Volta a Catalunya 2012: Stage 2, Girona - Girona (161 km)

[Nastyy]

Roche dropped his chain twice during the climb.

Brett Lancaster ‏ @bdlancaster

@nicholasroche bad luck today mate. I saw you drop you chain twice in 500 meters on the final climb. Better luck tomorrow!

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Gesink on twitter.. Hard day with a lot of wind and stress. With a nice climb+downhill in the final. About his own form: "Not with the best, but in good condition"

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

classier than the initial levi's rampage on twitter after that stage in paris-nice.shiit happens.

yes indeed. leipheimer is a sore loser. valverde I don;t like him as a rider but he doesn't look for excuses

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Forgetting the debates on whether it's right when the leader crashes or whatever, I must have missed the meeting when the courtesy was supposed to be extended to everyone, not just the leader. Levi was not leading Paris-Nice when he had his problems, ergo Movistar didn't have any obligation to wait for him. Alejandro Valverde clearly lives by the sword, but he's also prepared to acknowledge that if you live by it, you die by it too, and today he reaped what he sowed.

Fair enough, you win some you lose some.

 

[theyoungest]

Forgetting the debates on whether it's right when the leader crashes or whatever, I must have missed the meeting when the courtesy was supposed to be extended to everyone, not just the leader. Levi was not leading Paris-Nice when he had his problems, ergo Movistar didn't have any obligation to wait for him. Alejandro Valverde clearly lives by the sword, but he's also prepared to acknowledge that if you live by it, you die by it too, and today he reaped what he sowed.

Fair enough, you win some you lose some.

Not waiting is something else than going full throttle on the front right after a guy crashes. It's racing, but this reaction from OPQS was to be expected, certainly when the opportunity came so fast after Paris-Nice.

Gesink on twitter.. Hard day with a lot of wind and stress. With a nice climb+downhill in the final. About his own form: "Not with the best, but in good condition"

I don't think he made that front split on the climb, there was one Rabo rider in it but it wasn't him. Maybe Kelderman.

So indeed, good but not with the best.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Yeah on the Rabo website they also said Kelderman was strong and didn't say much about the rest other than that they were there in the end.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Forgetting the debates on whether it's right when the leader crashes or whatever, I must have missed the meeting when the courtesy was supposed to be extended to everyone, not just the leader. Levi was not leading Paris-Nice when he had his problems, ergo Movistar didn't have any obligation to wait for him. Alejandro Valverde clearly lives by the sword, but he's also prepared to acknowledge that if you live by it, you die by it too, and today he reaped what he sowed.

Fair enough, you win some you lose some.

in the end it;'s not going to really matter as leipheimer won't win this race either

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Valverde always tweets 1 message 3 times in Spanish, English and France.

I suggest using the english version since it's an english forum

Valverde: Today has been a very tough one because of the crash but this makes part of cycling. Thank you everybody for your encouragements messages!


edit: Indeed a great sports.

lol..i relayed whatever comes first.

 

[cineteq]

Today's stage (after Valverde's crash = OPQS full gas!)
http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/videos/ciclismo/

 

[martyfulu]

Roche dropped his chain twice during the climb.

dont know enough about cycling what with being an armchair follower so Im asking- is this just down to luck?

 

[Richeypen]

Not waiting is something else than going full throttle on the front right after a guy crashes. It's racing, but this reaction from OPQS was to be expected, certainly when the opportunity came so fast after Paris-Nice.


I don't think he made that front split on the climb, there was one Rabo rider in it but it wasn't him. Maybe Kelderman.

So indeed, good but not with the best.

Exactly




.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

classier than the initial levi's rampage on twitter after that stage in paris-nice.shiit happens.

I am surprised that those who were so bothered by movistar at PN are silent now. No tweet as well.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I am surprised that those who were so bothered by movistar at PN are silent now. No tweet as well.

They probably see it as just rewards. Still, I was expecting a wave of obnoxious triumphalism. Now that OPQS feel that they're even, it can probably be swept under the carpet for a while, until Sky want to benefit off somebody else's work then act like the morality police again.

