Colombia Oro y Paz (2.1), 06.02-10.02

[hfer07]

happy to see lots of people on the streets cheering on the riders!!

 

[DNP-Old]

Re: Re:

What a crappy route

Not much that the organization can do about it in the first year and in February.

What a crappy route

It's a good route. Could it have been better? Sure. But we're living in February, you can't send a peloton that's in full buildup mode up the mythical climbs that are either way too tough or way too high.

No reason to get defensive, its a bad route. As the poster above said, Im not asking for mythical climbs like La Linea, but a route where its actually possible to race outside the last 3-4 kilometres. We basically have 3 pancake flat stages followed up by 2 pancake stages with a shallow hilltop-finish. Thats not really acceptable. Its Colombia, this route looks like a Abu Dhabi carbon copy minus the TT which also would have been really welcome. Christ, the San Juan-route is more inspiring than this, I think...

So what its February? Again referring to the poster above, that shouldn't scare you from including actual climbs like San Luis - and then we are talking mid January, not February. Just because you are an early season race doesn't mean you need to make anti-racing routes like TDU-routes where you can pack all the highlights from the race into a 2-minute video. If you think its too hard, don't race it, damnit. The riders are training at much, much more difficult terrain, a few harder hills/mountains wouldn't hurt. At least just spice it a bit up.....

Just like any other race pre Paris-Nice and/or Tirreno. Yelling about wanting tougher climbs is an easy thing to do in an armchair, but the organizers have to keep in mind what the riders want. In fact, inserting tougher climbs and a tougher route could very well go in a reverse way as it isn't unthinkable riders want no business with racing on such routes this early in the season. The race needs exposure and it will do so with a strong field. They could always up the levels of the route once the race is more integrated within the calendar, right now that isn't the priority.

Despite that, we have Manizales this year, which isn't the hardest climb in terms of percentages, but already goes well above 2000m. Same goes for the finish in Salento, that is also above 2000m and will have a nice showcase in the last 3k.

 

[LaFlorecita]

envivo.senalcolombia.tv/senal-en-vivo/

Thanks

 

[Valv.Piti]

Maybe Im too harsh on the race, but I still very much hope and expect that it will be harder next year. If they want an easy race they shouldn't go to Colombia, really.

It is also streamed on Tiz Cycling, so there's that. Anyone got a clue how long to go?

 

[DNP-Old]

Re:

Maybe Im too harsh on the race, but I still very much hope and expect that it will be harder next year. If they want an easy race they shouldn't go to Colombia, really.

It is also streamed on Tiz Cycling, so there's that. Anyone got a clue how long to go?

15k.

 

[DNP-Old]

Quintana crashed.

 

[manafana]

I switched on as quintana crashed, thought comm was going their mind, i agree the route could have gone through more areas, but they are sticking to showing off roads and not making it too hard. This is a bigger picture to increase racing here which will happen.

 

[hfer07]

Quintana chasing the peloton on his own- damn it !!

 

[hfer07]

Gaviria - tooooo easy

 

[Valv.Piti]

What an exhibition by Quick Step!

 

[hfer07]

How much Quintana lost ? close to a minute?

 

[manafana]

QS train pulling a gap likes its echelon racing, well done to the mastabon lad who just hung on for dear life and took 2nd

 

[can3478]

Re:

Quintana chasing the peloton on his own- damn it !!

Why his teammates not drop back to help?

 

[DNP-Old]

 

[Arked]

Well, I'm not watching this then I say no to pancake flat stage races. I still have Tour of Britain 2017 trauma.

yep, pancake flat
http://movistarteam.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/COP-perfil-Chipre.jpg

This is basically false flat.

 

[DNP-Old]

Nairo didn't lose time.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

Nairo didn't lose time.

Was his crash in the final 3km?

 

[capuldemetal]

Re: Re:

Nairo didn't lose time.

Was his crash in the final 3km?

goga said in the last 5 k's.if true ..it was one hell of a tt from him

 

[Valv.Piti]

Its good to see the crash in San Juan won't hurt Gaviria's classics campaign. Him finishing the NC at a respectable place was already a good sign. I feel weird really rooting for a sprinter like this...

 

[DNP-Old]

Re: Re:

Nairo didn't lose time.

Was his crash in the final 3km?

He passed the line with the peloton. The one you constantly saw on screen was Dayer.

 

[Velolover2]

If Gaviria had acted as Richeze's lead-out man, Quick Step would still have won fairly easy. Even young Hodeg could have won with this sprinting competition.

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Last kms for late comers https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=15&v=DjMl5B7Xphk

 

[Jspear]

Lol just watched the finale. It didn't even look like quickstep really had to try. Not their fault...

 

[Netserk]

It was like watching HTC in the Dark Ages.

 

[GuyIncognito]

Re:

It was like watching HTC in the Dark Ages.

Nah, I saw others on the front in the last 10kms