Vuelta a España: Tony Martin Wins Salamanca Time Trial
by Jen See on Aug 29, 2011 12:04 PM EDT
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Tony Martin of HTC-Highroad won today's stage of the Vuelta a España, a 47 kilometer time trial in Salamanca. Martin beat out two Team Sky riders to take the stage victory. Chris Froome finished second at :59, Bradley Wiggins third at 1:22. Wiggins went out fast, but seemed to slow in the second part of the race, perhaps due to a growing headwind. Swiss time trial specialist Fabian Cancellara finished fourth at 1:27 behind the flying Martin.
Thanks to his strong ride in the time trial, Team Sky's Chris Froome took over the race lead. The general classifiation battle remains tight as Jakob Fuglsang of Leopard-Trek sits second at 12 seconds, while Bradley Wiggins is second at 20 seconds. Last year's winner Vincenzo Nibali of Liquigas-Cannonadle is fourth at 31 seconds. The standings set up an intriguing plotline at Team Sky, where Wiggins entered the race as the team's general classification leader, but not trails his young team-mate Froome.
Tomorrow, the Vuelta takes a rest day. Then, it's back into the mountains. Wednesday's stage runs 167 kilometers from Verìn to the Estaciòn de Montaña Manzaneda. Yes, kids, that bit about the Estaciòn de Montaña means uphill finish. It should be another day for the general classification to reshuffle.
Here is the current general classification:
Vuelta a España complete results and general classification standings.
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Venga Froome
So pleased to see him doing well
by thebongolian on Aug 29, 2011 12:30 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
I missed most of the TT due to me son's soccer game
Wow what a result for Froome! I believe he was on Barloworld when he got the call up to the big leagues. I seem to remember him being a good rider but I guess I never saw him on smoking for like this. Makes this Vuelta interesting for Sky. They can send one up the road and make Nibs do all the work. Nice.
Focus on easy first. If that's all you get, that ain't half bad - Caballo Blanco
Yeah he was on Barloworld
Rode the 2009 tour and I think last year’s Vuelta. Not done much at Sky til now but not sure he’s been given the opportunity to either.
by thebongolian on Aug 29, 2011 12:39 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I agree I don't think he's ever been in this position before and he got his form dialed
Now he just needs to prepare this was again next season and maybe try for some week long races. Clearly he can TT his ass off when on form and climb with the best. Chapeau Chris!
Focus on easy first. If that's all you get, that ain't half bad - Caballo Blanco
So looking forward to the Worlds ITT, if Tony wins it I think the torch will have been passed
meanwhile this Vuelta is going to be awesome in the final 4 uphill finishes. Steep climbs for pure climbers while the TTists try to hold on, Nibs is in the drivers seat.
T Mart looks on track for the worlds
I wouldn’t write Cance off though or quite call the passing of the torch just yet. Still, awesome result for Him.
Focus on easy first. If that's all you get, that ain't half bad - Caballo Blanco
Is the Cancellera TT fade
The result of his really, really wanting to win the Road Worlds? Is he just kinda ’meh about TTing now?
Maybe just tired?
He has still won several TTs this year. motivation for the TT might be going though.
Focus on easy first. If that's all you get, that ain't half bad - Caballo Blanco
i think he's on shit form, and has been for quite a while
Not sure if he’s just missing something, or his training is lax, but even in the TdF, he was popped way earlier than usual.
I picked Riccardo Ricco for my 2011 VDS team, and submitted said team well before the submission deadline. I fully understand the error of my ways, and plead with the VDS Gods to allow me to resubmit my team.
by PopUp Rolen on Aug 29, 2011 12:57 PM EDT up reply actions
I really wonder if motivation is a major issue for him
With all of his talent, I would love to see him focus all year on individual results instead of spending Grand Tours working for someone else.
I picked Riccardo Ricco for my 2011 VDS team, and submitted said team well before the submission deadline. I fully understand the error of my ways, and plead with the VDS Gods to allow me to resubmit my team.
