Teams & Riders He's coming home!!!! Alejandro Valverde comeback thread.

[Echoes]

What about answering the ''question(s)''?

Oh sorry, couldn't refrain.


The other BigMac

 

[BigMac]

Oh sorry, couldn't refrain.


The other BigMac

priceless.


PS: patterns I'd never call you a jerk.

 

[The fridge in the blue trees]

Contador is the coward not Valverde.
Instead of taking responibility, he wants to drop Froome, ok, ride, he hides behind Purito and Valverde. They didn't help!!!
Plus, why did he let Zaugg chase Moreno+Caruso? To drop Froome having those 2 ahead was the best thing that could happen. 2 guys that will ride for Purito keeping Froome away, just give them enough advantage before. But no, caught way too early since Zaugg had to keep them close. AFraid of not being able to follow Purito? Coward.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Contador is the coward not Valverde.
Instead of taking responibility, he wants to drop Froome, ok, ride, he hides behind Purito and Valverde. They didn't help!!!
Plus, why did he let Zaugg chase Moreno+Caruso? To drop Froome having those 2 ahead was the best thing that could happen. 2 guys that will ride for Purito keeping Froome away, just give them enough advantage before. But no, caught way too early since Zaugg had to keep them close. AFraid of not being able to follow Purito? Coward.

Fair enough

 

[MBotero]

Valverde about a collaboration with Contador and Purito to get rid of Froome:“we didn’t talk that much. In any case, I didn’t trust either of them very much

 

[contador977]

I dont like how Valverde is riding. Sure he is strong. To just follow wheels and outsprint everyone is not the way Id want to win a Vuelta. At the same time, respect to Valverde for being able to follow attacks. I just dont appreciate him drafting the whole climb until the end, its a real slap in the face if Im a rival. Winning the Vuelta drafting up climbs and outsprinting Contador and Rodriquez is a bit of a cowardly move Id say.

 

[PirazziAttacksVino]

I believe that Pity will have a bad day in one of Farrapona or Ancares stages. But considering that he's fighting for the win, he played it perfectly today imo. He knew that he couldn't drop Contador, so why not save the energy for the sprint, to take as many seconds as possible? Also, Contador is the leader, so Valverde knows that he has to take the responsabillity to try to stay away from Froome and eliminate him from the fight for the red jersey.

 

[cineteq]

Velverde: "It's true that maybe a little more collaboration would have served to distance Froome a bit more, but I did not trust Purito or Alberto"

http://www.ciclo21.com/15a-vuelta-espana-contador-purito-y-valverde-juegan-en-lagos/

So instead he loses an opportunity to win a stage and take more time on Froome. Now, rooting for Contador and Froome to get rid of him.

 

[jaylew]

The #1 priority is not trying to get time on Froome. He wants to win. To do that he needs to get time on Contador.

 

[BigMac]

I dont like how Valverde is riding. Sure he is strong. To just follow wheels and outsprint everyone is not the way Id want to win a Vuelta. At the same time, respect to Valverde for being able to follow attacks. I just dont appreciate him drafting the whole climb until the end, its a real slap in the face if Im a rival. Winning the Vuelta drafting up climbs and outsprinting Contador and Rodriquez is a bit of a cowardly move Id say.

It's not coward. You have to understand that it is the only way he can do it.

 

[cineteq]

The #1 priority is not trying to get time on Froome. He wants to win. To do that he needs to get time on Contador.

He could've accomplished the same thing, and more, winning the stage.

 

[deValtos]

He probably annoyed a lot of people but I think he rode a tactically astute race today. Helping Contador could have been the nail in the coffin for Froome securing Valverde a podium spot ... but then he probably only takes the 6 bonus seconds instead of the 11 he got today over AC.

It's not like we're going to see Valv drop AC for a ton of time on any stage so he needs all the seconds he can get. If that means keeping Froome in the race then it's worth the risk imo.

 

[BigMac]

He could've accomplished the same thing, and more, winning the stage.

You're missing the point, though. Nowhere would he have dropped Contador today. And would risk being counter-attacked and not having the strenght to respond. Remember he attacked yesterday and shot himself in the foot, even though his attack was logical.

 

[cineteq]

You're missing the point, though. Nowhere would he have dropped Contador today. And would risk being counter-attacked and not having it to respond.

I'm not missing any point. This is provided they have agreed to collaborate with each other more. Meaning Contador would've agreed to take 3rd place.

 

[BigMac]

I'm not missing any point. This is provided they have agreed to collaborate with each other more. Meaning Contador would've agreed to take 3rd place.

Sorry, missed that. His motives seem understandable to me though.

 

[Rollthedice]

He did good today. The only measure for this are the 11 seconds he gained on the red jersey. Everything else is just talk.

