Teams & Riders Team Movistar-thread

[Koronin]

Nairoman is doing great. Maybe you lose your licence to Arkea

First 2 year licenses. 2nd they are cutting the number of WT licenses in 2022.

Mas and Valverde riding in form for the Vuelta

That wouldn't surprise me at all. Marc Soler said today that even after the Dauphine he didn't think he was going to the Tour and he was on target to build form for the Giro. From what he said it sounds like that's still what his personal plan is for this Tour. However, I do expect to see him out in the break at some point during this race. I would think he's close to having lost enough time no one will worry about him getting a break to go stage hunting.

 

[perico]

I had the legs and form today and I'm angry with myself for losing those 9" at the finish line.

According to Mas, he just missed the split at the end.

 

[Koronin]

That’s been my theory. They came out of the lockdown and saw how far off they were that they just decided to ride as well as they could here, find some form for an assault on the Vuelta.

It's also very obvious they get along very well and if they can find some form should be able to help each other and work well together.

 

[Koronin]

Here are Alejandro's comments from after today's stage (from Movistar's website, so their translation):
We’re still in the early stages of the Tour and everyone is still pretty fresh. There are teams with great strength which put on a pace that makes impossible for attacks to gain an advantage – if you try a move, you come back to the group with less energy. I think we did well, considering how we tackled this Tour. Enric just lost those little nine seconds and I was able to finish close, 20″ down – the feel after the stage is that we’re doing better and better. People must keep in mind that the Tour is only starting. We already saw during the Dauphiné how things changed from the start to the final stage, with many surprises. The same could happen in the Tour.

He appears more optimistic than he was right before the Tour started.

I also think his comments along with both Enric and Marc's comments are they are here for GC for Enric specifically and he's going to stay up there as long as he can. Marc however may go stage hunting later.

 

[jaylew]

It IS and definitely was a major problem at the start of the season. Former Katusha riders have confirmed SRAM are junk and DO cause major problems including destroying their legs. Guess, what, you CANNOT get great form when you have bad equipment. SRAM is bad equipment. Did you forget Mollema has also had harsh words about SRAM.

This is almost all nonsense, sorry. Sram destroying legs.

 

[Koronin]

This is almost all nonsense, sorry. Sram destroying legs.

Well a bunch of pros who have used SRAM have said it.

 

[Moviestar]

It seems like Movistar is shifting towards the classics. They offered a contract to Grondahl Jansen but he refused. It would be a strange transfer because with Cortina they already have a rider with a similar profile. Earlier they were also interested in signing Haig, who i consider more as a rider for the hilly classics.

Their priority should currently lie with the signing of one or two GC/one week stages riders. With Mas they only have one competitive rider in that area for the next season. Valverde is slowly declining and Soler for the moment stays unreliabe.

 

[Koronin]

It seems like Movistar is shifting towards the classics. They offered a contract to Grondahl Jansen but he refused. It would be a strange transfer because with Cortina they already have a rider with a similar profile. Earlier they were also interested in signing Haig, who i consider more as a rider for the hilly classics.

Their priority should currently lie with the signing of one or two GC/one week stages riders. With Mas they only have one competitive rider in that area for the next season. Valverde is slowly declining and Soler for the moment stays unreliabe.

Likely hoping one of the young kids they signed will turn into that. I suspect they think one of the two young Colombians they signed might be a GC rider for one week races. It's possible that the young American Jorgensen may turn into a good hilly classics rider.

I they have said they may be interested in a few of the CCC riders if CCC folds at the end of the year. Again they would be more classics riders.

I agree that they do appear to be moving more towards classics and away from Grand Tours.

 

[Koronin]

In one of those non Tour races currently being raced, Movistar does have one of their riders in the KOM jersey. In Italy at Coppi e Bartali Johan Jacobs is in the KOM jersey. Their best GC rider there is one of the two young Colombians, Rubio who is currently in 15th.

 

[perico]

Was late watching today. Very happy to see all 3 finish in the front group, especially after Enric’s appointment with the pavement.

 

[Koronin]

Was late watching today. Very happy to see all 3 finish in the front group, especially after Enric’s appointment with the pavement.

Enric said he hit a stone and that caused him to go down. He said he's very hopeful it's just "sheet metal and paint". I was laughing at the auto racing expression he used with that. He does have a nice cut on his leg. Shouldn't see bandages tomorrow though as the cut is where his shorts were torn a little.

 

[perico]

The plan is obvious now. I’ve spent the last week watching closely. Glue Mas to Valverde’s wheel. When/if Valverde loses contact when we hit the high mountains, cut the umbilical cord. As Soler said at the end of the Netflix documentary, Mas is a real talent but doesn’t know how to lead a team yet. He had a fabulous result that confirmed that talent at La Vuelta, but at times that year he looked like he was happy to be there and could’ve finished a lot closer to Yates had he followed his wheel instead of Valverde. By following Valverde around he’s soaking it in. The goal is happy with a Top 5, content with a Top 10. They look much better than the build up races. The rest of the team has really worked for Mas/Valverde while Marc is there to hone his form and has a free role

 

[Koronin]

