2014 Vuelta a Espana, Stage 17: Ortigueira→Coruña (191 Km's)

[Taxus4a]

(it is going to be just half the road wide)

Image this with wind and rain after 180 kms of small climbs.

Interesting.

We will see if any team try something

 

[Akuryo]

Oh god, please stop. You obviously don't have a clue

If you do, enlighten us. Otherwise, you can stop, too. Criticizing other people just for the fun of it doesn't help anybody.

 

[icefire]

You're reading way too much into this. He looks honest and straight-forward to me. He didn't like Valverde's riding and they talked about it after the stage. No big deal. Same with 'he doesn't think it's a good team building for the Worlds'. Where did you read that? 'What' isn't good team building?

He's clear about that: taking sport rivalry into personal rivalry after the race is done. And he makes an example about two football players in rival teams being reminded about their mutual feuds when they play together for the national team.

 

[cineteq]

Basically, Rodriguez says a couple of interesting things:
- Valverde is a wheelsucker, didn't like to be outsprinted on Farrapona.
- Also didn't like Contador not saying he was riding to win the Vuelta.


http://www.biciciclismo.com/cas/site/noticias-ficha.asp?id=74981

-"Valverde is a wheelsucker, didn't like to be outsprinted on Farrapona" is a very lame way to put it. What he suggested was: Valverde is not truthful to his word. Basically they agree on something and Valverde goes and does another thing. Well, that's Valverde, nothing new there.

-On Contador, he's calling him out for lying about his ambitions, probably about his injury too.

I'm with Purito on those two accounts.

 

[trevim]

You're reading way too much into this. He looks honest and straight-forward to me. He didn't like Valverde's riding and they talked about it after the stage. No big deal. Same with 'he doesn't think it's a good team building for the Worlds'. Where did you read that? 'What' isn't good team building?

Yeah maybe I'm reading too much into this but when you remember his interview after being "stolen" the Vuelta on Fuente De, he seemed to be in better terms with Contador for instance, giving him full appreciation. It just doesn't seem like a typical Purito interview to me.
Regarding the team building part, icefire explained it well.

 

[trevim]

-"Valverde is a wheelsucker, didn't like to be outsprinted on Farrapona" is a very lame way to put it. What he suggested was: Valverde is not truthful to his word. Basically they agree on something and Valverde goes and does another thing. Well, that's Valverde, nothing new there.

Yeah I have to agree I was trying to write it fast and in very simple terms. But the rough translation still stands

 

[Eyeballs Out]

From what we saw, Valverde was doing a lot more riding than Rodriguez on Farrapona (which is to be expected since he was stronger and had more to lose). Does Rodriguez expect Valverde to wait for him in the final 100m ?

 

[Jagartrott]

Yeah I have to agree I was trying to write it fast and in very simple terms. But the rough translation still stands

That's not OK. Losing all nuance triggers responses from people who accept 'as is' as we saw here ('Just retire').

 

[cineteq]

Yeah I have to agree I was trying to write it fast and in very simple terms. But the rough translation still stands

Then again, yes Valverde is a incorregible vampire

 

[trevim]

That's not OK. Losing all nuance triggers responses from people who accept 'as is' as we saw here ('Just retire').

That's why I put the link, just go read and make your own opinion instead of trusting someone of has been more and more annoyed with the way the dynamic duo Valverde/Rodriguez ride these days

 

[PeterB]

-On Contador, he's calling him out for lying about his ambitions, probably about his injury too.

I'm with Purito on those two accounts.

What is wrong about misleading your opponents into thinking you are weaker than you actually are? Actually, I find this trick (if it really was this) as one of the highlights of this Vuelta and an excellent tactical move.

 

[PeterB]

Maybe it's just me but Purito comes across very bitter in this interview. It's all because he probably lost his last chance of winning a GT?

He did not lose it, as with his riding style he never really had such chance... If he ever believed that he could have won this Vuelta, he should have acted on bike differently.

 

[Afrank]

What is wrong about misleading your opponents into thinking you are weaker than you actually are? Actually, I find this trick (if it really was this) as one of the highlights of this Vuelta and an excellent tactical move.

Well, most people would probably be at least a little p!ssed off if they were being mislead to believe one thing when the opposite was true. But I agree with you, it's a good tactic if it works.

And really all of the overall contenders should have taken his words that he was just going for stages with a grain of salt and realized before the race even started that ending up competing with Contador for the GC could be a very real possibility.

 

[Flamin]

He's clear about that: taking sport rivalry into personal rivalry after the race is done. And he makes an example about two football players in rival teams being reminded about their mutual feuds when they play together for the national team.

Yes I know, but he never said it's the case between him, Valverde and Contador. Quite the opposite actually. They're rivals in the race, but once the race is over, the race is over and they get along pretty well.

 

[BeagRigh]

In an effort to get this back on topic () here is c-cycling's comments on the finish:

The finish
As mentioned, the riders are facing numerous hills all day long. With a bit more than 15 km to go. 3 km of 5 % with parts of nearly 10 % will definitely make it difficult for the sprinters’ teams to control the race, despite the big roads. With around 7 km to go, the riders turn left onto Estrada Os Fortes. Here, the road kicks up for the following 850 meters with an average gradient of 5 %.

