La Vuelta a España 2023

[NickGM]

1 hour ago, 'Dale said:

“I want to be useful to the team. I want to end up finishing the Vuelta and make a difference. My heart and lungs are back to the my previous best level.
My musculature are still getting there. If you look in detail, you can see that my left leg is slightly smaller than my right leg. I will have to do more work on the bike, and in the gym too.”

~ Egan Bernal

Respect to this Colombian for his resilience

*** 

Top Ganna expressed that his GC leader allowed him the freedom to compete in a small bunch sprint after passing the 3 km mark. Clever tactics in a race where there is not many sprint trains. 

Primoz is still mending after a crash. The Killer Bees are masterful at pacing and strategising over 3 weeks. Remco needs the time advantage. Dunbar crashed out. I imagine that the GC podium is between UAE, Jumbo (two spots likely), Bora and Wolfpack. 

Bernal should count himself lucky to have only one weak leg. I have two.

For me the GC race primarily comes down to Vingeguard's fatigue. If he has the same legs he had at the Tour then I just can't see any outcome other than all the others losing minutes to him in the mountains. But the Tour was brutal and only a month ago, so that might level the playing field out a bit.

Note really on topic but....

I feel like Grand Tours are slowly becoming more climber focused. Take the 92 Tour: 3 individual time trials;  8km, 64km and 65km. Plus a 64km team time trial. I think there were only 2 REAL mountain stages. So Indurain could destroy rivals in the TT and then minimize losses in the mountains. These days the inverse strategy could be used. Crazy to think, but if he'd shown up on the scene now, Indurain might have "only" be a super domestique in the mould of Ganna. Or inversely Ganna might have been a GC rider in 92.

It seems like a gradual trend toward more mountainous terrain and less TT, but the people who curate the route end up having a large say in the rider's legacy.

['Dale]

Today. 

That'll warm me up!

[Jewbacca]

Jumbo attack!

Good results for the Bees today!

[NickGM]

On 8/29/2023 at 1:51 PM, NickGM said:

A nice interview with Sepp Kuss' two domestiques.

And you guys thought I was joking.

[Meezo]

20 minutes ago, NickGM said:

And you guys thought I was joking.

Can't think of anyone who deserves that more after his work in the Tour

[NickGM]

16 minutes ago, Meezo said:

Can't think of anyone who deserves that more after his work in the Tour

Yeah, such a likeable guy as well. While I think most people (myself included) are only half-serious about him going for it, if riders like Vingeguard and Roglic did actually ride for him as the GC guy, they would get all-time legend status in my eyes.

[Underachiever]

1 hour ago, NickGM said:

Yeah, such a likeable guy as well. While I think most people (myself included) are only half-serious about him going for it, if riders like Vingeguard and Roglic did actually ride for him as the GC guy, they would get all-time legend status in my eyes.

The dream season....

Giro  = Roglic

Tour  = Vingegard

Vuelta = Kuss

Each guy got the opportunity.

Somehow missing the WvA big win...

[Frosty]

Just finished watching the last 30km now for today’s stage. Kuss giving hi-5s just before the end, he’s clearly not worried about getting the red, just yet, but rather enjoying his 3rd GT stage win.

[babse]

Bees stung today. Proper performance and happy for kuss.

 

Respect to remco. The writing was on the wall when he was dropped. He sure did grit it out only loosing 30seconds. 

[edgarblount]

12 hours ago, Underachiever said:

Giro  = Roglic

Tour  = Vingegard

Vuelta = Kuss

Gravel World Champs = Van Aert

Forget about Classics and Grand Tours! Gravel is where it's at mos.

Wout will win it in a Bumble Bee Yellow checkered flannel shirt.

Edited September 1, 2023 by edgarblount

[TheoG]

14 hours ago, Meezo said:

Can't think of anyone who deserves that more after his work in the Tour

Agree, Sepp deserve that 200%.

[TheoG]

9 minutes ago, edgarblount said:

Forget about Classics and Grand Tours! Gravel is where it's at mos.

Wout will win it in a Bumble Bee Yellow checkered flannel shirt.

Giro  = Roglic

Tour  = Vingegard

Vuelta = Kuss

Gravel World Champs = Van Aert

This would be awesome !!

['Dale]

I want Sepp Kuss’s core strength 🙃

The red jersey was born in 2003. Just saying.

Lots of illness around the peloton. Tummy goggas too. Jonas suffered too.

Jay Vine, that Zwifter Aussie, had an eina crash and abandoned. Tough time for the UAE talent after returning from injury too.

 

Edited September 1, 2023 by 'Dale

[Ozzie NL]

16 hours ago, NickGM said:

Yeah, such a likeable guy as well. While I think most people (myself included) are only half-serious about him going for it, if riders like Vingeguard and Roglic did actually ride for him as the GC guy, they would get all-time legend status in my eyes.

Kuss is on record as saying he does not want to be team leader and deal with all the pressure.

There are a bunch of super domestiques who never made it in a team leader role: Porte / Landa / Poels

[NickGM]

3 hours ago, Ozzie NL said:

Kuss is on record as saying he does not want to be team leader and deal with all the pressure.

There are a bunch of super domestiques who never made it in a team leader role: Porte / Landa / Poels

Ya for sure, i think I'd heard as much (about him not being keen on the GC pressures). And it wouldn't make sense when Roglic and Vingeguard are both superior GC riders anyway. It would just be a really fun thing to see if they said "What the hell, we've won a number of tours this year, including the two biggest ones. Let's just have fun and see if we can get Sepp onto the podium".

[TheoG]

Maybe a stupid question for all you roadies, I only today noticed the majority of the riders (by far) got white shoes.

Is that a thing these days? and why?