2012 Vuelta a España: Tarazona – Jaca, 175 km

[airstream]

If Contador is ok, he's ok everywhere. Such a climbs suits him pretty well. On the other hand Froome obviously didn't look comfortably until the last k and feared an attack a lot. I'm looking forward to Saturday.

 

[El Pistolero]

Don't give up on AC yet. He's never been great at these short steep finishes. Wait until the mountains. One weak attack and a first place finish will put him in the lead.

Yeah, but Froome has never been good at anything before last year and yet he put time on everyone except Rodriguez.

So that logic doesn't really hold.

 

[will10]

two days ago people said this was the best grand tour of the year...

I did warn everyone bleating about the Vuelta during the Tour that even with ten summit finishes it's no good when 95% of those stages are flat.

 

[richwagmn]

Alberto says he suffered a cramp. I don't believe him though.

Huh? That makes perfect sense. When you sit it's because you're about to cramp.

 

[Tom T.]

Of course he'll try. But I'm sure Froome and Purito will drop him in the big mountains. Forget about him, he's done.

Be quiet and stop posting. He loses 13 seconds to Froome in one stage and the world is ending? Whine when he loses minutes in the big mountains, not now.

 

[hrotha]

Wiggins in vuelta 2011

He didn't crack. It's just Sky hadn't completely figured out how to harness the powers of gravity, so he couldn't quite follow the best on the Angliru. He was still damn close though.

Obviously they're not hindered by trivial stuff like gravity anymore.

 

[Arnout]

Alberto says he suffered a cramp. I don't believe him though.

Why not?

You don't get cramps when freewheeling, but when pushing over the limit. Which it what happened, probably.

 

[alberto.legstrong]

gc

1 101 rodriguez, joaquin kat 21h 45' 06''
2 181 froome, christopher sky + 10''
3 201 contador, alberto stb + 35''
4 188 uran, rigoberto sky + 43''
5 161 gesink, robert rab + 53''
6 9 valverde, alejandro mov + 54''
7 19 roche, nicolas alm + 1' 04''
8 166 mollema, bauke rab + 1' 12''
9 107 moreno, daniel kat + 1' 17''
10 1 cobo, juan josé mov + 1' 34''

thank you .

 

[LaFlorecita]

More importantly, I didn't expect Contador to cross the finish line with that look in his face and almost soft-pedalling.

I didn't see it. I switched off the TV

 

[Geraint Too Fast]

Good ride by Meersman. He outclimbed Mollema, Anton & Moreno amongst others.

 

[One Man Grupetto]

What the ****. Why is Contador Uran.

It's wrong.

Uran is the new Froome.

Froome is the new Wiggins.

Henao is the new Rodgers.

And Richie Porte still gets to be Richie Porte.

 

[sometriguy]

Why not?

You don't get cramps when freewheeling, but when pushing over the limit. Which it what happened, probably.

You get cramps from electrolyte imbalances, especially on hot days. It could be true

 

[will10]

+1
i think in 3rd week or so he (Froome) will crack due to TdF hard work for wiggo. AC still got big advantage over Rodriguez in TT and long climbs imho.

Froome doesn't get tired.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Be quiet and stop posting. He loses 13 seconds to Froome in one stage and the world is ending? Whine when he loses minutes in the big mountains, not now.

Oh shut up.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

He didn't crack. It's just Sky hadn't completely figured out how to harness the powers of gravity, so he couldn't quite follow the best on the Angliru. He was still damn close though.

Obviously they're not hindered by trivial stuff like gravity anymore.

Lack of swimming coach

 

[Arnout]

Good ride by Meersman. He outclimbed Mollema, Anton & Moreno amongst others.

Hardly an achievement though, to outclimb Anton these days

 

[vcampbell]

Alberto says he suffered a cramp. I don't believe him though.

When you act like this it seems like you are not really smart. You wrote that it's the end, you don't believe him, etc. Why are you doing this? Grow up, please.

 

[Havetts]

Argh why does Gesink start at the 30th position instead of 10th, for example.. Cost him so much time today..

 

[thehog]

Why not?

You don't get cramps when freewheeling, but when pushing over the limit. Which it what happened, probably.

?? That's when you get cramps. When your legs are not active.

 

[pastronef]

Froome doesn't get tired.

nice one!

 

[SafeBet]

Of course he'll try. But I'm sure Froome and Purito will drop him in the big mountains. Forget about him, he's done.

Purito never drops anybody in the big mountains, let alone Contador.
Froome is scary, but I have faith in Alberto.

 

[Tom T.]

Fine, carry on with your insufferable whining.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Why not?

You don't get cramps when freewheeling, but when pushing over the limit. Which it what happened, probably.

Which means he isn't gonna win.

 

[woodenswan]

bloody uk postal maaan..
****in droids

the fangirl pessimism is kicking in i see

 

[CobbleStoner]

people are stupid
Someone of them should tell me what's the difference between stages like this and flat bunch sprints.

you are a person, right?
in a sprint stage, everyone gets the same time, none of the leaders lose any time by cruising in the middle of the pack, no sweat. not quite the case at the finish today, but bike racing take some intelligence to comprehend the subtleties.
so far this has been by far the best GT mentally, with the history of the Vuelta, a Spanish star wrongly accused coming back, the fav is an English speaker. deals are being made, this is old school racing at it's finest, I love every minute of it.