O Gran Camiño 2022 (February 24-27)

[Kaptain Kool]

idk for someone who supposedly has few peers, Woods has a low amount of wins. Especially at WT level.

 

[ice&fire]

idk for someone who supposedly has few peers, Woods has a low amount of wins. Especially at WT level.

All that's needed is at least one peer better that him at every race. He's been racing against the likes of Valverde, D.Martin, Yates Bros, Alaphilippe, Pogacar and Roglic.
Being outsprinted by someone in the saddle doesn't help him either.

 

[Red Rick]

Hes probably 5th best in the world at a very narrow niche. Not surprising he doesnt get that many wins

 

[johnymax]

I'm not sure anybody could follow him on a wall like this, maybe only Pog and Rog. Rusty Woods is a heir of Joaqium "Purito" Rodriguez.

I don't get Purito vibes from Woods tbh. At least not yet. Purito was much more explosive on muritos. Nobody could follow his accelerations, only prime Valverde and prime Dani Moreno could at times. Purito was also a better pure climber, a top 5 climber in the world in his days. We'll see. Maybe Woods makes another step forward this year, but for last season I think I'd easily find 10, maybe 15 better climbers than him.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Imo Woods is more a Dani Moreno than a Purito.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Speaking of Purito, do we agree that anyone in history of cycling wouldnt be able to beat a peak Purito on exactly this climb? I wouldnt bet on anyone against him

 

[Blanco]

I don't get Purito vibes from Woods tbh. At least not yet. Purito was much more explosive on muritos. Nobody could follow his accelerations, only prime Valverde and prime Dani Moreno could at times. Purito was also a better pure climber, a top 5 climber in the world in his days. We'll see. Maybe Woods makes another step forward this year, but for last season I think I'd easily find 10, maybe 15 better climbers than him.

Yeah, there are 10-15 climbers better than him certainly, but on a wall like this, I'm not sure anybody could drop him. Remember Innsbruck, that was a wall similar to Ezaro, he was the strongest also, forcing the pace all the time, but just couldn't drop Valverde. Mur de Huy is too short for him, his ideal distance is 2-4 km, like Purito's (that's where I found similarity), although Purito was indeed more explosive, and generally much better climber.

 

[Red Rick]

Speaking of Purito, do we agree that anyone in history of cycling wouldnt be able to beat a peak Purito on exactly this climb? I wouldnt bet on anyone against him

These finishes are relatively new though. Id pick Roglic probably, but the climbing level overall has increased in the 10 years since then

 

[Netserk]

Speaking of Purito, do we agree that anyone in history of cycling wouldnt be able to beat a peak Purito on exactly this climb? I wouldnt bet on anyone against him

Contador. I'm quite sure the order would have been different if it wasn't peak Purito against sub-peak Contador in 2012.

 

[Red Rick]

Contador. I'm quite sure the order would have been different if it wasn't peak Purito against sub-peak Contador in 2012.

Yeah Contador basically did almost 0 muritos at the height of his powers, but 7 minutes is long enough for him.

 

[ice&fire]

Contador. I'm quite sure the order would have been different if it wasn't peak Purito against sub-peak Contador in 2012.

Fleche Wallone and Mende 2010 make me think no.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Yeah Contador basically did almost 0 muritos at the height of his powers, but 7 minutes is long enough for him.

There are a fair few across the editions of País Vasco he did in that era.

Lazkaomendi (2009 stage 1):

Aia (2008 stage 5, 2010 stage 5, 2016 stage 4):

Olaberria (2013 stage 5):

Gaintza (2014 stage 1 - he won this one):

Garrastatxu (2016 stage 2):

 

[Valv.Piti]

Aight, Roglic and Contador are good shoutouts. I guess the problem is, if its too short and 'easy', Valverde probably has his number (Mur de Huy), while a bit too long, Roglic and Contador might win. The perfect effort is probably around 5 minutes, ultra steep, then I doubt theres anyone better.

 

[Netserk]

Fleche Wallone and Mende 2010 make me think no.

In Paris-Nice Contador was far ahead of Purito, in the other two occasions it's not clear to me that Purito was stronger, I'd call them equal. I think Contador's best performance in this range was in the 2014 Itzulia.

 

[ice&fire]

In Paris-Nice Contador was far ahead of Purito, in the other two occasions it's not clear to me that Purito was stronger, I'd call them equal. I think Contador's best performance in this range was in the 2014 Itzulia.

True, but being equal means Contador always loses for lack of finish kick.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Peak Igor Antón could have been a contender, he liked it at any distance the steeper it got. He mistimed the Mur de Huy in 2010 but was as strong as Purito and Evans (similar issue to Evans in 2008 when he was probably the strongest but got the timing wrong and hit the wall before the line), won in Valdepeñas de Jaén in the Vuelta, won the Romandie stage over the brutal Ovronnaz climb, the Subida a Urkiola, on Monte Zoncolan, on Flumserberg in 2008, and even in his late career doldrums his best moments were on double digit gradients - 8th in Flèche Wallonne 2013, to Hazallanas in the 2013 Vuelta, winning the Vuelta a Asturias in 2015 by winning the stage over 2x Cobertoria, 3rd to Lubián in 2015 in Castilla y León, 7th to Mirador de Ézaro (ahead of self-same Contador) in 2016, and top 5 of both Vuelta a Burgos MTFs in 2018.

His problem would be that he would probably fall off and break every bone in his body before he got to the base of the climb, and even if he was fit to continue his team would have 0 rouleurs to help him back to the bunch.

 

[Netserk]

Approaching the penultimate climb now.

 

[Netserk]

The Cofidis duo Herrada-Geschke has a few seconds over the Movistar led peloton. 4 km until the climb starts.

 

[Velolover2]

Woods is closer to Horner than Purito imo.

He isn't explosive as peak Valverde or Purito. But he more like a goat on brutal gradients.

 

[Netserk]

Gruppo compatto. Let's go.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Never seen Cofidis this strong in depth in any race, ever.

However depth will not be what wins this race.

 

[Netserk]

Sosa goes, Woods responds.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Javier Guillen, are you watching?

Never mind, he would put the finish line atop this steep section anyway.

 

[ice&fire]

Fulgsang dropped soon after Sosa's attack

 

[Netserk]

With the ITT to come, this is a really good group for Movistar.