2015 Vuelta stage 20: San Lorenzo de El Escorial>Cercedilla

[Cance > TheRest]

Honestly, I am very happy that Aru is gonna take this, but I would have liked Dumoulin to get a podium. The effort he has put in to stay in GC on every MTF is very impressive, is praiseworthy. Majka's racing strategy, on the other hand, has been disappointing. Will be interesting to see if Dumoulin can manage to limit the loss

 

[SeriousSam]

Mikel Landa ends up being Astana's hero, delivering the Vuelta win for the lesser Aru on a silver platter before heading off to bigger and better things at SKY Procycling. Poetic.

 

[DFA123]

Re:

no it isn't tactical at all.

It's really simple, dumoulin couldn't follow aru. Nothing to do with tactics at all, he just wasn't good enough to follow him.

Very simple understanding of cycling that. Aru couldn't have dropped Dumoulin without Landa putting in a huge upping of the tempo first, which put him in real difficulty.

Then he would have got back if Landa hadn't gone back to the front and LLS and Zeits hadn't come back to drive ahead on the flat.

 

[Carols]

Now is the time for Tom to prove himself a champion and ride it out for a podium....the win is gone but dig deep Tom and keep going!

 

[KyoGrey]

Re:

Mikel Landa ends up being Astana's hero, delivering the Vuelta win for the lesser Aru on a silver platter before heading off to bigger and better things at SKY Procycling. Poetic.

Landa hating should stop today for good.

 

[Kwibus]

Re:

The miracle boy comes up a day short, suffering in defeat is a drama that makes cycling like no other, bravo Tom.

True that. Not to happy it has to be a dutch rider at the wrong end of the stick, but that's cycling. I can handle it.... I think

 

[Red Rick]

How anyone can hope for one of the clibers to win here after 194 stages of cowardly racing is beyond me

 

[DFA123]

Re:

Now is the time for Tom to prove himself a champion and ride it out for a podium....the win is gone but dig deep Tom and keep going!

No chance I fear. Given the gap now, he'll have to do the last climb quicker than Majka and Purito and they'll both be getting drafted the whole way unless they decide to attack.

 

[MatParker117]

Re:

Mikel Landa ends up being Astana's hero, delivering the Vuelta win for the lesser Aru on a silver platter before heading off to bigger and better things at SKY Procycling. Poetic.

Him, Konig & G will inflict much pain on Froome's behalf at the tour.

 

[Pippo_San]

Actually Landa enjoyed a lot of free time the past days, no wonder he's a beast today.

 

[Cance > TheRest]

Re:

no it isn't tactical at all.

It's really simple, dumoulin couldn't follow aru. Nothing to do with tactics at all, he just wasn't good enough to follow him. It's not that he decided to let him go like purito did with contador in 2012

... and then cracked later. While Contador's 2012 Fuente De stunt was highly a tactical masterpiece, the result was certainly also helped by Contador having much better legs than Purito that day.

 

[Miburo]

Re: Re:

no it isn't tactical at all.

It's really simple, dumoulin couldn't follow aru. Nothing to do with tactics at all, he just wasn't good enough to follow him.

Very simple understanding of cycling that. Aru couldn't have dropped Dumoulin without Landa putting in a huge upping of the tempo first, which put him in real difficulty.

Then he would have got back if Landa hadn't gone back to the front and LLS and Zeits hadn't come back to drive ahead on the flat.

Yea sure aru's team enabled him but it all would be useless if dumoulin was as good as 2 days ago

 

[Velolover2]

Aru is the rebirth of Contador.

 

[Broth3r]

Just tuned in. Heartbreaking.

 

[Roude Leiw]

Re: Re:

Why oh why did giant not put someone in the break.

Nobody allowed them to put someone in the break most likely.

I did not know that they needed someones permission, they raced just badly here

If Astana, Katusha and Movistar rode against Giant, who could even get in the break, Craddock? You should learn about how breakaways work.

well if the russians get vorganov and losada in the break who are decent but not overwhelming climbers, giant should have tried to place someone (craddock, de koert,...). Besides that Reza made the break and he is not exactly the new french climbing hope

 

[Velolover2]

I think Dumoulin can keeps his podium spot from Majka. It's not going fast enough.

 

[Descender]

Say what you will, how often do you see attacks from 50km away on the second-to-last climb? Astana and Aru were bold and did everything right.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

1.30 now. Majka getting on the podium instead of Dumoulin is just unreal.

 

[happychappy]

Re:

Astana is the team of the year.. what they did at Giro and Vuelta (in addition to Nibali incredible victory at the TOur)

Yeah, Asstana are the rice cakeiest team of the year. I'm going to take a shower after watching these fools all over the front of the race. At least they aren't all hanging onto cars in this stage - guess they don't need it.

 

[chiocciolis_calves]

Re:

Aru's infamous last day peaks

Ah, so we're now on to this stage of the pouting?

The same geniuses who ridiculed Astana in the Giro under the mistaken belief that Landa could have won the race. Astana played it perfectly, securing second and third places and taking multiple mountain stages.

And they've played it here perfectly, as well. Imagine that...the pros understand this stuff better than the armchair, keyboard jockeys...

 

[StannisBaratheon]

You cannot win a Grand Tour unless you have a team or if your name is Contador. Dumoulin can't fight alone. Congrats Tom for the effort, he has an entire career in front of him.
The outcome could have been different if he could have put 1 minute over Aru in the TT, but he ain't Tony Martin.

 

[PremierAndrew]

I'm just hoping Aru put in a lot to drop Dumoulin, and ends up cracking a bit when Purito attacks, possibly ending in an exciting finish

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

no it isn't tactical at all.

It's really simple, dumoulin couldn't follow aru. Nothing to do with tactics at all, he just wasn't good enough to follow him.

Very simple understanding of cycling that. Aru couldn't have dropped Dumoulin without Landa putting in a huge upping of the tempo first, which put him in real difficulty.

Then he would have got back if Landa hadn't gone back to the front and LLS and Zeits hadn't come back to drive ahead on the flat.

Yea sure aru's team enabled him but it all would be useless if dumoulin was as good as 2 days ago

Tactics and being stronger aren't mutually exclusive. Astana have used both well today.

To say it was

Nothing to do with tactics at all

is absolute rubbish.

 

[Guybrush]

Haimar had more television exposure in this race than his entire career

 

[Miburo]

Dumoulin isn't even gonna podium but he got 2 stage victories, not bad but this was his chance to win a GT. And you never know what happens with dutch talents...

Edit: astana played it perfect, i never denied that.