73rd Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana (2.Pro) // February 2nd - 6th 2022

[Lequack]

"We didn’t believe we were going to turn into such a bad gravel road with some really big rocks, so we thought it was a mistake in the GPS, but it doesn’t look like it was a mistake. We’ll have a nice mountain bike stage…"

Remco Evenepoel expects 'explosion' on Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana's off-road summit finish

Belgian thought GPS had led QuickStep-AlphaVinyl astray during recon

www.cyclingnews.com

Well, this sounds that he would've been rather satisfied if he hadn't had to ride that section.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1489655541894950915

View: https://twitter.com/ACDPeloton/status/1489655541894950915?s=20&t=pJKsGfJ0Z_LT-JtE2UBM_g

 

[Bonimenier]

To be fair this path doesn't belong in road racing. I'm not the greatest fan of gravel in stage races in general due to the fear of leaders having a mechanical issue, but I can live with it. But this was sector just was too horrendous. If even a guy like Fuglsang, an ex-MTBer, has all the trouble in the world to stay upright on an ascending part, you know there are too many stones on the road.

 

[limak_]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1489655541894950915

View: https://twitter.com/ACDPeloton/status/1489655541894950915?s=20&t=pJKsGfJ0Z_LT-JtE2UBM_g

I haven't seen anyone crashing on it today so if safety appeared not to be an issue, what was the problem with that section?
I personally have a lots of fun riding on the roads like these on my road bike from time to time when I accidentaly encounter one on my route xd

Yes Remco, we've already known and seen you don't like to ride on any other surfaces than a tarmac.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

The last climb was a little monster, no doubts. Double digit gradients and difficult off-road section. Vlasov was too strong at the end and is close to winning the race. It seems that Remco simply was going too fast for majority of the climb (trying to keep the jersey) and went too deep into anaerobic zone causing his muscles to explode. I wouldn't be shocked if he tries a solo effort on a rolling terrain at the weekend, he's too ambitious not to try and he's a specialist in it.

 

[RedheadDane]

If even a guy like Fuglsang, an ex-MTBer, has all the trouble in the world to stay upright on an ascending part, you know there are too many stones on the road.

Didn't he just slide out once? No "L-B-L-Style" artistery.

 

[Lequack]

Valverde has a rear wheel puncture at the end.

 

[Salvarani]

To be fair this path doesn't belong in road racing. I'm not the greatest fan of gravel in stage races in general due to the fear of leaders having a mechanical issue, but I can live with it. But this was sector just was too horrendous. If even a guy like Fuglsang, an ex-MTBer, has all the trouble in the world to stay upright on an ascending part, you know there are too many stones on the road.

Idk about that. He misjudged when the road turned and went too fast into the corner. He kept composure, put his foot down and got right to it again. Everybody could easily get around him when it happened. He didnt bring anyone else down.

Had he tried to brake he might have gone down. Which might have stopped the others behind him.

 

[Escarabajo]

I haven't seen anyone crashing on it today so if safety appeared not to be an issue, what was the problem with that section?
I personally have a lots of fun riding on the roads like these on my road bike from time to time when I accidentaly encounter one on my route xd

Yes Remco, we've already known and seen you don't like to ride on any other surfaces than a tarmac.

Oh dear!
I am trying hard to be a fan. Just because you are out of shape don't take it against the road conditions.

 

[Blanco]

Valverde has a rear wheel puncture at the end.

And he still dropped Remco...

 

[DaLong]

I mean, I agree you should be able to handle changing road conditions, but honestly there was no gravel, it looks like deep dirt and rocks. Having said that, looks fun to ride on my Roubaix and perhaps the riders should've changed their tire size or bike type for this stage.

 

[Blanco]

Lets be fair here. Evenepoel looked super impressive on that first stage, so we all thought his form was good.

Now two days later he is far from impressive. And he was riding a stage in a type of terrain where he failed before. So it is not strange that some people are drawing a conclusion that these kind of real mountains are still Evenepoels weakness.

His form is definitely good, otherwise he wouldn't do such damage on the first stage, but steep irregular climbs are indeed his weakness, so it's not such big surprise he couldn't hold today.
We'll see, I guess, what will happen, but to me it looks like Vuelta is not a GT for him.

 

[Red Rick]

I mean, I agree you should be able to handle changing road conditions, but honestly there was no gravel, it looks like deep dirt and rocks. Having said that, looks fun to ride on my Roubaix and perhaps the riders should've changed their tire size or bike type for this stage.

Not nearly enough of that stuff for this stage. Just gotta ride thin tires and yolo the 5 minutes of gravel.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

We're all happy you're happy Nirvana.

 

[Nirvana]

We're all happy you're happy Nirvana.

Happy for what? It's just funny seeing fanboys that think he's a GC contender jumping from onanism to mental gymnastic.

