Volta a Catalunya 2012: Stage 3, La Vall d'en Bas - Port-Ainé (211 km)

[LaFlorecita]

What was the point of the break doing 155km and then telling them their effort is worthless and won't count in GC???
This race is officially a joke, wouldn't be surprised if its wiped from the calendar with the organisational skills they showed today...

Exactly. As if the GC riders care about one stupid stage win.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

GreenEdge to win the World Tour this way

I can see them sending Gerrans or Albasini to Pologne instead of the Tour to pick up more easy points. And a freak break in the Tour de Suisse with Teklehaimanot. And maybe a sprint win by Goss in races like Vattenfall.

 

[happytramp]

I broke the window to get into my mothers house to try and watch this. In hindsight it was probably a bad decision.

 

[wirral]

Crap, Albasini has this in the bag. What a joke.

There are 2 tough stages on Thursday and Friday and while Albasini could well hang on, Green Edge don't have a strong "mountain goat" team here whilst Garmin have 4 riders in the 1'32" time group that they can throw up the road to force Green Edge to chase. It certainly ain't over yet. But certainly 'advantage Albasini' at the present.

 

[happytramp]

I expect an altered stage to include a MTF later in the week.

 

[roundabout]

Yes, let's finish at the abbey.

http://cyclingcols.com/profiles/MontserratE.gif

Of course the thing is that I don't believe that such changes are possible.

 

[happytramp]

I'm pretty sure that at this stage anything is possible.

 

[wirral]

In contrast to biciclismo, the Team Sky website states Uran finished the stage, did not abandon and is still very much in the race. Wiggins, Porte, Sivstov did abandon the stage but the quote from Sky leaves a glimmer of hope they may be able to start tomorrow.

 

[Beech Mtn]

Movistar tweet:
#VoltaCatalunya / Etapa 3: Finalmente, los tiempos de hoy no se contabilizarán para la general de la carrera. Albasini (GEC) sigue líder.

So the only interesting thing to happen GC-wise, and the race officials pretend it never happened. That's just brilliant.

What about the DNFs? Are they to be let back in too, or are they permanently out?

This is so unfair to the guys in the break. It's not like the peloton was actually going to catch them.

 

[Beech Mtn]

In contrast to biciclismo, the Team Sky website states Uran finished the stage, did not abandon and is still very much in the race. Wiggins, Porte, Sivstov did abandon the stage but the quote from Sky leaves a glimmer of hope they may be able to start tomorrow.

They f-ing well should not be allowed to start tomorrow. Anybody who didn't ride the whole thing should be out of the race. Totally unfair to let a guy back in who spent a few less hours freezing in the snow to compete against the others who suffered more. Ridiculous.

 

[Morbius]

They f-ing well should not be allowed to start tomorrow

Absolutely. Cancelling the time gaps is one thing. Allowing people to carry on who have left the race is another

 

[Richeypen]

They f-ing well should not be allowed to start tomorrow. Anybody who didn't ride the whole thing should be out of the race. Totally unfair to let a guy back in who spent a few less hours freezing in the snow to compete against the others who suffered more. Ridiculous.

No more ridiculous than nullifying the results from todays stage. The whole race has become a sham and lets face it anything could happen.

 

[theyoungest]

They f-ing well should not be allowed to start tomorrow. Anybody who didn't ride the whole thing should be out of the race. Totally unfair to let a guy back in who spent a few less hours freezing in the snow to compete against the others who suffered more. Ridiculous.

+1

Also, Albasini gets 2 free minutes on the first stage, with the GC riders assuming they'll pull back that time on the queen stage. If the time difference from the front group today gets annulled, so should Albasini's.

 

[Frosty]

In contrast to biciclismo, the Team Sky website states Uran finished the stage, did not abandon and is still very much in the race. Wiggins, Porte, Sivstov did abandon the stage but the quote from Sky leaves a glimmer of hope they may be able to start tomorrow.

Yeah, article below says that Zandio and Appollonio finished as well. Sky are unsure whether people who abandoned will be able to start tomorrow. Apparently their bus is still at the finish, must be a bit annoying for the riders being effectively dumped in the middle of nowhere, not sure they can all cram in the team cars?

http://www.teamsky.com/article/0,27290,24917_7615565,00.html

 

[LaFlorecita]

+1

Also, Albasini gets 2 free minutes on the first stage, with the GC riders assuming they'll pull back that time on the queen stage. If the time difference from the front group today gets annulled, so should Albasini's.

Hey that's great reasoning.

 

[roundabout]

+1

Also, Albasini gets 2 free minutes on the first stage, with the GC riders assuming they'll pull back that time on the queen stage. If the time difference from the front group today gets annulled, so should Albasini's.

Why?

.......

 

[LaFlorecita]

If riders that abandoned can start tomorrow the stupidity will be complete.

 

[Frosty]

They f-ing well should not be allowed to start tomorrow. Anybody who didn't ride the whole thing should be out of the race. Totally unfair to let a guy back in who spent a few less hours freezing in the snow to compete against the others who suffered more. Ridiculous.

Might be a bit unfair on anyone who abandoned just before it was announced that the stage was going to finish early (although could they have gone back and tried to un-abandon if they were that keen?), as others might have been about to give up too. One answer GC wise would be to give them +30 minutes on the stage although that might still make it awkward if they were in a break as they wouldnt have had as tough a day today.

 

[LaFlorecita]

+1

Also, Albasini gets 2 free minutes on the first stage, with the GC riders assuming they'll pull back that time on the queen stage. If the time difference from the front group today gets annulled, so should Albasini's.

Why?

.......

There you have it.

 

[hrotha]

There was talk about today's stage being cancelled from the beginning of the Volta, so too bad for those who decided to give Albasini that free time. Please stop altering the results even further.

 

[Morbius]

How about another random suggestion

They could allow back riders who dropped out but only to ride as domestiques - not for the GC or stage.

Anybody got any other creative ideas?

 

[theyoungest]

Why?

.......

It's an equally unfair advantage.

 

[Richeypen]

Bit unfair on anyone who abandoned just before it was announced that the stage was going to finish early (although could they have gone back and tried to un-abandon if they were that keen?). One answer GC wise would be to give them +30 minutes on the stage although that might still make it awkward if they were in a break as they wouldnt have had as tough a day today.

The problems today were caused by the organisers not making a decision fast enough. It was obvious from early on that the final climb would have to be cancelled. If they made the decision early then we wouldnt have got the abandonments, the peleton wouldnt have let the gap grow so big and we would have had a proper, albeit shorter stage today.

 

[theyoungest]

There was talk about today's stage being cancelled from the beginning of the Volta, so too bad for those who decided to give Albasini that free time. Please stop altering the results even further.

Maybe Ryo Hazuki works for the Volta organisation

 

[Richeypen]

How about another random suggestion

They could allow back riders who dropped out but only to ride as domestiques - not for the GC or stage.

Anybody got any other creative ideas?

We allow the breakaway to keep their lead. Its the organisers who should be punished today not the riders in the breakaway.