After a short descent, the peloton turns right in a roundabout onto Poboado O Portiño. The next 2 km take place on city paves, which will take a lot of energy out of the riders. To make this even harder, the riders have to overcome a small ascent (see photo below) of 300 meters with an average gradient of 6.5 % before getting onto a normal road surface again. A short but steep downhill section takes the peloton onto the last 2 km towards the finishing line. If the pack is still together at this point, we can expect a fast finish next to the sea in A Coruña.

More here: http://c-cycling.com/sites/vuelta14/stage17.html

BotD: Lluis MÁS BONET (57), Elia FAVILLI (4), Daniel TEKLEHAIMANOT (166), Rohan DENNIS (42) and Bob JUNGELS (214)

Gap: 2m 40s

 

[hrotha]

What is wrong about misleading your opponents into thinking you are weaker than you actually are? Actually, I find this trick (if it really was this) as one of the highlights of this Vuelta and an excellent tactical move.

There's nothing wrong with misleading your opponents like that. The problem is that the media are selling the myth of the heroic Contador overcoming an injury no one else could have and epically winning a bitter battle against insurmountable odds. And Contador has fully embraced this narrative.

Txurruka also complained about it a few days ago.

 

[Flamin]

From what we saw, Valverde was doing a lot more riding than Rodriguez on Farrapona (which is to be expected since he was stronger and had more to lose). Does Rodriguez expect Valverde to wait for him in the final 100m ?

No, he means that Valverde was play-acting (you know, classic Valverde style), pretending he's on the limit and can't go faster, then a few moments later he sprints away.

Images don't tell everything. Sure Valverde might have been taking pulls, but it doesn't necessarily mean he was fully committed to them.

 

[Red Rick]

Basically, Rodriguez says a couple of interesting things:
- Valverde is a wheelsucker, didn't like to be outsprinted on Farrapona.
- He doesn't think this is good team building for the Worlds.
- He prefers Valverde to Contador: he prefers Valverde's style. Also has a better relationship with Valverde.
- Also didn't like Contador not saying he was riding to win the Vuelta.
- He appreciates Froome's style of going for the win.

Maybe it's just me but Purito comes across very bitter in this interview. It's all because he probably lost his last chance of winning a GT?

Also I think there's something between Purito and Contador and perhaps Valverde; I mean last year Contador was OK riding domestique for them even if his shape was bad and this year he has already ruled himself out....

http://www.biciciclismo.com/cas/site/noticias-ficha.asp?id=74981

He appreciates in Froome what Contador has 2 times over. At the same time, he prefers Valverde's style over Contador's. He's basically saying he loves wheelsucking.

Any reason why there would be any friction between the 3 spaniards?

 

[Pantani_lives]

I don't see how Contador would have gained an advantage by exaggerating his injury. It's not like they gave him five minutes in a flat stage.

By the way he said he wanted to win a stage in the final week, and so he did!

 

[cineteq]

The problem is that the media are selling the myth of the heroic Contador overcoming an injury no one else could have and epically winning a bitter battle against insurmountable odds. And Contador has fully embraced this narrative.

What do you think Bjarne?

 

[BeagRigh]

Giant on the front of the peloton

 

[Dutchsmurf]

Well, most people would probably be at least a little p!ssed off if they were being mislead to believe one thing when the opposite was true. But I agree with you, it's a good tactic if it works.

And really all of the overall contenders should have taken his words that he was just going for stages with a grain of salt and realized before the race even started that ending up competing with Contador for the GC could be a very real possibility.

Does it even matter what Contador said before the Vuelta? Or is Rodriguez saying he would have trained harder if only he knew Contador was going for the win?

I can understand all media attention going to Contador's 'miracle' recovery might cause some comments from other riders tho. His recovery sure was impressive, but the media is overselling it. You can't blame Contador for fully taking advantage of that tho.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Pressure starting to eat at J-Rod. That can happen to the best of us.

Hopefully he will use the aggression on the next few stages, you know with the legs.

 

[hrotha]

You can't blame Contador for fully taking advantage of that tho.

I think we can do exactly that. It's his choice.

 

[Afrank]

Does it even matter what Contador said before the Vuelta? Or is Rodriguez saying he would have trained harder if only he knew Contador was going for the win?

I can understand all media attention going to Contador's 'miracle' recovery might cause some comments from other riders tho. His recovery sure was impressive, but the media is overselling it. You can't blame Contador for fully taking advantage of that tho.

It shouldn't matter, because any GC rider should be ready to do battle with all other possible contenders no matter what they say (even more so if it's a 7 time GT winner they're facing). Only Rodriguez knows if there's something more he should have done.

Giving false information beforehand can lead to a situation similar to Horner's last year where at first they didn't take him seriously enough. But I think Contador's more in his position right now thanks to just how he has ridden as opposed to the information he gave before the start.