Euskal Herriko Itzulia 2018 - April 2-7

[wirral]

Bevin best intermediate.

 

[Gigs_98]

Re: Re:

Kwiato sprints well this year but inconsistent in classics and climbing so far (Despite winning Tirreno and Algarve)

So same as every year? :surprised:

Except this year he's taken it to a whole new level: inconsistent within classics. Like at ronde, awful on kwaremont, strong on paterberg, ok on kopperberg, terrible again on kruisberg/kwaremont.

Kwaremont: long (for a Flemish climb) and gradual
Paterberg: short and steep
Koppenberg: rather short and steep
Kruisberg/Hotond: long and gradual

It isn't the first time Kwiatkowski explodes on the Kwaremont in the Ronde (2013, 2016).

And I don't find his climbing inconsistent this year (except the first days in basque country, but that's probably because he still had sore legs).

yeah but kwiat is the guy who led for 10km of the izoard. I don't think he'd find the kwaremont 'long'. And it shouldn't be a power thing, he's a great TT-er and Nibali (less powerful) found kwaremont to be his strong point.

I honestly think Kwiat exploding on the Kwaremont has nothing to do with being inconsistent. As it's been written above, it's not the first time he is really good in the ronde and then blows up on that climb. The fact that he is always bad on that one climb seems to be too much of a coincidence.

 

[Brullnux]

yeah the inconsistent thing was a joke, but i don't understand why kwiat struggles on it so much.

gaps are ok, 35s between caruso and bevin who had a great run

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

Kwiato sprints well this year but inconsistent in classics and climbing so far (Despite winning Tirreno and Algarve)

So same as every year? :surprised:

Except this year he's taken it to a whole new level: inconsistent within classics. Like at ronde, awful on kwaremont, strong on paterberg, ok on kopperberg, terrible again on kruisberg/kwaremont.

Kwaremont: long (for a Flemish climb) and gradual
Paterberg: short and steep
Koppenberg: rather short and steep
Kruisberg/Hotond: long and gradual

It isn't the first time Kwiatkowski explodes on the Kwaremont in the Ronde (2013, 2016).

And I don't find his climbing inconsistent this year (except the first days in basque country, but that's probably because he still had sore legs).

yeah but kwiat is the guy who led for 10km of the izoard. I don't think he'd find the kwaremont 'long'. And it shouldn't be a power thing, he's a great TT-er and Nibali (less powerful) found kwaremont to be his strong point.

It's the last Kwaremont that does him every time, which makes me think it's rather than he runs out of gas in Vlaanderen, and the Kwaremont is just where it bites him in the ass. Hotond is on asphalt so it suits him way better but he's already tiring hard by that point so he can get over that but then the Kwaremont hits and it's the worst of both worlds.

For Nibali we don't really know cause he had tried and burnt his bridges by the time they started the last ascent.

 

[Brullnux]

But even on the second ascent, kwiatkowski was in the third group on the road (not totally out of positioning either) while it was undoubtedly the point when Nibali seemed strongest (he's the closest comparison to kwiatkowski).

 

[Laplaz]

Great showing by Bevin, inespecially in the second part!

 

[Red Rick]

Nibali was either gonna ride a respectable time or do a respectable effort bombing it.

ofcourse he did the latter

 

[Brullnux]

Re:

Nibali was either gonna ride a respectable time or do a respectable effort bombing it.

ofcourse he did the latter

Long range attack incoming

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

Nibali was either gonna ride a respectable time or do a respectable effort bombing it.

ofcourse he did the latter

Long range attack incoming

Yeah I think he'll want to test himself seriously one of the next 2 days so he knows what he needs in his week off.

Think he tried on day 1 to see where he's at too.

Taking a day off on the ITT makes sense.

 

[Climbing]

He said yesterday that his legs hurt and is very tired after RVV and would take it easy in the TT.
Probably the whole Basque will be just a training ride.

 

[Red Rick]

Re:

He said yesterday that his legs hurt and is very tired after RVV and would take it easy in the TT.
Probably the whole Basque will be just a training ride.

Ofcourse it is training. But I wonder if he'll know where he stands if he doesn't go hard at it one of those days.

Or it won't matter cause he'd still not know where he is after recovering from PV.

 

[Climbing]

Re: Re:

He said yesterday that his legs hurt and is very tired after RVV and would take it easy in the TT.
Probably the whole Basque will be just a training ride.

Ofcourse it is training. But I wonder if he'll know where he stands if he doesn't go hard at it one of those days.

Or it won't matter cause he'd still not know where he is after recovering from PV.

Well, he'll know after AGR or FW for sure

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

[quote="
Ofcourse it is training. But I wonder if he'll know where he stands if he doesn't go hard at it one of those days.

Or it won't matter cause he'd still not know where he is after recovering from PV.

Well, he'll know after AGR or FW for sure

MOAR Training Rides

 

[Laplaz]

Ion Izaguirre not really good at the first intermediate

 

[Brullnux]

Re:

Ion Izaguirre not really good at the first intermediate

Quintana still 11" slower

 

[Frankschleck]

Did Cavanga crash?

 

[Laplaz]

Strong showing by Mollema and Konrad!

 

[Gigs_98]

Am I the only one who thinks alaphilippe looks pretty slow?

 

[Climbing]

Not that slow apparently, in line with Gorka.
Roglic good as expected, but man that huuuge gear there...

 

[hfer07]

Balaphilippe needs some ITT training & adjusting all together....

 

[staubsauger]

Wasn't Landa one of the best Spanish tt'ers with Sky last year!?

 

[Laplaz]

OMG Roglic what a ride!

 

[Climbing]

Roglic smashed it!

 

[Vroome.exe]

Amazing performance by Ala.

 

[Brullnux]

This is the most dominant performance I think I've ever seen at Pais vasco (by both roglic and ala). Contador 2014 and kloden up there as well.