Volta a Catalunya 2013 - Stage 4: Llanars → Port Ainé (217 kms)

[willbick]

what do u base yr opinion on? yr prejudices as usual?

 

[JRanton]

Ride of the year so far by Dan Martin. Was there a headwind on the climb? If so, then that is just an incredible performance.

 

[Ferminal]

Woah, opinions not allowed in a discussion forum.

 

[JimPanzen]

human opinion

Good, because everthing else would be absurd

 

[airstream]

Great ride by Dan Martin and J-Rod. The train crashed.

 

[The Hitch]

what do u base yr opinion on? yr prejudices as usual?

Nice to see the Taliban has arrived.

 

[Kwibus]

Looks like I missed some great mountain racing today.

It doesn't happen that often that we get more than 2-3km of spectacle on a MTF stage last years.

Props to all the fighters today!

 

[wwabbit]

Races are so much more exciting when Sky sends their C Team

 

[Morbius]

That's the last time that Sky put someone in a break

 

[Red Rick]

what do u base yr opinion on? yr prejudices as usual?

Objective admiration for a great sportive achieved I guess.

What do you base your opinion on?

 

[JRanton]

Races are so much more exciting when Sky sends their C Team

B team at worst.

Katusha was the biggest fail today. After Valverde crashed out they should have done more work to pull the break back. Instead they sat back, with two riders in the break who were never going to win GC.

 

[Morbius]

Katusha's problem was that if they had helped keep the pace high early on to catch the break, Sky would have had at least one person left at the end and JRod would not have managed to gap Wiggins.

 

[Bernie's eyesore]

Katusha's problem was that if they had helped keep the pace high early on to catch the break, Sky would have had at least one person left at the end and JRod would not have managed to gap Wiggins.

He didn't need to gap Wiggins though.

 

[JRanton]

That's the last time that Sky put someone in a break

We don't know if Pate did any work in the break (I doubt it). Movistar were pulling until Valverde crashed. The gap went from 2:30 to 4:30 in the space of a few minutes when presumably the peloton were waiting for news on Valverde. Clearly that was a critical moment.

Uran, Lopez and Cataldo were so weak it's almost as if they were pulling at some point earlier in the day. Either that or they've just lost form/tired after PN/Tirreno.

 

[JRanton]

Katusha's problem was that if they had helped keep the pace high early on to catch the break, Sky would have had at least one person left at the end and JRod would not have managed to gap Wiggins.

Maybe and I suppose as it turns out the race is still very winnable from this point for Purito. The last stage is great for him and Martin needs to recover from today's effort.

 

[PedalCastro]

Delighted for Dan Martin, great ride

 

[wwabbit]

B team at worst.

Katusha was the biggest fail today. After Valverde crashed out they should have done more work to pull the break back. Instead they sat back, with two riders in the break who were never going to win GC.

Why? Looking at the results, it's obvious Porte's team was the A Team, Froome's team was B Team, and Wiggins team is C Team

 

[JRanton]

Why? Looking at the results, it's obvious Porte's team was the A Team, Froome's team was B Team, and Wiggins team is C Team

But Lopez, Uran and Cataldo were part of Porte and Froome's teams?

 

[jaylew]

no, i think Quintana is slightly better climber than Valverde already. The 4th rider i would rank above Quintana (and i get im probably the last person in the world to still do so) is Andy.

I tend to agree, regarding Schleck. I'd still put him up there as well - at least through this year's Tour.

I spy a tilt upwards on that penultimate stage. Martin could really rue that celebration. Purito for the GC win.

A shame that Nairo missed the break on that descent in the 1st stage.

 

[The Hitch]

This reminds me of when Michele Scarponi celebrated the Chietti stage of the 2010 Tirreno, and ended up losing the overall on placing countback

 

[del1962]

Why? Looking at the results, it's obvious Porte's team was the A Team, Froome's team was B Team, and Wiggins team is C Team

T-A field > Volta Field > Paris-Niece Field though

 

[wwabbit]

But Lopez, Uran and Cataldo were part of Porte and Froome's teams?

You're getting close. If the domestiques are pretty much the same between the A, B and C teams, then it must be the strength of the leader that defines who is A, B and C

 

[the asian]

I miss a stage and it turns out to be damn exciting. no surprises there.
Feel sorry for Valverede, hope he recovers well. It seems Quintana rode well today, 3rd on stage and in GC.

Congrats to Martin too, but he will have to ride well on stages 6 & 7 to keep the lead.

 

[SafeBet]

I miss a stage and it turns out to be damn exciting. no surprises there.

Same here. Must have been a fun race.
What happened to Valverde?

 

[Afrank]

Same here. Must have been a fun race.
What happened to Valverde?

Crashed out.