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Teams & Riders Sergio Higuita discussion thread

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The EF statement is worded a bit weird (“Sergio is fired. But we want to work with him on the terms of him being fired. Call us, Sergio.”) so maybe it’s not so much that EF are being harsh on him, but when the vid went viral in South America, and the Cannondale sales team saw it, and he was riding a Specialized of all brands, someone at Cannondale maybe told Vaughters “you have to make an example of this kid.”

All speculation on my part.
 
His next race will be Itzulia. It will be nice to see how he goes against other contenders and especially Roglic.

Is he not doing Indurain? Would also be a good race for him.

In Itzulia he will share duties with Vlasov and Buchmann (Who I do not see playing a major role after recent form). So at least he seems to be racing there with a very strong group of riders surrounding him.

Will be very interesting to see what he can do in the Arrate. Was one of the best stage of the year last season. The rest of the race is a bit underwhelming from the looks of it. But there are still a lot of chances to do something if the riders want to. But given that last very tough day it might all come down to that one.
 
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No surprise for me - He's always been over-hyped, especially in terms of GC - He's still capable of turning on one or two high class performances in a GT.

If it was just about GTs I would have at least expected him to be in contention in the first week. Especially on climbs like todays. Not a single performance that is comparable to his level earlier this year (Catalunya, Liege, Suisse).
 
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C'mon- Higuita was already better than that in his first GT ever. Don't tell me this is his expected level. There's a difference between coming short in a fight for a GT podium over 3 weeks and being outside 15-20 strongest riders even on stages that suit you.

For a rider who finished 14th overall on his GC debut, who was able to win Catalunya and outclimb Thomas in high mountains in Tour de Suisse and who didn't ride the Giro or the Tour earlier this year knowing well his focus would be on Vuelta, top10 GC is an obvious expectation. If he can't do that, then it means there has been something wrong with his health or with his preparation for this GT.
 
No surprise for me - He's always been over-hyped, especially in terms of GC - He's still capable of turning on one or two high class performances in a GT.
I am surprised. Maybe not in EF but he looked to have stepped up a notch this year compared to previous years. No way he was the same at the beginning of the year than at the Vuelta. Having said that, the results of GT also show how riders cope with pressure. It is not only raw talent. Riders like Sosa, Higuita and even Martinez could fall in this category unfortunately.
 
Yeah, he‘s not doing really well atm… But Top-10 should still be possible. His first year at Bora has already been a success, no matter how he finishes this Vuelta. And he has contract with Bora for 2023 and 2024, so enough time to learn from possible mistakes made in the prep for Vuelta 2022.

IMHO, he has a bright future ahead of him: potential for finishing all three GTs in the final Top-10 in GC, and potential for finishing LBL and Lombardia on the podium. :)
 
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Higuita at this point is a mystery to me....

After his first season at EF, good Vuelta immediately, thought he would probably end up being a stage hunter, not a real GC threat. But after Catalunya and the Tour de Suisse this year (and actually finishing the Tour quite well in 21) now was convinced he would be fighting for the podium here at the Vuelta. Why he isn't delivering right now.. no idea.
 
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Higuita at this point is a mystery to me....

After his first season at EF, good Vuelta immediately, thought he would probably end up being a stage hunter, not a real GC threat. But after Catalunya and the Tour de Suisse this year (and actually finishing the Tour quite well in 21) now was convinced he would be fighting for the podium here at the Vuelta. Why he isn't delivering right now.. no idea.
I think that's because of his tiny size, but he's actually a better one-day and one-week rider. He could be like Alaf, who is built like a GC contender but probably doesn't have enough slow-twitch muscle fibers to grind up mountains day in and day out...
 
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I think that's because of his tiny size, but he's actually a better one-day and one-week rider. He could be like Alaf, who is built like a GC contender but probably doesn't have enough slow-twitch muscle fibers to grind up mountains day in and day out...

But Higuita has been very bad on every hill/mountain stage in the vuelta so far. Starting from the first one on day four, which was a finish that normally suits him to the bone. He is just in poor shape.
 
But Higuita has been very bad on every hill/mountain stage in the vuelta so far. Starting from the first one on day four, which was a finish that normally suits him to the bone. He is just in poor shape.

I agree. Not saying he isn't riding poorly, but IMO seeing him as a legit GC contender isn't realistic. He's too small to be an effective domestique, too. So better off saving him for week-long or one-day races.
 
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