Volta a Catalunya 2013

[Gloin22]

They're in fact on the first page of this thread.

Lol me, went there and no pictures showed up, waited 15 seconds and they all appeared.

Thanks

 

[Lupetto]

I'm quite sure this will be shortened, too.

 

[Maaaaaaaarten]

Well, the only thing that can stop Rujano, as we all know, is the wheather; but it doesn't seem very unlikely the wheather will indeed prohibit Rujano from winning.

 

[Jason_Mercier]

My favourite is Purito. The weather dont suit Alejandro.

FDJ will play a role here. If is not Pinot, then Jeannesson or Elissonde, like in Oman. I see one of them in the final Top5. Horner too is another card. Perfect route for him. Urán near them.

 

[Pentacycle]

Well, the only thing that can stop Rujano, as we all know, is the wheather; but it doesn't seem very unlikely the wheather will indeed prohibit Rujano from winning.

The weather on the Catalonian coast is fine though. In Barcelona it's over 15 degrees C well into next week. Around this time of the year every mountain top has bad weather. Still I'm worried about the stages with multiple climbs of > 1500m, so Rujano will probably fail.

 

[Maaaaaaaarten]

The weather on the Catalonian coast is fine though. In Barcelona it's over 15 degrees C well into next week. Around this time of the year every mountain top has bad weather. Still I'm worried about the stages with multiple climbs of > 1500m, so Rujano will probably fail.

nahh, as long as it's sunny he'll just do this
http://cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/race.asp?raceid=20322

or this
http://cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/race.asp?raceid=19176

or maybe this, if he's still not in excellent form
http://cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/race.asp?raceid=2108

 

[Parrulo]

be affraid, be very affraid

 

[trevim]

be affraid, be very affraid

Is that who I think? Another top10 coming?

 

[Parrulo]

Is that who I think? Another top10 coming?

if you are thinking it is who i think your are thinking, then it is indeed who you are thinking

apparently they did some physical tests today and the staff was "pretty pleased" with his results, but without a time trial and with such a long climbs i don't think the one we are thinking about can pull it off

 

[theyoungest]

if you are thinking it is who i think your are thinking, then it is indeed who you are thinking

apparently they did some physical tests today and the staff was "pretty pleased" with his results, but without a time trial and with such a long climbs i don't think the one we are thinking about can pull it off

Physical tests are meaningless. Case in point: Gesink, Robert.

Machado should go in the breakaway on the first stage, like Albasini last year. Maybe we'll have the real climbs cancelled again.

 

[Escarabajo]

Why Henao is not in this race? Why people keep hyping Rujano?

Two nice stages for the climbers. Quite a few more options for the win without the TT.

Let's see what Betancur can do with the new team. I wish him well.

 

[trevim]

if you are thinking it is who i think your are thinking, then it is indeed who you are thinking

apparently they did some physical tests today and the staff was "pretty pleased" with his results, but without a time trial and with such a long climbs i don't think the one we are thinking about can pull it off

Yeah the course doesn't suit him but we should not forget that the One That Shouldn't Be Named is a specialist in top10. Of course without the win possibility

 

[Parrulo]

Physical tests are meaningless. Case in point: Gesink, Robert.

Machado should go in the breakaway on the first stage, like Albasini last year. Maybe we'll have the real climbs cancelled again.

i wasn't really being serious

to be honest i think machado is hopeless, he will never deliver at the level expected after his performances during 2010 and until trentino 2011

right now he is pretty much the portuguese version of TGBM gag

 

[Maaaaaaaarten]

Why people keep hyping Rujano?

Because of nice memories!

He's a complete mystery to me, for all I know he might perform and get stage wins and a good placing in Il Giro again this year. But he might as well not do anything of note for the entire year for all I know. Nobody can doubt he has the potential to be one of the best climbers in the world, but nobody can doubt he's quite likely not to realise that potential very often too.

Just like Cobo. Randomly wins Pais Vasco; does nothing for years, randomly wins the Vuelta.

For some reason I like riders like that

 

[Pentacycle]

i wasn't really being serious

to be honest i think machado is hopeless, he will never deliver at the level expected after his performances during 2010 and until trentino 2011

right now he is pretty much the portuguese version of TGBM gag

With the difference TGBM actually performs in GT's and classics, and Machado randomly rides well in crappy races like TDU or Algarve. As soon as he focused on GT's he only got worse.