 

[No_Balls]

So why did Banesto not drop Indurain? Watching him was pretty boring imo

Indurain was considered boring because once in the yellow he started ride more conservative. If it wasnt time trials between which secured yellow he had some stunning rides as Val Louron -91, Sestrieres -92, Hautacam -94, Seraing -95. You wont see such rides from Piti in a lifetime. Guy actually rides conservative even in second place with just half a minute adrift.

He's an complete nightmare and yet he could very well be the most complete racer of them all

 

[Netserk]

You're missing the point, though. Nowhere would he have dopped Contador today. And would risk being counter-attacked and not having the strenght to respond. Remember he attacked yesterday and shot himself in the foot, even though his attack was logical.

:facepalm:

It was idiotic. End of.

Have only seen the last 6km of today's stage, but he played it right there. Cycling is about winning, not attacking/panache/pulling/pleasing the fans. I enjoy cynical riding with the aim for victory over dumb attacks (like Piti's yesterday) and dumb non-attacks (Piti many times).

 

[BigMac]

:facepalm:

It was idiotic. End of.

Have only seen the last 6km of today's stage, but he played it right there. Cycling is about winning, not attacking/panache/pulling/pleasing the fans. I enjoy cynical riding with the aim for victory over dumb attacks (like Piti's yesterday) and dumb non-attacks (Piti many times).

I've written about it in the stage thread, won't do it again. Obviously agree with your last paragraph.

 

[TANK91]

lol at the hate Valverde is getting it is so wrong the guy has the best performance of anyone this Vuelta on a climb. Please haters go watch Zubia, who wheelsucked that day?. Valverde attacked yesterday aswell and blew himself up. If Contador is just going to attack him like crazy all climb why help? Contador was ovi trying to drop him, why not ride tempo with eachother i for sure would be annoyed to keep responding.

And anyway Valverde came through to do a turn put his elbows out and Purito or Contador did not come through. Im not even a Valverde fan do not even care if he wins would actually like him not too but he as been very agressive.

 

[jaylew]

I'm not missing any point. This is provided they have agreed to collaborate with each other more. Meaning Contador would've agreed to take 3rd place.

Given that, sure, but he even said he didn't trust them. Why would he? They kept attacking.

 

[movingtarget]

Valverde had a rush of blood in the previous stage and it cost him. He did not make the same mistake on the last stage. He rode the smart stage and Contador can say what he likes. The bonus seconds are important as Valverde knows. Both he and Rodriguez remember the 2012 Vuelta which is turning out to be a very similar race except this time it is Contador leading on GC not Rodriguez. Froome is doing great in minimising his losses but it seems he has not got the form to challenge Contador.

An in form Froome would not be constantly getting dropped but he is still adding interest to the race. Too bad the second time trial was not a long one where the changes of pace would not effect Froome so much. His first TT probably cost him a podium. It is obvious that Contador and Froome are not at their best and it's enough to keep Valverde and Rodriguez in the hunt for the overall.

 

[cineteq]

Given that, sure, but he even said he didn't trust them. Why would he? They kept attacking.

Contador attacked them because they didn't take turns. If anything Valverde is the one not to be trusted.

 

[Angliru]

Contador is the coward not Valverde.
Instead of taking responibility, he wants to drop Froome, ok, ride, he hides behind Purito and Valverde. They didn't help!!!
Plus, why did he let Zaugg chase Moreno+Caruso? To drop Froome having those 2 ahead was the best thing that could happen. 2 guys that will ride for Purito keeping Froome away, just give them enough advantage before. But no, caught way too early since Zaugg had to keep them close. AFraid of not being able to follow Purito? Coward.

If he were a "coward" he would've sat in, done no work and never attacked, only to jump the wheels he had followed and stolen valuable seconds at the line if he had the legs to do so. Since he didn't use the word "coward" in describing his fellow Spaniards choice of tactics, it shouldn't be applied to him I think what we have here is a lot of keyboard warriors who have no idea about how hard this sport actually is, likely too accustomed to the fantasy of PCM and confusing reality with the game itself.

 

[Angliru]

Velverde: "It's true that maybe a little more collaboration would have served to distance Froome a bit more, but I did not trust Purito or Alberto"

http://www.ciclo21.com/15a-vuelta-espana-contador-purito-y-valverde-juegan-en-lagos/

So instead he loses an opportunity to win a stage and take more time on Froome. Now, rooting for Contador and Froome to get rid of him.

Purito said pretty much the same thing about Contador. He said he stopped collaborating because Contador kept attacking him. I imagine Contador kept attacking because he felt Purito's pulls were half hearted and lacked conviction. They all had their own interests in mind of course.