2016 Vuelta a España, stage 11: Colunga > Peña Cabarga

[carton]

Re:

Pena Cabarga really is Froome's climb isnt it. Chapeau!

Yep, chapeau. Great climb by the Dawg.

Nairo's getting a lot better at siting tight on climbs like this. Needed a little more patience, I think one attack would've been enough to test everyone's legs, but he's vastly improved his overall odds by not going for so many useless attacks against more explosive climbers.

 

[Arked]

Re:

Not even a single attack by Contador after all the work Tinkoff did all day?

When? He was too busy trying desperately to hold the wheels.

 

[ontheroad]

Not a Froome fan by any stretch, but that was great racing today. We've seen more action in the first half of the Vuelta then we did for the entire tour. Exciting last week ahead now and I think Froome has to be the slight favourite after today.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Re: Re:

Not even a single attack by Contador after all the work Tinkoff did all day?

When? He was too busy trying desperately to hold the wheels.

That's part of my point. Why work if he doesn't have the legs to attack?

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

Not even a single attack by Contador after all the work Tinkoff did all day?

When? He was too busy trying desperately to hold the wheels.

He's looked like Quintana did in the Tour so far this race. One half hearted attack on the marquee climb, which resulted in him blowing up. Then just trying to limit his losses. Unfortunately he doesn't have someone as good as Valverde as a team mate, closing crucial gaps for him.

 

[Alexandre B.]

 

[BigMac]

Re: Re:

Not even a single attack by Contador after all the work Tinkoff did all day?

When? He was too busy trying desperately to hold the wheels.

That's part of my point. Why work if he doesn't have the legs to attack?

Lots of times you don't know whether you have the legs or not until the climbing starts. On a flat run-in it's very hard to tell.

 

[DFA123]

Aside from Froome, I guess the big winners today are Contador and Konig. Both gaining crucial time on Chaves and Scarponi in their attempts to move up the GC.

 

[Vasilis]

Re: Re:

Not even a single attack by Contador after all the work Tinkoff did all day?

When? He was too busy trying desperately to hold the wheels.

He's looked like Quintana did in the Tour so far this race. One half hearted attack on the marquee climb, which resulted in him blowing up. Then just trying to limit his losses. Unfortunately he doesn't have someone as good as Valverde as a team mate, closing crucial gaps for him.

König looked pretty good today. And if they feel they're really riding for the win, the whole team could get a boost from that.

 

[MacBAir]

It is so great so see an attacking, positive champion like Froome absolutely destroying a negative rider like Quintana race after race.
We need more Froomes, less Quintanas in the peloton. Did you guys saw him "attacking" when the police were having trouble keeping the fans in line, so only one or 2 (with valverde) riders had space? Froome still owned his ass.

What a champion.

 

[hfer07]

Yo-Yo man pulled the stage win- it was exciting !! Nairito is there too doing the fight

 

[barmaher]

Funny looking at Froome and Quintana staring at each other on the little flat section. Froome probably thinking he is in the box seat with the ITT ahead. Quintana thinking he has the upper hand as he is in red.

This is an intriguing Vuelta. I just tuned in for the final climb, missed the rest of the stage.

Scarponi and Konig look like they have a chance to Top 5.

My prediction of the finishing positions in Madrid:

Froome
Quintana
......
Valverde
Konig
Chaves
Scarponi
Contador

 

[SeriousSam]

Contador is going to have to accept the harsh truth that he is no longer even competitive with the Big 2 and plan the rest of the Vuelta, and next season, accordingly.

 

[BigMac]

Re:

It is so great so see an attacking, positive champion like Froome absolutely destroying a negative rider like Quintana race after race.
We need more Froomes, less Quintanas in the peloton.

What a champion.

Quintana hasn't been negative this Vuelta by current standards.

 

[HelloDolly]

Konig (who rode brilliantly) thanking Tinkoff for chasign asotherwise Chris would not hav had the stage win

 

[barmaher]

GC:

Quintana
Froome +54"
Valverde +1'05"
Chaves + 2'34"
Contador +3'06"
Konig +3'09"
Yates +3'25"
Scarponi +3'34"
de la Cruz +3'45"
S Sanchez +3'56"

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

Not even a single attack by Contador after all the work Tinkoff did all day?

When? He was too busy trying desperately to hold the wheels.

He's looked like Quintana did in the Tour so far this race. One half hearted attack on the marquee climb, which resulted in him blowing up. Then just trying to limit his losses. Unfortunately he doesn't have someone as good as Valverde as a team mate, closing crucial gaps for him.

König looked pretty good today. And if they feel they're really riding for the win, the whole team could get a boost from that.

Definitely. Konig is a really classy rider; his GT record is very impressive. If Valverde blows up somewhere, he's even got a decent chance of 3rd with his time trialling - even considering he'll have to work a bit for Froome.

 

[MacBAir]

Re: Re:

It is so great so see an attacking, positive champion like Froome absolutely destroying a negative rider like Quintana race after race.
We need more Froomes, less Quintanas in the peloton.

What a champion.

Quintana hasn't been negative this Vuelta by current standards.

True, not that much. But I don't have fish-like memory. He is a negative, sneaky, rider.

Contador is going to have to accept the harsh truth that he is no longer even competitive with the Big 2 and plan the rest of the Vuelta, and next season, accordingly.

He should retire, me thinks. Why keep going? For what? Robbing Mollema of his well deserved leadership position for the tour?

If he doesn't retire, he should focus on ardennes + Vuelta or Giro + Lombardia.

 

[BigMac]

Re:

Konig (who rode brilliantly) thanking Tinkoff for chasign asotherwise Chris would not hav had the stage win

He rode strongly, not sure if brilliantly. He galvanized and even led the chase behind his leader for a bit by attacking when there was no need to.

 

[rehy90]

Konig is really strong in the ITT, especially in GTs. He definitely has a chance to crack the top 5 in this Vuelta.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

That's part of my point. Why work if he doesn't have the legs to attack?

Maybe he felt good. They can't know how his rivals feel, obviously.

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

Konig (who rode brilliantly) thanking Tinkoff for chasign asotherwise Chris would not hav had the stage win

He rode strongly, not sure if brilliantly. He galvanized and even led the chase behind his leader for a bit by attacking when there was no need to.

I think he was trying to stop Valverde from getting any bonus seconds at the end. Knew he had to go early as would have no chance in a sprint.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

Konig (who rode brilliantly) thanking Tinkoff for chasign asotherwise Chris would not hav had the stage win

 

[rehy90]

Re: Re:

Konig (who rode brilliantly) thanking Tinkoff for chasign asotherwise Chris would not hav had the stage win

He rode strongly, not sure if brilliantly. He galvanized and even led the chase behind his leader for a bit by attacking when there was no need to.

He didnt led the chase at all. He was feeling good, so he did only thing he could at that moment and that was attack and drop Valverde and Contador. It wasnt like he was helping them to chase.

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

Konig (who rode brilliantly) thanking Tinkoff for chasign asotherwise Chris would not hav had the stage win

Kreuziger's mate sticking the boot in.