La Vuelta '17 stage 3:Prades Conflent>Andorra la Vella 158km

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Nice recovery by Nibs to nab a stage win. That has to be a big boost. Froome, Nibali, Chavez all strong in final group, but Froome strongest on the climb and now in red. Hard to hold a lead on a descent with multiple chasers, and probably not the place and time to take chances. TJVG!
 
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sir fly said:
Expected more from Contador...
Don't think I've ever seen Contador look that bad in a top level race before. I could probably have dropped him on that last cimb; he couldn't even hold Stetina's wheel. :Neutral:

Hopefully he can ride himself into a bit of form and stage hunts in the last week or so; otherwise it's a sad way to end his career.
 
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Hayabusa said:
Second stage in a row where Nibali is simultaneously the winner but also appears to have lost as well (Moreno crash and getting dropped on the final climb).
Actually if a rider gains time on a bad day, it probably has more to do with the other riders racing tactics, which were crap.
Great win by Nibali, and even gaining time on a bad day. :cool:
 
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Forever The Best said:
Hayabusa said:
Second stage in a row where Nibali is simultaneously the winner but also appears to have lost as well (Moreno crash and getting dropped on the final climb).
Actually if a rider gains time on a bad day, it probably has more to do with the other riders racing tactics, which were crap.
Great win by Nibali, and even gaining time on a bad day. :cool:
Was it a bad day, or his current level? See last Giro.
 
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Forever The Best said:
Hayabusa said:
Second stage in a row where Nibali is simultaneously the winner but also appears to have lost as well (Moreno crash and getting dropped on the final climb).
Actually if a rider gains time on a bad day, it probably has more to do with the other riders racing tactics, which were crap.
Great win by Nibali, and even gaining time on a bad day. :cool:

Too early to tell. He may just have had a bit of a misfire on the final climb or wasn't confident in his form to go full gas after Froome and Chavez.
 
Nibali can't answer that kind of accelarations, to be honest he looked good, maybe finally understood to not go into red in this type of stages.
Real distance between Froome/Chaves and the 2nd group wasn't never more than 10/15 sec top and when they didn't really cooperate it was clear it would be probably closed.

I don't buy that Nibali was cooked, he did work with a couple other to close the gap and then sprinted to a solo victory.
It's just that he's not punchy or particularly good on this kind of short efforts (the Giro showed it clearly).
 
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Alexandre B. said:
Forever The Best said:
Hayabusa said:
Second stage in a row where Nibali is simultaneously the winner but also appears to have lost as well (Moreno crash and getting dropped on the final climb).
Actually if a rider gains time on a bad day, it probably has more to do with the other riders racing tactics, which were crap.
Great win by Nibali, and even gaining time on a bad day. :cool:
Was it a bad day, or his current level? See last Giro.
Good point. But still he crested the climb with Roche and only a few seconds ahead of Van Garderen. (maybe TVG was in the Nibali Gr. as well, dno.)
I don't think his current level is only slighlty better than TVG.
 
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Singer01 said:
Irondan said:
Nibali!!!

Nice late attack near the line, Nibs is looking strong!

Apart from getting dropped on a cat 2? I know everyone wants him to be strong as he is the most likely to beat Froome, but it looks like wishful thinking to me.

Nibs is looking good though. He wasn't exactly dropped. That Froome acceleration was insane! He was only about twenty seconds down at the top. And his climbing always improves as the GT goes on.

Very surprised to see poor performance from not just Contador, but from Majka and Zakarin.

I doubt that Bardet will keep this up, and Roche and TJ are pretenders. Aru and Pozzovivo are the dark horses to Froome, Nibali and Chaves (who I was extremely surprised by).
 
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Alexandre B. said:
Forever The Best said:
Hayabusa said:
Second stage in a row where Nibali is simultaneously the winner but also appears to have lost as well (Moreno crash and getting dropped on the final climb).
Actually if a rider gains time on a bad day, it probably has more to do with the other riders racing tactics, which were crap.
Great win by Nibali, and even gaining time on a bad day. :cool:
Was it a bad day, or his current level? See last Giro.
That's the question...although after a lackluster start, he got better. And week 3 he was really good. I think that only he can beat Froome.
 
Nov 29, 2010
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Matteo. said:
Today he won 'cause his great talent. Uphill we have seen at least 4 strongest riders. Those short and steel climbs don't suit him, you know.

Paid off today but that could be an issue when the Murito's start rolling in.
 
Feb 21, 2017
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Great stage! Nibbles pick-pocketing a win was nice, but I am sad that Contie did so poorly. Maybe an illness or is it just bad form?
 
Chaves looks great but I am not sure about his base for the last week

Froome showing off and going balsitic....and for what ...hubris ...and in the end he gave his biggest rival Nibali an advantge

The Vuelta will be won by conssitency and Nibali has that ...slowly and surely ...he is the one to watch
(BTW owes Nico Roche who did alot of the chasing on the flat, was going for Red...would have been better to hold on for the sprint rather than late attack )
 
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portugal11 said:
carolina said:
portugal11 said:
This isn't the giro nibali... here you face the best gt man of the planet. Overachiever little bastard!

LOL

That's what you get by overestimating lo squalo!
Nibali is a clown. And yes he is overachiever, can't even know how he won today. I will wait for angliru, that climb never lies!

You use overachiever like it's an insult, it isn't