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Teams & Riders Nairo Quintana discussion thread

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Re: Re:

Scarponi said:
mariposa said:
Koronin said:
movingtarget said:
Valv.Piti said:
Yes, Quintana has put in dominant climbing performances in GTs after 2014, in fact in every year.

2015 on La Toussuire and Alpe d' Huez (TdF).
2016 in La Vuelta on Covadonga and just shutting Froome down on the major MTFs (Vuelta).
2017 on Blockhaus (Giro).
2018 on Col de Portet (TdF).

I mean for a whole grand tour. He's supposed to be a GC rider not a stage hunter. He rode well in the Vuelta he won and the 2015 Tour but he never dominated. Contador's break was the turning point of the 2016 Vuelta and Froome never really looked like losing the Tour.




2015 Tour was his best GT. Without Contador's ambush in the 2016 Vuelta, Froome wins that Vuelta.

Whilst I have nothing but admiration for the way that Contador rode in the 2016 Vuelta, and generally, I don't think that he can be given all the credit for that breakaway. Quintana rode really well as well and was able to keep riding at the end of the stage when Contador couldn't. A huge amount of credit had to be given to the team mates of both of the big riders who rode their socks off in support of their team leaders. Movistar disrupting the chase and ensuring that most of the Sky Team couldn't get back on was also a big part of the whole move. One of the Grand Tour Stages I can watch form start to finish again and again.
Contador was pulling 10 to 1 compared Quintana in that break, which led to the end result

You might like to think that but it's not true.
 
Belittleing Quintana's role in the Formigal stage has ever since been one of the staples for his detractors here. Imo, that stage ended the way it did only thanks to the groundwork laid by Nairo himself the day before. Froome did not want to let him go on Aubisque, went too deep following his attacks and paid the price the day after. There has been lot of debate over who and when came up with the plan for that ambush, but without a shadow of a doubt Quintana pulled his weight and then some during that weekend.

Coming back to present day, its nice to see him being strong and aggressive again. He has been rather lacklustre ever since the second week of Giro 2017, with couple of exceptions and it is not always easy to tell whether the waiting game is the consequence of lacking the legs or having the wrong attitude.

At the Tour he needs to avoid getting into the situation like in this Paris-Nice , where he needed the hail mary attack in order to have a shot at victory. As spectacular as such attacks are, Sky's ridiculous strenght in debt means that unless their own leader cracks (like Froome on Alpe in 2015), their rivals are almost certainly fighting a losing battle under this scenario.
 
Re: Re:

mariposa said:
Koronin said:
movingtarget said:
Valv.Piti said:
Yes, Quintana has put in dominant climbing performances in GTs after 2014, in fact in every year.

2015 on La Toussuire and Alpe d' Huez (TdF).
2016 in La Vuelta on Covadonga and just shutting Froome down on the major MTFs (Vuelta).
2017 on Blockhaus (Giro).
2018 on Col de Portet (TdF).

I mean for a whole grand tour. He's supposed to be a GC rider not a stage hunter. He rode well in the Vuelta he won and the 2015 Tour but he never dominated. Contador's break was the turning point of the 2016 Vuelta and Froome never really looked like losing the Tour.




2015 Tour was his best GT. Without Contador's ambush in the 2016 Vuelta, Froome wins that Vuelta.

Whilst I have nothing but admiration for the way that Contador rode in the 2016 Vuelta, and generally, I don't think that he can be given all the credit for that breakaway. Quintana rode really well as well and was able to keep riding at the end of the stage when Contador couldn't. A huge amount of credit had to be given to the team mates of both of the big riders who rode their socks off in support of their team leaders. Movistar disrupting the chase and ensuring that most of the Sky Team couldn't get back on was also a big part of the whole move. One of the Grand Tour Stages I can watch form start to finish again and again.

