2010 Vuelta a Castilla y Leon

[Iker_Baqueiro]

AC's first quotes from the Velonews article:
“I knew it would be a complicated finale with three other riders. I was thinking at one point of attacking on my own, but there was a lot of wind,” Contador said. “In the end, I preferred to ride a little more conservative and think about tomorrow.”

Read more: http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/...#ixzz0lHSgC6Ps

Very good article.

Instead of AC responding to the multiple attacks of these three guys (looks like they teamed-up) and losing a lot of energy in the process, what other better thing could AC have done ? Launching a killer attack from the beginning of the climb ?

 

[Publicus]

Very good article.

Instead of AC responding to the multiple attacks of these three guys (looks like they teamed-up) and losing a lot of energy in the process, what other better thing could AC have done ? Launching a killer attack from the beginning of the climb ?

I think he made the right call. He didn't know the climb and it was clear that while there was a selection that day, the guys he was riding with aren't going to be a threat to overall victory tomorrow.

Plus, I think he really wants to try and win one of the classics next week.

 

[theswordsman]

"Winning in the Morredero is very complicated. It is a port that you have to know, the last few miles have a false flat dangerous. In addition, opponents were more authentic, Contador, Mosquera, Soler ... It was hard to surprise, is experienced people But I learned to play my cards, I have had cold blood and I attacked to win. I removed everything inside me and I have great satisfaction, "he said.

http://www.adn.es/deportes/20100416/NWS-2810-Anton-Igor-He-categoria-autentica.html

 

[Bicicleta]

A tip for viewing geo-resticted feeds. I just dial into one of our European offices with my work laptop and I can usually see the races. Not sure if other folks have that option.

 

[nvpacchi]

I'll give you a cookie:

I'm so flattered!

 

[shadowblue]

A tip for viewing geo-resticted feeds. I just dial into one of our European offices with my work laptop and I can usually see the races. Not sure if other folks have that option.

no, most other folks don't have that option.

 

[python]

tomorrow's itt should take 20 to 21 minutes to win. plenty of time for berto to take back the deficit to igor anton.

i can see soler and igor doing well up to the 4th km - a 5% ramp - then they are history. we should expect that berto will make up the 12 seconds he needs by the first check point @ 8.7 km.

i feel berto has played his cards well today but i don't buy the notion he was not at the limit in the last kms. he was. otherwise he'd win the stage. but i'm actually happy to see berto this good this early coz i know he will be much better come july.

 

[luckyboy]

i feel berto has played his cards well today but i don't buy the notion he was not at the limit in the last kms. he was. otherwise he'd win the stage.

Maybe he knew he'd blow them away in the TT tomorrow? I didn't see much of the stage because of the poor feed and also watching the Tour of Turkey at the same time though, so I couldn't really see if he was suffering or not..

 

[Publicus]

tomorrow's itt should take 20 to 21 minutes to win. plenty of time for berto to take back the deficit to igor anton.

i can see soler and igor doing well up to the 4th km - a 5% ramp - then they are history. we should expect that berto will make up the 12 seconds he needs by the first check point @ 8.7 km.

i feel berto has played his cards well today but i don't buy the notion he was not at the limit in the last kms. he was. otherwise he'd win the stage. but i'm actually happy to see berto this good this early coz i know he will be much better come july.

At what cost to his efforts tomorrow? Looking at the photos and comparing them to his fuller statement, he was trying to minimize his losses to Anton while maximizing his gains against the Menchov group--where his strongest competition will come for the overall. Plus, he wasn't familiar with the climb so I'm assuming he had no idea where he would launch an attack. Coupled with the head wind, and his superior TT skills, I could see him riding conservatively (i.e., not going deep to pull out the win) to preserve himself for tomorrow. Recovery is the name of the game.

Here's a better translation of the above quote I posted:

“Everyone likes to win, but Igor has been very strong”, said Contador of Friday's stage. “For me it is a good result. At the end it was 13 seconds, which is not a lot, but we will see tomorrow how it turns the time trial.

"I knew there would be wind, but it's the same conditions for each rider. When I saw how strong Igor attacked, I was a little more conservative, thinking also about the riders I had on my wheel. I was aware of what was happening behind me and was conscious not to let Igor take too many seconds”.

Based on this he's not saying he wasn't at his limit, just that he decided not to go with him, not that he was conservative on this climb.

 

[alberto.legstrong]

Alberto's Kryptonite

If there is one thing that I see him consistently struggling with, it's the wind. And I think he knows it. I tend to believe the result would have been more positive for him had there been less wind.

BTW, Is there a torrent of today's stage yet?

 

[Publicus]

Alberto's Kryptonite

If there is one thing that I see him consistently struggling with, it's the wind. And I think he knows it. I tend to believe the result would have been more positive for him had there been less wind.

