Vuelta a España 2022 Vuelta a España - stage 8: La Pola Llaviana - Collau Fancuaya. 153.4km. Mountain

[Skijumper Roglic fan]

Heard LR saying it looked like Almeida might've tried to attack Ayuso when he came back to him.

Some say this kind of unfounded sh*t stirring has no place in cycling.

Not me however, I love this sort of petty drama and have never wanted a rumour to be so true. Looking forward to some armchair psychology regarding the body language of the UAE team.

True… I like them both, Almeida and Ayuso, but this little drama between them is actually quite nice… It all started in Catalunya, obviously. The Portuguese GT GC hope vs the Spanish. Same team. Can‘t wait for new stories about their little rivalry. Maybe there will be some still in this Vuelta?

 

[Skijumper Roglic fan]

I just checked the current Top-30 on GC. I have to be full of praise: all 30 riders world-class, without any exception. This Vuelta really has a super strong line up. The best of stages is still to come. Gaps are tight. Looking forward to another two weeks of great racing!

 

[tobydawq]

[/QUOTE]

I just watched it again and saw that moment. Dosn't look exactly like Almeida waited, he just checked. He could have checked to see if he dropped Ayuso and be happy about it as well

But I am starting to wonder if UAE are trying to go for the Movistar model with team classification instead

What's with all the ?

What should they have done differently today? We all know that Almeida rides his own tempo, and Ayuso certainly did his best too. When they're this equal, it doesn't make sense to make one slave for the other (especially given the fact that they're only fringe top 10 riders at the moment).

 

[Sciatic]

Their leader (Carapaz) is out of form, and yet they still have riders in 4th and 5th on GC.

I explained above what I meant.

 

[red_flanders]

Could be worse. Could be a Froome fan

Touché!

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1563593700177231873

View: https://twitter.com/Le_Beau_Velo/status/1563593700177231873?s=33


I mean if this is correct than no wonder Hindley and Carapaz can't keep up. This is a different level

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Yes, I really wish the reporter just would've given Tao his privacy.

And if he had, then his failure to do up his zip wouldn't have been announced to the audience.

 

[Red Rick]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1563593700177231873

View: https://twitter.com/Le_Beau_Velo/status/1563593700177231873?s=33


I mean if this is correct than no wonder Hindley and Carapaz can't keep up. This is a different level

They're not even doing their Giro watts though. Basically noone from the Giro is good now somehow. It's strange.

 

[groogster]

Heard LR saying it looked like Almeida might've tried to attack Ayuso when he came back to him.

Some say this kind of unfounded sh*t stirring has no place in cycling.

Not me however, I love this sort of petty drama and have never wanted a rumour to be so true. Looking forward to some armchair psychology regarding the body language of the UAE team.

I already said it here a few days ago that the soap opera was starting to unfold but despite that nothing of what we could see in the live coverage shows us anything, it could even be that Almeida after passing Ayuso looked back and waited for Ayuso (because when we see Almeida looking back he already had made a gap of 5/10 meters) and the next time live coverage show them Ayuso was already on the wheel of Almeida

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

They're not even doing their Giro watts though. Basically noone from the Giro is good now somehow. It's strange.

I have the feeling the Giro destroyed a lot of riders. Especially the ones doing GC or a lot of efforts.

 

[noob]

What's with all the ?

What should they have done differently today? We all know that Almeida rides his own tempo, and Ayuso certainly did his best too. When they're this equal, it doesn't make sense to make one slave for the other (especially given the fact that they're only fringe top 10 riders at the moment).
[/QUOTE]
Oh, my laughing is my neutral sentiment. I laugh therefore I am I am laughing at how they literally have no GC team as all their riders ride free as they will. I absolutely wouldn't have sacrificed anyone of JAJA at this point, that'd be really stupid. But I'd question how smart it is to allow everyone else in UAE to do whatever they please That's why I laugh a lot at UAE. And suggest they are doing a Movistar number trying to win the team classification instead

I can find a lot of things very funny without meaning I disagree though. I rarely ever laugh out of spite of what someone says, I laugh because of whatever funny thought comes up in my own head. There's nothing more funny than ones own thoughts

 

[Red Rick]

I have the feeling the Giro destroyed a lot of riders. Especially the ones doing GC or a lot of efforts.

Shouldn't be affected worse than Mas but somehow they are.

Or maybe seeming dogma of letting form taper off/rest up and then slowly build up doesn't work that well.

 

[noob]

I already said it here a few days ago that the soap opera was starting to unfold but despite that nothing of what we could see in the live coverage shows us anything, it could even be that Almeida after passing Ayuso looked back and waited for Ayuso (because when we see Almeida looking back he already had made a gap of 5/10 meters) and the next time live coverage show them Ayuso was already on the wheel of Almeida

I honestly saw what I believe was Ayuso looking back after Almeida way earlier in the race. I seriously believe they at least low key worked together today.

 

[Escarabajo]

They're not even doing their Giro watts though. Basically noone from the Giro is good now somehow. It's strange.

Johan Bruyneel was talking about that the other day. He said that getting that second peak after a long rest is very hard. Christian Vande Velde said something similar today. It has been done in the past but not an easy thing to do.

 

[Valv.Piti]

This year's Giro looking really weak at this moment.

Yes, and it gives me great satisfaction due to how the riders approached that race, even though I actually like a lot of the riders who contested it.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Its not the old Ineos/Sky team of old. They have enough talent on the team and they have the bodies on the final climb but something is missing. They don't seem to be as disciplined and organized as they used to be. They would like to win one grand tour for the year but its not going to happen.

