Best way to climb silly gradients

[Waterloo Sunrise]

I'm on holiday miles from a mobile phone signal for the rest of the Vuelta now, so I just wanted to start a quick Angliru discussion.

Obviously lighter is better, hence the general assumption Jrod will fly. But how about tempo?

Thinking back to the last 2 years on the Zoncolan, 2 turbo diesels have done better than expected (Basso, Nibali), and I'm wondering whether a steady threshold ride up is particularly important on a climb this tough, as opposed to attacking bursts and going in to oxygen debt on a climb where there is nowhere to take a 5 second break.

 

[William H]

There's effectively no advantage to being on someone's wheel on extreme gradients, so setting your own sustainable tempo makes more sense than launching and reacting to attacks.

 

[luckyboy]

Hope this isn't going to spark an Angliru vs Zoncolan discussion.

Isn't Angliru meant to have more irregular gradients? Meaning it is harder to make a steady tempo.

Seems that the group will eventually shatter and everyone will probably be grinding up it at their own pace from then onwards.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Hope this isn't going to spark an Angliru vs Zoncolan discussion.

Isn't Angliru meant to have more irregular gradients? Meaning it is harder to make a steady tempo.

Yup, thats the obvious counter point - will certainly require some very snazzy powertap--> gear change manouevers.

 

[luckyboy]

Last time, Astana and Caisse broke it up early on and before too long it was Piti, Purito, Levi and Contador. AC went on some insane gradient with about 4km to go.

Maybe if Nibali is feeling really good Liquigas can go hard at the bottom to break the group up straightaway.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Last time, Astana and Caisse broke it up early on and before too long it was Piti, Purito, Levi and Contador. AC went on some insane gradient with about 4km to go.

Maybe if Nibali is feeling really good Liquigas can go hard at the bottom to break the group up straightaway.

Have Liquigas had anyone to do that role this tour?

Will certainly be interesting to see if the 8% 'easy' section at the bottom is a truce, or if anyone things they can get an advantage from shelling some there.

 

[Anonymous]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65u44um5mBw&feature=related

 

[luckyboy]

Agnoli, Bellotti, Capecchi and Caruso are decent climbers. Shame they don't have another Szmyd because he could do the job.

 

[hfer07]

Last time, Astana and Caisse broke it up early on and before too long it was Piti, Purito, Levi and Contador. AC went on some insane gradient with about 4km to go.

Maybe if Nibali is feeling really good Liquigas can go hard at the bottom to break the group up straightaway.

as long as they don't blow up Nibali-since the insane 21% slopes is where the riders need the most energy to complete the task & those gradients come at the very last kms.-Nibali has to ride the Angliru exactly like he did in La Bola del Mundo -the same goes to Wiggins

 

[luckyboy]

After about 6km is where the gradients get really crazy. The first few kms are about 7-8% if I remember correctly.

 

[Michielveedeebee]

just grind the **** out of your bike on silly gradients

 

[luckyboy]

I prefer to just zoom up them.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

as long as they don't blow up Nibali-since the insane 21% slopes is where the riders need the most energy to complete the task & those gradients come at the very last kms.-Nibali has to ride the Angliru exactly like he did in La Bola del Mundo -the same goes to Wiggins

Nibali will ride the climb as if there's nobody else there. It's how he did Bola, and it's how he did Zoncolán. As a result he won't really need it to be super-drilled and run the risk of not going in his comfort zone. Do we think Szmyd was really drilling it with everything he had on Finestre in the Giro? I think Szmyd was riding at the tempo Nibali was comfortable, but because of Szmyd's reputation the other GC men weren't willing to chance their arm and take up the pacemaking themselves. That's a large part of why Kiryienka's lead swelled so much and Rujano and Betancourt were able to stay a good way ahead.

Katyusha are the most likely candidates to really drill it. Rodríguez still needs plenty of time and needs to go early. When he goes, having domestiques will be an irrelevance.

Before we get any corrections based on J-Rod's being dropped on Sunday, because Rodríguez needs the time he needs to go early whether he's got the form or legs or not. Do you remember who started the hostilities on the Romme and Colombière in 2009? Carlos Sastre. No, really. He had to try to go early because he was a long way down. And he blew himself up very quickly because he didn't have the legs for it at all - but he was too dangerous for everybody to just watch him ride away.

 

[roundabout]

If Nibali is on a mediocre day like it happened on stages to Sestriere and Gardeccia he will suffer.

He also doesn't seem to like consecuitive mountain stages. We'll see if that's the case this year.

 

[rzombie1988]

I think J-Rod is probably too far out to win the Vuelta, but I definitely have him as the winner on the Angliru. His attacking style is perfect for this and I have no doubt that he will pull it off. Should be a war though either way as a ton of guys are still mathemathically in it.

 

[usedtobefast]

I prefer to just zoom up them.

me too. fly like a brick.

 

[thehog]

I'm on holiday miles from a mobile phone signal for the rest of the Vuelta now, so I just wanted to start a quick Angliru discussion.

Obviously lighter is better, hence the general assumption Jrod will fly. But how about tempo?

Thinking back to the last 2 years on the Zoncolan, 2 turbo diesels have done better than expected (Basso, Nibali), and I'm wondering whether a steady threshold ride up is particularly important on a climb this tough, as opposed to attacking bursts and going in to oxygen debt on a climb where there is nowhere to take a 5 second break.

The part most forget that for top 10 riders they need to be able to accelerate so gear selection much different. If you're part of the rest of the field you stay in one gear and push yourself up at the same speed.

 

[Winterfold]

The steeper it is the harder it is for people to attack.

Ride at your own pace/threshold and if anyone attacks on a 20% section don't follow - if it's not Contador it won't last long and if you have more W/kg than them they will come back.

 

[WillemS]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65u44um5mBw&feature=related

That's like one big promo for Contador. It still amazes me, every time I watch it. Too bad this version has electric beeps rather commentary as audio.

It also shows there is no way to climb a climb like this but sitting on your bike backwards and upside down. Man, they are suffering. If you look at Contador just a few meters before the red flag, you can see he is totally wasted. He has to sit down, regain himself and get himself going again. I don't think I will ever now how that feels, it must hurt.

And then, Valverde. Swinging. Left, Right, Left, Right, Left, Right. I think he dreams that his hell must be like this. Swinging for eternity, full in red, legs hurting, chest burning. Left, right. Left, right. Left right. No red flag to signal an end, no line to give peace. Swinging, left, right, forever.

 

[greenedge]

Purito will win on the Angrilu. Whatever the techniques or methods explosive climbers on peak form are hard to beat. They are renowned as mountain men because of their very ability to explode the race and others. He also needs to start somewhere and it should suit him ( him being inspired )

 

[brianf7]

Get up it the best way you can and just do what it takes is the best way. If you want to beat someone up the top of any beast like that just hang about 3-4 lenghths behind untill you can see the top then make a move ounce you move do everything you can to make the bike go verticle as fast as you can.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Ride your own pace always works best on steep climbs like this. That's why natural climbers almost always win (unless there's a break in front ofcourse)
Anton on Zoncolan this year, even if in not 100% shape...he took the win.

On Angliru, JM Jimenez, Simoni, Heras and Contador won. I think that kinda tells the tail.