 

[zigzag wanderer]

Jumbo-Visma have pulled out with 2 Covid infections according to PCS.

 

[RedheadDane]

Jumbo-Visma have pulled out with 2 Covid infections according to PCS.

Yeah...

Team Jumbo-Visma withdraws from Tour of Valencia

After two positive corona tests, Team Jumbo-Visma will no longer be at the start of the Tour of Valencia today.

www.teamjumbovisma.com

 

[RedheadDane]

DSM out too.
Weirdly enough, Movistar - who had two positives earlier this week - are continuing.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

DSM out too.
Weirdly enough, Movistar - who had two positives earlier this week - are continuing.

They're the ones infecting all the others!!! It's their plan to be the last ones standing and get MAS a GC win!

 

[Samamba]

DSM out too.
Weirdly enough, Movistar - who had two positives earlier this week - are continuing.

Probably because they have riders in the top 10.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Happy for what? It's just funny seeing fanboys that think he's a GC contender jumping from onanism to mental gymnastic.

Oh, it seemed like you needed to get that off your chest, so i figured you would be happy to be able to unload. Also impeccable timing, to wait until the race was over, rather than doing it before the race, to share that he won't be a GC rider. I'm sure you would still have done so had he won the stage or finished top 3 (like he did in Burgos on longer and steeper climbs than wednesday). I'm glad you have him all figured out and are able to predict at his age, under the conditions he has raced so far (early season, overweight, covid-break, recovering, limited experience...) what he can and can not do. From here on out, we'll just tag you @Nirvana in case we have questions about whether Evenepoel will be able to contend for a race or stage or not.

 

[Netserk]

At least someone is happy with the bedrock of support that is the Belgians.

 

[Nirvana]

Oh, it seemed like you needed to get that off your chest, so i figured you would be happy to be able to unload. Also impeccable timing, to wait until the race was over, rather than doing it before the race, to share that he won't be a GC rider. I'm sure you would still have done so had he won the stage or finished top 3 (like he did in Burgos on longer and steeper climbs than wednesday). I'm glad you have him all figured out and are able to predict at his age, under the conditions he has raced so far (early season, overweight, covid-break, recovering, limited experience...) what he can and can not do. From here on out, we'll just tag you @Nirvana in case we have questions about whether Evenepoel will be able to contend for a race or stage or not.

Here it comes the deluge of excuses, are you sure haven't you forgotten some else?

Anyway if you want something in advance save that, he'll easily win Algarve (+Foia and probably the ITT) but there will likely be someone better than him on Malhão whereas in Tirreno stage 2 is perfect to do his trick, stage 4 probably also within his range, stage 5 already too much if there is the crazy wall of 2017 and on Carpegna he'll be easily dropped and if they'll go hard already on the first ascent he'll ship at least a couple of minutes.

Feel free to ask again whenever you want.

 

[RedheadDane]

Probably because they have riders in the top 10.

But I thought it was a UCI rule that if a team had two positives in the lineup of a race, they had to pull out.

 

[Fantastico]

But I thought it was a UCI rule that if a team had two positives in the lineup of a race, they had to pull out.

Seems like that just applies to Grand Tours:

"In case of a positive PCR test returned during the course of a stage race, the rider or staff member concerned shall be excluded from the Event. Derogations may, however, be granted by the UCI Medical Director in coordination with the Covid-doctor of the Event, if it is established, at his comfortable satisfaction, that the rider or staff member concerned is not contagious and not likely to infect third persons."

"In case positive Covid PCR tests are returned for two or more riders of a team within a 7- day period during the course of a GrandTour, the UCI Medical Director shall authorize the event organiser to exclude the team from the Event, subject to:

• Follow-up viral diagnostic tests confirming the positive results , and
• The team failing to establish, prior to the start of the next stage, at the UCI Medical Director’s comfortable satisfaction , that other riders (apart from the riders who returned positive viral diagnostic tests) shall not be considered as contact cases with high-risk exposure ."

https://assets.ctfassets.net/761l7g...5ec4cb/2022.01.21_COVID_Protocol_Road_ENG.pdf

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Here it comes the deluge of excuses, are you sure haven't you forgotten some else?

Anyway if you want something in advance save that, he'll easily win Algarve (+Foia and probably the ITT) but there will likely be someone better than him on Malhão whereas in Tirreno stage 2 is perfect to do his trick, stage 4 probably also within his range, stage 5 already too much if there is the crazy wall of 2017 and on Carpegna he'll be easily dropped and if they'll go hard already on the first ascent he'll ship at least a couple of minutes.

Feel free to ask again whenever you want.

Hmm, if those are excuses, about half of them have to be excuses for his rivals, when he was crushing them in previous 1 week GC's. I simply listed conditions that made it unclear for how we can exactly judge his future potential either way. But you're right, i might have forgotten some.