this through 'boring riding'.

[Gen]

I reckon now that he has a proper team around him, some security ITO contract, he can spend more time getting better at the TT.

 

In fact, will invite him to sit on the front of our paceline for 202km in November to hone his TT skills

Ja the move he made to merida was stupid and to go over to UAE was even more of a brain fart as it is basically the same team etc as at Merida..and we can thank his agent (sure it's Robbie Hunter) for it.. I get that they probably offered him more money and made a lot of promises.

 

 

 

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[dsw]

Maybe Louis knows exactly what he is doing.

 

Maybe he knows that he doesn't have the power numbers to contest in breakaways or efforts at the front. He knows that he unfortunately for the rest of his career will face Quintana, Yates bro's, Dumoulin and Chaves.

 

I personally feel that he is doing the best in his situation. Instead of going for glory and possibly getting a stage win (which results in tired legs the following day), he has achieved 3 top ten finishes in the past 3 years. All this through 'boring riding'.

 

I think you have it spot on.

 

" A man's got to know his limitations" - Clint Eastwood aka "Dirty Harry".  

 

[ScottCM]

With today's finish, it would be great to see Romain Bardet and Louis in the break. Think those two could hold off the peloton and slug it out on Los Machucos

 

 

 

[Shebeen]

TDF 2017 Results.

 

1. C Froome

2. R Uran

3.R Bardet

4. M Landa

5. F Aru

6. D Martin

7. S Yates

8. L Meintjes

9. A Contador

10. W Barguil

11. D Caruso

12. N Quintana

13. A Vuillermoz

14. M Nieve

15. M Buchmann

 

Vuelta 2017 so far.

1    FROOME, Christopher (SKY) 62:53:25

2    NIBALI, Vincenzo (BAHRAIN - MERIDA) + 1:58

3    KELDERMAN, Wilco (SUNWEB) + 2:40

4    ZAKARIN, Ilnur (KATUSHA ALPECIN) + 3:07

5    CONTADOR VELASCO, Alberto (TREK - SEGAFREDO) + 4:58

6    LOPEZ MORENO, Miguel Angel (ASTANA) + 5:25

7    ARU, Fabio (ASTANA) + 6:27

8    POELS, Wout (SKY) + 6:33

9    CHAVES RUBIO, Jhoan Esteban (ORICA - SCOTT) + 6:40

10  WOODS, Michael (CANNONDALE DRAPAC) + 7:06

11  VAN GARDEREN, Tejay (BMC RACING) + 10:11

12  DE LA CRUZ MELGAREJO, David (QUICK - STEP FLOORS) + 10:14

13  KRUIJSWIJK, Steven (LOTTO NL - JUMBO) + 10:17

14  MEINTJES, Louis (UAE TEAM EMIRATES) + 12:44

15  NIEVE ITURRALDE, Mikel (SKY) + 23:20

 

       

Only 3 riders who rode the TDF in front of LM. And he is the youngest. Not bad. Can't TT so a Grand Tour win is highly unlikely unless he can improve that discipline.

Chaves also did the TdF, but he did take it rather easy