Pais Vasco Stage 6: Zalla-Zalla 24 KM (ITT)

[jobiwan]

Final Stage in a pretty entertaining tour.
Kloden/Horner FTW

 

[gregrowlerson]

Go Klodi!!!

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

I am hoping to see Sammy win it. If not, I'd go with Kloden, Horner, or Ryder.

 

[Ferminal]

I have a question mark over Porte and Martin, given they are starting so early.

Klöden is the next best from the Paris-Nice prologue.

 

[Sasquatch]

Porte and Martin will struggle on the climbs. One of them wining depends how hard they hammer the last half of the course and how much they limit their losses on the climb.

Horner takes the time trial!

 

[SiAp1984]

Go Klodi!!!

+ 1.

Can't see Porte winning this one...

 

[python]

this profile favours vino's power style...plus he showed some good climbing legs already.

 

[craig1985]

Crazy how the whole top 10 is split by a bere 10 or so seconds. Gonna have to say Klodi will win overall.

 

[Sophistic]

At 4,8% Martin is still among the best and 1km@9,5% isnt gonna shake things up that much. For the GC, I'm going with Gesink to "surprise" again, the guy didnt look as sharp as others on the 10% slopes but so was it at T-A and he beat all the other GC guys at the ITT (except Pinotti). Gesink is probably over 70kg now, cant expect too much on the really steep stuff right now.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Today is why many of the contenders have been playing: Don't fall off the bike and follow the wheel of choice, all week.
Apparently, this is the way forward in making pro racing a more exciting package.
Get those reversible camelbacks out. New innovation trumps old rules.

Oh and Kloden and Horner for the top rung and a podium spot.
Probably Vino to fill the other.
Best of the Spanish might well be Intxausti.
Don't fancy either Sanchez or Rodriguez's chances.

 

[theyoungest]

Today is why many of the contenders have been playing: Don't fall off the bike and follow the wheel of choice, all week.
Apparently, this is the way forward in making pro racing a more exciting package.
Get those reversible camelbacks out. New innovation trumps old rules.

Oh and Kloden and Horner for the top rung and a podium spot.
Probably Vino to fill the other.
Best of the Spanish might well be Intxausti.
Don't fancy either Sanchez or Rodriguez's chances.

I don't know if you've been watching, but Vino, Rodriguez, Horner, Tondo, Sanchez, they've all been making attacks. Only Klöden has been fairly quiet, among the top contenders.

Porte and Martin will struggle on the climbs. One of them wining depends how hard they hammer the last half of the course and how much they limit their losses on the climb.

Horner takes the time trial!

Tony Martin looked fairly good on the Eibar stage. I think he's slowly found his climbing legs, and he hasn't been wasting any energy yesterday.

 

[uphillstruggle]

Kloden seems to on form at the moment so I think he'll take it. I would prefer to see sammy take the win. I think time bonuses would have helped this race. The attitude from the start of the race has been to finish high in the hilly stages and let the TT decide things.

 

[Mellow Velo]

I don't know if you've been watching, but Vino, Rodriguez, Horner, Tondo, Sanchez, they've all been making attacks. Only Klöden has been fairly quiet, among the top contenders.

Yes I have watched it all so let's not kid ourselves here.
All those riders you name have attacked once, with the exception of Vino, who's gone twice.
Most of these attacks have be token affairs, with one eye on the Ardennes and the other on today.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

There was headwind on the climb to Arrate, so...nobody could get away

 

[Sasquatch]

I don't think Kloden does it. He has looked like he's struggled all week on the climbs.

 

[hrotha]

I don't think Kloden does it. He has looked like he's struggled all week on the climbs.

He looked pretty comfortable to me.

 

[Sasquatch]

He looked pretty comfortable to me.

I'll call it now.

Kloden won't win the overall

 

[theyoungest]

Yes I have watched it all so let's not kid ourselves here.
All those riders you name have attacked once, with the exception of Vino, who's gone twice.
Most of these attacks have be token affairs, with one eye on the Ardennes and the other on today.

Sanchez, Rodriguez, Gesink... they all said they felt like **** on the climb to Arrate and just couldn't accelerate. This has just been a very hard race, mainly due to the heat. The times of supernatural performances seem to be over. And considering the circumstances, I think we've seen a fairly attacking race.

 

[hrotha]

Sanchez, Rodriguez, Gesink... they all said they felt like **** on the climb to Arrate and just couldn't accelerate. This has just been a very hard race, mainly due to the heat. The times of supernatural performances seem to be over.

And yet, they beat the record for the Arrate climb, same for RVV. I don't know anymore.

 

[Sasquatch]

To back up TY post, that's why this time trial will go down to survival of the fittest and not neccessarily time trialing skills.

Gives guys like Tondo and Intxausti a chance but Horner has looked the better rider out there all week. He's my tip for the overall.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

And yet, they beat the record for the Arrate climb, same for RVV. I don't know anymore.

Yes it's really mind boggling how they did that. It was headwind, it was very hot, and nobody had the power to really accelerate. Yet they rode the climb up faster than ever before.

How is that even possible? Not meant clinic-wise btw. Just wondering.
Mass levelling at the top? Lot of good climbers in good form make eachother stronger?
I don't know

 

[Havetts]

Tempo riding maybe, so that there were no stalemates till 1k from the finish that no one even bothers to ride tempo..

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

It probably helped that leopard did a big pull at the start, then when it started to break up a few guys just rode at the front rather then attack. Think there was a decent share of work going on.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

It's Vino time!!

 

[Havetts]

How late does the TT start ?