2018 Vuelta a España

[Shebeen]

Interesting that Ben King is finishing among the GC contenders with Louis finishing mid pack.

 

Cmooon Maincheeseking!

What? They're all same time in the bunch?

 

If anything the story of okes struggling today is booohani on his risk 8 minutes behind the autobus

[Shebeen]

State results show that just about the whole DD team came in with Louis...think they were doing there best to look after him on today's stage....mmmmmm maybe a bad sign!!!!!! Seriously hope I am wrong on this one

You talking about stage 5?

What are you smoking, must be good stuff

[Eldron]

What? They're all same time in the bunch?

 

If anything the story of okes struggling today is booohani on his risk 8 minutes behind the autobus

 

In the same bunch but King was amongst the GCers near the front and Louis was about 80th.

 

You don't sit in the 80th "accident zone" if you have serious GC ambitions.

 

For sure we have a representative sample of 1 but Louis should be up the front where are the other team leaders are....

['Dale]

Just got home

Caught with the action

 

What a fantastic race today

 

Happy happy happy for the team in pink

Much needed

 

Gotta love the exciting racing at Vooltah ????

[Cheese]

In the same bunch but King was amongst the GCers near the front and Louis was about 80th.

 

You don't sit in the 80th "accident zone" if you have serious GC ambitions.

 

For sure we have a representative sample of 1 but Louis should be up the front where are the other team leaders are....

Louis was 70 th but surrounded by Uran, Pinot, Kruiswijk, Bennet and Aru. So probably not that bad but agree he can sit a bit closer to the front.

Hopefully he proves us all wrong and moves up steadily in the next two weeks from his current 27thplace. If he finishes in top 15 from her he might be on the way back.

[nickgreyling]

Louis was 70 th but surrounded by Uran, Pinot, Kruiswijk, Bennet and Aru. So probably not that bad but agree he can sit a bit closer to the front.

Hopefully he proves us all wrong and moves up steadily in the next two weeks from his current 27thplace. If he finishes in top 15 from her he might be on the way back.

Top 15 would be awesome....even better would be to see Louis kick ass on a mountain top finish and take a stage win....just like BenK....man that would be just pure bliss......come on Louis!!!!!

[dsw]

Personally I find the Vuelta a bit underwhelming in the absence of the real superstars like Froome, Dumoulin,Thomas and Bardet and the fact that riders such as Porte, Nibali, Dan Martin and Sagan seem to be riding mainly for training purposes.

[T-Bob]

Nacer B' and the new Red jersey leader got docked some time after the stage yesterday. Molard for illegal feeding and Bouhanni for punching... a car this time. There can't be much that he hasn't punched in the past few years. 

[lechatnoir]

Nacer B' and the new Red jersey leader got docked some time after the stage yesterday. Molard for illegal feeding and Bouhanni for punching... a car this time. There can't be much that he hasn't punched in the past few years. 

 

Bouhanni is always in with a puncher's chance (i may have said this before  )

[Jewbacca]

Personally I find the Vuelta a bit underwhelming in the absence of the real superstars like Froome, Dumoulin,Thomas and Bardet and the fact that riders such as Porte, Nibali, Dan Martin and Sagan seem to be riding mainly for training purposes.

Is Thomas a superstar?

 

Nibali is there for stage wins, Porte is there to try and finish his first GT as a team leader, who is Dan Martin? Sagan uses the Tour as training too... taking the points jersey is just a bit of fun.

 

It's all about worlds and certain Classics for Sagz.... 

[Slowbee]

Personally I find the Vuelta a bit underwhelming in the absence of the real superstars like Froome, Dumoulin,Thomas and Bardet and the fact that riders such as Porte, Nibali, Dan Martin and Sagan seem to be riding mainly for training purposes.

But the riding is so much more fun and interesting to watch.

[Jewbacca]

But the riding is so much more fun and interesting to watch.

I agree

 

I like the Vuelta a lot. Breakaways win 'flat' stages, GC contenders get dropped on 3% climbs, some of the descending is insane and the stages are set up for entertainment and exciting racing.

