2016 Vuelta a España, Info & Discussion

[Oliwright]

calling lopez a contender is very premature.
Has he even riden a GT before?

 

[Sykes]

calling lopez a contender is very premature.
Has he even riden a GT before?

I think people are putting much too hype in López (myself included). Ok, he won Tour de Suisse and did a couple of other good results this season, but doesn't mean, imo, that he will smash Vuelta. But you know...it's the Vuelta...

 

[Red Rick]

MAL is free to swing and miss, really. He really impressed me in Suisse. I think he could do top 5

 

[MADRAZO]

Re:

Who will be the main sprinter from Bora Argon? Schwarzmann, Selig or Thwaites?

Interesting indeed if its Schwarzmann or Selig. I cant imagine it will be Thwaites. My guess would be Schwarzmann since Selig is mostly used as leadout.

Too bad they did not pick Bauhaus after his good form in the Tour Of Denmark. He could have been one of the fastest riders if not the fastest rider in the race, and with him they could have actually had a team capable of some results, despite tthe limited number of masssprints.

 

[Oliver]

Re:

Weird to read that Purito is not on the startlist. Looking at the stage profiles it almost seems like the organizers were trying to give him the chance of his life to finally get that GT win.

OS was his last race

And please, not to much pressure on Lopez, it's his first grand tour... Cataldo 'll top 10

 

[vedrafjord]

Re:

Is this the lousiest Vuelta field ever assembled?

Considering it has the three strongest stage racers in the world, what would a non-lousy field look like? When was the last time the Giro had a field remotely as good as that?

 

[vedrafjord]

CyclingTips had this bizarre article earlier:

http://cyclingtips.com/2016/08/opinion-how-the-vuelta-a-espana-needs-to-reinvent-itself/

While the rest of us have been watching multiple consecutive close, unpredictable, exciting Vueltas, Rowan Dever has been pining for the Tour of California. Basically he wants to get rid of all the mountains so that Sagan or Van Avermaet can win. There are so many head-scratching, upside-down land lines in there:

With the pinnacle of cycling already completed, the Vuelta struggles for identity, relevance and differentiation in the modern era

The Spanish grand tour does offer an element of exposure, but it’s mainly for small Spanish pro continental teams and desperate riders hunting for a contract for the following year.

The Vuelta has recently relied on hilly parcours and brutal summit finishes to establish itself as the most punishing grand tour

For me, the Tour of California is a fantastic spectacle

If the Vuelta was to be changed with the above in mind, Sagan especially may want to slim down to better compete in the smaller mountains. Such weight loss is not without precedent when you think about Froome’s body transformation, going from 75 kilograms in 2007 to 67 kilograms in 2015

What's the most comical line? Maybe I should run a poll.

 

[Sykes]

CyclingTips had this bizarre article earlier:

http://cyclingtips.com/2016/08/opinion-how-the-vuelta-a-espana-needs-to-reinvent-itself/

While the rest of us have been watching multiple consecutive close, unpredictable, exciting Vueltas, Rowan Dever has been pining for the Tour of California. Basically he wants to get rid of all the mountains so that Sagan or Van Avermaet can win. There are so many head-scratching, upside-down land lines in there:

With the pinnacle of cycling already completed, the Vuelta struggles for identity, relevance and differentiation in the modern era

The Spanish grand tour does offer an element of exposure, but it’s mainly for small Spanish pro continental teams and desperate riders hunting for a contract for the following year.

The Vuelta has recently relied on hilly parcours and brutal summit finishes to establish itself as the most punishing grand tour

For me, the Tour of California is a fantastic spectacle

If the Vuelta was to be changed with the above in mind, Sagan especially may want to slim down to better compete in the smaller mountains. Such weight loss is not without precedent when you think about Froome’s body transformation, going from 75 kilograms in 2007 to 67 kilograms in 2015

What's the most comical line? Maybe I should run a poll.

I "read" that article too
He's pratically saying that Tour of California is more exciting than Vuelta: enough of internet today

 

[casati]

CyclingTips had this bizarre article earlier:

http://cyclingtips.com/2016/08/opinion-how-the-vuelta-a-espana-needs-to-reinvent-itself/

While the rest of us have been watching multiple consecutive close, unpredictable, exciting Vueltas, Rowan Dever has been pining for the Tour of California. Basically he wants to get rid of all the mountains so that Sagan or Van Avermaet can win. There are so many head-scratching, upside-down land lines in there:

With the pinnacle of cycling already completed, the Vuelta struggles for identity, relevance and differentiation in the modern era

The Spanish grand tour does offer an element of exposure, but it’s mainly for small Spanish pro continental teams and desperate riders hunting for a contract for the following year.