BTW, Is there a torrent of today's stage yet?

Wasn't there a headwind on Arcalis? But overall I think your point is well taken. Wind is not his friend.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Wasn't there a headwind on Arcalis? But overall I think your point is well taken. Wind is not his friend.

Did he have a minor allergic reaction?

 

[Iker_Baqueiro]

To me, it seems Alberto learned his lesson from Paris-Nice 2009 (where he kept responding to every attack, which resulted in him bonking and losing several minutes on the GC).

This time he responded to all the attacks but one. And maybe, the "being more conservative" he said was about holding up and avoiding the bonk. Overall, he lost only 13 seconds. He could have lost much more if he had bonked. Alberto is learning and maturing. Good for him !!!

 

[cyclopeon]

Oh come on! I've never seen anybody ride with as fluid a style as Juan Mauricio Soler!

Like a bowl of soup in a yacht during a storm?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

To me, it seems Alberto learned his lesson from Paris-Nice 2009 (where he kept responding to every attack, which resulted in him bonking and losing several minutes on the GC).

This time he responded to all the attacks but one. And maybe, the "being more conservative" he said was about holding up and avoiding the bonk. Overall, he lost only 13 seconds. He could have lost much more if he had bonked. Alberto is learning and maturing. Good for him !!!

I know he'll probably take back 13 seconds on Antón in a time trial without even trying, but I still would have thought it more prudent to have Soler be the one he let go, since Soler was already nearly 3 mins down.

 

[cyclopeon]

Wasn't there a headwind on Arcalis? But overall I think your point is well taken. Wind is not his friend.

I think wind is no climber's friend (or at least not ones who are best on the steep slopes), it has the net effect of reducing the gradient by giving those behind a more significant draft-- easier to counter, easier to recover. Same reason as Cancellara attacked with a tail wind in P-R.

 

[Beech Mtn]

Did he have a minor allergic reaction?

Probably not - it was rainy/damp.

 

[Beech Mtn]

I know he'll probably take back 13 seconds on Antón in a time trial without even trying, but I still would have thought it more prudent to have Soler be the one he let go, since Soler was already nearly 3 mins down.

Are Alberto and Anton friends? It looked to me like Anton was working with him quite well to help pull away from Menchov/RS/peloton. I wondered if letting Anton go wasn't a little payback to a friend.

 

[theswordsman]

Start times for Saturday's Time Trial

1º 98 PUJOL, Oscar CTT 00:00:00 14:16:00
2º 65 MCCARTNEY, Jason RSH 00:01:00 14:17:00
3º 92 CORREIA, Joao CTT 00:02:00 14:18:00
4º 37 MAYOZ, Iban FOT 00:03:00 14:19:00
5º 97 NOVOA, Joaquin CTT 00:04:00 14:20:00
6º 22 CASTROVIEJO, Jonathan EUS 00:05:00 14:21:00
7º 126 URAIN, Benat ORB 00:06:00 14:22:00
8º 103 FRANCISCO, David VMC 00:07:00 14:23:00
9º 122 SAEZ, Adrian ORB 00:08:00 14:24:00
10º 34 FAIERS, Tomas P. FOT 00:09:00 14:25:00
11º 74 TORIBIO, Jose Vte. ACA 00:10:00 14:26:00
12º 105 MAS, Luis VMC 00:11:00 14:27:00
13º 96 KONOVALOVAS, Ignatas CTT 00:12:00 14:28:00
14º 56 COSTA, Mario BSP 00:13:00 14:29:00

15º 121 ILUNDAIN, Mikel ORB 00:14:00 14:30:00
16º 138 CANDIL, Miguel A. LRM 00:15:00 14:31:00
17º 104 GRAU, Oscar VMC 00:16:00 14:32:00
18º 36 MATA, Enrique FOT 00:17:00 14:33:00
19º 62 BEWLEY, Sam RSH 00:18:00 14:34:00
20º 35 GUTIERREZ G., David FOT 00:19:00 14:35:00
21º 137 CALVO, Ruben LRM 00:20:00 14:36:00
22º 78 ORTEGA, Manuel ACA 00:21:00 14:37:00
23º 31 BENITEZ, Alberto FOT 00:22:00 14:38:00
24º 27 AZANZA, Jorge EUS 00:23:00 14:39:00
25º 2 DE LA FUENTE, David AST 00:24:00 14:40:00
26º 55 ORTEGA, Joaquin BSP 00:25:00 14:41:00
27º 76 LECHUGA, Pablo ACA 00:26:00 14:42:00
28º 114 CHUZHDA, Oleg CJR 00:27:00 14:43:00
29º 6 HERNANDEZ, Jesus AST 00:28:00 14:44:00
30º 124 ZABALO, Xabier ORB 00:29:00 14:45:00
31º 68 STEEGMANS, Gert RSH 00:30:00 14:46:00
32º 85 MARTINEZ, Serafin XAC 00:31:00 14:47:00
33º 5 NOVAL, Benjamin AST 00:32:00 14:48:00
34º 48 VAN WINDEN, Dennis RAB 00:33:00 14:49:00
35º 113 REIG, Ruben CJR 00:34:00 14:50:00
36º 44 CLEMENT, Stef RAB 00:35:00 14:51:00
37º 107 ANTON, Manuel VMC 00:36:00 14:52:00
38º 28 URTASUN, Pablo EUS 00:37:00 14:53:00
39º 133 CARDOSO, Filipe LRM 00:38:00 14:54:00
40º 91 BOS, Theo CTT 00:39:00 14:55:00
41º 42 BROWN, Graeme RAB 00:40:00 14:56:00
42º 51 OLIVEIRA, Helder BSP 00:41:00 14:57:00
43º 46 KRUIJSWIJK, Steven RAB 00:42:00 14:58:00
44º 136 BROCO, Hernani LRM 00:43:00 14:59:00

