2011 Vuelta a Espana Stage 5: Sierra Nevada - Valdepenas de Jaen, 186km (24/8)

[Mellow Velo]

Anybody know the % for the cut off time?
A whole bunch of riders came in over 32 minutes behind.

 

[luckyboy]

Gilbert last year was only 5th on this...

So why would he do better this year? We saw in the Tour on the Mur de Bretagne he doesn't always win in GT's on such finishes

I couldn't see Hushovd hanging onto the lead group on this climb, it's much steeper.

I don't know how it's a bygone conclusion that Gilbert wouldn't win a stage like this. Can't really compare Gilbert's performance last year with his 2011 performances anyway.

 

[LukeSchmid]

Anybody know the % for the cut off time?
A whole bunch of riders came in over 32 minutes behind.

They surely will not kick 27 riders out, 29 if you include Kiezer and Phinney only 12s ahead.

 

[roundabout]

They really and I mean really should upload the rule book.

11% behind or so for the last group but doesn't seem to be OTT from the results

 

[Fetisoff]

They surely will not kick 27 riders out, 29 if you include Kiezer and Phinney only 12s ahead.

I dunno, Cav's not one of the 29, since he's already out; so these guys might actually get kicked out if they are outside the limit of course

 

[The Hitch]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X_Ot0k4XJc&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91kvGlb0UpM

Beating GT riders in GT winning form is a bit different to beating them in April.

Another great leadout by Moreno.

This.

Gilbert couldnt for example win on Muur de Bretagne on his birthday or on Superbesse.

No reason to expect he could beat a fully fit J Rod on this in the Vuelta, considering it suits him less.

The best Gilbert would have beaten Purito on a single wheel on this...

just like here:

Oh look whats that in the background. J Rod in a group with a bunch of riders.

Today he left everyone for dead.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Last year he was sixth on Fleche Wallone.

So? Evans wasn't there...

Again, just saying, there is no certainty Gilbert wins on a finish like that. We also saw that on Mur de Bretagne (which you fondly seem to forget all the time)

 

[Mellow Velo]

They surely will not kick 27 riders out, 29 if you include Kiezer and Phinney only 12s ahead.

Plus 11% and well < 20% of the peloton should equal the order of the boot........but this is Spain, where a lot more than 20% of the riders leave of their own accord.

 

[El Pistolero]

So? Evans wasn't there...

Again, just saying, there is no certainty Gilbert wins on a finish like that. We also saw that on Mur de Bretagne (which you fondly seem to forget all the time)

Yes, he got beaten there. But he beat them all on all the other uphill finishes, which you seem to forget. After an already busier season than all of them combined except Contador.

And it does not matter Cadel wasn't there lol. Phil climbed faster up the Mur than Cuddles, way faster.

 

[luckyboy]

So? Evans wasn't there...

Again, just saying, there is no certainty Gilbert wins on a finish like that. We also saw that on Mur de Bretagne (which you fondly seem to forget all the time)

There's no certainty he would lose though, which is what Hitch said.

 

[Tank Engine]

Shame Moncoutie couldn't hold on. I'd like him to win a stage or the mountains jersey, but there aren't that many multi-climb days where he likes to attack and is most likely to succeed. Danny boy not so great today, but Roche was pretty good. My stage winner prediction rate shoots up to 20% .
TGBM and Poels looking good. Why was Poels in the Menchov group on stage 3, did he have a mechanical or was it bad positioning, because it's certainly not bad form?

 

[Eyeballs Out]

On last year's regulations the elimination cutoff would have been 14% = 39:36 by my calculations. That's assuming this year's stage has the same difficulty rating as last year's (which was slightly harder I think). Anybody's guess whether the cutoffs have changed this year

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Shame Moncoutie couldn't hold on. I'd like him to win a stage or the mountains jersey, but there aren't that many multi-climb days where he likes to attack and is most likely to succeed. Danny boy not so great today, but Roche was pretty good. My stage winner prediction rate shoots up to 20% .
TGBM and Poels looking good. Why was Poels in the Menchov group on stage 3, did he have a mechanical or was it bad positioning, because it's certainly not bad form?

