Teams & Riders Bahrain

[Fergoose]

Well I called that wrong. Three riders in the top 7 on the stage and 3 of the top 15 on GC, all without their leader. Clearly they spent most of their week riding within themselves ot service Landa, and have now been cut loose. Caruso strolling home from around 67kms out having apparently peaked at the Giro almost 4 months ago.

Do we know what Bahrain's budget is in comparison to some of the bigger teams? Are guys like Mader and Haig on big money?

 

[luckyboy]

Hard to remember the last time so many riders in one team had the best year of their career all in the same year - Caruso, Mäder, Haig, Colbrelli, Bilbao, Mohorič, Bauhaus...

Just Teuns and injured Landa are missing really.

 

[Pinot's goat]

Well I called that wrong. Three riders in the top 7 on the stage and 3 of the top 15 on GC, all without their leader. Clearly they spent most of their week riding within themselves ot service Landa, and have now been cut loose. Caruso strolling home from around 67kms out having apparently peaked at the Giro almost 4 months ago.

Do we know what Bahrain's budget is in comparison to some of the bigger teams? Are guys like Mader and Haig on big money?

I think Caruso just came in undercooked, he was trying to hold on but got dropped early and Haig was improving after injury. I think their performance today will look ordinary compared to what they will doing in the second half of the race.

 

[Unterlenkerfahrend]

It's hilarious how they had their "GC leader" bonk right at the beginning of a 15km climb and they could afford to have two other guys going for GC on their own finishing in the top 7 on the stage with Padun solo pacing Landa up the whole climb all while their breakaway guy soloes away for the win from 70km out.

 

[Ripper]

It's hilarious how they had their "GC leader" bonk right at the beginning of a 15km climb and they could afford to have two other guys going for GC on their own finishing in the top 7 on the stage with Padun solo pacing Landa up the whole climb all while their breakaway guy soloes away for the win from 70km out.

I somewhat wonder about Landa and whether he is actually fairly undoped or just cannot get proper training/nutrition/tactics down. He is an enigma no matter which way I look at it.

 

[Publiuszam]

Could Haig better O'connor and finish on the podium is fascinating for me, mate. If he does that i will walk down to the servo with a busted plugger and later go to stubbies n singlets Party with a jim beam ...mate and later have a oporto's, mate.

 

[SafeBet]

Next couple of weeks should be fun if they keep it up.

 

[Publiuszam]

How is Haigh climbing? I don't think The ozzies has a climber since Matty Lloyd

 

[will-10]

I'm still convinced Haig could've been on the TdF podium.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Can someone explain to me or give some theories why Landismo doesn't have top form for this races when whole team is flying? It becomes exhausting to be a Landismo fan, every grand tour is a dissapointment.

 

[roundabout]

So, Padun. 65th on GC, 6th out of Bahrain riders, in the last group yesterday (what happened there, I wonder).

Does anyone know if there are any physical issues that he is having?

 

[Netserk]

I'm not sure what the plan was for him this Vuelta; he was used quite early on Pícon Blanco (but was still 17th on the stage) and obviously came to the Vuelta in at least decent form, but he was very poor on stage 6 and especially 7. Did he let go after clearly not having the legs to be a co-captain, did he suffer from the heat, something else physically or chemically?

In any case he was already far better on Velefique, so I think at this point that he is just saving himself and taking it as easy as possible, only to strike a few times in the last week.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

So, Padun. 65th on GC, 6th out of Bahrain riders, in the last group yesterday (what happened there, I wonder).

Does anyone know if there are any physical issues that he is having?

Padun and Landa both looking shadows of what we saw earlier this year. Maybe it's the heat?

 

[Mayomaniac]

I'm not sure what the plan was for him this Vuelta; he was used quite early on Pícon Blanco (but was still 17th on the stage) and obviously came to the Vuelta in at least decent form, but he was very poor on stage 6 and especially 7. Did he let go after clearly not having the legs to be a co-captain, did he suffer from the heat, something else physically or chemically?

In any case he was already far better on Velefique, so I think at this point that he is just saving himself and taking it as easy as possible, only to strike a few times in the last week.

Santi Padun will strike hard in the 3rd week.

 

[proffate]

Padun and Landa both looking shadows of what we saw earlier this year. Maybe it's the heat?

When has Landa not looked like a shadow of himself?

 

[roundabout]

Ok, Padun was in an early move today, but then was MIA on the day the team could have used his help.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Ok, Padun was in an early move today, but then was MIA on the day the team could have used his help.

Padun's season has been very weird. But Haig still looks the best he's ever looked and Mader is phenomenal.

Maybe certain riders have been told to calm things down, but in Benelux Mohoric and Colbrelli looked also formidable

 

[SafeBet]

Padun has been this rider his whole career. An absolute beast on occasional days and then a complete nobody for most of the season. He has taken it to a different level this year, but I wasn't sure it would translate to being a GT rider or anything. And it clearly doesn't.

I agree with you on Mader, a huge leap in performance from his Qhubeka days. Haig has been a solid climber for some time now. He has certainly improved at Bahrain but I kinda expected more before the Vuelta (from the whole team actually).

 

[Tim Cahill]

Haig on Lanterne's podcast seemed to allude to Padun's ill discipline, saying he was exceptionally talented but struggled individually in managing other things.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Haig on Lanterne's podcast seemed to allude to Padun's ill discipline, saying he was exceptionally talented but struggled individually in managing other things.

Rouge should have pressed him more about that. Haig is one of the more articulate and interesting gc riders.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Padun has been this rider his whole career. An absolute beast on occasional days and then a complete nobody for most of the season. He has taken it to a different level this year, but I wasn't sure it would translate to being a GT rider or anything. And it clearly doesn't.

I agree with you on Mader, a huge leap in performance from his Qhubeka days. Haig has been a solid climber for some time now. He has certainly improved at Bahrain but I kinda expected more before the Vuelta (from the whole team actually).

A team that starts with Landa, Caruso, Poels, Padun, Tratnik, Mader, Haig, Arashiro is one of the strongest I've ever seen. Think we all expected more from Mikel, Mark and Damiano

 

[F_Cance]

Colbrelli and mohoric are so *** juiced this season. Utterly ridiculous

 

[saganftw]

truly amazing how not just one guy got better all of a sudden, several dudes have best season in their careers

 

[Ripper]

Colbrelli and mohoric are so *** juiced this season. Utterly ridiculous

Hola Colbrelli! Holy crap was that quite the performance. Not sure how truly fractured the chase was behind or whether Mohoric disrupted it much, but Colbrelli pulling off a solo like that was pretty amusing.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Colbrelli and Mohoric were hilarious today.
But then I saw Haig and especially Mäder and had to laugh even harder