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

[Richeypen]

You've been saying this for a week now and it got boring three days ago. More boring than the race I'd say.

I'd hazard a guess that you don't like Greenedge.

WTF. I was loving the race up until the cancellation so that is completely unjustified.


Edit: Thinking about it I have hardly posted on these threads since the cancellation so dont really have a clue what you are on about. The only negative comments I have posted since that stage have been 2 on this thread.



As for the Greenedge thing no not particually. As for Albasini's win he took a chance and got his rewards. However the fact that there was a breakaway so far up the roads when it was canceled sours the whole thing.

 

[LaFlorecita]

The race wasn't that bad, but it could have been so much better.

This exactly.

 

[Fus087]

Which of the 8min break finished highest on GC?

Carrara was 10th in GC before today's stage.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Carrara was 10th in GC before today's stage.

Yup and Kruijswijk 14th in the same time.

They would have been 1st and 2nd with a normal jury

 

[LaFlorecita]

Carrara was 10th in GC before today's stage.

So he was in that break? He's 8th in the final GC so he's the highest I guess.

 

[Gloin22]

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

despite the soft impression the race gave, the riders are dead tired.

Dan Martin tweeted this
Dan Martin ‏ @DanMartin86 Fun but hard I might had. Dont ever remember a peleton so tired outside of a GT. recovery is the theme this week.

Gesink also tweeted earlier Catalunya was a super hard race and very useful. He hopes to gain form by resting a bit next week (gaining super compensation form)

 

[will10]

They really did race hard on the semi-selective days trying to get rid of Albasini. Even today was full on the last 25km, just not a hard enough parcours, so there were still loads left at the finish.

 

[theyoungest]

I think the snow stage took its toll on most guys. For instance Laurens ten Dam never recovered from that one.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

I think the snow stage took its toll on most guys. For instance Laurens ten Dam never recovered from that one.

Yes. If you remember, the likes of Cunego and Martin looked markedly worse the day after the snow than they had the day before it.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

I think the snow stage took its toll on most guys. For instance Laurens ten Dam never recovered from that one.

Yeah...he looked the strongest of the Rabo's in the first 2 stages. Then after...nowhere.

 

[cineteq]

despite the soft impression the race gave, the riders are dead tired.

Dan Martin tweeted this
Dan Martin ‏ @DanMartin86 Fun but hard I might had. Dont ever remember a peleton so tired outside of a GT. recovery is the theme this week.

Gesink also tweeted earlier Catalunya was a super hard race and very useful. He hopes to gain form by resting a bit next week (gaining super compensation form)

I don't think the riders are disappointed, it was great training for those who stayed. The parcours didn't help to make much difference among the favorites, thus it was boring...except perhaps the last 3 km on the stage Sanchez won.

 

[movingtarget]

I don't think the riders are disappointed, it was great training for those who stayed. The parcours didn't help to make much difference among the favorites, thus it was boring...except perhaps the last 3 km on the stage Sanchez won.

Yep. Hard race so early in the season. Tirreno was hard this year too. A few things would improve this race. Better communications and accurate time checks. Better finishes, some of them were too dangerous. Some of the GC riders came into the race under done and with the cancelled stage it was not quite hard enough to shake off strong riders like Albasini who are also pretty good climbers in the sort of race.

 

[asdfgh101]

Can't find anywhere how the riders who finished 1:32 back were separated (my best guess is that their finishing positions were added together).

 

[movingtarget]

Can't find anywhere how the riders who finished 1:32 back were separated (my best guess is that their finishing positions were added together).

I think that's the way it usually works.

 

[Tigerion]

Can't find anywhere how the riders who finished 1:32 back were separated (my best guess is that their finishing positions were added together).

Yeah, that is how they split Gerrans and Valverde at the TDU when they finished on the same time.

 

[Tigerion]

As for the Greenedge thing no not particually. As for Albasini's win he took a chance and got his rewards. However the fact that there was a breakaway so far up the roads when it was canceled sours the whole thing.

I am a big greenedge fan and I agree, it is a tainted victory but he took his chances and got rewarded for going all out attacking early.
As for the breakaway there is no way they could let them keep that time. Standard thing of letting the break away go, hold them at a manageable distance then bring them back at the end of the race. To suddenly drop 50 km (a quarter of the stage) in the middle of the race means that the gap they had wouldn't have been allowed to get anywhere near that amount of time that close to the finish.

Basically it was a shamozle.

 

[briztoon]

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.

 

[theyoungest]

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.

Are you, by any chance, an Aussie?

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

 

[Kvinto]

The race is tainted, not the win. Giving somebody a headstart you should be aware that the circumstances may give you a lesson and i'm happy that the peloton has been given this lesson. This is never wise to let the break survive on the first stage.

 

[BM1979]

Are you, by any chance, an Aussie?

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

Are you by any chance a Brit?

 

[Richeypen]

ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz


Back onto the nationalistic ********

 

[greenedge]

Congrats to Albasini. Also to Simon.

The fact it is a big race forced me to post here every day, though there were some interesting points made.

 

[theyoungest]

Are you by any chance a Brit?

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.

 

[stefank]

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.

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