Stage 16, San Martín del Rey Aurelio - La Farrapona, Lagos de Somiedo

[SafeBet]

Brambilla did something with Rovny's shorts/pants/back, not sure what, it's not visible, but you can see him reaching out. Rovny grabs Brambilla by the neck. Brambilla hits Rovny in the face. Then they start fighting.

Thanks, but why did Brambilla start all of this? Seems to be a very quick-tempered character.

Edit: thanks Flamin.

 

[Netserk]

Thanks, but why did Brambilla start all of this? Seems to be a very quick-tempered character.

Edit: thanks Flamin.

Forgot to remove the T-patch?

 

[Energy Starr]

Wait a minute? Are people really thinking contador should have taken pulls for froome?

lol?

That's what I'm wondering...who are these people, I mean come on.

 

[Energy Starr]

Froome was to close on GC and is too dangerous to be given any bonus seconds. Besides Contador probably doesn't love him as much as he loved Andy
Anyway, hats off to Froome, great ride [still don't like him].

Yep, bonus seconds change it all. You can't give away stages when there are bonus seconds.

 

[Dedelou]

You are kidding, right? I prefer Alberto over Froome and Vuelta isnt going to change it. But lots of posters here criticize Valverde and Contador did exactly the same thing and now they are voices that it was sensible thing?
That;'s the very definition of fanboyism.

Of course he had reason to take pulls since he was that strong. It was to put more time into his rivals/drop Froome earlier/show that he is by far the strongest. Take your pick. Sucking wheels when you clearly have legs to take turns lacks class.

silly man.. how can winning be the same thing as loosing? did valverde win yesterday? no.. did contador win today? yes. can't you not tell the difference between a strategy that win races and one that makes a rider a frequent looser?

 

[djpbaltimore]

Contador was not going to do work. If he had sat up and waited for Contador to do something he would have lost time to Valverde and Purito.

I think Contador is guilty of a little bit of hypocrisy because he complained about not getting any help yesterday. Regardless, he had no obligation to work and he did exactly what he had to do.

Froome wins the moral victory from all of this, for whatever that's worth.

I have no problem with how he rode the stage as he played his tactics perfectly, but after his comments yesterday it does seem a little hypocritical to not help out.

 

[Dedelou]

Zaugg got dropped too early, but Hernandez finished 17th.

alright. This Saxo/tinkov bunch are really terrible: they send an tactical idiot with a broken leg supported by a half wit team to this vuelta. Tell me, what do they really want to demonstrate? i mean.. next thing you know.. they are going to fistfight instead of pedaling.. And now what: they could end up winning the race? good grief. Go Alberto.. venga Saxo/Tinkov

 

[Publicus]

Contador was not going to do work. If he had sat up and waited for Contador to do something he would have lost time to Valverde and Purito.

I think Contador is guilty of a little bit of hypocrisy because he complained about not getting any help yesterday. Regardless, he had no obligation to work and he did exactly what he had to do.

Froome wins the moral victory from all of this, for whatever that's worth.

I don't think he was a hypocrite at all. I think he correctly noticed that Froome was getting stronger and that he posed the greatest threat to ALL of the guys on the provisional podium (besides themselves of course). The other two only saw each other and Contador as a threat. Obviously today makes Contador look like a genius and the others . . . well less so (IMO).

 

[No_Balls]

I have no problem with how he rode the stage as he played his tactics perfectly, but after his comments yesterday it does seem a little hypocritical to not help out.

Whats up with this hypocrisy? His comments yesterday was directed against Froome as the target. He believed in a combined effort to have this target eliminated or distanced. Today, the same target attacked and AC didn't obviously ask for Froome to distance Purito/Valverde, but was happy to just follow what he believes is the more dangerous opponent.

It was clear since yesterday that he didn't see Piti/Purito as the dangermen.

 

[saunaking]

I have no problem with how he rode the stage as he played his tactics perfectly, but after his comments yesterday it does seem a little hypocritical to not help out.

There is no hypocrisy.
Yesterday he was talking about tactics to distance Froome
Today he used tactics to distance Froome

 

[Angliru]

Absolutely agree because cycling world circles around Contador. All the others can win only if he's out of shape. And if anyone's disagree, he doesn't know anything about cycling!

Actually, what Contador had in the Tour? Seemingly the most plausible version is a very strong bruise that made him stop training sessions for 1-2 weeks.

Thanks for enlightening us all. Here I thought that was blood oozing out of his leg and it was really spilled beetjuice!

 

[sagard]

Contador was not going to do work. If he had sat up and waited for Contador to do something he would have lost time to Valverde and Purito.

I think Contador is guilty of a little bit of hypocrisy because he complained about not getting any help yesterday. Regardless, he had no obligation to work and he did exactly what he had to do.

Froome wins the moral victory from all of this, for whatever that's worth.

I still think if Froome stops working at 20-25 seconds up the road from Valverde, AC is in a much tougher spot. If AC lets that gap close down and he loses the sprint finish he is only 20 seconds on Valverde in GC.

I get that Froome was trying to drop Contador as well, but to tow him for 3K just seemed self defeating to me. I can't believe 4th or 2nd means much to a guy like Froome.

 

[Asturiano]

Contador is the best cyclist of the world nowadays, Chris is the second one.

And at the end of Vuelta, I think were are going to see the best cyclist of the world winning Vuelta and the second one being the second.

Don't talk to me about tactics because at the end there are enough hard climbs to show us who are the best cyclist of the world. The only thing they have to do is to keep fit and take care about falls.