I doubt he has a choice
Focus on easy first. If that's all you get, that ain't half bad - Caballo Blanco
I wonder
If it might be that he was running out on motivation or rather was eager to move on to new challenges (LBL Lombardia etc.) but then he was talked into going for the “easy” wins on the cobbles since it was LT’s first year and they wanted to start off with a successful season?
He seemed less harmonious than before in April. Lots of frustration at times. Then when that part wasn’t super successful he then had to buckle for the rest of the season that wasn’t “his”.
It's odd because earlier
He said he moved to LT because he was in prime and wanted to make a laser focus on winning.
Now, he seems to be chilling.
"Oh man, it’s going to take days to kill all these people!"
makes sense to me
I picked Riccardo Ricco for my 2011 VDS team, and submitted said team well before the submission deadline. I fully understand the error of my ways, and plead with the VDS Gods to allow me to resubmit my team.
He really does seem to be just going through the motions.
Of what benefit could it be to just plod along at TdF and VdE?
I don't think it's reasonable to expect him to win
every ITT, every year. A bad year happens even to the best, and a bad Cance year is still a pretty good year for pretty much everyone else.
I am ready to hug the world - Tony Martin.
It's not reasonable to expect him to win every ITT??
My gawd, then why did I pick him on my VDS team??? Oh yea, that’s right. I mostly made use of Google image search when choosing my team. Never mind, carry on.
"...my reverse cyclelogy has paid off." -ant1
I am so proud of myself that I picked Phil
over those thighs
I am ready to hug the world - Tony Martin.
blind assumption with no basis in stats, but...
It seems that with a cleaner peloton (hopefully), bigger time gaps are to be had in TTs than in mountains. Seems nowadays, a bad day in the mountains means you lose 2-3 minutes, where a bad TT costs you 6-8 minutes.
I picked Riccardo Ricco for my 2011 VDS team, and submitted said team well before the submission deadline. I fully understand the error of my ways, and plead with the VDS Gods to allow me to resubmit my team.
Makes sense, TTs are often longer than the final selective climb during a stage
Focus on easy first. If that's all you get, that ain't half bad - Caballo Blanco
Plus there are no team helpers to pace their team leader and shelter them from the wind
Focus on easy first. If that's all you get, that ain't half bad - Caballo Blanco
Who lost 6-8 minutes?
Rodriquez only lost 5’24".
The rest of the leaders only lost 2-3 minutes to Tony Martin (less to the other contenders)
(OK, so Dan Martin lost 6’05" to Tony Martin. But less to the other contenders)
"Oh man, it’s going to take days to kill all these people!"
I think he was speaking generally
He does have a point though.
Focus on easy first. If that's all you get, that ain't half bad - Caballo Blanco
Don't forget the heat
Can mess up recovery and lower power.
by R Mc on Aug 29, 2011 1:14 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Yep the heat can kill your recovery
Couple that with the hard ass climb yesterday, and those with the best recovery will show better in subsequent stages.
Focus on easy first. If that's all you get, that ain't half bad - Caballo Blanco
Seems like there were at least as many complaints about anatomy
and horizontal saddle positioning regulated to the nth degree. (or the 0th, more precisely).
"BECAUSE THERE’S NO F*CKING SPRINTS." -Cavendish (asterisk added)
generally speaking, and i did say it was just a thought and i had no stats to prove it
I picked Riccardo Ricco for my 2011 VDS team, and submitted said team well before the submission deadline. I fully understand the error of my ways, and plead with the VDS Gods to allow me to resubmit my team.
well, admitting with you that I have no data
one question: does no needles apply to Vuelta?
Cuz the next couple of GTs could get sorta ugly as teams and riders adapt.
Adapt as in finding other ways to administer dopIng products?
that is certainly something I hadn’t thought of. I don’t know about the no needles policy though.