45º 73 CABELLO, Antonio ACA 00:44:00 15:00:00
46º 53 FONTE, Cesar BSP 00:45:00 15:01:00
47º 125 GARCIA, Ricardo ORB 00:46:00 15:02:00
48º 57 SOUSA, Rui BSP 00:47:00 15:03:00
49º 84 RABUÑAL., Gonzalo XAC 00:48:00 15:04:00
50º 33 CORTI, Marco FOT 00:49:00 15:05:00
51º 118 KWIATKOWSKI, Michael CJR 00:50:00 15:06:00
52º 123 BLAZQUEZ, Andoni ORB 00:51:00 15:07:00
53º 102 MELERO, Ivan VMC 00:52:00 15:08:00
54º 26 MINGUEZ, Miguel EUS 00:53:00 15:09:00
55º 95 KING, Edward CTT 00:54:00 15:10:00
56º 131 SABIDO, Hugo LRM 00:55:00 15:11:00
57º 58 RIBEIRO, Sergio BSP 00:56:00 15:12:00
58º 132 SANTOS, Virgilio LRM 00:57:00 15:13:00
59º 77 ROLDAN, Jose L. ACA 00:58:00 15:14:00
60º 115 MORA, Arturo CJR 00:59:00 15:15:00
61º 71 VICIOSO, Angel ACA 01:00:00 15:16:00
62º 64 IRIZAR, Markel RSH 01:01:00 15:17:00
63º 88 GARCIA, Rodrigo XAC 01:02:00 15:18:00
64º 61 BEPPU, Fumiyuki RSH 01:03:00 15:19:00
65º 7 PEREIRO, Oscar AST 01:04:00 15:20:00
66º 24 ARAMENDIA, Javier EUS 01:05:00 15:21:00
67º 38 MERINO, Pedro FOT 01:06:00 15:22:00
68º 127 IZAGUIRRE, Jon ORB 01:07:00 15:23:00
69º 8 STANGELJ, Gorazd AST 01:08:00 15:24:00
70º 82 GARCIA, David XAC 01:09:00 15:25:00
71º 3 JUFRE, Josep AST 01:10:00 15:26:00
72º 87 GARCIA, Marcos XAC 01:11:00 15:27:00
73º 13 PEREZ, Francisco GCE 01:12:00 15:28:00
74º 72 G.MARCHANTE, Jose A. ACA 01:13:00 15:29:00

75º 128 LANDA, Mikel ORB 01:14:00 15:30:00
76º 14 JEANNESSON, Arnold GCE 01:15:00 15:31:00
77º 134 PINTO, Edgar LRM 01:16:00 15:32:00
78º 17 PLAZA, Ruben GCE 01:17:00 15:33:00
79º 108 OBANDO, Gregory VMC 01:18:00 15:34:00
80º 11 AMADOR, Andrey GCE 01:19:00 15:35:00
81º 93 CUESTA, Iñigo CTT 01:20:00 15:36:00
82º 16 LOSADA, Alberto GCE 01:21:00 15:37:00
83º 4 NAVARRO, Daniel AST 01:22:00 15:38:00
84º 15 LASTRAS, Pablo GCE 01:23:00 15:39:00
85º 111 HERRADA, Jose CJR 01:24:00 15:40:00
86º 135 MENDES, Jose LRM 01:25:00 15:41:00
87º 116 FERRARI, Fabricio CJR 01:26:00 15:42:00
88º 83 CESAR, Gustavo XAC 01:27:00 15:43:00
89º 43 GARATE, Juan M. RAB 01:28:00 15:44:00
90º 12 BRUSEGHIN, Mario GCE 01:29:00 15:45:00
91º 47 NIERMANN, Grischa RAB 01:30:00 15:46:00
92º 101 GALLEGO, Diego VMC 01:31:00 15:47:00
93º 18 SOLER, J. Mauricio GCE 01:32:00 15:48:00
94º 52 PIRES, Bruno BSP 01:33:00 15:49:00
95º 112 PEÑA, Aketza CJR 01:34:00 15:50:00
96º 67 RUBIERA, Jose L. RSH 01:35:00 15:51:00
97º 45 MOERENHOUT, Koos RAB 01:36:00 15:52:00
98º 94 DENIFL, Stefan CTT 01:38:00 15:54:00
99º 41 MENCHOV, Denis RAB 01:40:00 15:56:00
100º 106 SANTAMARTA, Raul VMC 01:42:00 15:58:00

