2017 Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, March 20-26, WT

[RedheadDane]

This is getting more and more silly... :lol:

 

[Taxus4a]

Re: Re:

The moaning in this thread is funny. When we saw the route we knew this would happen. It might not be to everyones liking, especially a certain segment on this forum, but thats just how the route is. It might open up for some other scenarios and lets remember, the race as it was before wasn't exactly riveting racing either with a couple of shallow MTFs and nothing else.

Give it a chance. Maybe this will make for better racing, who knows.

People on here moaned moaned about the Paris Nice route and that turned out to be exciting and unpredictable race

Bet this race will offer up some great racing too

In fact most people on here just look for reasons to moan

Isn't funny how cycling fans are so quick to predict how the race will play out? And best part of it is that most of them are wrong nine out of ten times :lol:

This stage was lot more exciting then some boring sprint stage and gave the race a completely different flavor.

Personally, I'm quite excited about the upcoming stages. It should be a great racing. I hope ...

Yes, but that is just becouse Valverde is not the expected strong rider in the mountains, other way the race would be finished.
And in the case Valverde win this race by 10 seconds, it would be merit of his team mates in the TTT, so IMO no the farest way to win a race.
So a long TTT is not fare, and if Froome would be leader today by half a minute, or Cotador, this would be finished despite the race is just begining.

This way of course the race is in a very interesting point and we will see as Froome behaves as a champion as Contador, with the only difference Froome is more diesel and he has not the powerfull attack Contador has to drop easily people, except they are in a big slope where the draf is useless... so he will need a ittke bit different strategy. But in a long battle, if Froome is ok and the weather is not very bad, we will see how Froome is the best. Contador has been succefull in his long attacks just in Fuente De againts a more explosive rider l, as Purito, and in Tirreno againts Quintana not peaking, as he was to ride the Giro and Contador just Tour. The rest attemps, Galibier, Nice for 2 times, Formigal (Quintana beated him at the end)..he wanst succefull, becouse his attack is very strong at the begining, but not really at the end.

Today people is talking about an explosive end and no more, but I think we will see a little different stage, La Molina is not very hard, with some descent at the end, but with a begining quite hard, and Toses is really hard. This is an stage for an agressive stage for long and it wont be and explosive finish.

 

[Aguirre]

what a farce. You know, next time everyone gets sending twits as a way to influence the jury.

Stupid decission, it wasn't a push at all!

BMC and Tj are babies crying, they will striped of the jersey next days, don't miss next stages

 

[Pricey_sky]

Finally they see sense and make the correct decision.

Had they of just handed out penalties to those few riders involved then every TTT from now on would have had doms pushing riders, getting penalties that don't matter to them.

 

[Valv.Piti]

I saw how the BMC team cried last night, but I would never have expected this.

TJ has now officially taken Si Gerro's spot. Congrats, TJ. And good luck in the Giro, I hope you end up retiring and bonking like you usually do so we finally can put the talk about you being a legit GT-rider to sleep.

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

Hermans ftw!

 

[Ricco']

Re:

I saw how the BMC team cried last night, but I would never have expected this.

TJ has now officially taken Si Gerro's spot. Congrats, TJ. And good luck in the Giro, I hope you end up retiring and bonking like you usually do so we finally can put the talk about you being a legit GT-rider to sleep.

Yeah, because if a team wants to win in the World Tour and feels that the decision taken was unjustified, they should sat up and shut their mouths. Right.

It's a win, a leader jersey, a 1 minute advantage to a direct competitor, it's points for the UCI rankings and the World Tour rankings. If a team feels it should have won and the other deserves a penalty, it should speak and let the juries decide based on the international rules. BMC had every right to protest and every team should do the same when they feel they have the right to do so.

 

[GuyIncognito]

Ochowicz's obsession with the TTT continues

 

[Alexandre B.]

Re:

I saw how the BMC team cried last night, but I would never have expected this.

TJ has now officially taken Si Gerro's spot. Congrats, TJ. And good luck in the Giro, I hope you end up retiring and bonking like you usually do so we finally can put the talk about you being a legit GT-rider to sleep.

Well if you were denied a win because the other team cheated, you wouldn't react nicely.

Yesterday's decision was ridiculous, to be honest.

 

[rick james]

Re:

I saw how the BMC team cried last night, but I would never have expected this.

TJ has now officially taken Si Gerro's spot. Congrats, TJ. And good luck in the Giro, I hope you end up retiring and bonking like you usually do so we finally can put the talk about you being a legit GT-rider to sleep.

getting cheated out a race win, I'd shout about it as well

 

[Kwibus]

Re:

I saw how the BMC team cried last night, but I would never have expected this.

TJ has now officially taken Si Gerro's spot. Congrats, TJ. And good luck in the Giro, I hope you end up retiring and bonking like you usually do so we finally can put the talk about you being a legit GT-rider to sleep.

This is a biased emotional reaction. The original punishment was ridiculous. There is no denying that.
It's a disgrace the way it has been handled by the jury, but they ended with the only right decision.

Now I hope the jury is consequent for all the upcomung TTT's, or in any race actually.

 

[infeXio]

Re:

I saw how the BMC team cried last night, but I would never have expected this.

