Vuelta a España La Vuelta Femenina 2023 (1st-7th May)

[Red Rick]

From now on, the worthwhileness of race parcours in the women's péloton will be judged solely on Gaia Realini's GC position.

More echelons is always worse

 

[ice&fire]

A truly undeserving winnner

 

[KZD]

Sometimes the best rider doesn't win a GC and this Vuelta was one of those examples. Still, Van Vleuten has merit on her victory. Great climbing performance by Realini, I didn't know her but she seems like a huge talent.

 

[yaco]

Today it came down to who believed that she would win. Vollering never gave her all except for the final sprint. AVV never gave up. Although the damage was done yesterday by some inexplicable tactics by SDWorx. How does only SDWorx team need to pee and the rest of the peloton does not. Moral: pee before u ride.

Have posted all year that SD Worx ARE tactically naive - Allthy had to do in stage six was drop Reusser back from the leading group to pace Vollering before the second last climb.

 

[yaco]

I am hearing Realini for the TDF - She'd have to do an outstanding ride on the Tourmalet because she will lose time in the ITT.

 

[Red Rick]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1655246146221031434

View: https://twitter.com/ammattipyoraily/status/1655246146221031434

 

[ice&fire]

That looks like a random place to take times. Starting from the roundabout, there is a short flat section after ~7km, and the first of the two descents starts after 8.5km. Elevation gain just below 790m seems ok between the roundabout and the start of the first descent. Maybe the times are ok and the distance is off, which would still give a valid VAM figure, but I'm not sure. In any case that'd be a 2% error at worst.

 

[Red Rick]

That looks like a random place to take times. Starting from the roundabout, there is a short flat section after ~7km, and the first of the two descents starts after 8.5km. Elevation gain just below 790m seems ok between the roundabout and the start of the first descent. Maybe the times are ok and the distance is off, which would still give a valid VAM figure, but I'm not sure. In any case that'd be a 2% error at worst.

It's probably the best long section you can get on Covadonga.

 

[Skalman]

Undeserving how? Because the best team on paper was caught napping? Nah, a thoroughly deserved winner and a very fun race overall

 

[Wyndbrook]

Not such goods news, missed some much of what happened yesterday before live coverage.

Anyway ,optimistic as always I,m expecting today to be a classic battle.

For once my optimism was justified.

I thought the way Vollering interacted with the parents of Estrela Dominguez on the podium today was so kind and heartfelt.

 

[awavey]

The tactics of Sdworx is baffling, is everyone on that team just ride for themselves? (much like the Dutch at the Worlds historically) I dont like Vollering one bit but she is number one so where are her team mates, why dosent anyone help her pace her back, Reusser helped little in the end it but looked very half arsed . Really hard to understand . I know Vollering Routinely attacks with a team mate up the road and bringing other riders into the mix that wouldn't even be there if there wasn't for Vollering closing the gap to her team mates, maybe they are fed up

they would have been able to pace back had the race jury not decided to enforce a barrage at that point, that left a much harder gap to crossover, and maybe they were fed up because it was the 2nd time it had happened to them on the race, and there was a distinct anyone but SDWorx vibe going on with other teams riders. I dont get the same feeling as you are having there are issues at SD Worx with Vollering and the other riders, except maybe Kopecky, but if she wins, they win, why wouldnt they ride for her ?

 

[awavey]

I am hearing Realini for the TDF - She'd have to do an outstanding ride on the Tourmalet because she will lose time in the ITT.

if they put her on 650 wheels she'd probably do even better than she has already.

 

[awavey]

Undeserving how? Because the best team on paper was caught napping? Nah, a thoroughly deserved winner and a very fun race overall

because it feels like one of those she won it because her rival was naive, not because she was the strongest/best rider, which isnt something you normally say abou AvV, normally you say she won because she completely dominated and was streets ahead of everyone else, this time its well she didnt win any stages, and she kind of got soundly beaten on the mountain top stages, which is normally solely her domain, and she gained her winning time gap because her rival stopped for 10 seconds longer to take a pee...

maybe undeserving is a bit harsh, but it doesnt feel like its that memorable a victory AvV will reflect much on in years to come

and Im sure it will make the Glasgow worlds a complete barrel of laughs for the Dutch team as I dont think theres any doubt Vollering wont be riding to help AvV win it.

 

[awavey]

also can anyone explain how Marianne Vos won the combativity award on the final stage, after that ?

 

[ice&fire]

It's probably the best long section you can get on Covadonga.

I get the idea of eliminating the descents from the measurements, but the length of that section does not match what one can get from either Google maps or the official topograpic map of Spain's National Geographic Institute.
Elevation gain of that best long section from these sources is 786m (Google) and 791m (official map), but the distance is 8.5km. That's 250m more than posted on twitter, which raises the question of where/when did they stop their clock.
Time, speed, VAM... at least one is inaccurate.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

also can anyone explain how Marianne Vos won the combativity award on the final stage, after that ?

None of the combativity awards made much sense during the race. They either gave them to a big name or a Spanish rider, without really looking at how they raced.

 

[Netserk]

I get the idea of eliminating the descents from the measurements, but the length of that section does not match what one can get from either Google maps or the official topograpic map of Spain's National Geographic Institute.
Elevation gain of that best long section from these sources is 786m (Google) and 791m (official map), but the distance is 8.5km. That's 250m more than posted on twitter, which raises the question of where/when did they stop their clock.
Time, speed, VAM... at least one is inaccurate.

He measures the distance of all climbs he times by hand. I guess that means using the satellite map and then manually drawing lines.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

they would have been able to pace back had the race jury not decided to enforce a barrage at that point, that left a much harder gap to crossover, and maybe they were fed up because it was the 2nd time it had happened to them on the race, and there was a distinct anyone but SDWorx vibe going on with other teams riders. I dont get the same feeling as you are having there are issues at SD Worx with Vollering and the other riders, except maybe Kopecky, but if she wins, they win, why wouldnt they ride for her ?

I don't think there are really too many issues at SD Worx (yet), but when the same team is dominating things, the media will tend to hunt for internal stories, power struggles, like with Wiggins and Froome, Cavendish and Greipel, Olano and Jiménez, all that kind of thing. I also think that because a couple of SD Worx' big names are riders who are pretty much all about themselves and themselves alone, that that impression is being projected onto Vollering because she's the one who has been dominating lately.

 

[IndianCyclist]

also can anyone explain how Marianne Vos won the combativity award on the final stage, after that ?

The same way Brendon Mcnulty got KOM

 

[Bonimenier]

The same way Brendon Mcnulty got KOM

So are they going to give someone else the combativity award today?

 

[Wyndbrook]

also can anyone explain how Marianne Vos won the combativity award on the final stage, after that ?

I did wonder if was an overall award, but there is not one.
So only can guess she did something amazing before there was TV coverage, but Vos. No too sensible.
Big name syndrome I suppose,
How Realini and not AVV was awarded it on Saturday is another story.