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

[yaco]

Re:

I reckon BMC, Movistar and Sky will be the fastest in the TTT, so the GC will go to Dennis, Valverde or Froome/Thomas. I think.
Valverde has the bonus second advantage.
The TTT is outrageously long. Half the length would have been more than enough.

Don't underestimate Orica for the TTT - Have a better TTT squad than in TA.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

I reckon BMC, Movistar and Sky will be the fastest in the TTT, so the GC will go to Dennis, Valverde or Froome/Thomas. I think.
Valverde has the bonus second advantage.
The TTT is outrageously long. Half the length would have been more than enough.

Don't underestimate Orica for the TTT - Have a better TTT squad than in TA.

You're right but I cannot see Yates winning the overall (unless Orica win the TTT by a mile)

 

[janraaskalt]

No Geraint Thomas after all?

 

[LaFlorecita]

No Geraint Thomas after all?

Source?

 

[janraaskalt]

No Geraint Thomas after all?

Source?

http://biciciclismo.com/es/dorsales-oficiales-de-la-volta-ciclista-a-catalunya-19-03-2017

 

[Valv.Piti]

Huge blow for Sky not having him for the TTT

 

[Red Rick]

Is he injured or what? TA/PN + Catalunya + prep race is often the best Giro prep there is.

 

[janraaskalt]

Then again: Zandio has retired and Thomas appears on the final list of riders on Zikloland.
http://www.zikloland.com/volta-catalunya-dorsales-oficiales/

 

[Geraint Too Fast]

So Zandio is coming out of retirement just for this race?

 

[snccdcno]

The race twitter account sent out a list half an hour ago and Thomas was on it.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

So Zandio is coming out of retirement just for this race?

Ahaha I doubt it :lol:

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

The race twitter account sent out a list half an hour ago and Thomas was on it.

***!

 

[Jancouver]

Re:

Don't like TTTs, especially long ones.

A 40km ttt in a one week stage race is just ridiculous.

Why? Just out of curiosity, what is your logic behind that statement? Is is because the TTT losers will have to go on attack and you prefer boring races?

I actually like that we have something different. Lately, the stage races and especially GT are ridiculously boring and waiting for some MTF action in the last few kilometers is like watching a paint dry.

 

[portugal11]

Re: Re:

Don't like TTTs, especially long ones.

A 40km ttt in a one week stage race is just ridiculous.

Why? Just out of curiosity, what is your logic behind that statement? Is is because the TTT losers will have to go on attack and you prefer boring races?

I actually like that we have something different. Lately, the stage races and especially GT are ridiculously boring and waiting for some MTF action in the last few kilometers is like watching a paint dry.

Unfortunately sky will be one of the best teams in the TT and they will control the race after that.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Re: Re:

Don't like TTTs, especially long ones.

A 40km ttt in a one week stage race is just ridiculous.

Why? Just out of curiosity, what is your logic behind that statement? Is is because the TTT losers will have to go on attack and you prefer boring races?

I actually like that we have something different. Lately, the stage races and especially GT are ridiculously boring and waiting for some MTF action in the last few kilometers is like watching a paint dry.

A super long TTT arbitrary rules loads of contenders out of GC because they are on a smaller team. Having better team mates is already a big advantage, there's no reason to want it to be completely decisive. What's more, one this extreme runs a strong risk not of making GC more competitive, but simply of killing it altogether.

 

[rhubroma]

Re: Re:

Don't like TTTs, especially long ones.

A 40km ttt in a one week stage race is just ridiculous.

Why? Just out of curiosity, what is your logic behind that statement? Is is because the TTT losers will have to go on attack and you prefer boring races?

I actually like that we have something different. Lately, the stage races and especially GT are ridiculously boring and waiting for some MTF action in the last few kilometers is like watching a paint dry.

A super long TTT arbitrary rules loads of contenders out of GC because they are on a smaller team. Having better team mates is already a big advantage, there's no reason to want it to be completely decisive. What's more, one this extreme runs a strong risk not of making GC more competitive, but simply of killing it altogether.

Exactly. The team is of great importance for the leader, but cycling still awards the winner to an individual. Why, then, make the emphasis more on the team than the individual? TTTs are more for the sponsors and the bike industry really, to show off the latest gear, etc., then for the integrity of the race. Ok they are part of the sport's history. But why 40 plus ks, instead of 15? The publicity aspect wouldn't change and you'd keep the gaps within a more decorous range. And I'd feel the same even if it were to the advantage of preferred riders. I'd rather see the GC favorites on equal footing when the fireworks begin among them, because it won't be their teams that largely determine the outcome at that point.

Having said that, the course looks good. It would have been much more proper, in my opinion, though, with an ITT instead of a TTT.

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

Don't like TTTs, especially long ones.

