2016 Vuelta a España, Stage 20: Benidorm → Alto de Aitana

[Miburo]

Is Froome a real man and did he learn from his mistake 2 years ago? He can't wait for the last climb, needs to go long. On the descent of puerto de Tudons maybe?

Mods, can you make from tage, stage?

 

[classicomano]

Froome is on fire, Quintana is fading.This will be the most epic, insane stage in the history of any GT ever. I hope i'm not expecting too much.

 

[RattaKuningas]

Re:

Froome is on fire, Quintana is fading.This will be the most epic, insane stage in the history of any GT ever. I hope i'm not expecting too much.

Quintana isn't fading. Time loss to Froome was expected before the Vuelta even had begun.

 

[Escarabajo]

http://www.altimetrias.net/aspbk/verPuerto.asp?id=648

Couldn't put the picture in here!

 

[classicomano]

Re: Re:

Froome is on fire, Quintana is fading.This will be the most epic, insane stage in the history of any GT ever. I hope i'm not expecting too much.

Quintana isn't fading. Time loss to Froome was expected before the Vuelta even had begun.

Whatever you wanna call it, Froome is on the rise, and tomorrow will be a bloodbath.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Chaves for the stage if he can sneak away when Froome and Quintana are too busy watching each other, otherwise Froome for his 3rd individual stage win.

 

[Gigs_98]

Re:

Froome is on fire, Quintana is fading.This will be the most epic, insane stage in the history of any GT ever. I hope i'm not expecting too much.

You are expecting too much

 

[Red Rick]

Even on Pierre St Martin Froome gained less than he needs to today, and that was on a way better climb, on better form, with a better train and a worse Quintana. If he waits for the Aitana, he's very unlikely to win. I think his best chance is Contador trying to pull something from far out and Quintana missing the move this time.

I think Froome will just go for it, not look back, either he'll give up and try to win the stage, or continue dragging Quintana to stage victory whilst Contador and Chaves may also tag along only to get dropped when Quintana takes off.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Will Froome have learned from the 2014 Vuelta? Doubt it but we'll find out tomorrow.

 

[DFA123]

Think this will be an anti-climax. We needed the gap to be the other way round, with the best team and strongest climber trying to make up the deficit, rather than defending. I imagine Orica will try something, but Contador will defend comfortably. Contador is probably too far back to even try anything meaningful himself in an attacking sense, unless Froome shows serious signs of weakness.

Most interesting thing could be if Quintana can snatch the points jersey from Valverde!

 

[Enrico Gimondi]

Anyone have a start time for the stage?

 

[Jagartrott]

Re:

Froome is on fire, Quintana is fading.

Based on what? A windy time trial?
Last mountain, Froome was only barely hanging on, mountain stage before that, Quintana rode everyone off his wheel bar Brambilla, and Froome climbed about as fast as Péraud.

 

[Cance > TheRest]

Re:

Think this will be an anti-climax. We needed the gap to be the other way round, with the best team and strongest climber trying to make up the deficit, rather than defending. I imagine Orica will try something, but Contador will defend comfortably. Contador is probably too far back to even try anything meaningful himself in an attacking sense, unless Froome shows serious signs of weakness.

Most interesting thing could be if Quintana can snatch the points jersey from Valverde!

I hope not. Valverde is looking to equalize the shared record of 4 points jerseys currently held by Kelly and Jaja, and if he doesn't achieve that goal, then he'll leave the Vuelta with absolutely nothing himself.

 

[rghysens]

Re: Re:

Froome is on fire, Quintana is fading.This will be the most epic, insane stage in the history of any GT ever. I hope i'm not expecting too much.

You are expecting too much

So, you will watch it?

 

[hrotha]

Froome will go relatively early (for his standards) on the last climb, say with 10-12 km to go, fail to shake Quintana and give up after a few tries. And he'll say he did everything he could, which will be patently false.

 

[Enrico Gimondi]

Re:

Froome will go relatively early (for his standards) on the last climb, say with 10-12 km to go, fail to shake Quintana and give up after a few tries. And he'll say he did everything he could, which will be patently false.

I disagree. I think Sky will set a blistering pace from the start and rip up the early mountains. I'm thinking they'll have the majority of their domestiques into the last climb and tear up the climb allowing Froome to attack. Will he be able to distance Quintana and gain the time? We will see. But I don't think Froome will take it easy by any means.

 

[ice&fire]

From the Formigal stage thread

The day with the shitty climbs. Not much will happen.

Unfortunately the first shitty climb is too far from the start, so there won't be surprises.

 

[DanielSong39]

Movistar will be able to mark Froome until the last climb; at which point Quintana will wind up the pace.

Froome's best yo-yo probably only good enough to put 30 seconds on Quintana, so I think Froome will fall short.

Maybe a 1 in 10 chance Froome blows up and finishes off the podium. The time trial bought him a much-needed buffer over Contador and Chaves.

 

[sir fly]

Froome needs to gain here (roughly) what Quintana would need to gain if there wasn't Formigal failure (or success, as you wish).
Last chance for Contador to take a stage and for Orica to take a podium spot.
Enough for spectacle.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

Froome needs to gain here (roughly) what Quintana would need to gain if there wasn't Formigal failure (or success, as you wish).
Last chance for Contador to take a stage and for Orica to take a podium spot.
Enough for spectacle.

Chaves will definitely be aiming for a stage win-podium spot combo.

 

[Poursuivant]

Quintana will just sit on Froome's wheel all day, he said as much himself.

 

[carton]

Re:

This stage will be raced, hard. But Quintana hasn't been dropped so far in this race. And that's all he has to do to win the Vuelta.

And yet I think he feels he has a bit of a point to prove. I wouldn't be surprised if he wins this stage.

 

[Ataraxus]

Re:

Froome needs to gain here (roughly) what Quintana would need to gain if there wasn't Formigal failure (or success, as you wish).
Last chance for Contador to take a stage and for Orica to take a podium spot.
Enough for spectacle.

Hadn't formigal happened, it would have left us with a rider with better climbing legs and with a better team having to make up 80 seconds. That translates into a guaranteed spectacle.

 

[Flamin]

Honestly, there's not much Froome can do if Nairito doesn't have terrible day, a crash or mechanical at a decisive moment. He doesn't have the team to pull off something like Formigal.

As long as the stage win is for the big boys, it's okay.

 

[carton]

Re: Re:

Hadn't formigal happened, it would have left us with a rider with better climbing legs and with a better team having to make up 80 seconds. That translates into a guaranteed spectacle.

Stop being greedy, and thank your lucky Astana's and Scarponis 7th place for the spectacle we'll get. And I do expect some fireworks.

Also, without the break, probably more like 30 or 40, taking into account a few seconds on a cooked Froome on Formigal, and depending on bonus seconds on Mas de la Costa.