It wouldn't be the first time this happened to Valverde either - 2008 Vuelta, when Leipheimer was in the maillot oro, Egoi Martínez was best placed in the breakaway, but Caisse wanted Leipheimer to stay in the jersey, partly to tire out Astana domestiques and partly to foster dissension between Leipheimer and Contador, so went on the front all guns blazing in the latter part of the stage. However, they missed the cutoff by a handful of seconds. A few days later we had the infamous rain jacket saga, where Valverde got caught behind a split, and Euskaltel got on the front and helped Astana and Saxo hammer the pace. Valverde didn't help himself by trying to bridge across to the lead group on his own, then again with Chavanel, and dropping his own domestiques.

 

[Richeypen]

They probably see it as just rewards. Still, I was expecting a wave of obnoxious triumphalism. Now that OPQS feel that they're even, it can probably be swept under the carpet for a while, until Sky want to benefit off somebody else's work then act like the morality police again.

It wouldn't be the first time this happened to Valverde either - 2008 Vuelta, when Leipheimer was in the maillot oro, Egoi Martínez was best placed in the breakaway, but Caisse wanted Leipheimer to stay in the jersey, partly to tire out Astana domestiques and partly to foster dissension between Leipheimer and Contador, so went on the front all guns blazing in the latter part of the stage. However, they missed the cutoff by a handful of seconds. A few days later we had the infamous rain jacket saga, where Valverde got caught behind a split, and Euskaltel got on the front and helped Astana and Saxo hammer the pace. Valverde didn't help himself by trying to bridge across to the lead group on his own, then again with Chavanel, and dropping his own domestiques.

Yawn. Bias really shining through. You have still yet to answer what they should have done in that situation.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Yawn. Bias really shining through. You have still yet to answer what they should have done in that situation.

Either go to the front and slow the pace down if they wanted it slowed down, or live with the situation, voice their displeasure to Movistar on the bike (as they did), without running their mouths off afterwards. Offer your sympathies to Levi by all means.

It's racing. Movistar pushed the pace on before Levi's second crash. They pushed the pace on with the purpose of causing others to make a mistake. Levi made one. That's racing. The point of the exercise was to take an advantage from better descending; if you have to sit up and wait when somebody makes a mistake it makes such a tactic entirely worthless. They may as well outlaw descending and make everybody ride them at a fixed tempo.

I felt bad for Levi and OPQS with the thing with the motorbike, however. That was just terrible luck, nothing to do with Movistar though, and since Levi was already behind at that point, if they hadn't waited previously there was absolutely no reason for them to wait then.

OPQS stood to gain from distancing Valverde today on a base level, but with Paris-Nice fresh in the memory, they were doubly keen to do it. And why shouldn't they? Valverde had to know it was coming from the moment he crashed.

 

[Richeypen]

Either go to the front and slow the pace down if they wanted it slowed down, or live with the situation, voice their displeasure to Movistar on the bike (as they did), without running their mouths off afterwards. Offer your sympathies to Levi by all means.

It's racing. Movistar pushed the pace on before Levi's second crash. They pushed the pace on with the purpose of causing others to make a mistake. Levi made one. That's racing. The point of the exercise was to take an advantage from better descending; if you have to sit up and wait when somebody makes a mistake it makes such a tactic entirely worthless. They may as well outlaw descending and make everybody ride them at a fixed tempo.

I felt bad for Levi and OPQS with the thing with the motorbike, however. That was just terrible luck, nothing to do with Movistar though, and since Levi was already behind at that point, if they hadn't waited previously there was absolutely no reason for them to wait then.

OPQS stood to gain from distancing Valverde today on a base level, but with Paris-Nice fresh in the memory, they were doubly keen to do it. And why shouldn't they? Valverde had to know it was coming from the moment he crashed;

It is impossible to slow it down when a team is forcing the pace on the front. As for running their mouths off, it what twitter is for. They expressed their opinions as they are entitled to do.

And as many people have said, its not a matter of waiting, it was the fact that they saw Levi crash and attacked immediately afterwards that people had a problem with.

 

[DominicDecoco]

Thought it was brilliant by OPQS. Just as it was a brilliant move by Moviestar.

Moviestar obviously handled it much better since they didn't whine about it today.

