2014 Vuelta a España, Stage 15: Oviedo → Lagos de Covadonga (152Km)

[Pricey_sky]

A disgusting scenario.

I agree, I want to comment on the awesomeness of it without servers crashing!

 

[ILovecycling]

I just hope for what we have been waiting for since start of a season. Froome vs Contador brutal battle!

 

[Sophistic]

Froome could really make a difference today. Everyone else blew up yesterday and thats a lot harder to recover from than from a steady, more aerobic effort.

 

[TheGreenMonkey]

Hi, I am new here.

The first proper mountain finish.

It will be a much longer test than anything we have seen so far so there could be surprises.

Contador has not yet tested his leg on a test of this strength. Will he falter? I doubt it, IMO he will at least finish with the best of the GC men.

Valverde just is not a good enough climber to be a real threat today or for the rest of the Vuelta. He will be lucky to maintain a position in the top three.

Rodriguez seems not be in top form so is unlikely to be able to do more than limit any losses. Attacking and making up any significant time seems to be beyond him.

Froome is the wild card. Has seemed not to be at his best but his recovery on stage 14 to look very strong might be an indication that he just needs the longer climbs. Perhaps with the longer climbs he will be able to find a rhythm that will put everyone into trouble. However he does not seem to have any explosiveness so attacking and dropping everyone with an acceleration seems unlikely.

Aru seems to be the best of the rest, he seems to be on the verge of becoming a genuine GT contender. This stage along with stages 16 and 20 will tell us a lot more about where he is at. If he can finish among the top four on these three stages then we will need to be seriously considering him as a contender in the next Gt he races. Quite possibly it will be the 2015 Giro. However if he gives up lots of time on these stages then it might be he still needs a bit of time to develop before winning a GT.

 

[Beacon Hill]

Been lurking here since 2012. Finally decided it was about time i contributed.

I am an unashamed fan of Froome, while also appreciating and enjoying most of the other contenders, particularly Alberto and Aru.

Would say that while i have been super impressed with the spirit and heart of Froome so far, i think he has a big loss in this Vuelta somewhere. All i want is some good racing like there has been so far ... and Valverde not to win


And hopefully Hansen will engage beast mode sometime and win a stage.

 

[greenedge]

Contador to make the decisive attack at 3km to go. JROD to stick with him and win the stage.

Valverde, Aru and Froome to trail 20 seconds down.

 

[Pricey_sky]

Been lurking here since 2012. Finally decided it was about time i contributed.

I am an unashamed fan of Froome, while also appreciating and enjoying most of the other contenders, particularly Alberto and Aru.

Would say that while i have been super impressed with the spirit and heart of Froome so far, i think he has a big loss in this Vuelta somewhere. All i want is some good racing like there has been so far ... and Valverde not to win


And hopefully Hansen will engage beast mode sometime and win a stage.

Welcome Beacon hill, there are a few Froome fans here but on the whole he is not the most popular on these boards. A few posters have at least appreciated Froome a little more after the last few days of the Vuelta.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Lol at some of the Froome fans thinking he will drop everyone.

Some of those thinking that are Froome detractors who just can't imagine he can help himself from taking it thermonuclear.

I'm actually kind of afraid to watch for that reason, because I will lose the plot if he does.

 

[manafana]

Been lurking here since 2012. Finally decided it was about time i contributed.

I am an unashamed fan of Froome, while also appreciating and enjoying most of the other contenders, particularly Alberto and Aru.

Would say that while i have been super impressed with the spirit and heart of Froome so far, i think he has a big loss in this Vuelta somewhere. All i want is some good racing like there has been so far ... and Valverde not to win


And hopefully Hansen will engage beast mode sometime and win a stage.

welcome to the forum don't be afraid to speak, a little bit of level biased works well.

 

[Arredondo]

Hi, I am new here.

The first proper mountain finish.

It will be a much longer test than anything we have seen so far so there could be surprises.

Contador has not yet tested his leg on a test of this strength. Will he falter? I doubt it, IMO he will at least finish with the best of the GC men.

Valverde just is not a good enough climber to be a real threat today or for the rest of the Vuelta. He will be lucky to maintain a position in the top three.

Rodriguez seems not be in top form so is unlikely to be able to do more than limit any losses. Attacking and making up any significant time seems to be beyond him.

Froome is the wild card. Has seemed not to be at his best but his recovery on stage 14 to look very strong might be an indication that he just needs the longer climbs. Perhaps with the longer climbs he will be able to find a rhythm that will put everyone into trouble. However he does not seem to have any explosiveness so attacking and dropping everyone with an acceleration seems unlikely.

Aru seems to be the best of the rest, he seems to be on the verge of becoming a genuine GT contender. This stage along with stages 16 and 20 will tell us a lot more about where he is at. If he can finish among the top four on these three stages then we will need to be seriously considering him as a contender in the next Gt he races. Quite possibly it will be the 2015 Giro. However if he gives up lots of time on these stages then it might be he still needs a bit of time to develop before winning a GT.

Purito is never a rider who make up significant time, even when he is 100%.

But based on yesterday, i don't know if you can say he's not 100%. I mean, you're talking about Froome, Contador, Valverde and Aru. We can easily say attack this and attack that, but all the guys were on their limit yesterday. It isn't that easy ofcourse.

And even then he was the best together with Froome at the end. So he's 99.5% imo.

 

[l.Harm]

Purito is never a rider who make up significant time, even when he is 100%.