Focus on easy first. If that's all you get, that ain't half bad - Caballo Blanco
Let's hope they adapt to the clean method of riding GTs
could very well make for some surprise winners
Focus on easy first. If that's all you get, that ain't half bad - Caballo Blanco
I just disagree with the premise
If you divide grand tour contenders into “better at time trials” and a “better at climbing” buckets, I think the “better at time trials” bucket were the group most helped by doping.
Basically, I think you can dope your way to better climbing more than you can dope your way to better time trialing.
And I don’t have any data either.
"Oh man, it’s going to take days to kill all these people!"
this was a whopper of a TT, though.
"BECAUSE THERE’S NO F*CKING SPRINTS." -Cavendish (asterisk added)
Okay....
So Who exactly is Chris Froome? I mean I had heard of him, but beating Cancellara, Wiggins and a host of TT luminaries over a 45k pan flat, baking hot TT, after doing an extraordinary effort up an HC climb to set Wiggins up to victory?
Really?
Ooookay….I’m just saying- This guy is on some exceptional form, or….
Well, let’s just move on….
The cats on BritTV are just champing at the bit to crown Wiggo, and while I understand their enthusiasm, Wiggins still has to demonstrate that he has that sort of power and the sort of recovery to be at his best over multiple high mountains in the sort of up-and-down meat grinder of a stage that will happen in stages 13-15…
In a 3-week race, this is a must…
Also, there is the delicate matter of what does he do with Froome- Clearly Froome recovered a bit better last evening, and I am not confident that he will be able to sort himself out in 13-15- especially AFTER stage 11 which is no damn joke.
Also tactically, other teams have less motivation to pull/chase given that SKY are in such a strong position, and the jury is out that either of them will remain this strong for the rest of the race…Obviously either Froome or Wiggins will have to sacrifice their chances for the other before the road points seriously up…Obviously it SHOULD be Froome, but he could pull a Cunego and flip the script…
Listen, Purito has to re-evaluate either his goals, or his training- As a tiny, power climber, he cannot continue to be a contender of a podium of a GT if he KNOWS that he will lose 4-6 mins per long TT. Clearly, on stupid steep slopes, he is the best, but man, he has got to re-think his a bit…
I tend to like NIbali here- Proven pedigree, although I think that his team is a bit gassed and he is a bit more isolated than normal. I just am not convinced that Froome and Wiggo can keep this up, especially in those middle circles of Hell in stages 13-15….
Of course, I am often wrong on these things- This is why I love cycling!
Cheers!
DN
re: Rodriguez
Imagining him as a GT contender is even more an exercise in fantasy than imagining Leipheimer as a GT winner.
Rodriguez has off-the-charts 1-3 minute power.
But . . . he has never been able to pull off more than 2 good days on long climbs AND his time trial is abysmal, which tells you that either he doesn’t really bother to train his 20 minute to 1 hour power, or that the numbers are just fairly low.
Who still beat VDB2 on nearly every climb in the Tour 2010.
As long as the gradient is above 6%, Rodriguez is game.
by blackswangreen on Aug 29, 2011 6:19 PM EDT up reply actions
With a time trial slower which makes the Shlecks look like T-Mart and Cance
I am ready to hug the world - Tony Martin.
Of course, but the term "better climbing Gilbert" doesn't do him justice.
And he limited his losses fairly well yesterday, actually. He could still ride himself on the podium on Angliru.
by blackswangreen on Aug 30, 2011 3:38 AM EDT up reply actions
Who's Chris Froome?
My guess is this year’s Peter Velits.
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
Velits has a history of results
From U23 on up.
I think Velits went from a crappy team to a good team and improved accordingly. This year, he focused on the Tour where he had to do leadout duty as well and sucked.
Although I will say, Velits appears to be a bit Andy Schleck like in his ability to hold form.
"Oh man, it’s going to take days to kill all these people!"