 

[Richeypen]

Moviestar obviously handled it much better since they didn't whine about it today.

If someone punches you in the face you are allowed to be ****ed off at it. If you punch them back they are not


Anyway this topic was done to death during P-N and it is clear that two oposing camps are there with their opinions. Was just pointing out that it is very easy for the haters to criticise Sky, but they are entitled to their opinions and there is nothing they could have done anyway.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

It is impossible to slow it down when a team is forcing the pace on the front. As for running their mouths off, it what twitter is for. They expressed their opinions as they are entitled to do.

And as many people have said, its not a matter of waiting, it was the fact that they saw Levi crash and attacked immediately afterwards that people had a problem with.

Levi's first crash was irrelevant to the situation at hand. Movistar were already pushing the pace when Levi crashed a second time. They could have eased off then, but that's the only point, I think. Levi's third crash, with the Lampre rider and the motorbike, occurred when he was already off the back, so was of no relevance to the péloton.

I have no problem with OPQS getting on the front and distancing Valverde today. He's not the race leader, it happened while the race was on, rather than in the early stage ceasefire when the breakaway builds up its lead, and they were annoyed at him from Paris-Nice. And in doing so, they eliminate a contender. Smart racing. He has no problem with it because a) he knew he had it coming, and b) he knows he would have done the same if the situations were reversed.

 

[cineteq]

He has no problem with it because a) he knew he had it coming, and b) he knows he would have done the same if the situations were reversed.

thus, he's not complaining or whining.

 

[DominicDecoco]

Levi's first crash was irrelevant to the situation at hand. Movistar were already pushing the pace when Levi crashed a second time. They could have eased off then, but that's the only point, I think. Levi's third crash, with the Lampre rider and the motorbike, occurred when he was already off the back, so was of no relevance to the péloton.

No, they started pacing after Levi crashed the second time on the descent. And his third crash would probably (you never know with Levi's descending abilities) never have happened since they were going flat out taking chances to get back to the peloton.

 

[Tigerion]

dont know enough about cycling what with being an armchair follower so Im asking- is this just down to luck?

Mostly but it can also be from bad bike handling. If you try to shift when you are trying to increase the tempo you can drop your chain.

 

[Wilba60]

I think that's certainly part of it; they still have a pretty weak roster, but they have done a great job thus far of isolating which races to go for and who should go for it, and are really punching above their weight in terms of results vs. quality of riders on roster, especially given that Goss hasn't really got going yet. Gerrans' improvement has been particularly marked; he now appears to be a genuine contender, whereas for the last couple of years he was a highly overrated character who was always named as a threat, then would do nothing until coming 7th in the final charge.

I am not sure Sky put Gerrans in a position that he wanted to be in...I was really confused with what role he was playing in certain races last year compared to now where he is a lead rider and has a big say in what he can or can't do. I think the fact that he moved over from the Paris Nice group to the TA group that was so successful in the team time trial last week and who were earmarked for the MSR. To take his place in that team says a lot for the influence and respect he now has at GE.

I have absolutely no idea what GE may do in respect to significant GC riders but I wouldn't be surprised if they target Porte who is 3rd, 4th or 5th in line at Sky to be an Aussie rider in an Aussie team and take on a lead role....only my thoughts! I actually think this because I feel that an Aussie team will try for a home grown GC contender where possible, Porte would be a very good fit in the early years of the team.

I think Goss is just starting to get his season moving and his focus seems to be the green jersey at TDF and the Olympics. Remember that the majority of Australians have been more exposed to cycling at Olympic level and track cycling.....therefore speed and pursuit or time trial riding is a big attraction. Aussies love their Olympics with swimming and track cycling being two of the strong constants behind us being so successful and "punching above our weight" as Libertine quotes about GE this season.

 

[Gloin22]

Where's the so called 'very strong BMC roster' ACF ? Best rider yesterday was Tejay who lost over 2 minutes on a minute climb, lol

 

[Woody22]

Where's the so called 'very strong BMC roster' ACF ? Best rider yesterday was Tejay who lost over 2 minutes on a minute climb, lol

I thought Morabito finished in the lead group and sits 4th overall on GC.

Could be wrong though.