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

[Breh]

Re: Re:

Who's gonna beat BMC in a TTT this year?

Movistar.

there you go

The race is back on!

 

[Põhja Konn]

As GVAs Omloop win is still standing I didn't feel too much symphathy with BMC when they cried foul yesterday. Now, technically today's decision was right, Movistar broke the rules and deserved to be punished. At the same time, UCI has consistently treated its own rules as guidelines rather than strict lines that cannot be crossed. Are they able and willing to keep that tougher stance shown today in every race coming from now on? If they aren't, Movistar has every right to feel hard done by.

 

[barmaher]

Re: Re:

I think the moaning is only justified if the next 5 stages are crap. You guys react way too quickly.

I will admit that it is not a great route, but to write off the rest of the race before it has even happened is not really a good plan.

Lots of people wrote off the final stage in Paris Nice for instance. And the stage in which Tom Dumoulin cracked in the Vuelta. And I guess some people (including me) wouldn't have anticipated Fuente De.

That really wasn't my impression.

There were a few posts:

From MatParker when someone said it would be good

Short stage and a descent finish.

From Gigs

I fear the gap will be too big. The stage tomorrow suits Henao better than todays and it's pretty difficult to create such a big gap on short climbs like tomorrows.

From woodburn

Especially because he will assuredly have teammates that can help him after Eze.

From Gloin

It's just 100km, Sky could realistically create a train for the whole stage

To be clear, I didn't think the stage had much chance of having Henao lose the yellow jersey.

 

[rick james]

expecting fireworks from Movistar now...should be good racing

 

[klintE]

Serry (Quick Step), Berhane (Dimension), Ackermann (Bora) i Rubio (Caja Rural) in breakaway now. Brambilla dropped

 

[jaylew]

Re:

As GVAs Omloop win is still standing I didn't feel too much symphathy with BMC when they cried foul yesterday. Now, technically today's decision was right, Movistar broke the rules and deserved to be punished. At the same time, UCI has consistently treated its own rules as guidelines rather than strict lines that cannot be crossed. Are they able and willing to keep that tougher stance shown today in every race coming from now on? If they aren't, Movistar has every right to feel hard done by.

This. The right decision was ultimately made, just like Bardet being DQ'd at P-N, but it makes that Omloop decision look worse and worse.

 

[Escarabajo]

At the end if they are going to punish somebody they had to do it right. Nothing wrong with that. So I think the decision to punish the whole team is the right one.

However, I still think those to pushes were nothing. very inoffensive. I don't think they changed the outcome of the TTT. So I thought that is a harsh rule if it is applicable in this case.

Lastly, fans will never be happy. Obviously. Some cheer for some teams some for the others. And the rest hate the UCI.

 

[Taxus4a]

I dindt know the Movistar santion was one minute...that change the race a lot.. what a pity...I dont think BMC has a very strong leader, but anyway with that difference it wont be easy to beat Hermans, Samu and TVG.

 

[Escarabajo]

Are we going to keep 2 GC's like we did last year after the Formigal stage? :lol:

 

[Escarabajo]

Hermans will be smoked!!!

Sorry, he is good but not that good.

 

[Taxus4a]

Re:

expecting fireworks from Movistar now...should be good racing

I am not sure about that:

Después de que la carrera se les pusiera de cara ayer para buscar la victoria final con Alejandro Valverde. El monumental cabreo que tenían en Movistar Team esta mañana le llevaba a decir a José Luis Arrieta que: "Estaremos en carrera, pero no estaremos. Parece que hay equipos a los que les molesta que estemos ahí y les ganemos, pues que hagan ellos la carrera y den el espectáculo".

I translate what Arrieta said: We will be in the race, but we wont be...It looks like there are teams who dislike we are there and we won, so those teams should do the race and give spectacle.

I cant belive Movistar dont do anything if they have the oportunitu to win, but, today they are not going to start fireworks for sure, they are really angry.

 

[thiscocks]

Re:

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

Was hardly even a shove. He was just letting the rider infront he was there and staying on the back!

 

[wirral]

The annual chaos and confusion at Catalunya. If it ain't the cameras, it's the commissaires. :lol:

 

[hrotha]

Serves them right for pulling a pseudo-Solomonic decision out of their asses to try and appease everybody. Them's the rules.

Movistar got caught in the middle but the UCI getting wake-up calls is way more important than a Volta a Catalunya.

 

[Cordi333]

What a shame BMC, Trek and UCI.