A 40km ttt in a one week stage race is just ridiculous.

Why? Just out of curiosity, what is your logic behind that statement? Is is because the TTT losers will have to go on attack and you prefer boring races?

I actually like that we have something different. Lately, the stage races and especially GT are ridiculously boring and waiting for some MTF action in the last few kilometers is like watching a paint dry.

If you want exciting racing, you make stages that enable that. Now there's one hard climb on the entire route and it's a MTF

 

[dacooley]

Re: Re:

Don't like TTTs, especially long ones.

A 40km ttt in a one week stage race is just ridiculous.

Why? Just out of curiosity, what is your logic behind that statement? Is is because the TTT losers will have to go on attack and you prefer boring races?

I actually like that we have something different. Lately, the stage races and especially GT are ridiculously boring and waiting for some MTF action in the last few kilometers is like watching a paint dry.

Unfortunately sky will be one of the best teams in the TT and they will control the race after that.

cheer up, mate. froome is weak and gradually going into the season. I can hardly imagine thomas losing to bertie less than 1 minute on the queen stage. most likely it'll be between ac, valverde and van garderen.

 

[Red Rick]

I doubt gaps in the TTT will be under a minute, and Thomas seemed in very good shape in the Tirreno. I know the Terminillo isn't the steepest of climbs, but more than a minute? Can't see that happening.

Only interesting part about the TTT would be everyone attacking everyone, but then they could've achieved that with a TTT of 15km.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Even with a 15km TTT you could get gaps of over a minute between the best and worst teams. A rider like Bardet would be far behind and forced to attack. With a 40km TTT, the worst teams will lose 3 minutes at best, 5 or more at worst. Even the good but not great teams could lose one or two minutes. That kills the race.

 

[Bavarianrider]

Re:

Even with a 15km TTT you could get gaps of over a minute between the best and worst teams. A rider like Bardet would be far behind and forced to attack. With a 40km TTT, the worst teams will lose 3 minutes at best, 5 or more at worst. Even the good but not great teams could lose one or two minutes. That kills the race.

Actually it makes the race great.

 

[Escarabajo]

Are the gaps in the TTT going to be controlled to a fixed maximum?

 

[Jancouver]

Re: Re:

Don't like TTTs, especially long ones.

A 40km ttt in a one week stage race is just ridiculous.

Why? Just out of curiosity, what is your logic behind that statement? Is is because the TTT losers will have to go on attack and you prefer boring races?

I actually like that we have something different. Lately, the stage races and especially GT are ridiculously boring and waiting for some MTF action in the last few kilometers is like watching a paint dry.

A super long TTT arbitrary rules loads of contenders out of GC because they are on a smaller team. Having better team mates is already a big advantage, there's no reason to want it to be completely decisive. What's more, one this extreme runs a strong risk not of making GC more competitive, but simply of killing it altogether.

Smaller teams? As far as I know, all WT teams are the same size.

I think it is unfair to blame teams that do spend more time TTT training or do hire a good time trialist for having an advantage in some race.

So if some teams sucks in TTT, it is only their fault and their riders do not deserve to win these type of races.

Heck, its almost like whining that Contador cant win Paris-Roubaix because there are cobbles in that race and only fair race would be to remove those cobble sections.

 

[Netserk]

Re: Re:

Even with a 15km TTT you could get gaps of over a minute between the best and worst teams. A rider like Bardet would be far behind and forced to attack. With a 40km TTT, the worst teams will lose 3 minutes at best, 5 or more at worst. Even the good but not great teams could lose one or two minutes. That kills the race.

Actually it makes the race great.

Yeah, if any of the other stages allowed for GC action further out...

 

[Brullnux]

Re: Re:

Don't like TTTs, especially long ones.

A 40km ttt in a one week stage race is just ridiculous.

Why? Just out of curiosity, what is your logic behind that statement? Is is because the TTT losers will have to go on attack and you prefer boring races?

I actually like that we have something different. Lately, the stage races and especially GT are ridiculously boring and waiting for some MTF action in the last few kilometers is like watching a paint dry.

A super long TTT arbitrary rules loads of contenders out of GC because they are on a smaller team. Having better team mates is already a big advantage, there's no reason to want it to be completely decisive. What's more, one this extreme runs a strong risk not of making GC more competitive, but simply of killing it altogether.

Smaller teams? As far as I know, all WT teams are the same size.

I think it is unfair to blame teams that do spend more time TTT training or do hire a good time trialist for having an advantage in some race.

So if some teams sucks in TTT, it is only their fault and their riders do not deserve to win these type of races.

Heck, its almost like whining that Contador cant win Paris-Roubaix because there are cobbles in that race and only fair race would be to remove those cobble sections.

Smaller as in less rich.