Ineos is riding well IMO, they just haven't got the big gun that they used to have that could destroy the race. Carapaz was never that dude, Bernal is injured, Froome is long gone and Thomas has been overtaken by the new generation.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Don't worry, he seems to be in Sella mode.

Judging on the first mountain stage, I thought it was Padun who was taking that role right until the finishing climb on that stage. From that point, it was obvious that Vine would at least win one more stage and win the KOM. And who's to say that Vine doesnt win 2 more stages? Movistar don't want to bury their team, and rightly so, when Remco seems a tad stronger at the moment. INEOS have a lot of good riders, but none good enough to realistically contest the win on those stages, and Roglic needs to confirm that hes back again before Jumbo starts pulling hard.

And the thing is, even if the mountain stages will be decided between the GC-riders, one might think that Vine is good enough to contest those stages as well given that he has no responsibility at all and can choose to just sit on or attack further out when the tempo isn't high alá stage 6.

 

[Rollthedice]

Shouldn't be affected worse than Mas but somehow they are.

Or maybe seeming dogma of letting form taper off/rest up and then slowly build up doesn't work that well.

Carapaz couldn't recover mentally after being destroyed by Hindley which couldn't recover mentally for being the first Aussie to win the Giro. Landa still can't believe he finally made it again on the podium and was taking too much time off. Nibali has a show on Twitch.

 

[Wyndbrook]

Never heard a man sound so miserable.

All this guys interviews are underwhelming, I think he just depresses the guys.
Perhaps Laura Meusinger might get a better result. Definitely not Kirby, Tao has history with him.

 

[Wyndbrook]

Well, it's the problem that they don't have the strongest guy in the race, so there's not the same fear when they get on the front that caused other riders to fall in line behind them before, plus there is also the secondary problem that because there is no clear strongest man, they can't just all go all out on the front, because they need to preserve more than one rider, there's no reason at this stage for Carlos Rodríguez or Tao Geogeghan Hart to rip it on the front for the other because it isn't clear who is stronger and the team - rightly - don't want to burn any matches unnecessarily.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I get the impression they still miss Nico Portal being there telling them what to do.

 

[Cookster15]

He isn't going for the GC so the time loss was a choice.

True, but it is understandable that we wonder. Lets see how Vine goes tomorrow. Head to head Vine vs Remco on an MTF? Tasty.

 

[Cookster15]

Obviously another great ride by Jay Vine. As an Aussie who has followed cycling since the 90s its nice to see genuine world class climbers being produced from down-under. For many years we had to be content with sprinters or those with a pure track background (O'Grady). Recently we have Haig, Storer, O'Conner, Hindley and now Vine. Then of course before this we had Dennis, Porte and Cadel., and others who escape me.

For GC, there seems to be a clear podium appearing - Remco, Mas and Roglic. On Mas, this seems to highest level I have noticed from him? On Roglic, great to see him getting back to his best - hopefully its game on for the rest of this race if he keeps improving. Remco obviously confirming himself as a phenom, but we are only at end of week 1 and he still has unticked boxes.

Enjoying the show so far, although as others have said curious why those who rode the Giro don't seem so good. Maybe a misjudged preparation plan?

 

[Escarabajo]

I propose to switch the camera crews from the Vuelta with the Deutschland Tour. It is not good when we can't replay the race.

Nice ride from Jay Vine. The Vuelta usually give us great surprises.

 

[HelloDolly]

I just checked the current Top-30 on GC. I have to be full of praise: all 30 riders world-class, without any exception. This Vuelta really has a super strong line up. The best of stages is still to come. Gaps are tight. Looking forward to another two weeks of great racing!

Everyone ahs said both the Giro and the Tour were very hard this year ...ridden very fast ...mental is what alot of riders called them

Unfortunately this kind of racing is vey hard to recover from , not just physically but mentally...Carapaz, Landa, Nibali, Pozzo, and others have clearly not recovered from the Giro...there are a few riders as we have seen over the years who are better at their second GT , well at least in the first half , maybe like Mas

I guess you cant have it both ways ...great Giros/Tours and then everyone up for the Vuelta

I do think Hindley, Yates, TGH, Almedia may get better as the race progresses but it may be too late

Looks like a 3 horse race

Pity Vine lost time early on as the best climber in the race imo

 

[tobydawq]

What's with all the ?

What should they have done differently today? We all know that Almeida rides his own tempo, and Ayuso certainly did his best too. When they're this equal, it doesn't make sense to make one slave for the other (especially given the fact that they're only fringe top 10 riders at the moment).

Oh, my laughing is my neutral sentiment. I laugh therefore I am I am laughing at how they literally have no GC team as all their riders ride free as they will. I absolutely wouldn't have sacrificed anyone of JAJA at this point, that'd be really stupid. But I'd question how smart it is to allow everyone else in UAE to do whatever they please That's why I laugh a lot at UAE. And suggest they are doing a Movistar number trying to win the team classification instead

I can find a lot of things very funny without meaning I disagree though. I rarely ever laugh out of spite of what someone says, I laugh because of whatever funny thought comes up in my own head. There's nothing more funny than ones own thoughts
[/QUOTE]

I don't see the funny here. It's not exactly like their tactics are unprecedented. Imagine if all teams who had top 10 GC aspirations had all their riders on a tight leash throughout the three weeks - that would be a pretty boring race.

Aren't you just overly analysing UAE specifically and comparing them to how Jumbo, Ineos and other normal GC winning teams traditionally have chosen to ride (not Jumbo anno 2022)?