101º 75 MORENO, Javier ACA 01:44:00 16:00:00
102º 66 MACHADO, Tiago RSH 01:46:00 16:02:00
103º 54 BERNABEU, David BSP 01:48:00 16:04:00
104º 63 BRAJKOVIC, Janez RSH 01:50:00 16:06:00
105º 81 MOSQUERA, Ezequiel XAC 01:52:00 16:08:00
106º 1 CONTADOR, Alberto AST 01:54:00 16:10:00
107º 21 ANTON, Igor EUS 01:56:00 16:12:00

http://www.biciciclismo.com/cas/site/noticias-ficha.asp?id=25295

 

[Cervelo77]

...I still would have thought it more prudent to have Soler be the one he let go, since Soler was already nearly 3 mins down.

I recently watched the 2007 ITV highlights package for 2007 TDF, and was surprised to see this Soler kid climbing like a machine (won KOM). He was kind of absent the past two years, so I'm happy to see him back. His awkward bobbing climbing style gives me something to aim for.

 

[Mellow Velo]

To me, it seems Alberto learned his lesson from Paris-Nice 2009 (where he kept responding to every attack, which resulted in him bonking and losing several minutes on the GC).

This time he responded to all the attacks but one. And maybe, the "being more conservative" he said was about holding up and avoiding the bonk. Overall, he lost only 13 seconds. He could have lost much more if he had bonked. Alberto is learning and maturing. Good for him !!!

Really? I reckon he got it all wrong. Looked very much like Paris-Nice to me.
He should have let Soler go, when he attacked, as he's way off in the GC.
He knows Mosquera can't ITT worth sh*t and that Igor Anton was the strongest of the 3.
Anton won.

 

[auscyclefan94]

What is anton's chrono like?

 

[icefire]

What is anton's chrono like?

Comparable to Mosquera.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

2008 Vuelta ITT (when he was Euskaltel's GC hope): 37th, 2'35" back from Leipheimer.

In that ITT, Leipheimer, Chavanel, Quinziato, Contador and Valverde were the top 5. Ezequiel Mosquera was 27th, 26" ahead of Antón.

Of course, the difference is, Antón was young and could viably have improved since then, especially considering he lost a lot of time on domestique duties last year after he crashed out of that Vuelta. Mosquera has probably peaked in terms of his time trialling abilities, unless he joins force with the Hog and has a renaissance like Leipheimer's.

He was 7th in the Tour de Suisse ITT in 2008, but that was a mountain TT so not really representative. He lost 1'49" to Kreuziger.

In the 2008 País Vasco ITT that caused so much discussion recently, when Gesink beat Horner on the same parcours Horner blitzed last week, Antón was 27th, at 2'13". Just behind Bernhard Kohl, in fact. Mosquera was 15th.

I've gone primarily with his 2008 results because his 2009 ones aren't representative because he wasn't riding for his own GC aims last year. Hopefully he's improved on his 2008 time trialling because otherwise he's going to have his work cut out. If anything it looks like Mosquera was Contador's biggest GC threat in that break yesterday.

 

[theswordsman]

I'm not sure what I think. The guys were beating the heck out of each other. One article I read said they were taking turns attacking Contador, going three on one. But if he didn't respond to each individual attack, there's no reason for me to believe that the other two guys would have just called it a day. It caught me way off guard when Anton was strong enough to just drop everyone at the end. But if he was feeling that good, why would he let Soler solo off for a stage win? I really don't think he was in a gift-giving mode, and obviously he was the better man on the day.

I'm not sure why we're all assuming that Alberto was making all his own decisions, and wasn't getting any input from Martinelli, either before the stage or on race radio. I wish that Contador would have learned the climb in advance, at least by car, as Anton said that came into play. Hopefully he'll get his first TT win.

That same Fromsport link from yesterday is on the list for today, and it's already live playing soccer, so whatever happens, we'll hopefully get to see it.

http://www.fromsport.com/video-229231.html