Volta a Catalunya 2012 - Stage 4; Tremp - Ascó "La vostra energia" (199km)

[Ryo Hazuki]

Yeah but this race with a MTF and a TT is pretty weird. everyone is ending up with the same times other than albasini.

there was no itt. the mountains were canceled and there's still tomorrow which I expect will have bigger gaps

 

[gustienordic]

menchov is very fast

I was under the impression he couldn't accelerate; big diesel engine, well interesting!

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

I was under the impression he couldn't accelerate; big diesel engine, well interesting!

not accelerate?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuTRs2GnFS8

check 36:00

 

[jens_attacks]

congratulations to ryo haz...i mean uran for winning the stage ..actually i think this was great stuff so one day and i changed again my opinion about this years' edition lol

have you guys caught that stratospheric attack by kash when they did the first lap on the climb?dropped my spliff from the joy right that moment

what about albasini?
BIBLE OF PRO CYCLING
2 Corinthians 3:6
NEVER EVER allow to a guy that can climb a little bit too much time,you won't get rid of him next day.so chapeau albasini!

tomorrow we'll have fireworks i'm sure.

 

[theyoungest]

not accelerate?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuTRs2GnFS8

check 36:00

That was such a great win. Good old stoic Menchov killing Il Killer.

 

[Frosty]

Again, that's unfair commentary. It has been beautiful weather there all winter. Even today riders who live there (in girona) reported to journalists that it was hot out there for weeks. In the winter they all train there without a problem.
It was really a freak occurence

So if it never snows there then why is it a ski resort with vertical runs that extend for several hundred metres below the planned finish for yesterday's stage?

They were unlucky, you wouldnt expect it to snow maybe in any given week in March and if it had snowed a day or two before, or even the night before, then some ploughs could have gone through and the course would have been rideable. Also, wasnt the fact that it snowed but also the amount that it snowed and probably a low freezing level too. Might have felt very warm up there in recent weeks but such is spring weather. In a parallel universe it snowed the day before the race went through giving fantastic photos and scenery on an epic day's mountain climbing, with lots of attacks making it one of the most-talked about days of the year outside the GTs and monuments.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

So if it never snows there then why is it a ski resort with vertical runs that extend for several hundred metres below the planned finish for yesterday's stage?

They were unlucky, you wouldnt expect it to snow maybe in any given week in March and if it had snowed a day or two before, or even the night before, then some ploughs could have gone through and the course would have been rideable. Also, wasnt the fact that it snowed but also the amount that it snowed and probably a low freezing level too. Might have felt very warm up there in recent weeks but such is spring weather. In a parallel universe it snowed the day before the race went through giving fantastic photos and scenery on an epic day's mountain climbing, with lots of attacks making it one of the most-talked about days of the year outside the GTs and monuments.

Bladiebla

A WEEK ago...it was hot there, same climb, reconned by Garmin. Reconned by Gesink. a WEEK(!!).

It's just unlucky. You can perfectly plan mountain stages in march it has been done for years when there was a race called "Setmana Catalana" in the same week but you probably never heard of that race because obviously you know nothing of the sports history

 

[roundabout]

That was such a great win. Good old stoic Menchov killing Il Killer.

Bike all over the place. The KRvH of uphill sprinting.

 

[gustienordic]

not accelerate?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuTRs2GnFS8

check 36:00

Has this just been missing the past few years?

 

[jens_attacks]

not accelerate?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuTRs2GnFS8

check 36:00

hooray for the 400 meters sprints uphill.giro 09 was a true battle of warriors

 

[Frosty]

Bladiebla

A WEEK ago...it was hot there, same climb, reconned by Garmin. Reconned by Gesink. a WEEK(!!).

Good for them. The weather changes from week to week and sometimes day to day. You did say that you could cycle up there in the winter though which is why i was questioning how it could apparently never snow at a ski resort.

It's just unlucky. You can perfectly plan mountain stages in march it has been done for years when there was a race called "Setmana Catalana" in the same week but you probably never heard of that race because obviously you know nothing of the sports history

Er, yeah, i said it was unlucky too. You are wrong by the way, i have heard of that race, just like i know people who have had snow at 2000 metres in Andorra in late May, and that a stage of the Basque tour had to be shortened due to snow in the early 2000s. Then again Paris-Nice made it up to the top of Mont Ventoux a few years back

At the end of the day though i think we are both saying that the organisers were unlucky, maybe even very unlucky, but that their response was too slow?

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Has this just been missing the past few years?

no. he's always been like this and still is

 

[therhodeo]

Has this just been missing the past few years?

I'm not sure I can answer this the way I want to in this forum.

 

[theyoungest]

I'm not sure I can answer this the way I want to in this forum.

What does this have to do with clinic issues? He's never been in a similar kind of situation since. If you notice the guys sprinting behind him are Leipheimer and Basso, notorious sprinters

The only surprise scalp he took was Di Luca's.

 

[markene2]

have you guys caught that stratospheric attack by kash when they did the first lap on the climb?dropped my spliff from the joy right that moment

Elaborate!!!

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

didn't leipheimer win a sprint in utah or colorado last year to everyone's shock?

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

didn't leipheimer win a sprint in utah or colorado last year to everyone's shock?

that was an uphill explosive attack he made. very impressive yes. he even beat henao with it. but leipheimer in usa is a totally different rider

 

[classicomano]

Elaborate!!!

He rode in the front for 2 seconds then his legs exploded.

 

[jens_attacks]

Elaborate!!!

i'm exagerating.kash took 3-4 meters on the front and he was instantly caught by greenedge riders i think still he did this season already more than andy.there are good signs for july

didn't leipheimer win a sprint in utah or colorado last year to everyone's shock?

i don't call that a sprint just like i don't call cadel's.those are just basically huge engines rode everyone out from their wheels with something like 600 meters to go

 

[maltiv]

Awesome victory by Uran today. With little to no team mates left he had to make the race hard himself, attacking solo already with 40k to go. Some might say it was a waste, but who knows what would've happened if he hadn't? Would've saved some GreenEdge legs, that's for sure! Anyway, to still be able to pull off the victory is extremely rare and just shows that he's probably the strongest guy in the race.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

agreed he looked increidbly strong. maybe this year uran can set his final big step. he has the physical talent but mentally I never se ehim really compete for gt's though. with today in their legs tomorrow will be harder. let's hope for a very hard race again

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

the gc is laughable now

2 morabito 3 vandenbroeck

yeah really shows the right strong guys in front. Uran is only 8th or so because he didn't sprint in the first stage

 

[maltiv]

the gc is laughable now

2 morabito 3 vandenbroeck

yeah really shows the right strong guys in front. Uran is only 8th or so because he didn't sprint in the first stage

No time bonuses in a race like this is just a joke. Even with an actual MTF, there will still be way too many people in same time. I think there was like 7 people s.t last year, which is why guys like Uran and Dan Martin had to participate in flat bunch sprints. Ridiculous.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

don't worrie. tomorrow there won't be a group of 25 riders finishing

 

[sucotash]

I hope that Szmyd will do the job on the climb, and others will drop one by one