Teams & Riders Nairo Quintana discussion thread

[carton]

carton, I agree the 5% can be significant on a cyclist like him on a given day. The bigger problem with the higher weight is losing his recuperation skills which can be more damaging. And therefore the inconsistency. You saw how Valverde solved that problem during this Vuelta.

I mean, sure, the inconsistency might be explained by a weakened ability to recover. But that's the part that' possibly hard to diagnose or work on. Maybe just solely focusing on one race a la Gerraint Thomas?

The more optimistic case would be that he's had some issues that he hasn't fully been able to work past. But who knows.

On Valverde, yeah, he's been more consistent than ever. But the lack of altitude and the relatively flat last week might also have helped.

 

[Red Rick]

Valverde isn't more consistent than ever. Both in 2018 and 2019 he had like one standout race at the highest level.

 

[movingtarget]

Valverde isn't more consistent than ever. Both in 2018 and 2019 he had like one standout race at the highest level.

Age has finally caught up with Valverde, in the classics as well but I thought his ride in the Vuelta was very impressive. What wil be interesting now is how Roglic goes against Ineos next season and tougher opposition. Pogacar as well. It's apparent that although Lopez and Quintana are doing their best, in this form they would be nowhere near the Tour podium next season. Eyebrows have to be raised a little when a 20 year old and 39 year old make the podium................

 

[Koronin]

Valverde was very impressive in the Vuelta. He's always been very consistent and this Vuelta we saw what he really hadn't seen from him this year was a very high level of consistency through out. Now it helps that it appears la Vuelta also designed a course specifically to give him that one last chance at his record breaking podium. Is it age that caught up to him, or is it simply having won the Worlds and a loss of hunger/desire, we'll likely never know.

With Quintana (back on subject) it appears something happened after 2015 as that was his highest level and he hasn't reached that again.

 

[CyclistAbi]

Congratulations to Quintana, not a podium position on La Vuelta 2019, but still a good performance.

 

[carton]

Valverde isn't more consistent than ever. Both in 2018 and 2019 he had like one standout race at the highest level.

My point exactly. In 2019 I think he really focused on the Vuelta and that's one reason why he was unusually consistent at it. In 2018 he actually cracked a bit at Collada de Gallina, just as he has on three-week stage races during most of his career. But then again in 2018 he actually won both Catalunya and Abu Dhabi, which are pretty high-level.

The particularly flat third week aided in that respect. But for stage racers, in particular, timing those peaks also helps.

 

[rick james]

Congratulations to Quintana, not a podium position on La Vuelta 2019, but still a good performance.

excellent, keeping the Nairo post for the Nairo thread....Too much Valverde talk on this thread lately

 

[Escarabajo]

While we count insignificant records, it was mentioned in NBCS that Nairo just surpassed Fabio Parra in top 10 in GT's. Parra had 10 and now Quintana has 11 with the Vuelta a España.

To be honest I think is significant. That is consistency record. And I had no idea Parra had it. He was a tough dude!!

 

[tobydawq]

While we count insignificant records, it was mentioned in NBCS that Nairo just surpassed Fabio Parra in top 10 in GT's. Parra had 10 and now Quintana has 11 with the Vuelta a España.

To be honest I think is significant. That is consistency record. And I had no idea Parra had it. He was a tough dude!!

That must be Colombians only. Valverde has 19 - most of all.

 

[Escarabajo]

That must be Colombians only. Valverde has 19 - most of all.

Yes. That's why my reference was Parra!

 

[tobydawq]

Your penultimate sentence with you not knowing "Parra had it" made me think you thought it was an outright record.

But no worries.

 

[glassmoon]

Was this Vuelta the last real chance for Nairo to podium a GT?

 

[Koronin]

I think we'll find out next year.

 

[IndianCyclist]

I think he will continue the TDF Vuelta combo especially if he fails in TDF. So opportunities will be there.

 

[Koronin]

I think he will continue the TDF Vuelta combo especially if he fails in TDF. So opportunities will be there.

If Arkea doesn't get a World Tour license they won't get a Vuelta Invite. With only 2 wild cards for the next two years la Vuelta will pick 2 of the 3 Spanish Pro Conti teams for their Wild Card teams. With only 2 wild cards none of the Pro Conti teams are required to get invites based on points. It's unlikely they'll get one of the 2 WT licenses for Pro Conti teams. Cofidis will get one and Direct Energie is the most likely (based on points) to get the other one.

 

[Koronin]

So we have Quintana now saying he expects to win every race he enters. Didn't he say 2-3 years ago that he shouldn't be expected to win every race he enters?

Quintana targets Tour with new team Arkea-Samsic

Quintana eyes Tour for 2020, but first his new second-tier team will need to secure a wildcard invite.

www.velonews.com

 

[Breezy1985]

So we have Quintana now saying he expects to win every race he enters. Didn't he say 2-3 years ago that he shouldn't be expected to win every race he enters?

Quintana targets Tour with new team Arkea-Samsic

Quintana eyes Tour for 2020, but first his new second-tier team will need to secure a wildcard invite.

www.velonews.com

Ya but that was at Movistar where they try their best to lose : )

 

[Koronin]

Ya but that was at Movistar where they try their best to lose : )

Movistar is successful in 1 week stage races. Saying you don't want to win every race you enter doesn't exactly help with your standing with team management.

 

[SHAD0W93]

Sometimes people need a change of scenery.

 

[Koronin]

Sometimes people need a change of scenery.

That I don't disagree with. I think Quintana should have switched teams about 3 years ago. (Then again I also thought VanGarderen needed to change teams sooner than he did as well.)

 

[Escarabajo]

He is out of Movistar, you can relax now Koronin.
He did OK at Movistar as well. So no need to create controversy where there isn't any.

 

[Koronin]

I was just asking a question. Shadow's response may be what the reason is.

 

[Breezy1985]

Movistar is successful in 1 week stage races. Saying you don't want to win every race you enter doesn't exactly help with your standing with team management.

Hasn't Valverde said on plenty of occasions that he enters races not to win. Like this year's TdF for instance.

 

[Koronin]

Hasn't Valverde said on plenty of occasions that he enters races not to win. Like this year's TdF for instance.

Most races he enters he's there to win. The ones he's not there to win are because he's working for someone else. He was at the Tour to help Quintana and Landa.

The problem is what Quintana said was basically he expects to be team leader in every race he enters BUT that he shouldn't be expected to win most of them. Valverde fully expects to try to win any race he goes to as race leader. He wasn't supposed to be race at the Tour because Quintana and Landa were supposed to be better than him.

 

[hrotha]

"Expect" and "want" have very different meanings.