The Vuelta has recently relied on hilly parcours and brutal summit finishes to establish itself as the most punishing grand tour

For me, the Tour of California is a fantastic spectacle

If the Vuelta was to be changed with the above in mind, Sagan especially may want to slim down to better compete in the smaller mountains. Such weight loss is not without precedent when you think about Froome’s body transformation, going from 75 kilograms in 2007 to 67 kilograms in 2015

What's the most comical line? Maybe I should run a poll.

I "read" that article too
He's pratically saying that Tour of California is more exciting than Vuelta: enough of internet today

Ludicrous!, he should be a comedian, perhaps the toc should re invent itself, plenty of room for that

 

[silvergrenade]

Landa to miss the Vuelta.
Damn.

 

[staubsauger]

Wow. A season to forget about for poor Mikel!

 

[Valv.Piti]

Yeah, what a shame. I really feel for Mikel, things didn't work out for him at all this year. Hoping for a much better year in 17!

 

[Montecampione]

Only in Trentino I saw a blink of the Landa of 2015, for the rest of the season it was bleak - largely by bad luck of course.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

Only in Trentino I saw a blink of the Landa of 2015, for the rest of the season it was bleak - largely by bad luck of course.

And his out-of-the-blue win in Pais Vasco, but apart from that, it really hasn't clicked... I expected him to very good for this upcoming Vuelta.

 

[MatParker117]

Re: Re:

Only in Trentino I saw a blink of the Landa of 2015, for the rest of the season it was bleak - largely by bad luck of course.

And his out-of-the-blue win in Pais Vasco, but apart from that, it really hasn't clicked... I expected him to very good for this upcoming Vuelta.

He was extremely well placed to win the giro prior to the bad BBQ, had the team around him to do it as well.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re: Re:

Only in Trentino I saw a blink of the Landa of 2015, for the rest of the season it was bleak - largely by bad luck of course.

And his out-of-the-blue win in Pais Vasco, but apart from that, it really hasn't clicked... I expected him to very good for this upcoming Vuelta.

He was extremely well placed to win the giro prior to the bad BBQ, had the team around him to do it as well.

Most definitely, he was probably the favourite at that point.

 

[MatParker117]

Re: Re:

Only in Trentino I saw a blink of the Landa of 2015, for the rest of the season it was bleak - largely by bad luck of course.

And his out-of-the-blue win in Pais Vasco, but apart from that, it really hasn't clicked... I expected him to very good for this upcoming Vuelta.

He was extremely well placed to win the giro prior to the bad BBQ, had the team around him to do it as well.

Most definitely, he was probably the favourite at that point.

Imagine the vitriol Sky would of suffered after they posted the photo of Landa & Froome in Pink and Yellow!

 

[Vesica]

The Landa hype on this forum is ridiculous.

 

[Sykes]

Any news regarding Landa's replacement?

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

Only in Trentino I saw a blink of the Landa of 2015, for the rest of the season it was bleak - largely by bad luck of course.

And his out-of-the-blue win in Pais Vasco, but apart from that, it really hasn't clicked... I expected him to very good for this upcoming Vuelta.

He was extremely well placed to win the giro prior to the bad BBQ, had the team around him to do it as well.

Most definitely, he was probably the favourite at that point.

Imagine the vitriol Sky would of suffered after they posted the photo of Landa & Froome in Pink and Yellow!

We'd just declare the Vuelta the most important GT of the year obviously

 

[Alexandre B.]

The Landa hype on this forum is ridiculous.

Favorite of the Giro without any mountain pass climbed.

 

[wansteadimp]

Re:

Any news regarding Landa's replacement?

Lopez apparently

 

[This Charming Man]

Re:

Astana selection:

http://www.cyclismactu.net/news-la-vuelta-lopez-cataldo-scarponi-d-astana-sur-la-vuelta-vuelta-espana-astanateam-cataldo-sanchez-61565.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Ridiculous, ASTANA, and Katusha, what a list of riders, ridiculous, shocking.

 

[dacooley]

if ac was able to do the giro-tour double with a bit of luck as an ally both in 2011 & 2015, then froome is all the more able to pull the tour-vuelta off. its gonna be epic battle.

 

[Pantani Attacks]

Re:

if ac was able to do the giro-tour double with a bit of luck as an ally both in 2011 & 2015, then froome is all the more able to pull the tour-vuelta off. its gonna be epic battle.

Froome probably won't even finish the race.