No, but there are similarities the more I look at Froome
Decent TT results. Same age, going from a crappy team to a good team.
"Oh man, it’s going to take days to kill all these people!"
Yeah, but come on....
Velits is not even in the same postal code as Cancellara in a long TT, or premier climbers on an HC climb on successive days….
Similar, but definitely NOT the same thing I reckon…
I mean, chapeau to Froome, But jeez man….DOMINATING performances on successive days…Assuming that dude is just that talented, he cannot keep this up, can he?
But this isn't vintage Cance we're talking about
It is vintage T-Mart, and Froome was a minute down on him.
I am ready to hug the world - Tony Martin.
Fair play...
But still I think that his form must be at an all-time peak and I would be very surprised if it can be sustained
Oh yeah, this is as good as he's gotten
we’ll see how far he can take it. Confidence and adrenaline are powerful allies.
I am ready to hug the world - Tony Martin.
You're talking about the Velits that won the 46k Vuelta TT last year
Ahead of Menchov, Cancellara and Larsson, and then finished third overall.
Badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger...
by TheFigurehead on Aug 29, 2011 2:56 PM EDT up reply actions
Roger that...Talent is talent
Its just the seamless transition from an HC finishing climb to a straight power-player Flat TT thing on successive days in blazing heat that got my attention…
Not sure who (outside of the usual suspects) can do that….
(Well, apparently a certain C. Froome :-)
I think the comparison with v
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
oops
… with Velits last year’s a pretty good one. (Apart from anything else, I remember some of the stuff that was said when he won that TT.) I’m not sure I think Froome’ll finish third, mind.
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
If he grew up in baking heat
(which I don’t know, not all of SA is baking hot) that could be a significant help.
"BECAUSE THERE’S NO F*CKING SPRINTS." -Cavendish (asterisk added)
he grew up in kenya
and only switched to gb nationality a few years ago
by thebongolian on Aug 30, 2011 4:01 PM EDT up reply actions
I think he split his youth between Kenya and south africa
Focus on easy first. If that's all you get, that ain't half bad - Caballo Blanco
he moved to SA as teenager according to the wiki
no idea how long you have to live in a hot place to get the benefit on a lasting basis
by thebongolian on Aug 30, 2011 5:47 PM EDT up reply actions
I think the lasting effect is only psychological, to do with familiarity
Acclimatising may be easier for some than others but I can’t imagine a training effect on the physical process.
"Beer helps." -- Ant1.
He was expected to do ok in the 2006 U23 TT
but then this famously happened.
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
They were both on Konica-Minolta
But not at the same time, the Velitses 2005 and 2006, Froome in 2007.
Badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger...
by TheFigurehead on Aug 29, 2011 2:52 PM EDT up reply actions
article from the team website
gives a bit of background on Mr Froome
and his data from training peaks is being published (regularly apparently)
Am not a fan of opening paragraphs such as that when a good performance (that is a personal surprise to a commenter) immediately invokes a raised eyebrow, when a little digging around the net can provide some answers that allay the concern
Training data is not Race data
And we are talking about a man who had a surpassing performance (by any measure) on an HC finishing climb and a damn tough long TT on successive days after 10 days of a bakingly hot Grand Tour that has attracted some of the best riders on the planet….
He may have the numbers in training, but I’m sorry, this is exceptional, and if your eyebrow is NOT raised, then, well…I am only saying what a lot of cycling fans are thinking…
But as I said, Let’s move on, enjoy it and just see how long it lasts, yes?
A lot of cycling fans are idiots
Badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger...
by TheFigurehead on Aug 29, 2011 3:03 PM EDT up reply actions
the link was for his data from stage 4
up the sierra nevada. The original plan was probably to show a lot more of his data, as they did for Flecha during the Tour. Would guess his exalted position in GC may prevent that being published as timely as once envisaged, as for the next few days at least he is no longer solely a domestique
Ah! But isn’t we were implying same thing about Wiggo, just a few years ago, during his breakthrough performance at the Tour?