The plan is obvious now. I’ve spent the last week watching closely. Glue Mas to Valverde’s wheel. When/if Valverde loses contact when we hit the high mountains, cut the umbilical cord. As Soler said at the end of the Netflix documentary, Mas is a real talent but doesn’t know how to lead a team yet. He had a fabulous result that confirmed that talent at La Vuelta, but at times that year he looked like he was happy to be there and could’ve finished a lot closer to Yates had he followed his wheel instead of Valverde. By following Valverde around he’s soaking it in. The goal is happy with a Top 5, content with a Top 10. They look much better than the build up races. The rest of the team has really worked for Mas/Valverde while Marc is there to hone his form and has a free role

You know, there's something to that. Mas said the reasons he wanted to race for Movistar are because they are the Spanish team, and he can speak his native language. He also said it's because he can race with and learn from Valverde. He said you don't get many opportunities to learn from one of the greats and even less to learn from a hero. One thing Valverde can most definitely teach Mas is how to be leader regardless of how much of a decline he's experienced in his own abilities over the past two years. Yes, the team appears to be working great together. It really looks like they have a very good atmosphere there. You can see that Valverde and Mas get along very well with each other. Valverde appears to like the role of teacher/coach for the young riders he now has on his team.

 

[Moviestar]

A top 10 should be a realistic target for Mas, assuming he will get better in the Alps.

 

[perico]

A top 10 should be a realistic target for Mas, assuming he will get better in the Alps.

He’s improving. He’s come a long way since the end of lockdown. That last attack in the last km of the Peyresourde was the breaker today. He’s lacking explosiveness and rides tempo to pull back. Had it all come back together he may have survived with Yates.

 

[Koronin]

A top 10 should be a realistic target for Mas, assuming he will get better in the Alps.

He's been steadily improving since they restarted races. He was getting dropped badly at the Dauphine just a couple weeks ago. He, along with several of his teammates, appear to be some of the riders who had the hardest time with the lockdown and restarted way, way out of form. He and several of his teammates have said the hope at this point is that at least part of them are in really good form by the 3rd week.

 

[perico]

Verona has been impressive the last few days as a teammate. Climbing well

 

[Valv.Piti]

Im waiting for Super Saiyan Enric Mas week 3. He could easily top 10 this race, maybe even finish around 6-8th, even though he has looked mediocre so far, but there's steady improvement.

 

[perico]

Im waiting for Super Saiyan Enric Mas week 3. He could easily top 10 this race, maybe even finish around 6-8th, even though he has looked mediocre so far, but there's steady improvement.

He’s a minute back from a Top 8. I’m more confident he’ll finish in Top 10 than I was to start the race as he continues to improve. They really stunk so bad in Burgos and Dauphiné that the progress is there. This is just a weird year that we are going to see some strange results.

Doesn’t have the stamina yet. He was the last to unhook from the leaders with Mollema. Mollema came back but Mas lost ground on the descent. His form is definitely improving. Look at Buchmann now, Higuita, Martinez, Pinot, Kuss, Tom. They were all considered better bets for the Top 10 going into the Tour, and for different reasons haven’t performed as well as expected. As low as expectations were, Mas has shown to be riding better, if not riding to his full potential yet. Hopefully by the Alps his form will hit peak and he carried the momentum out of the Tour and on to the Vuelta.

 

[Koronin]

Mas, Valverde, and Verona are all looking better as they get more racing in their legs. I suspected and I think it's now obvious they restarted the season fully out of racing shape and are just starting to get back into racing shape. Mas still has some learning to do. At this point I think Valverde's role (like his decision as the team said he can do whatever he wants) is to be the last man for Mas, to help him learn how to lead, how to limit losses when he's not on his best day, basically be a rider/coach/DS.

Mas and Valverde after today's stage:

 

[ice&fire]

Two days in the mountains and there are 10-11 GC riders climbing better than Mas. I can't see him in the top 10 if this trend goes on.

 

[Koronin]

Two days in the mountains and there are 10-11 GC riders climbing better than Mas. I can't see him in the top 10 if this trend goes on.

There will be at least a couple of that group have a bad day, a crash something. Simply because something always happen. Also Mas, Valverde and at least some of that team is still building form. Remember, they restarted the season way out of form.

 

[Serpentin]

Valverde looked better on the steep climb. He will ride himself into form, hope he can win a big race after the tour.

 

[Blanco]

Valverde looked better on the steep climb. He will ride himself into form, hope he can win a big race after the tour.

Yes, I aslo think he'll be fine in 3rd week. Stage win would be nice, but the problem is he won't drop enough time for breakaway and winning from the favorites group will be very tough. Nevertheless, his form for the main goals, later in the season should be fine.
Mas I think will get top 10 in the end. And both will be flying at Vuelta...

 

[Blanco]

He’s a minute back from a Top 8. I’m more confident he’ll finish in Top 10 than I was to start the race as he continues to improve. They really stunk so bad in Burgos and Dauphiné that the progress is there. This is just a weird year that we are going to see some strange results.

Doesn’t have the stamina yet. He was the last to unhook from the leaders with Mollema. Mollema came back but Mas lost ground on the descent.

Not on the descent, at the top of Marie Blanque he was with Valverde and Yates already. But overall, he doesn't look bad to me, he'll be stronger in the Alps. Valverde also, he was stronger of the two yesterday, he drove that group to the line yesterday.