2016 Vuelta a España, stage 15: Sabiñánigo > Aramón Formigal

[Pricey_sky]

Re: Re:

Had a feeling this morning that it may not be as many hoped, great racing today.

From a racing point of view, like recent Tours, it's a shame the 1st on GC now appears over bar bad luck with a week to go, but the battle for the podium is still on.

You mean as the TDF?

Let's enjoy the battle for the podium instead.

Yes, like recent Tours as I said.

As a racing fan it's good to see the GC battle go on to the final days, although usually better if there only 2 guys fighting for it. When there are 4/5 in with a shout it can produce negative racing as everyone marks each other.

 

[Cookster15]

What a wonderful result for cycling. Woke up last night and found Quintana was in the break. Woke up this morning and found he made it stick and with a Vuelta winning lead unless he falls off.

Congratulations Movistar and Nairo! So much for putting all faith in the power meter gods. Sky have never been very good at tactics and their lack of race nous looks like it will cost them a Grand Tour. Great stuff.

 

[tretiak]

Re:

What a wonderful result for cycling. Woke up last night and found Quinata was in the break. Woke up this morning and found he made it stick and with a Vuelta winning lead unless he falls off.

Congratulations Movistar and Nairo! So much for putting all faith in the power meter gods. Sky have never been very good at tactics and their lack of race nous looks like it will cost them a Grand Tour. Great stuff.

Amen

 

[Kwibus]

Re:

Had a feeling this morning that it may not be as many hoped, great racing today.

From a racing point of view, like recent Tours, it's a shame the 1st on GC now appears over bar bad luck with a week to go, but the battle for the podium is still on.

I don't mind the GC being set (almost) if it's done in such fashion. If we get treated like today, well then I can live with that perfectly well

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

In the Giro the number 1 seemed certain with a few stages to go also. Also with a large lead.
Hopefully for Quintana there are no snow walls.

 

[PremierAndrew]

Luckily for Quintana, he's not dutch.

Anyway, this Vuelta is not over. 1 TT, two hard summit finishes, and Quintana could still fade

 

[Vladivar]

Re: 2016 Vuelta a España, stage 15: Sabiñánigo > Aramón Form

What a brilliant stage and Chapeau Quintana and Contador for the execution. Yesterdays and todays stage have been the best racing all season. Fair play to Froome for riding without team mates for near 100k as well. OBE looked cooked after yesterdays tactics but well done Chaves and Yates for staying in the hunt too


Now we have the scenario of Sky basically having a day off and Movistar,OBE and Tinkoff doms being tired and Sky thinking we owe Froome a huge effort. Which will hopefully make for even more great and fascinating tactical riding.

This race is not over

 

[May0maniac]

Re:

Luckily for Quintana, he's not dutch.

Anyway, this Vuelta is not over. 1 TT, two hard summit finishes, and Quintana could still fade

Yea, the Dutch curse is no joke...
Nairo also hasn't to worry about Nibali's Malocchio, so I'm not too worried.

 

[RedheadDane]

Re:

In the Giro the number 1 seemed certain with a few stages to go also. Also with a large lead.
Hopefully for Quintana there are no snow walls.

Are snow walls common in Spain at this time of the year?

 

[hrotha]

Re: Re:

In the Giro the number 1 seemed certain with a few stages to go also. Also with a large lead.
Hopefully for Quintana there are no snow walls.

Are snow walls common in Spain at this time of the year?

Typically, snow walls don't thrive at 40ºC.

 

[Bavarianrider]

Re: 2016 Vuelta a España, stage 15: Sabiñánigo > Aramón Form

Moviestar and Tinkoff should quit the race. This is beyond pathetic. I just can't understand how they can accept this travesty.
If Froome has a grain of honor in him he doesn't take any help at all from his teammates in the last stages.

 

[klintE]

Re: Re:

In the Giro the number 1 seemed certain with a few stages to go also. Also with a large lead.
Hopefully for Quintana there are no snow walls.

Are snow walls common in Spain at this time of the year?

Well, There are other threats on the road. http://twitter.com/a_forestier/status/772440842493693952

 

[Fergoose]

About as good a couple of back to back stages as I've seen in a GT really. Also interesting to see Chavez appearing to strengthen as the race goes on rather than just fade in the second half. If that continues it is promising for his career long term (even if he doesn't quite have the stamina of his main rivals at this stage). Yates did well to limit his losses enough to give OBE some options in this last week so the final podium places are far from set in stone.

 

[PremierAndrew]

Re: Re:

Luckily for Quintana, he's not dutch.

Anyway, this Vuelta is not over. 1 TT, two hard summit finishes, and Quintana could still fade

Yea, the Dutch curse is no joke...
Nairo also hasn't to worry about Nibali's Malocchio, so I'm not too worried.

And he's riding for the Spanish Movistar in Spain to boot.

 

[Billie]

The type of stage where I would love to be at the dinner table after with multiple teams.

Especially David Lopez' reaction. Would really have liked to see that.

