In the Tour he was not a GC rider after the Metz massacre. Except for the stage he won, I don't think he did a massive effort to finish the Tour, thus it was more like training. So I expect him to battle it out all the way to Madrid.maxmartin said:very good ITT from him today, can he put CF or JR under pressure in the coming mountains? Will he fade like CF due to the Tour effort? Too bad, lost 50 seconds on the crash, otherwise this Vuelta will be even more exciting if it is already not enough for the fans![]()
I think Movistar knew Cobo wouldnt challenge and protected Valverde from unnecessary pressure coming into the race, looks to me like he's in the form of his life, i think he'll podium.SafeBet said:I'm also convinced he'll fade.
Never trusted him as a GT rider, don't think he's consistent enough over the three weeks. Of course he might prove me wrong.
Still glad he's back to great form. He could be a factor in the Worlds.
The Hitch said:
All "discussion threads" had proper titles once, before a mod just changed them all to "discussion thread" because of some trolls.maxmartin said:
I searched your post, just want to have a thread with a proper title.
I am still suspicious about JR's long climbing ability. I think Valverde can drop both JR and CF. And Valverde has the one of the best if not the best sense of tactics.ILovecycling said:It is possible that Piti could be better than Purito n Froomey in real mountains?So Piti for podium or even 2nd?
If he is like Basso ,Im curious what he will do second season after his suspension![]()
I have never liked Valverde but credit where it's due. He has ridden very well and without his crash, the race would be even more interesting at this stage. To me Froome is the one looking vulnerable but he is a fighter as shown in last year's Vuelta. I just think he was fresher in last year's Vuelta.maxmartin said:I am still suspicious about JR's long climbing ability. I think Valverde can drop both JR and CF. And Valverde has the one of the best if not the best sense of tactics.