Cobo's invisibility

[Fergoose]

Cobo will end up 30th or 31st overall which is better than I was expecting from him in France to be honest. But yes, in just a few short weeks he’ll wipe out that 1hr 2mins deficit to Froome and be competitive with Contador.

What Movistar's tactics were at the TdF I have no idea, summed up by having Valverde & Rui Costa putting in their biggest efforts on the same stage and not in a way that assisted each other.

 

[JeanRobic]

+1. @ the OP: Why would he exhaust himself at the Tour if it has been made plain in the media that he's focusing on the Vuelta? His 29th is better than some riders that came in with more ambitious agendas.

Oh, it's just that most riders who get a Grand Tour win under their belt seem to want more visibility in subsequent GTs. In a way, the fact that Cobo has no points of either kind says more than his creditable GC position. But there's nothing wrong with him riding a quiet TdF, especially if it's to train for the upcoming Vuelta.

Simoni had a fairly quiet Tour in 2004, placing 17th after winning the Giro, but at least he was noisy in the sense of saying he was going to drop Armstrong in the mountains!

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

I'm not too surprised by this, there is a BIG gap between the competition in the tour and Vuelta.

This has nothing to do with it.

1) Cobo only started training in january due to physical problems
2) The Vuelta is again the main goal for Cobo. The Tour merely functions as build-up. He was there mainly for Valverde.

Cobo has gotten from **** level to within 1 minute of the yellow jersey between the start of the race and the stage a few days ago. So I'd say he is on track for the Vuelta.

 

[mscaviy2601]

I think they all were involved in the mass crash, which everyone seems to have forgotten about. It effectively eliminated 50% of Sky's possible opposition.

Well after stage 6, Rui Costa was only 42" down and Valverde was better placed than Pinot and Rolland so I don't think that works as an argument.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

I'm not too surprised by this, there is a BIG gap between the competition in the tour and Vuelta.

if anything this has been the weakest tour field since 06

anyway he'll be good at vuelta. Which is shaping up to be a promising race.

 

[dlwssonic]

Cobo has been getting better and better as the tour goes on.
I expect him to be very good for the vuelta.

 

[movingtarget]

if anything this has been the weakest tour field since 06

anyway he'll be good at vuelta. Which is shaping up to be a promising race.

His ride on the last mountain stage indicated improvement. Valverde was supposed to be their GC rider. He has been anonymous but no more so than riders like Menchov. I am starting to think that people wrote off the results from the Vuelta too easily and the rides by Wiggins and Froome from that race indicated they could do well in their next grand tour but most people seemed to think the Vuelta form counted for nothing in the Tour. Even though the Tour is raced harder stage for stage I think the quality of the performances in all three grand tours are starting to crossover and it's only really the routes that are very different. The shorter stages from the past two Tours have worked really well.

 

[gustienordic]

if anything this has been the weakest tour field since 06

This year the Vuelta field should be the strongest of the GTs in terms of who actually finishes the race (theoretically) and will have the better GT riders like Contador racing. Plus its more climbing suited so J-Rod will do well (maybe) and other climbers. It should be the best GT this year.

 

[movingtarget]

This year the Vuelta field should be the strongest of the GTs in terms of who actually finishes the race (theoretically) and will have the better GT riders like Contador racing. Plus its more climbing suited so J-Rod will do well (maybe) and other climbers. It should be the best GT this year.

I enjoyed the Vuelta last year more than the Giro. At least it was a contest. As you said this one should also be good. This year the Giro has outdone the Tour at least for drama and maintaining interest and also had a superior route. Even though I was happy to see more TT kms added to the race. It was time for a change, expect the opposite in the Tour next year. Maybe a mountain TT ?

 

[RHRH19861986]

I don´t really understand Cobo and Movistar´s team management.

Cobo surprisingly won the Vuelta, and instead of taking this for motivation to work towards the Tour, he focusses on the Vuelta again, to win it again.

They hoped for a Valverde on podium in Paris, and at least one stage win for Valverde. They have this stage win, but not much more. Is the Tour so unimportant?

Cobo´s race program 2012 clearly indicates he´ll go for the Vuelta.

He seems to be quite a special person, which I like. The question regarding guys like him always is: is he able to show his rare world class performances due to this mentality, or would he be much, much better if he would change his approach? Somehow reminds me of riders like Ullrich, Jose Maria Jimenez and others.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I don´t really understand Cobo and Movistar´s team management.

Cobo surprisingly won the Vuelta, and instead of taking this for motivation to work towards the Tour, he focusses on the Vuelta again, to win it again.

They hoped for a Valverde on podium in Paris, and at least one stage win for Valverde. They have this stage win, but not much more. Is the Tour so unimportant?

Cobo´s race program 2012 clearly indicates he´ll go for the Vuelta.

Movistar are a Spanish team. The Vuelta is very important to them. Moreover, given the Tour parcours this year, they were never likely to be frontrunners for it. Valverde's still finding his feet after his ban, and the rest of the team is very much as it has been since he was banned; a very strong support team with no leaders. Lots of guys who can place in the top 30, nobody who can place in the top 5.

However, they may have felt, going into the season, they can win the Vuelta. Maybe that is less likely to be the case with it being the only GT of the year for Contador and Schleck now, but they have riders who are capable of winning the Vuelta, who probably aren't capable of winning the Tour and certainly aren't capable of winning the Tour on the 2012 Parcours.

Juan José Cobo is 31 years old, and has had psychological issues in the past. He, and the team, probably feel that he has little room for improvement, and would not cope well with the pressure of expectations at the Tour. He often rides near the back of the péloton in races with high average speeds, and so gets caught out by the splits. At a race with a more relaxed average speed, like the Vuelta, he is more comfortable. However, Cobo is still a hugely talented bike rider; Movistar would probably have been hoping for a good GC out of Valverde, but with stages as a backup plan, and because of his climbing abilities and the medium- and high-mountain stages he's won in his career he's worth having in the team for that reason.

 

[theyoungest]

Well after stage 6, Rui Costa was only 42" down and Valverde was better placed than Pinot and Rolland so I don't think that works as an argument.

Rui Costa indeed didn't crash (I think). Valverde however did crash, and not once but multiple times. You can dismiss that as a valid argument, because Pinot and Rolland apparently crashed as well, but every crash is different. And the Tour de France is relentless, you can't recover.