But based on yesterday, i don't know if you can say he's not 100%. I mean, you're talking about Froome, Contador, Valverde and Aru. We can easily say attack this and attack that, but all the guys were on their limit yesterday. It isn't that easy ofcourse.

And even then he was the best together with Froome at the end. So he's 99.5% imo.

Yep but he didn't win a stage yet while there have been plenty of opportunities for him. Normally he dominates the short steep stuff, but this hasn't been the case yet.

 

[Arredondo]

Yep but he didn't win a stage yet while there have been plenty of opportunities for him. Normally he dominates the short steep stuff, but this hasn't been the case yet.

Apart from Camperona, we didn't have the short steep stuff Purito dominates on. I mean, he never won on Angliru, or Zoncolan. Also super steep stuff.

Ezaro, Valdepenas, San Loreno, Huy, Chieti.... That's his terrain.

But based on his season, it is quite logical he isn't as good as the last two years.

 

[Netserk]

Apart from Camperona, we didn't have the short steep stuff Purito dominates on. I mean, he never won on Angliru, or Zoncolan. Also super steep stuff.

Ezaro, Valdepanas, San Loreno, Huy, Chiet.... That's his terrain.

But based on his season, it is quite logical he isn't as good as the last two years.

He had La Zubia. I think it's obvious neither Froome, Contador nor Purito are in top form. Horner would've smashed them all.

 

[Dr. Juice]

He had La Zubia. I think it's obvious neither Froome, Contador nor Purito are in top form. Horner would've smashed them all.

If Horner had won this Vuelta, the forum never would have recovered from that. Damage done for the eternity.

 

[PirazziAttacksVino]

Aru to toy with the big boys if he feels good today

Else Purito to jump off Contador's wheel in the final 300 meters and enter the podium at the end of the stage.

I don't think Froome will do anything similar with what he did yesterday. The Spaniards will keep an eye on him now. Contador will certainly not burn himself out completely to drop Valverde.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Apart from Camperona, we didn't have the short steep stuff Purito dominates on. I mean, he never won on Angliru, or Zoncolan. Also super steep stuff.

Ezaro, Valdepenas, San Loreno, Huy, Chieti.... That's his terrain.

But based on his season, it is quite logical he isn't as good as the last two years.

He had La Zubia. I think it's obvious neither Froome, Contador nor Purito are in top form. Horner would've smashed them all.

http://www.cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/race.asp?raceid=22130

 

[l.Harm]

Apart from Camperona, we didn't have the short steep stuff Purito dominates on. I mean, he never won on Angliru, or Zoncolan. Also super steep stuff.

Ezaro, Valdepenas, San Loreno, Huy, Chieti.... That's his terrain.

But based on his season, it is quite logical he isn't as good as the last two years.

La Zubia, and stage to Obregon as well, where his team was working but he wasn't delivering at the end.

 

[TheGreenMonkey]

Apart from Camperona, we didn't have the short steep stuff Purito dominates on. I mean, he never won on Angliru, or Zoncolan. Also super steep stuff.

Ezaro, Valdepenas, San Loreno, Huy, Chieti.... That's his terrain.

But based on his season, it is quite logical he isn't as good as the last two years.

He did gain 37 seconds on Nibali to take the lead on stage 16 of the 2010 Vuelta. He also won on Pena Cabarga that year. He just does not seem to be in that kind of form at the moment.

 

[TheGreenMonkey]

http://www.cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/race.asp?raceid=22130

Good point, he certainly can climb really well on longer climbs but he did not gain much time.

 

[Rollthedice]

So we've gone from "Contador will beat them all" to "Contador will get dropped by Rodriguez and Froome and Valverde and maybe Aru". Right. We shall see.

Contador certainly has no problem with Purito and Valverde. I think Aru looks capable of climbing with him but that's about all. As it was obvious from the start his main contender is the Froomster who he should have finished off when he had the chance in stage 11. Things are getting more complicated now.

 

[Arredondo]

http://www.cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/race.asp?raceid=22130

I know he can win on that kind of climbs too. Of course. But the chance he don't win there, is just as big as to win it.

But with the weather conditions today, i will not be surprised if he wins on Covadonga. Valdelinares scenario.

 

[Arredondo]

He did gain 37 seconds on Nibali to take the lead on stage 16 of the 2010 Vuelta. He also won on Pena Cabarga that year. He just does not seem to be in that kind of form at the moment.

The level of that Vuelta was horrible comparing to this year. He could attack there and wasting his energies.

But now he's up against Froome, Contador, Aru, Valverde. Every waste of energy can be vital.

And he is in way, way better form now then in that Vuelta. He even had a hard Tour in his legs then

 

[Arredondo]

La Zubia, and stage to Obregon as well, where his team was working but he wasn't delivering at the end.

La Zubia was a good finish for Purito, but not a 100% certainty to win. Valverde is also top class in these kind of finishes.

In Obregon they worked for Moreno because it was his birthday then. He tried to close the gap to Navarro.

 

[Arredondo]

Contador certainly has no problem with Purito and Valverde. I think Aru looks capable of climbing with him but that's about all. As it was obvious from the start his main contender is the Froomster who he should have finished off when he had the chance in stage 11. Things are getting more complicated now.

So Purito doesn't have the ability to climb with Contador, but Aru does?

Have you watched this Vuelta actually?

 

[Bexon30]

Are British Eurosport showing this stage live today? Surely their not showing the TOB over this important day.