TJ has now officially taken Si Gerro's spot. Congrats, TJ. And good luck in the Giro, I hope you end up retiring and bonking like you usually do so we finally can put the talk about you being a legit GT-rider to sleep.

Oh wow, that's ironic. :lol: :lol:

 

[Valv.Piti]

Shoving in team time trials literally happen all the time. Just unfortunate it got caught on camera I guess.

 

[dacooley]

alejandro valverde ftw today, on friday and on sunday! hopefully he'll manage to grab enough bonification seconds on hilly finishes and deliver a decent perfomance on lo port to really hurt bmc team

 

[tobydawq]

GvA better stay off the sidewalks and stop for the rail-road crossings in the coming races. Or BMC will be seen as the worst hypocrites of the peloton (unless of course they sanction him themselves...)

 

[Ricco']

Re:

Shoving in team time trials literally happen all the time. Just unfortunate it got caught on camera I guess.

Every team have a jury with them during their team time trial which is responsible to see if the rules are put in place. If this only happens when there is a fuss because there are live pictures that show the infringement, that's another thing to discuss.

 

[Singer01]

I think this could make for an exciting race,
Now it's sky, trek and movistar who will be putting pressure on and tj trying to hang on for his life. There could be proper carnage.

 

[klintE]

Very interested in Sky tactics for today. IMO, Landa should be the guy who'll take the lead
Valverde is favorite, but BMC has motivation and two strong cards too, and Contador is not the guy who necessarily waits for last climb to attack

 

[lenric]

Re: Re:

The moaning in this thread is funny. When we saw the route we knew this would happen. It might not be to everyones liking, especially a certain segment on this forum, but thats just how the route is. It might open up for some other scenarios and lets remember, the race as it was before wasn't exactly riveting racing either with a couple of shallow MTFs and nothing else.

Give it a chance. Maybe this will make for better racing, who knows.

People on here moaned moaned about the Paris Nice route and that turned out to be exciting and unpredictable race

Bet this race will offer up some great racing too

In fact most people on here just look for reasons to moan

Isn't funny how cycling fans are so quick to predict how the race will play out? And best part of it is that most of them are wrong nine out of ten times :lol:

This stage was lot more exciting then some boring sprint stage and gave the race a completely different flavor.

Personally, I'm quite excited about the upcoming stages. It should be a great racing. I hope ...

Yes, but that is just becouse Valverde is not the expected strong rider in the mountains, other way the race would be finished.
And in the case Valverde win this race by 10 seconds, it would be merit of his team mates in the TTT, so IMO no the farest way to win a race.
So a long TTT is not fare, and if Froome would be leader today by half a minute, or Cotador, this would be finished despite the race is just begining.

This way of course the race is in a very interesting point and we will see as Froome behaves as a champion as Contador, with the only difference Froome is more diesel and he has not the powerfull attack Contador has to drop easily people, except they are in a big slope where the draf is useless... so he will need a ittke bit different strategy. But in a long battle, if Froome is ok and the weather is not very bad, we will see how Froome is the best. Contador has been succefull in his long attacks just in Fuente De againts a more explosive rider l, as Purito, and in Tirreno againts Quintana not peaking, as he was to ride the Giro and Contador just Tour. The rest attemps, Galibier, Nice for 2 times, Formigal (Quintana beated him at the end)..he wanst succefull, becouse his attack is very strong at the begining, but not really at the end.

Today people is talking about an explosive end and no more, but I think we will see a little different stage, La Molina is not very hard, with some descent at the end, but with a begining quite hard, and Toses is really hard. This is an stage for an agressive stage for long and it wont be and explosive finish.

I "loled" heavily on this one.

Anyway, fair decision, though quite late.

 

[King Boonen]

At least the correct decision was made in the end, ridiculous that it took this long and has robbed sponsors of the many benefits of winning a race. Cycling teams can moan all they want about how hard it is to find sponsorship, but when the people in charge of the races don't actually have a clue what they are doing and make it up as they go along it's hardly surprising companies don't want to put their money into it.

 

[Geraint Too Fast]

Re:

And let's not jinx this with Valverde. After all, it has been seven years since he last won a WT-stage race (officially, he hasn't even won one since the Vuelta of 2009).

I had a feeling I'd be quoting this post sometime this week. Didn't expect it to be so soon though.

 

[Arredondo]

At the end, it's the only decision they could possibly take. The way they did it however, is just a pure reflection of how amateuristic cycling is headed at the moment.

Racing wise, Valverde is still the big favorite to win this race together with Thomas. Everything will depend really on how well Van Garderen is feeling himself atm. If he's somewhere near Dauphine 2015 shape, he will win. But i don't think he has the form right now to challenge the likes of Valverde, Thomas and Contador.

Maybe Hermans can pull of Oman shape. But even then i think Port is way too tough of a climb for him.

 

[Robert5091]

Re:

At the end, it's the only decision they could possibly take. The way they did it however, is just a pure reflection of how amateuristic cycling is headed at the moment.

Agree 100%

Remember folks, this is only March so not all are going 100%.

 

[IndianCyclist]

Re:

This is getting more and more silly... :lol:

UCI a joke

 

[Felice Gimondi]

Got to wonder if someone received a phone call from HQ last night....