Tour of the Basque Country 2012

[The Hitch]

Nordhag, impresess.... again

Nice one

 

[Maaaaaaaarten]

Someone has the GC top 10?

1 Sanchez
2 Purito
3 Mollema
4 ???? Cunego??

http://cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/race.asp?raceid=22003

 

[Fus087]

J-Rod after the stage:"

"My time-trialing is improving, and with two long TT stages in TDF I think I could do some real damage and possibly win the tour."

At least he has a sense of humour.

 

[The Hitch]

Good for him, he was one of my 5 star favorites - In your face, back to you!

You said he was a **** tter. Thats why its in your face, I really dont care who your favourite riders are.

Its like predicting that Andy Schleck will lose to t martin then when he wins saying "i was right, cos hes one of my favourite riders"

 

[Kvinto]

It turned out a great TT route, but the rain spoiled it a bit. I would love to see the same TT but on the dry track

 

[Der Effe]

Good to see Euskaltel win in Basque Country, impressive week from Rodriguez as well. Great TT by Mollema, very hopeful to see him this good, this early.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

You know perfectly well that riders nowadays routinely throw away very demanding stages just because they've forgotten how to attack before the final climb. The courses are not the problem here, generally speaking.

This is why the plague of lazy route design needs to stop just going "oh, we'll just throw in an MTF or 7".

The Giro last year and the Vuelta this year are just overkill, especially the Vuelta, which has decided the solution to small gaps is more MTFs, rather than a range of more difficult stages. Since as you say many of the riders have forgotten how to attack before the final climb, perhaps they should be given a few reminders in the form of stages where earlier climbs are far better options. Something like an Aprica stage or the Sampeyre one in the Giro a few years ago would suffice. Whether flatter than the norm (as seems to be in vogue this year except in Italy) or more mountainous than the norm, lots of courses are either "win the TT win the race" (like Beijing) or "win the one climb win the race" (like 2011's Volta a Catalunya).

 

[hatcher]

Awesome for Samu to finally win here. Really happy for him. Now hopefully he'll win one of the ardennes classics as well!

Also really impressed by Nordhaug again, 6th overall is a great result for him!

6th at Pais Vasco. Pretty bloody good. Most impressed that he's been up there among the best every day, and not just this race, but all season long.

 

[BillytheKid]

While im at the boasting stage, what was that about how Horner was going to beat Samu on the tt?

Horner missed Catalunya because of injury.

http://www.bicycling.com/news/pro-cycling/veterans-return

One race in eight months, I would not expect him to be on top form as in years past. Pais Vasco is much harder than TA. Plus Horner had Cancellara and his San Remo squad and not much real climbing.

The knee injury could still be in play. Sounds like hard one to recover from completely, effecting certain range of pedal motion, but not shutting you down completely.

Tony Martin is actually looking really good. This was a highly technical course and nutralized the power of true iTT guys. But Pais Vasco should be that way.

 

[The Hitch]

Horner missed Catalunya because of injury.



One race in eight months, I would not expect him to be on top form as in years past.

Thats strange. Just 2 days ago you said Horner was going to beat Samu. Funny how you would write that even though you did not actually expect him to do so

 

[maltiv]

6th at Pais Vasco. Pretty bloody good. Most impressed that he's been up there among the best every day, and not just this race, but all season long.

Indeed, he seems to be really consistent now. Bobby Julich is friggin amazing

 

[Carols]

Samu and JRod the 2 guys that made the race all week finish 1-2. Great Show Loved how JRod Finally did an ITT that kept him on the podium. He has to be as pleased as can be and so am I

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Tony Martin is actually looking really good. This was a highly technical course and nutralized the power of true iTT guys. But Pais Vasco should be that way.

Exactly. This was my problem with the course before the difficulty of the run-in yesterday and the scale of today's TT became clear. País Vasco is all about the punchy short- and mid-length climbs, and gradients making it hard to get into a rhythm. It turns out the route was much better at taking advantage of that than I suspected (for the second half, at least).

 

[BillytheKid]

Thats strange. Just 2 days ago you said Horner was going to beat Samu. Funny how you would write that even though you did not actually expect him to do so

Three days ago he look pretty good on the Aratte?? So why not think that?
He was dropped on the Cat 2. yesterday? It happens.

 

[cineteq]

Indeed, he seems to be really consistent now. Bobby Julich is friggin amazing

At least this year, he's been solid. If he continues like this he'll be tagged as Tour contender

 

[Trofinios]

Indeed, he seems to be really consistent now. Bobby Julich is friggin amazing

Hope Jullich takes on Löfkvist who has stagnated and needs an improvement, or esle he will confined to being a domestique in all the races he ride.

 

[Gloin22]

At least this year, he's been solid. If he continues like this he'll be tagged as Tour contender

He's definitely doing good job of trying to get that spot. I think he might get it too. IT's going to be between Porte/Nordhaug/Rogers. And I think latter two will be very close. Rogers I don't think so.

 

[maltiv]

At least this year, he's been solid. If he continues like this he'll be tagged as Tour contender

I hope not, but you never know with the Norwegian media...

At Sky, all he is a contender for at TDF is pulling the peloton for hundreds of kilometers for Cavendish, resulting in him being absolutely dead when the first mountain stage arrives.

 

[dlwssonic]

Not bad by Pinotti on a very hard course. Just wondering did the rain dry up a bit when mollema and sanchez were riding, those were great times really. Chapeau

 

[BillytheKid]

Exactly. This was my problem with the course before the difficulty of the run-in yesterday and the scale of today's TT became clear. País Vasco is all about the punchy short- and mid-length climbs, and gradients making it hard to get into a rhythm. It turns out the route was much better at taking advantage of that than I suspected (for the second half, at least).

The Basque Country reminds me a lot of the Tour of the Gila here. A much dryer county, but a lot of those punchy steep digs and even the narrow roads in the National Forest sections.

The Gila is really one of the best races here despite keeping it's grass roots origin. A full 2.2 pro race this year. They should run that at a different time than the amateur stuff.

 

[BillytheKid]

Thats strange. Just 2 days ago you said Horner was going to beat Samu. Funny how you would write that even though you did not actually expect him to do so

Horner missed Catalunya because of injury.

http://www.bicycling.com/news/pro-cy...eterans-return

One race in eight months, I would not expect him to be on top form as in years past. Pais Vasco is much harder than TA. Plus Horner had Cancellara and his San Remo squad and not much real climbing.

The knee injury could still be in play. Sounds like hard one to recover from completely, effecting certain range of pedal motion, but not shutting you down completely.

Tony Martin is actually looking really good. This was a highly technical course and nutralized the power of true iTT guys. But Pais Vasco should be that way.
__________________

 

[dlwssonic]

dwlssonic to go bezzerk in t minus 3,2,1

Sorry to disappoint you Was watching the walking dead. I will only go really berserk when they get wins because its so rare and precious.

 

[BillytheKid]

Pais Vasco is truly a great race. The strongest today have won. Sammu has wanted thist for a long time. Congratulations all around.

 

[Arnout]

Lol podium ceremony still going on. They're just calling random riders now.

 

[dlwssonic]

so no full GC yet??