 

[Ricco']

Re: Re:

expecting fireworks from Movistar now...should be good racing

I am not sure about that:

Después de que la carrera se les pusiera de cara ayer para buscar la victoria final con Alejandro Valverde. El monumental cabreo que tenían en Movistar Team esta mañana le llevaba a decir a José Luis Arrieta que: "Estaremos en carrera, pero no estaremos. Parece que hay equipos a los que les molesta que estemos ahí y les ganemos, pues que hagan ellos la carrera y den el espectáculo".

I translate what Arrieta said: We will be in the race, but we wont be...It looks like there are teams who dislike we are there and we won, so that teams should do the race and give spectacle.

I cant belive Movistar dont do anything if they have the oportunitu to win, but, today they are not going to start fireworks for sure, they are really angry.

So Valverde will do a Gerrans and will only sprint for the win in the last KM.

 

[klintE]

Wondering if people writing about TJVG's "like a baby crying" are the same people that now are crying everywhere.
Useless discussion. Bad decision, video replay, good decision. Rest is silence.

6:50 adv of bway

 

[mariposa]

Re: Re:

expecting fireworks from Movistar now...should be good racing

I am not sure about that:

Después de que la carrera se les pusiera de cara ayer para buscar la victoria final con Alejandro Valverde. El monumental cabreo que tenían en Movistar Team esta mañana le llevaba a decir a José Luis Arrieta que: "Estaremos en carrera, pero no estaremos. Parece que hay equipos a los que les molesta que estemos ahí y les ganemos, pues que hagan ellos la carrera y den el espectáculo".

I translate what Arrieta said: We will be in the race, but we wont be...It looks like there are teams who dislike we are there and we won, so that teams should do the race and give spectacle.

I cant belive Movistar dont do anything if they have the oportunitu to win, but, today they are not going to start fireworks for sure, they are really angry.

It would be a shame if Movistar didn't have a go and use their anger to light things up. Using their anger in a positive way and to put on a show for the fans out there who do support them would be much better than 'sulking' in my opinion. I really can't see Valverde not going for the win unless he isn't in top condition.

 

[King Boonen]

Re:

At the end if they are going to punish somebody they had to do it right. Nothing wrong with that. So I think the decision to punish the whole team is the right one.

However, I still think those to pushes were nothing. very inoffensive. I don't think they changed the outcome of the TTT. So I thought that is a harsh rule if it is applicable in this case.

Lastly, fans will never be happy. Obviously. Some cheer for some teams some for the others. And the rest hate the UCI.

I'm guessing you've never ridden a TTT then? The race was won by 2 seconds. One of those incidents could easily be the difference between the two teams.

 

[tobydawq]

Re: Re:

The people behind this race just cannot do anything right, can they?

Brent Bookwalter was 46th on the first stage, Ben Hermans 47th, hence Bookwalter should have been in the leader's jersey just like Rojas was going to before everything fell apart.

 

[Biggut]

Funny how he only needed to let people know he was there when they had dropped a wheel length off the line. Also the camera kept panning away a lot if the time when a rider rejoined the line, almost as if the Spanish cameraman wanted to avoid showing something.

If you don't punish the whole team it becomes the norm. If those 2 guys failed to get back in Movistar would have lost the state for sure.

 

[Beech Mtn]

Rojas should've thrown his bike away and run around without it. Then no penalty.

 

[Ricco']

Re: Re:

The people behind this race just cannot do anything right, can they?

Brent Bookwalter was 46th on the first stage, Ben Hermans 47th, hence Bookwalter should have been in the leader's jersey just like Rojas was going to before everything fell apart.

Do the order of the riders in the TTT count for that matter? I don't know, if Hermans arrived first and Bookwalter arrived last of the team, if that counts to give the lead to Hermans.

 

[rune1107]

Trek setting the tempo in the pack now

 

[tobydawq]

Re: Re:

The people behind this race just cannot do anything right, can they?

Brent Bookwalter was 46th on the first stage, Ben Hermans 47th, hence Bookwalter should have been in the leader's jersey just like Rojas was going to before everything fell apart.

Do the order of the riders in the TTT count for that matter? I don't know, if Hermans arrived first and Bookwalter arrived last of the team, if that counts to give the lead to Hermans.

No, the rules explicitly state that it doesn't...

From UCI's rule-book:

"Where two or more riders make the same time in the general individual time placings,
the fractions of a second registered during individual time trials (including the prologue)
shall be added back into the total time to decide the order.

If the result is still tied or if there are no individual time trial stages the placings obtained
in each stage, except team time trial stages, shall be added and, as a last resort, the
place obtained in the last stage ridden shall be taken into consideration."