 

I watch the grand tours for the racing and tbh the Giro and Vuelta are more exciting on average than the tour has been of late.

[Slowbee]

I be confudled (my glass half full with no biscuits).

 

Help a brother here:

 

Overall standings after stage 4

1

Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Team Sky

13:47:19

2

Emanuel Buchmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe

0:00:07

3

Simon Yates (GBr) Mitchelton-Scott

0:00:10

 

28

Rudy Molard (Fra) Groupama-FDJ

0:03:46

 

 

Overall standings after stage 5

1 Rudy Molard (Fra) Groupama-FDJ 18:27:20

2 Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Team Sky 0:01:01

3 Emanuel Buchmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:01:08

4 Simon Yates (GBr) Mitchelton-Scott 0:01:11

 

So after stage 4 Molard was 3 minutes behind. After stage 5 he has a 1 min lead. That means 5 mins on the leaders in one stage, over what Velonews calls a sprinters stage with only 1 category 2 climb.

 

Am i missing something? 5 minutes on a "relatively" flat stage? (I did not get to see the stage as I was at work)

 

EDIT apologies for dodgy c&p

[Jewbacca]

I be confudled (my glass half full with no biscuits).

 

Help a brother here:

 

Overall standings after stage 4

1

Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Team Sky

13:47:19

2

Emanuel Buchmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe

0:00:07

3

Simon Yates (GBr) Mitchelton-Scott

0:00:10

 

28

Rudy Molard (Fra) Groupama-FDJ

0:03:46

 

 

Overall standings after stage 5

1 Rudy Molard (Fra) Groupama-FDJ 18:27:20

2 Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Team Sky 0:01:01

3 Emanuel Buchmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:01:08

4 Simon Yates (GBr) Mitchelton-Scott 0:01:11

 

So after stage 4 Molard was 3 minutes behind. After stage 5 he has a 1 min lead. That means 5 mins on the leaders in one stage, over what Velonews calls a sprinters stage with only 1 category 2 climb.

 

Am i missing something? 5 minutes on a "relatively" flat stage? (I did not get to see the stage as I was at work)

 

EDIT apologies for dodgy c&p

It definitely wasn't flat.

 

I think they termed it as a medium mountain stage. 1 cat 3 and a cat 2 climb just before a 24km descent to the finish.

 

The nature of the stage was more like small climbs and descents/flats combining, making much longer climbs but not 'continuous'... Thye break went, splintered and then shattered.

 

With the long descent to the finish it was the perfect stage for a break to take a big chunk of time.

 

Today and tomorrow are both 'flat' stages with 2 x cat 3 climbs in each but far less undulation.

 

Could be a stage for Viviani, Trentin or Sagz

[Slowbee]

It definitely wasn't flat.

 

I think they termed it as a medium mountain stage. 1 cat 3 and a cat 2 climb just before a 24km descent to the finish.

 

The nature of the stage was more like small climbs and descents/flats combining, making much longer climbs but not 'continuous'... Thye break went, splintered and then shattered.

 

With the long descent to the finish it was the perfect stage for a break to take a big chunk of time.

 

Today and tomorrow are both 'flat' stages with 2 x cat 3 climbs in each but far less undulation.

 

Could be a stage for Viviani, Trentin or Sagz

Jewie, 5 minutes though ? That be plenty. And sky spinned it as a tactical move so they could take the lead next week.

 

Make no mistake I am loving all of this up and down stuff.

[dsw]

Is Thomas a superstar?

 

Nibali is there for stage wins, Porte is there to try and finish his first GT as a team leader, who is Dan Martin? Sagan uses the Tour as training too... taking the points jersey is just a bit of fun.

 

It's all about worlds and certain Classics for Sagz.... 

 

 

Re Thomas, if a single rider can win the Tdf, the Dauphine, Paris to Nice, Harelbeke and an Olympic gold he is a cycling superstar imo.

 

Dan Martin is the Irishman who, when he is serious about a race,  often lights it up with daring attacks like during the last TdF when he won the price for the overall most combative rider. 

 

But I am sure you know all this