How many more seconds could Valverde and Rodriguez win yesterday?, 10 seconds, 15 seconds.

Having so many stages after that it's not enough. The only thing Valverder and Rodriguez can expect is a big crisis of Frome in Ancares and if it happens, I think it's not going to be a matter of a few seconds, Ancares is a climb where you can lose plenty of seconds if you are in crisis.

 

[T-Nielsen]

There a vid available of the tragic mc crash. Really sad about it. I did think when the ambulance was muscling through, that something had gone really wrong.

 

[The Hitch]

Just saw highlights. Unless there was some angle I missed that was pathetic wheelsucking from Contador.

Worst victory of his career by far (iirc the other ones he won like a man)

 

[May0maniac]

With Horner the race could have been epic, he would have been able to climb with Chris and Alberto.

 

[ILovecycling]

Just saw highlights. Unless there was some angle I missed that was pathetic wheelsucking from Contador.

Worst victory of his career by far (iirc the other ones he won like a man)

always thought you know something about these things, or are you Dave's relative?

 

[icefire]

Just finished watching a replay and I just can't understand the behaviour of the jury in the Brambilla-Rovny affair.

The guy covering the race in the moto for RTVE went to the car of the jury after the incident to ask if they would do something and he got two answers and one question:

First they said they hadn't seen anything when it is obvious their car was just behind the riders and there was someone with half his body out the car. Then they said they would watch a replay at the end of the stage and would decide. I wonder here what happens if TV doesn't hand them the footage. Do they go to youtube? I don't know if they wait till the end of the stage when they DQ riders for towing cars, but they didn't with Rojas in the last TdF. And finally the jury asked the TV commentator in the moto the names of the riders involved in the incident

 

[Mellow Velo]

Brambilla did something with Rovny's shorts/pants/back, not sure what, it's not visible, but you can see him reaching out. Rovny grabs Brambilla by the neck. Brambilla hits Rovny in the face. Then they start fighting.

Still wrong. From 1'-08" in:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biwjqA20zJQ

Rovny grabs Brambilla by the neck, Brambilla swings, but misses, Rovny then ducks, expecting the shot that never comes, so plants one himself and it all kicks off.

No doubt that Brambilla started it though, by pinching Rovny's butt or whatever.

 

[icefire]

Still wrong. From 1'-08" in:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biwjqA20zJQ

Rovny grabs Brambilla by the neck, Brambilla swings, but misses, Rovny then ducks, expecting the shot that never comes, so plants one himself and it all kicks off.

No doubt that Brambilla started it though, by pinching Rovny's butt or whatever.

More likely Brambilla pulled Rovny's saddle

 

[trevim]

Good for Rovny that his contract is already renewed

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

People *****ing about Wheelsucking.
One thing is wheelsucking when you are in a position where you need to take time on others, or if your name is Leipheimer and you wheelsuck someone like Valverde cause you think you can beat him in a sprint... ANother story is when you are in the lead, they guy you are "wheelsucking" is increasing you lead to your rivals and you know that you will win the race because you got the best acceleration.

Stop bitcing people, Jesus

 

[LaFlorecita]

Still wrong. From 1'-08" in:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biwjqA20zJQ

Rovny grabs Brambilla by the neck, Brambilla swings, but misses, Rovny then ducks, expecting the shot that never comes, so plants one himself and it all kicks off.

No doubt that Brambilla started it though, by pinching Rovny's butt or whatever.

And I still don't see where you see Brambilla missing the hit

 

[LaFlorecita]

Just saw highlights. Unless there was some angle I missed that was pathetic wheelsucking from Contador.

Worst victory of his career by far (iirc the other ones he won like a man)

Yeah yeah, whatever I know you haven't got a single good word to say for Alberto since la Vuelta 2012. Not sure what happened.

 

[Je ne sais quoi]

I really think that what makes people dislike Contador are his fans. You would all be crawling up the walls if it was Valverde in the 'wheelsucking' position. I don't mind what Contador did today, I think it was what he had to to, but to bash Valverde and praise Contador for the exact same thing is pure hypocrisy. Again, please acknowledge you were wrong when you claimed Valverde should work (even though it's perfectly understandable he did not) or apply the same reasoning to Alberto.

We (the forum, not directed at you personally) need to get our terms straight.

Contador does not "wheelsuck", ever. He "follows", sometimes, as tactics dictate, such as today.

I would say the same for Valverde (and Purito, though not exactly), but some people would disagree, obviously. I cut Valverde slack tactically because he's a giant who has never made it through a grand tour in recent years without cracking at some point, and he (and we) never know when or if it's going to happen. He knows he can win in the last 500m, but before that he's never sure he's going to survive the stage. So following often makes sense, for him, tactically. His following serves an obvious important tactical purpose with implications for the whole race, therefore it is not wheelsucking. My tactical beef with Valverde is that he's sometimes more conservative than I would like him to be, maybe he underestimates himself. He scored a gain yesterday, but I was wishing the whole time that he had cooperated to put time into Froome, 'cause he could have had it all.

There are other riders for whom wheelsucking seems to be an end in itself. Some make a career out of it, some just never do their share in a break, etc. I reserve the term for them. To use it on champions diminishes the insult.

Fromme's tactics cannot be described by any known cycling convention. He does not follow or attack; he is Meter Man.


Edit: haha, I see Vino Attacks just said more-or-less the same thing with a lot fewer words.