"I love bike races warm up, warm down, cobbles mountains or flats."
perezbike
.
training peaks is an analysis program
and the analysis is of race files (and they have done this for many riders—CAS during the tour for example . . .)
There may be big names and we are excited
but the fact of the matter is that we are watching a late season race where a good percentage of the riders are running out of steam for the season, some are trying to scramble into some form after striking out at the TdF, some are training for Worlds and some are just plain here because their team needs to fill out their roster with anyone left standing.
In that setting it is not particularly remarkable for a talented rider who has raced light for whatever reason during the season and then has worked up to a peak here to end up higher in the rankings than he has before. I’d be more surprised if we didn’t get some Froome/Velits performances every year.
And anyway, performance is the crappiest base for doping-suspicions ever.
fwiw. There's nothing particularly awe-inspiring about that Sierra Nevada data.
If anything, it points to a race in which lots of riders are just trying to hang on to form of a few weeks ago.
Thank you...
most sensible voice.
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
regardless of the training/race duality
performance data does not prove cleanliness or doping. it’s just data.
see Jens below.
"Ants don’t worry, they operate like a fantastic team, they accept obstacles and deal with them in a positive manner, they don’t complain and remain positive. An ant doesn’t work on emotion, is proactive and always chooses the ant role."
below = above
"Ants don’t worry, they operate like a fantastic team, they accept obstacles and deal with them in a positive manner, they don’t complain and remain positive. An ant doesn’t work on emotion, is proactive and always chooses the ant role."
Re: your first para
Met him socially in a non-cycling context before he joined Sky and he was vociferously anti-doping. Take from that what you will.
He’s always hoped to be a GC rider as he can climb and TT, but more in week long races. Suspect he may better able to cope with the heat than others having raced a lot in SA.
by thebongolian on Aug 29, 2011 3:02 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
excellent point about the heat
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
Greg Henderson suggested Wiggins was dehydrated
that’s why he didn’t last:
My gut feel for Wiggo. Dehydrated. Haven’t seen him dripping sweat on the start line like that. Dropping power isn’t normal for Wiggo.
"Beer helps." -- Ant1.
I think that dude was a bit baked after that massive effort yesterday...
But like Alberto said, these GTs are won in the hotel and the dining table, and I am not sure that Wiggo has mastered that element of GT racing quite yet…
I think that he will get there, but not sure that this is the year….
So, having your domestique in the red jersey
… not an ideal situation for Sky, is it? Think they’ll let it go? Will they work for Froome? Will they try to defend both Froome and Wiggo’s positions. Tadadada.
I am ready to hug the world - Tony Martin.
Makes sense to keep them both in play.
Try to defend, but all of a sudden turn Wiggins into the domestique.
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
Several people on the spot seem quite taken by Froome, like
Spanish journo Laura M:
Super interesting press conference of @chrisfroome after taken the red jersey about dreams come true. Congratulations for that!
"Beer helps." -- Ant1.
Not sure why ...
people seem to think Nibali has big edge in Wiggins on the upcoming climbs? They seem pretty similar in style, neither one is explosive but both can grind it out. And while Niblali may have won a Vuelta, Wiggo had a pretty good Tour two years ago. Froome is going to work for Wiggins, you can bet on that, Sky is not the kind of team to change up on their tactics so easily. The best pure climber within two minutes is probably Mollema, but I don’t see him taking enough stage wins to pick up that much time. Rodriguez will win stage 17, and I would not be surprised to see Nieve take Angliru. J-Rod is likely to be the catalyst for the remainder of the race, attacking early and often.
Why?
Because we’ve seen NIbali kick ass on the super steep climbs (Bola del Mundo!), we’ve never seen Wiggo conquer a 20% like mountain.
I am ready to hug the world - Tony Martin.
