Steven Kruijswijk

[Kwibus]

Certainly, but those stages also suit Quintana and Lopez more.

This Vuelta isn't hard enough for Yates to crak, he's the most likely winner.

Also Kruijswijk is unlikely to start dropping the 4 riders above him, maybe Valverde if the mountain stage gets races really hard.

 

[Lequack]

Great TT today. I wonder if he can shoot even higher than the podium?

 

[Red Rick]

I am not completely sure. If the Andorra stage was like it was 3 years ago, then maybe.

Kruijswijk is doing great, and this Vuelta is unprecedented in how terrible it suits him.

All he can hope for is to drop Valverde and pray that Yates implodes. We'll see how the GC is before the stage in Andorra.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

I am not completely sure. If the Andorra stage was like it was 3 years ago, then maybe.

Kruijswijk is doing great, and this Vuelta is unprecedented in how terrible it suits him.

All he can hope for is to drop Valverde and pray that Yates implodes. We'll see how the GC is before the stage in Andorra.

Not really unprecedented IMO, but its true that it really, really dones't suit Kruijswijk. Thats why its pretty amazing he is 3rd so far and thats the absolute highgest he can get in this Vuelta IMO. But lets see.

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

I am not completely sure. If the Andorra stage was like it was 3 years ago, then maybe.

Kruijswijk is doing great, and this Vuelta is unprecedented in how terrible it suits him.

All he can hope for is to drop Valverde and pray that Yates implodes. We'll see how the GC is before the stage in Andorra.

Not really unprecedented IMO, but its true that it really, really dones't suit Kruijswijk. Thats why its pretty amazing he is 3rd so far and thats the absolute highgest he can get in this Vuelta IMO. But lets see.

This Vuelta is easy in terms of top end climbs. Covadonga is the only real HC climb in the race, and even that one is borderline.

Every mountain stage is a bunch of fodder before being effectively an Unipuerto stage, and the only climb that's not is under 100km long.

We can complain about previous Vuelta's, but they all had their share of way harder stages/more brutal finishes than what they're getting his year.

Last year was way harder.

2016 had the Aubisque queen stage

2015 had 2 absolutely nasty queen stages

2014 had 2 stages that easily trump anything in this Vuelta

2013 was crazy front to back and had 2 MTFs way harder than anything in this Vuelta and 2 overall stages than put this Andorra stage to shame

2012 had 3 consecutive HC finishes, + Bola del Mundo after a multi mountain stage at the very end

2011 is the last route that might suit Kruijswijk less, cause all the big stages were over by the end of the 2nd week.

 

[SafeBet]

I agree with RR here, this Vuelta is the absolute nightmare for Kruijswijk and yet he's very close to the red jersey.
Rooting for him obviously.

 

[ppanther92]

Also rooting for him. Just a superb grand tour rider with an amazing recovery. After the Giro he almost wo, he surely deserves to be a GT champion.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

I don't know. He's the only one with the balls to attack from far. And he also might be the only one to be able to bring an attack like that home. If he waits for the final K's to attack, then he's not going to drop the others. But they might not be willing to follow him if he goes from a bit further. And if they don't, then he has a chance. But i don't know this route that well, so i might be mistaking, yet i think he still has a shot if he can attack at the right moment.

 

[SafeBet]

Re:

I don't know. He's the only one with the balls to attack from far. And he also might be the only one to be able to bring an attack like that home. If he waits for the final K's to attack, then he's not going to drop the others. But they might not be willing to follow him if he goes from a bit further. And if they don't, then he has a chance. But i don't know this route that well, so i might be mistaking, yet i think he still has a shot if he can attack at the right moment.

There aren't many stages where you can attack from far.
Saturday might be the only chance and that's a 100 km stage, which doesn't suit him much. Perhaps Kuss and Bennett can ride a very fast tempo early and make it a super hard stage.