It helps that the stage is relatively short. I also have this recorded and watch it over and over again. Contador did kick it off but you can't credit it just to Contador. It was very early in the race and Quintana and team had to be there. Movistar did the best team work I have seen disrupting the rhythm in the chase. Orica did a great 1-2 with Chavez and Yates to also hit Froome hard. Froome's comments about all his teammates needed to be sent home was just the icing on the cake LOL. Great stage, multiple events happening, there is no merit in trivializing Nairo's role in that stage. Yes, Contador IS CONTADOR and was amazing but Nairo had to be there, had to pull, had to have his team, had to keep up and had the energy to attack at the end.
 
Re:

movingtarget said:
Gutsy ride by Quintana in Paris-Nice finale but Sky had the numbers as usual. Once riders started attacking for the stage win Quintana was done as the driving on the front broke down.

I agree. We are going to see this over and over again until he finally retires. I don't why Nairo doesn't have a supporting cast ? Where are all these Movistar climbers ? I thought they were top heavy ? Poor Nairo always seems to be the only one stuck in between the Sky Train. I think he'll retire the same way.
 
Re: Re:

masking_agent said:
movingtarget said:
Gutsy ride by Quintana in Paris-Nice finale but Sky had the numbers as usual. Once riders started attacking for the stage win Quintana was done as the driving on the front broke down.

I agree. We are going to see this over and over again until he finally retires. I don't why Nairo doesn't have a supporting cast ? Where are all these Movistar climbers ? I thought they were top heavy ? Poor Nairo always seems to be the only one stuck in between the Sky Train. I think he'll retire the same way.

Movistar doesn't currently have the depth they had 3-4 years ago. Basically the team has a handful of rider over 30 and the majority of the rest of the team is 25/26 or younger. They have lost the majority of their best domestiques over the past 3-4 years and haven't been able to replace them yet. The Herrada brothers, the Izagirre borthers, Malori (injury), Sutherland, Castroviejo and a few others. It was extremely evident to see that in the Ardennes last year. Yes the team is top heavy in that they have 3 solid leaders in Valverde, Quintana, and Landa. However, they don't race together often because they need their own opportunities.
 
Re:

pink_jersey said:
Did he easily followed Bernal?
Quintana always gives this impression but I'm not sure that he was comfortable. Quintana pokerface is better than Nibali.
I think this is his biggest problem with regards to perceptions of him. He doesn't gurn, shove his teeth or tongue out, or drool over himself, or throw his shoulders around like he's wrestling a gorilla; so people conclude he must be finding it easy, and that he just lacks the heart to go deep enough.
 
Re:

del1962 said:
At first I thought he might be sitting on for Valverde, but really, with cooperation he could have buried Martin and Lopez and maybe Yates


The fact he said after the race that Valverde had told the team early on that he was going to take it easy on the climb and would be of no help to anyone, he wasn't sitting on for Valverde. (With Valverde's actions after the stage it's very likely Valverde is sick.) So exactly why Quintana wouldn't work with Bernal to try to eliminate more of the competition who knows.
 
Re: Re:

Koronin said:
del1962 said:
At first I thought he might be sitting on for Valverde, but really, with cooperation he could have buried Martin and Lopez and maybe Yates


The fact he said after the race that Valverde had told the team early on that he was going to take it easy on the climb and would be of no help to anyone, he wasn't sitting on for Valverde. (With Valverde's actions after the stage it's very likely Valverde is sick.) So exactly why Quintana wouldn't work with Bernal to try to eliminate more of the competition who knows.
cause that's what he (always) does? :rolleyes:
 
Re:

Valv.Piti said:
It makes sense if Movistar grab Enrico Mas. I suppose they will, QS has a history of not being able to pay riders.
They still have one of the higher budgets in the peloton. Lefevere loves to play the victim. And he doesn't like expensive GC-riders, Evenepoel has to get the hell out of there unless he becomes a GC-contender and Belgian sponsors will go apeshit.
 

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