Perhaps not
But that is not the profile of most of the upcoming stages. There is one short steep climb there some like J-Rod might take 5 or 10 seconds, and there is the Angliru. The others are more like yesterday’s climb, the one that Wiggins powered through while Nibali cracked late. I think this is going to be very close.
The others are more like yesterday’s climb, the one that Wiggins powered through while Nibali cracked late.
You mean the one where Nibali attacked, wasted energy and then finished 7 seconds behind Wiggins?
I am ready to hug the world - Tony Martin.
recovery will be key, as will weather
Heading North, temps should drop, rain is possible, and different riders might excel.
That said, if I’m a rider or ds not on Sky I’m worried.
Rodriguez: can’t win cuz he can’t climb more than 6k.
Scarponi: ALWAYS goes too hard too soon, and can’t time trial.
NIbali: should have been putting time into people today.
Beyond those guys, this is a really open race and it might turn out to be an eye-opener.
Nibali has to attack ...
and he still has to prove that he can leave Wiggins, who, btw, is several pounds lighter than ever before. If his attacks lose him time, how does he win?
Nibali is a much better climber than Wiggins
And 4th in a fairly easy Tour is not nearly the accomplishment of podiuming in 3 of the last 3 grand tours you rode (one of which you won and another you rode in service of a teammate)
"Oh man, it’s going to take days to kill all these people!"
Comparing who Wiggins finished behind is not really a direct comparison to who Nibali finished ahead of
"Oh man, it’s going to take days to kill all these people!"
You do know that Nibali also participated in that Tour?
by blackswangreen on Aug 30, 2011 3:36 AM EDT up reply actions
Here's Matthew Busche's blog of the last few days
http://matthewbusche.blogspot.com/2011/08/10-done-11-to-go.html
"Oh man, it’s going to take days to kill all these people!"
Nibs might well beat Wiggins and Froome but to my eyes
He doesn’t look like the all conquering hero at the moment. He suffered big time yesterday and he rode the Giro as well. Maybe he’s a bit tired.
Focus on easy first. If that's all you get, that ain't half bad - Caballo Blanco
He bridged to Martin and rode away from the field for half the climb!
(He did crack in the last few hundred meters though)
"Oh man, it’s going to take days to kill all these people!"
Wasted effort and was no doubt put under serious pressure from Wiggins when he got on the front
Plus now he has to worry about two guys.
Focus on easy first. If that's all you get, that ain't half bad - Caballo Blanco
there was the previous day's misadventure, too
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
They are not minutes ahead.
Its 31 sec and 10 sec. No one is worried about froome and wiggins best chance at getting time has passed.
He rode both the giro and vuelta last year. He is doing just fine which
All posts are at altitude. Acclimation may be necessary
by mr. rogers on Aug 29, 2011 5:34 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
adding that he struggled to hold onto Wiggins once he got on the front and put the hammer down
If he is having problems on a climb that should suit him better than all the rest, how is he gonna do when the climbs gets super steep? I doubt Wiggins and Froome will do any better but at this point we don’t know.
Focus on easy first. If that's all you get, that ain't half bad - Caballo Blanco
But this seems to be Nibali's style, that he seldom wins stages but seldom gets seriously gapped...
He is not dominating at anything (except descending), but he is very good at almost everything (except sprinting). Steep climb, gentle climb, TT, he is always there or thereabouts. Wiggins had a great day yesterday, but today was kinda meh (for him). I think he would have hoped to put a good bit more time into Nibali… and I wonder how pleased he (Wiggo) is to have Froome in red.
Not saying Nibali is a shoo-in… I suspect it will be close. But I still think Nibali has the better chance.
Start fast, finish fast, and hope you're fast enough-- Cadel Evans
Yes, very little glamour in Nibali's results
just lots of consistency these last seasons and no real weaknesses. Plus a really good team behind him for the times when it is necessary.
You would think your key helper wouldnt be trashing himself in the tt
Sort of strange.
