Rigoberto Uran discussion thread.

[lenric]

Because even if you're good at flat (or kind of) ITTs, without being very good in the mountains, you won't win a GT, especially the Giro or the Vuelta.

 

[Escarabajo]

When Froome was 27 years old, he wasn't nearly half (at least noticed) of what he's now.

Yes, he was second last year when his main rival was Cadel Evans, who's 10 years older.

He's second because of the ITT. Take it off and see what you got. I bet whatever you want that 2 days from now he won't do top 5 and will loose time to Quintana.

Barring illness or accident, most of everyone will lose time to Quintana IMO. Not just him.

Otherwise he has been very close in times in the mountains with the other riders that are fighting for the GC.

 

[Pippo_San]

I think you guys are REALLY underestimating Mick Jagg...I mean Uran
His ITT skills as he showed are exceptional. Top notch really.
However compared to last year, he's lacking big time uphill. Do you remember his uphill form in Giro 2013? Goodness me, he was terrific, probably (most certainly) not Quintana/Froome level but still FFS, in this Giro he's nowhere near those performances.

I have quite a soft spot for him. Great guy for one day races and GTs alike, very complete, with skills comparable to Nibbles.

But really...someone save his climbing skills!!!

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Yeah which of you want to say sorry now? After ridculing me for saying Uran was not ABLE to respond. But yes you were right this was all part of Uran's plan to lose bits of time.

did you see uran today? people whinig everywhere that is climbing gotten lees when it's just the same as previous years and his itt improved. he will finish 2nd in the giro as he's also the 2nd best rider this giro after uran

 

[ILovecycling]

did you see uran today? people whinig everywhere that is climbing gotten lees when it's just the same as previous years and his itt improved. he will finish 2nd in the giro as he's also the 2nd best rider this giro after Nairo

10characters

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

lol stupid me

 

[Tournesol]

I don't think Uran will be a great GC contender. There's something lacking in him. I think he's more of a "wildcard", an underdog who once was a promising young cyclist. Such as Gesink. He's kinda like Van den broeck

That is not true.

He already is a great GC contender,you can hardly describe a guy who has finished 2nd in the Giro and will probably podium again this year in the Giro as a wildcard like Gesink or VDB2,he also finished 2nd in the Olympic road race,these are the results of a world class rider.

If the cards fall right he can definitely win a GT,needs to avoid Froome/AC/Quintana as somebody else said before.

 

[Escarabajo]

Great ride by him today. Could not compete against Aru and Quintana who are climbing on a different level.

It will be a great battle for tomorrow. Don't count him out just yet. He climbs good also.

 

[lenric]

That is not true.

He already is a great GC contender,you can hardly describe a guy who has finished 2nd in the Giro and will probably podium again this year in the Giro as a wildcard like Gesink or VDB2,he also finished 2nd in the Olympic road race,these are the results of a world class rider.

If the cards fall right he can definitely win a GT,needs to avoid Froome/AC/Quintana as somebody else said before.

Yeah, well, if Uran, Quintana, Aru, Pozzovivo, Rolland and Majka hadn't been in this year's Giro, along with Scarponi, Rodriguez and probably Roche and 2 or 3 more (including AC, Froome and Nibali), Cadel Evans would have won.


Uran at the moment isn't a GC contender. Avoiding x or y doesn't make him a GC contender. At least I wouldn't consider myself one if I'd won a GT without facing the best of the best.

 

[Bushman]

Yeah, well, if Uran, Quintana, Aru, Pozzovivo, Rolland and Majka hadn't been in this year's Giro, along with Scarponi, Rodriguez and probably Roche and 2 or 3 more (including AC, Froome and Nibali), Cadel Evans would have won.


Uran at the moment isn't a GC contender. Avoiding x or y doesn't make him a GC contender. At least I wouldn't consider myself one if I'd won a GT without facing the best of the best.

So who is a contender then? Only the one who wins?

 

[del1962]

Uran has 41 seconds on Aru, the most Aru has taken out of Uran on a non TT mountain top finish is 42 seconds, the battle for second is going to be close

 

[Tournesol]

Yeah, well, if Uran, Quintana, Aru, Pozzovivo, Rolland and Majka hadn't been in this year's Giro, along with Scarponi, Rodriguez and probably Roche and 2 or 3 more (including AC, Froome and Nibali), Cadel Evans would have won.


Uran at the moment isn't a GC contender. Avoiding x or y doesn't make him a GC contender. At least I wouldn't consider myself one if I'd won a GT without facing the best of the best.

Can't say i really understand the comparison your making.

Were getting into semantics here but the dictionary definition of "contender" is someone who competes to win something which is what Uran is doing.