Bad positioning in Poels case. He has a tendency to do that.
I wonder if there are any more stages suited to him.

 

[theyoungest]

Bad positioning in Poels case. He has a tendency to do that.
I wonder if there are any more stages suited to him.

He probably also wasn't that great, if he had these legs two days ago I doubt he couldn't correct a bad position in the bunch.

 

[Fetisoff]

Bad positioning in Poels case. He has a tendency to do that.
I wonder if there are any more stages suited to him.

This ???

http://www.lavuelta.com/11/en/recorrido/index.html?e=8


Maybe this too

http://www.lavuelta.com/11/en/recorrido/index.html?e=17

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Think Pena Cabarga is already too long. He'll still finish 10-25th on long climbs though, but definately not top 3 unless they soft-pedal.

First one is possible though, if Rodriguez somehow doesn't do it that is

 

[Mellow Velo]

On last year's regulations the elimination cutoff would have been 14% = 39:36 by my calculations. That's assuming this year's stage has the same difficulty rating as last year's (which was slightly harder I think). Anybody's guess whether the cutoffs have changed this year

Twice the Cav Tour cutoff calamity? Oh well, that makes them all fine and tranquillo.

 

[El Pistolero]

Bad positioning in Poels case. He has a tendency to do that.
I wonder if there are any more stages suited to him.

The whole last week of the Vuelta

 

[Angliru]

There is pleasure to see a close race with the result in doubt up until the final metres, but there is also pleasure in seeing the best at what they do show us why they are the best at what they do. I enjoy both.

+1000000 Fully agree!

 

[maltiv]

BREAKING NEWS: Carlos Sastre reveals that his sensations are not the best at the moment but that there is still more racing to come!

 

[Angliru]

Wow, so Poels and Nibali were the only ones who could go with Moreno + Purito and Nibali popped. JRod just needs a ****load of points before the TT I guess

Can't see why Nibali would try to go with Purito on a steep grade like that. Seems he hasn't learned from his mistakes in the early parts of last year's Vuelta like I thought he had.

 

[Fetisoff]

Can't see why Nibali would try to go with Purito on a steep grade like that. Seems he hasn't learned from his mistakes in the early parts of last year's Vuelta like I thought he had.

Because he actually beat him on this very climb last year. And with the stiff competition this year, these extra bonus seconds could come in handy at the end of three weeks

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Sometimes this forum is laughable. "Boohoohoo, it's not fun anymore with Gilbert, he wins everything he competes at"... >>> "No way Gilbert would beat a guy he's beaten every other race this year, why would he win now, when this guy is in top shape and takes a WHOPPING 4 seconds on super fav Poels!".

That guy has to be a Spaniard correct? The one not making any sense. At least then i could understand.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

http://movistarteam.com/noticias/2011-8-24/adios-forzado-a-la-decimoquinta

Movistar's official announcements on the day involve the sad diagnostic from José Vicente García Acosta's crash earlier. The 39-year-old domestique legend has fractured both his radius and ulna, and cracked a vertebra (though thankfully his spinal cord remains unaffected). He was due to retire at the end of the Vuelta, calling time on a 17-year career which was spent entirely with Abarcá Sports; this is a guy that remembers domestiquing for Miguel Indurain. This was his 15th participation in the Vuelta, and the first time he's not made it to Madrid, which is a very sad way for him to call time on what has been a great career; 9 wins in 17 years is not a great return, but I can't pay him a better tribute than Christian Meier did last year on twitter:

"Got to ride on the front today chasing the break with "Cente"(Vicente Garcia Acosta), one of the most respested domestiques out there. He is a legend and it made my day, mad respect for that guy, if someday I can become half the domestique that guy is I will be happy."

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Poels was also 2nd to Gilbert in the Tirreno in one of the stages.

Don't underestimate Poels as puncheur. He is inexperienced though and often makes mistakes and is often over enthousiastic. Gilbert said that Poels reminded him of himself when he was younger, making attacks at the wrong moments.

(not that Poels will ever be as good as Gilbert, but in that aspect they were similar at that age)