 

[RedheadDane]

Re: Re:

In the Giro the number 1 seemed certain with a few stages to go also. Also with a large lead.
Hopefully for Quintana there are no snow walls.

Are snow walls common in Spain at this time of the year?

Typically, snow walls don't thrive at 40ºC.

Yeah... that's what I was thinking too. It would be some damn bad luck if Quintana managed to crash into the one snow wall which somehow magically managed to survive the Spanish summer.

 

[May0maniac]

Re:

The type of stage where I would love to be at the dinner table after with multiple teams.

Especially David Lopez' reaction. Would really have liked to see that.

Probably something like this (minus the last few seconds)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qjknk1y-woo

 

[Cannibal72]

Re: Re:

Reading the first page of the thread is hillarious now. At least one person predicted the Brambilla's win. :lol:

Movistar can't get cute on this stage.They need to let the early break go early whoever's in it before smashing the heck out of this day. After that second pass through the start line they have to get Nairo as fast as they possibly can into Escarilla...If they're really in this to win this, tomorrow is the day to let the chips fall where they may. After that it will be to late too do anything but hope Froome fails. Though it's Movistar. I doubt they have the stones for it. In that case, nothing substantial happens, and Froomey wins the sprint and the stage.

I'll take my side of crow. They did show some major stones today.

Also Chapeau to Brambilla, every once in a while cycling repays the rider who attacks from the gun. Today was one of those days.

but Astana i'm still lost...

You're not the only one. Though from an entertainment perspective they kept the stage and the Vuelta alive today. I'm sure Vino will claim in his second autobiography that they did it for the spectacle

The best posts on the first page or two are the litany of 'oh, this is just a bad attempt to copy Fuente De' posts.

Edit:

No sure anyone can work out a good reason for this stage design.

Cue the best stage of the season ;-)

 

[Tonton]

Re: 2016 Vuelta a España, stage 15: Sabiñánigo > Aramón Form

Hats off to Bertie and to Nairito. I'm left scratching my head about Sky, considering that the team lineup was quite good, and the TTT showed that they were in good condition. Yet, it seems like Skyborgs only peak in July.

Regardless, This should inspire Dawg's opponents, who seemed to have developed an inferiority complex in recent history. He's not in his TdF shape, but still. Good for Quintana and others' morale.

Great racing today. Cuddos Kenny: good Vuelta so far, hopefully a well deserved stage win and/or the KOM jersey.

Good day for cycling...

 

[samhocking]

Cioni seems to suggest Froome was delayed by a crash at end of the neutralised zone just as Brambilla & then Contador attacked. Too early for live video, but it at least explains why he dropped to near the back and then Contador attacked.

 

[PremierAndrew]

Well, b*llocks. But i'd personally rather see Quintana win in such an epic manner than Froome ride around France unchallenged

This was proper bike racing.

 

[Tonton]

Re:

Cioni seems to suggest Froome was delayed by a crash at end of the neutralised zone just as Brambilla & then Contador attacked. Too early for live video, but it at least explains why he dropped to near the back and then Contador attacked.

Same time everyone ? I agree: we should enforce the 100km rule . Or start a "moral winner" thread .

Jokes put aside, fair and square...

 

[hrotha]

Re:

Cioni seems to suggest Froome was delayed by a crash at end of the neutralised zone just as Brambilla & then Contador attacked. Too early for live video, but it at least explains why he dropped to near the back and then Contador attacked.

I didn't watch it myself (the start caught me completely off my guard), but didn't Froome close a first gap, only for a second one to be opened afterwards?

 

[samhocking]

Just watched the netralized footage and Froome and 5 Sky riders were all at the front with Contador & Quintana when flag drops so not sure what's got lost in translation with Cioni. I couldn;t see a crash, just when the first climb started Froome was at the very back working his way forward to about 1/3rd back when the attacks went.

 

[carton]

Re: Re:

The best posts on the first page or two are the litany of 'oh, this is just a bad attempt to copy Fuente De' posts.

There were a couple of those. Prescient, in a way. I never saw that coming. Flamin took a bit longer than usual so I was pondering starting the thread, and I thought it would be a much better stage than forecast at first but then the more I looked at it the less I thought it would be. It was a legbreaker without many places to attack. I felt it could still give us a decent stage, but I hedged. Brain trumps heart, almost all of the time. Not today.

Once more, that was effing awesome. Contador, Quintana, Froome. The Erviti salvos, and Chaves playing his bit at the start, the middle, and the end. Castroviejo just emptied himself completely; I don't know how that guy wakes up before noon tomorrow. Contador screaming at his teammates; every once in a while alpha management really pays off. Astana putting up the most spirited defense of a ninth place outside of the hunger games; I look forward to whatever reason is offered for Froome starting the Tour of Almaty. Quintana manning up and taking it too the line. Brambi, even. Again, how many times has the guy who went of solo at mile one won a Grand Tour stage? It had to be today. Proper epic.