Volta a Catalunya 2012 - Stage 7: Badalona - Barcelona (120km)

[El Pistolero]

VDB has been doing rather well in the 2 races he entered this season

Not Andy Schleck anymore it seems!

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

VDB has been doing rather well in the 2 races he entered this season

Not Andy Schleck anymore it seems!

I wonder how he will do in Pais Vasco. In this form and with his improved ITT he might have a chance to win. Although I think his lack of explosiveness might bother him in the hardest stage.

 

[El Pistolero]

I wonder how he will do in Pais Vasco. In this form and with his improved ITT he might have a chance to win. Although I think his lack of explosiveness might bother him in the hardest stage.

He's not a winner, but top 5 would be great for him. Lotto needs those points to stay in the WT.

 

[theyoungest]

I wonder how he will do in Pais Vasco. In this form and with his improved ITT he might have a chance to win. Although I think his lack of explosiveness might bother him in the hardest stage.

This year's edition isn't really for the explosive guys.

Plus I think VDB is fairly explosive, it's on the really long climbs that I have my doubts about him.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

This year's edition isn't really for the explosive guys.

Plus I think VDB is fairly explosive, it's on the really long climbs that I have my doubts about him.

His attacks hardly shed anyone though (heck it was Gesink who closed the gap on him in the 5th stage even in current form). But when others attack he can follow really well (seemingly without trouble)

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

jvdb has always had unexplosive attacks. he however seems to improve where gesink is at the same level he was in andalucia. beloki anyone?

 

[classicomano]

jvdb has always had unexplosive attacks. he however seems to improve where gesink is at the same level he was in andalucia. beloki anyone?

Come on, Beloki was out for like a year before even attempting to race and withdrew after the first stage because of the pain. Gesink was back on his bike training 2 months after his crash.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

jvdb has always had unexplosive attacks. he however seems to improve where gesink is at the same level he was in andalucia. beloki anyone?

Well if he isn't any better in Pais Vasco...

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Come on, Beloki was out for like a year before even attempting to race and withdrew after the first stage because of the pain. Gesink was back on his bike training 2 months after his crash.

so? it doesn't matter how quickly you return from injury but wether or not you get back on your old level. to me it isn't looking like gesink is improving anything and he's been doing full trainings since december and racing since mid february. beloki came back in early 2004 and eventually raced full time but never really got back to his old level. it also becomes a mental thing of course and beloki subsequently retired.

 

[theyoungest]

Sure, he's the new Beloki. Just like Breschel would never do anything again.

His first WT race, and he's not quite up to his old level He clearly improved throughout the week. Andalucia doesn't tell us much regarding form, as we've seen from Vanendert, for instance.

 

[classicomano]

so? it doesn't matter how quickly you return from injury but wether or not you get back on your old level. to me it isn't looking like gesink is improving anything and he's been doing full trainings since december and racing since mid february. beloki came back in early 2004 and eventually raced full time but never really got back to his old level. it also becomes a mental thing of course and beloki subsequently retired.

Im just going by what Gesink said a week ago and that is: he expects to be back in top shape when the hilly classics arrive.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Sure, he's the new Beloki. Just like Breschel would never do anything again.

His first WT race, and he's not quite up to his old level He clearly improved throughout the week. Andalucia doesn't tell us much regarding form, as we've seen from Vanendert, for instance.

breschel has been on and of injuries forever now. same thing. he's not nearly back to his old level. more chance he will get injured again down the road.

 

[briztoon]

Are you, by any chance, an Aussie?

Yes, I am Aussie.

A guy like Cunego wouldn't have been given a 2 minute headstart.

Doesn't answer my question. Do people here see Albasini as an undeserved winner?

 

[Richeypen]

Doesn't answer my question. Do people here see Albasini as an undeserved winner?

No, Albasini was a deserved winner. However after what hapened with the MTF he is a deserved winner of a meaningless race.

 

[Kwibus]

Doesn't answer my question. Do people here see Albasini as an undeserved winner?

No. He didn't cheat to win... well besides the cheat they all do though.

He did get extremely lucky that the queenstage (stage 3) got cancelled though

 

[hatcher]

Yes, I am Aussie.

Doesn't answer my question. Do people here see Albasini as an undeserved winner?

Not at all.

The others really have no excuse for not chasing down his break.

 

[theyoungest]

breschel has been on and of injuries forever now. same thing.

No. He hasn't. He had a knee injury which is solved, otherwise you don't ride like this. You seem to think such an injury is the death knell to a cyclist's career, but knee problems are quite common in the peloton.

he's not nearly back to his old level. more chance he will get injured again down the road.

Any evidence for this? He looked good to me in Gent-Wevelgem. maybe not as good as in 2010 but what did you expect with hardly any racing last year. Look at Haussler last year, he couldn't get to the front in any race. Now there's a guy who never got back to his old level.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I'm sorry, is it a tainted win because it's Michael Albasini? who many here have alluded to as not being a worthy winner. If it was some one such as Damiano Cuenego would others have been as critical of the winner?