It will be interesting to see how they handle the mindset of defending. They wont be the favorites on any of those summit finishes.
All posts are at altitude. Acclimation may be necessary
by mr. rogers on Aug 29, 2011 5:39 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I think one of the lessons from last year for Sky was to not always
go with the “all eggs in one basket” strategy. They’re also good with giving each rider races to ride his chances. Froome is perhaps promised some freedom in the Vuelta in the long term plan and they don’t want to go back on that completely?
agree
the one area sky have impressed this year is having focussed stage race teams, particularly at the GTs. TL ill at the giro and it came to nought. The tdf team ended up all revved up with noone to ride for, but noticeably in the early stages of the race it was all in for Brad, and they seemed a tight, in form team. The EBH plan b worked in the end.
At the start of the Vuelta it seemed very much a touchy feely mission, with Brad coming back from an injury and unsure how much form he was holding from July, but supported by a decent team of domestiques. That hasn’t really changed – that question is still up for debate. (Today was half a minute slow in most best guess scenarios for whatever reason). The pleasant surprise is the stellar form of one of the doms.
But again the team seem to be up for it. There was genuine despondence in the air after the TTT, they nicely bounced back the next day, and TL, Froome and Wiggins were a decent combo on La Covatilla. Froome and Wiggins almost shared the workload towards the top, one riding, then the other. Tomorrow looks a similar kind of day, ultimately one big hill to get up. Expect more of the same probably. Sky will miss KAA more than a little tomorrow, but have a decent team to get to the bottom of the climb and beyond before those three take over.
Seems like it could stay this way for a few stages until the really steep stuff, as noone head and shoulders above the rest, the splits are seconds not minutes.
Löfkvist isn't in his best form
He has said as much himself, when Vacchi on Swedish ES has talked to him (off air). But at the same time the team has asked him to back off a bit the first week. I think the same goes for Possoni who seem to be in better shape.
Badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger...
by TheFigurehead on Aug 30, 2011 3:10 AM EDT up reply actions
Interesting
I wonder if Froome in red is the best thing possible for Wiggins. If they make him keep the pace fast up the climbs, everybody will have no choice but to follow. That suits Wiggins far more than a slow staring match and explosive attack.
Probably suits Froome as well that strategy.
Edgar knows best.
If they make him keep the pace fast up the climbs, everybody will have no choice but to follow. That suits Wiggins far more than a slow staring match and explosive attack.
But that strategy has zero to do with him being in the red jersey or not.
I am ready to hug the world - Tony Martin.
Perhaps
I wonder if the real big guns are really that concerned with him though, rightly or wrongly.
Being in red focuses the mind a little bit more. Or not. Either way, it would be a good idea I think.
Edgar knows best.
Can we stop dissing the Vuelta yet?
I’m really starting to love this race. Totally crazy stuff, riders showing up who haven’t been there before, lots of variables and usually quite good racing. So it’s not the Tour. It’s still a pretty interesting race, consistently.
by Ed K on Aug 29, 2011 9:54 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
The last two years, since they have adopted the Giro model(hey it's true), have been great
and looking down the GC list I can see about 15 guys with a chance to top-5. This is going to be great!
+ 1
09, 10 great races and now 11 shaping up well. Brings to mind a quote from Javier Guillén – Vuelta Race Director in 2009 “We know what the cycling fans want. They love the mountains, and they will have mountains”
(And the Vuelta is a great race to go and stand at the side of the road at – recommended to any euro/other for an excellent weekend or longer break. Relaxed atmosphere, great access, enthusiastic knowledgeable fans, if you take your bike some great riding. stupid steep hills to watch the riders climb, easy to get around from stage to stage, great weather and food, cheapish accommodation etc etc)
totally agree
It’s not going to stop the empty dual carriage way snark though.
"I’m hoping for the Mortirolo-Gavia combination, then we can ride down to Bormio for ice cream." Emma Pooley on the Giro Donne
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