 

[search]

a couple of days ago he said that he lacks the explosiveness from the Tour. Relatively speaking, I guess

he has a chance to win though, I agree. Maybe (just) dropping off the podium today wouldn't even be a bad thing for that

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Todays stage is possible the worst since it's a PV like stage, short climbs, and the final one really steep. So probably will lose some seconds at least

 

[Flamin]

Too bad he's already on a podium spot. I would have liked to see him play all or nothing on the Andorra stage. He has the team for it to make something big happen, but he's probably going in defense mode now.

 

[search]

Re:

but he's probably going in defense mode now.

it's "all or nothing", according to Dutch media. 5th in the Tour was "like a win" for him already, so there's nothing to lose in the Vuelta.

 

[Flamin]

Re: Re:

but he's probably going in defense mode now.

it's "all or nothing", according to Dutch media. 5th in the Tour was "like a win" for him already, so there's nothing to lose in the Vuelta.

Well I expect him to still attack of course if he has the legs and try to win the race. Just not from way out, because he's already so close in gc that if he's the better climber in the 3rd week, attacking on Rabassa and La Gallina is enough to win the whole thing.

If he doesn't have the legs to outclimb Yates, then yes, I expect him to settle for a podium rather than a suicide attack.

 

[Lequack]

And he was only supposed to be a back-up option for George Bennet this year.

 

[Kwibus]

Re:

And he was only supposed to be a back-up option for George Bennet this year.

Which made sense as he had never performed well in a 2nd GT.

He has never been on the podium of a GT, which is crazy considering giro 2016, but Im sure that will mean a lot to him. So im not convinced he will try to go all in.

I really hope he wins Vuelta, certainly after that giro, but I dont think he will win it.

 

[Red Rick]

Ofcourse I'm rooting for Kruijswijk. If one of the two with GIPTSD wins, I'm good

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Re: Re:

Well I expect him to still attack of course if he has the legs and try to win the race. Just not from way out, because he's already so close in gc that if he's the better climber in the 3rd week, attacking on Rabassa and La Gallina is enough to win the whole thing.

If he doesn't have the legs to outclimb Yates, then yes, I expect him to settle for a podium rather than a suicide attack.

It doesn't have to be a suicide attempt, just a bit earlier than the competition is comfortable with in terms of following. But it depends on how much he wants the win and is willing to put a podium spot on the line.

But if what SafeBet is true, that there isn't any opportunity for it, i guess it doesn't matter.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Re:

Ofcourse I'm rooting for Kruijswijk. If one of the two with GIPTSD wins, I'm good

I sometimes think some contributors take pleasure in being obscurantist. If people don't know what GIPTSD stands for, your comment is without communication.

 

[Red Rick]

Giro induced PTSD

 

[Velolover2]

4th in the Giro
5th in the Tour
and likely 5th in the Vuelta.

And no GT wins but plenty of "podiums".

Most frustrating palmarès I can think of.

 

[DFA123]

Re:

4th in the Giro
5th in the Tour
and likely 5th in the Vuelta.

And no GT wins but plenty of "podiums".

Most frustrating palmarès I can think of.

Yeah, that must be frustrating for him. It's still pretty good though - and I think a fair reflection of his abilities. A very strong GC rider, but just lacking something either physically and mentally (or both?) to step up to the very elite tier.

The lack of stage wins must frustrate as well. What has he got, one WT win in his whole career - at the Tour de Suisse around 7 years ago?

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

This Vuelta stage was the worst for him though.

The only GT he realistically stands a chance of winning stages or a GC is the Giro. He has shown that as well. But in the Giro he was stolen of a stage win by a highly suspicious Foliforov in the MTT, but that should probably be a clinic discussion. And as for the general victory well the threw that away himself by going into a snowbank.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

I have absolutely no recollection of starting this thread.

The past is a foreign country. I do things differently there.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Apparently he was also misinformed. They (team) told him the climb would flatten out. So when the pace went really high he went all out to follow thinking it would become easier. But it didn't get easier and once dropped he was totally blown.

He doesn't feel bad about it though. Still sees chances for the podium and the other mt stage should suit him better