Yeah, there was one screw up of a stage, but that really comes down to the race organisers, and not the riders. What happened, happened, congratulate Albasini and GreenEDGE and move on.

No, it's a tainted win because the organisers dropped the ball completely. Albasini deserved to win by taking the opportunities that were given to him. He's a pretty decent climber and I can't believe they gave him as much rope as they did, even when thinking that the Port-Ainé stage would go ahead.

However, some of the things that took place at the Volta a Catalunya were farcical and a poor advert for the sport. The organisers worked really hard to put together a good race, and seemingly didn't have a backup plan, so just stuck with Plan A long past the point it was obvious that Plan A wasn't going to work. With GC gaps made up by the Port-Ainé stage, the rest of the race could have been an exciting free-for-all; however with that stage cancelled and Albasini still 90 seconds up (despite people in the break on the Port-Ainé stage being several minutes ahead) there wasn't the time to make up that kind of time. Albasini deserves the win for his opportunism and for the rest of the péloton having a collective brainfart, but the race was poor, the organisers made a mess of things and for that reason people are critical. Not of the winner, but of the race. Unless it was someone like Amets Txurruka who won the race like that, I was always going to be critical of the spectacle.

No. I've noticed that the people who can bear no criticism regarding Albasini's win are all Aussies, that's why I asked.

Albasini did great to hold on, but we all know that without the free time bonus he got on stage one, and with the MTF included, he wouldn't have won. Simple as that.

This, although I do feel that 1'32" to Albasini was frighteningly generous. He could have podiumed or top 5ed with that kind of advantage as motivation to hold on, definitely.

"Simple" is best used as a description of those who allowed Albasini a 1'32" lead.

Quite so.

Yes, I am Aussie.

Doesn't answer my question. Do people here see Albasini as an undeserved winner?

No, they just see this as a race that really didn't deserve to be doling out the WT points that it is.

I really like the Volta a Catalunya, I think it's a good and historic race that needs to be on the calendar. But the last two years have really made it hard for me.

 

[Froome19]

Not at all.

The others really have no excuse for not chasing down his break.

Yes they do...
How should they know that the queen stage would be cancelled?

 

[hatcher]

Yes they do...
How should they know that the queen stage would be cancelled?

Well the possibility was mentioned during the stage thread on this very forum, so it shouldn't be too much to expect pro teams to have thought of the possibility.

Why take the risk of giving a very good climber a 92 second head start anyway? Put a rider or two on the front for 20k and bring them back. It was needlessly risky, and it serves them right that they were caught out.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Well the possibility was mentioned during the stage thread on this very forum, so it shouldn't be too much to expect pro teams to have thought of the possibility.

Why take the risk of giving a very good climber a 92 second head start anyway? Put a rider or two on the front for 20k and bring them back. It was needlessly risky, and it serves them right that they were caught out.

yes. god what an idiots for not checking thuis forum. not until the final moments of the canceled stage the organisers had NO plans of even altering the stage. so how would they know

 

[hatcher]

yes. god what an idiots for not checking thuis forum. not until the final moments of the canceled stage the organisers had NO plans of even altering the stage. so how would they know

That's good, but now read the end of the sentence I wrote (the bit after the bit you bolded).

 

[theyoungest]

yes. god what an idiots for not checking thuis forum. not until the final moments of the canceled stage the organisers had NO plans of even altering the stage. so how would they know

Let me quote Sean Yates to you, from the first day in Catalunya:

"Going into Wednesday it’s a full-on stage and hopefully it won’t be affected by the weather. It’s looking a bit dodgy. We’re going really high which could mean snow. There’s 4,000 metres of climbing which is a major Tour stage and serious business so hopefully it isn’t cancelled or the route isn’t changed."

Everyone who had taken one look at the weather forecast knew this. I.e. practically everyone involved in that race. You've stayed so blissfully ignorant throughout that you now take your own truth as the general one.

 

[Froome19]

Well the possibility was mentioned during the stage thread on this very forum, so it shouldn't be too much to expect pro teams to have thought of the possibility.

Why take the risk of giving a very good climber a 92 second head start anyway? Put a rider or two on the front for 20k and bring them back. It was needlessly risky, and it serves them right that they were caught out.

Yes but the GC teams seemed to be adjusting to the race and I think they were suprised by how good Albasini was, he was miles better than anyone in the break and the GC riders could have saved energy and missed the sprint with no damage if it wasnt for Albasini's strength, you would have never put any odds on him for stage 2 before stage1 would you?

 

[The Hitch]

Not at all.

The others really have no excuse for not chasing down his break.

I suppose the excuse is that there was supposed to be a major mountain stage to take back the time.

Its like imagine if the last 2 stages of the Alpes had been cancelled last year due to snow. Would people then say "oh they should have pulled back Voeclker on stage 9"?