I think your last statement says it all.You wouldn't consider yourself a GC contender even if you won a Grand Tour? Bizarre,totally bizarre,not sure where to go with that.

 

[TomasC]

With his rediscovered TT skills, Rigo could actually reach the podium in the TdF. He loses a bit in the steep gradients, but not much of those in the TdF.

 

[lenric]

So who is a contender then? Only the one who wins?

No. Those who compete frequently against the best. Not just at TT or one or other mountain stage, but the most of them. Contador, Quintana, Froome, Nibali (GC), Cavendish, Cancellara, Tony Martin, Sagan, for example, are first class riders. Then you have 2nd class riders, such as Uran, Van den Broeck, Wiggins, etc.

I mean, just because a guy is 2nd in a GT, does that mean he should be considered a GC contender for every GT from then on? No. He must have great performances frequently, mainly in GTs, to be considered a serious GC contender. At least that's my opinion.

 

[Bushman]

Nobody said he should be considered a contender for every GT he enters. But he was 2nd last year and is in 2nd position now, so it is a bit silly that he is not even a contender. And if he is not, we only have 1 contender in this race?

 

[Jspear]

Nobody said he should be considered a contender for every GT he enters. But he was 2nd last year and is in 2nd position now, so it is a bit silly that he is not even a contender. And if he is not, we only have 1 contender in this race?

Yep, we only have one real contender here. All the others here are just pretenders.

 

[tristecsinamigos]

No. Those who compete frequently against the best. Not just at TT or one or other mountain stage, but the most of them. Contador, Quintana, Froome, Nibali (GC), Cavendish, Cancellara, Tony Martin, Sagan, for example, are first class riders. Then you have 2nd class riders, such as Uran, Van den Broeck, Wiggins, etc.

I mean, just because a guy is 2nd in a GT, does that mean he should be considered a GC contender for every GT from then on? No. He must have great performances frequently, mainly in GTs, to be considered a serious GC contender. At least that's my opinion.

How are sprinters like Cavendish or Sagan "GC contenders"?

 

[SafeBet]

I'm expecting him to keep his second place. He should be able to pace himself well up the Zoncolan. Very underrated rider imho.

 

[Jspear]

How are sprinters like Cavendish or Sagan "GC contenders"?

He called them 1st class riders, not gc contenders.

 

[kingjr]

How are sprinters like Cavendish or Sagan "GC contenders"?

They aren't. That was not his point.

 

[tristecsinamigos]

He/she said "Those who compete frequently against the best. Not just at TT or one or other mountain stage, but the most of them.". These sprinters are one or two stage winners. Certainly not "one or other mountain stage" winners. On that sense, Urán is much more of a contender than most of these riders, being a more complete one and contending "frequently" on mountain, TT, etc.

 

[TourOfTexas]

I don't understand this guy. He has the power to win a time trial or take pulls in a late break with Vino in the relatively flat final of an Olympics road race, only weighs 140lbs, but can't climb with the slightly lighter guys?

 

[Jspear]

He/she said "Those who compete frequently against the best. Not just at TT or one or other mountain stage, but the most of them.". These sprinters are one or two stage winners. Certainly not "one or other mountain stage" winners. On that sense, Urán is much more of a contender than most of these riders, being a more complete one and contending "frequently" on mountain, TT, etc.

You still are missing the point. Cavendish (for example) is more of a "contender" in flat sprints (that's his specialty), than Uran is in the mountains (one of his "specialties"). He was saying Cav is a 1st class rider and Uran is a 2nd class rider. It's all relative to what they're good at. I'm not saying I agree with him, but that was his point.

 

[Escarabajo]

I don't understand this guy. He has the power to win a time trial or take pulls in a late break with Vino in the relatively flat final of an Olympics road race, only weighs 140lbs, but can't climb with the slightly lighter guys?

In this Giro only with Quintana. That's all. Aru until today there was not such a huge difference.

 

[lenric]

You still are missing the point. Cavendish (for example) is more of a "contender" in flat sprints (that's his specialty), than Uran is in the mountains (one of his "specialties"). He was saying Cav is a 1st class rider and Uran is a 2nd class rider. It's all relative to what they're good at. I'm not saying I agree with him, but that was his point.

This. Cancellara, for example, wins classics, so he's a contender, just like Tom Boonen. Uran never won a GT, all he did was a second place last year, and we still don't know what's he's going to do today, who knows if he loses time to Aru and Rolland and end up in like 4th place?

To me a contender is someone that has prove consistently that he can hang with the best many times, not just one or two GTs. Fortunately Uran is young, he'll be better.