 

[Parrulo]

With the difference TGBM actually performs in GT's and classics, and Machado randomly rides well in crappy races like TDU or Algarve. As soon as he focused on GT's he only got worse.

way to miss the point, which you seem to do pretty often, but i am feeling nice today so i will take the time to explain it.

TGBM = "the great bauke mollema" which was a running gag on this forum from back when he had no great results in GT's and classics and everyone predicted he would crush the competition on every race he entered, just for the lulz.

his first GT was pretty good considering the conditions which were widely discussed on this forum at the time, ofc since then he has failed but a lot of bad luck has been involved in that and it's hard to perform at good races when for some reason your team no longer sends you to races that suit you.

anyway i did say expectations pre- trentino 2011 and pre trentino on the 2011 season alone he had a top 10/5 placings in algarve, TA, CI and the second place in trentino behind the eventual "giro winner"

 

[Pentacycle]

way to miss the point, which you seem to do pretty often, but i am feeling nice today so i will take the time to explain it.

TGBM = "the great bauke mollema" which was a running gag on this forum from back when he had no great results in GT's and classics and everyone predicted he would crush the competition on every race he entered, just for the lulz.

Lol, I miss the point here? I know the TGBM thing was a running gag, from before I actually joined the forum. Mollema actually is living up to the hype(won the Tour de l 'Avenir too) pretty well, not crushing etc. but he's been up there in hilly races over the past years and perhaps he'll finally win something in the future. Machado has good results in minor races, but giving him the label of 'GT contender' on the basis of Trentino is a bit too much imo. He could win a smaller stage race with a TT though.

 

[Parrulo]

people expected him to do well in a GT based on his performance on 1 week races no1 was expecting him to fight for the win. also since when are TA, CI and trentino minor races that show nothing regardless of possible ability as a GT rider?

and who is labelling him as a "GT contender" at the moment? did you even read my first post? i said i thought he was hopeless so i really don't know what you are on about.

 

[The Hitch]

Mollema actually is living up to the hype

No he is not. (last i checked he had not yet managed to occupy all 3 podium positions in a grand tour)

 

[theyoungest]

No he is not. (last i checked he had not yet managed to occupy all 3 podium positions in a grand tour)

All he needs to do is join Team Sky and it will happen.

Machado is an okay rider, but I think a few years ago we all thought he would be better. It turns out his performances in the Volta Algarve were already to the maximum of his abilities.

 

[Pentacycle]

No he is not. (last i checked he had not yet managed to occupy all 3 podium positions in a grand tour)

That isn't what I said. And from the scale of crappy to top riders Mollema is doing pretty well, as he's close to the top atm. Not domination style, but still gifting stages all over the place.

people expected him to do well in a GT based on his performance on 1 week races no1 was expecting him to fight for the win. also since when are TA, CI and trentino minor races that show nothing regardless of possible ability as a GT rider?

and who is labelling him as a "GT contender" at the moment? did you even read my first post? i said i thought he was hopeless so i really don't know what you are on about.

Some riders who perform in Tirreno or Trentino(or other smaller stage races) go on to perform well in GT's while others don't. And I was comparing Mollema with Machado, as you were doing in your post. You made it sound like TGBM was hopeless too, although he was at the time that thread was still around.

 

[Parrulo]

i never compared mollema to machado. . . . i just said machado was the portuguese molleme gag as in, for the lulz we portuguese predict machado will win every race he enters fully knowing he wont. . .

 

[theyoungest]

i never compared mollema to machado. . . . i just said machado was the portuguese molleme gag as in, for the lulz we portuguese predict machado will win every race he enters fully knowing he wont. . .

Pentacycle doesn't pick up on a joke very fast, life as a Dutch cycling fan is depressing for some

Doesn't Machado have a proper nickname? Sado Machado, or whatever?

 

[Pentacycle]

i never compared mollema to machado. . . . i just said machado was the portuguese molleme gag as in, for the lulz we portuguese predict machado will win every race he enters fully knowing he wont. . .

Ah OK, I thought you meant Mollema himself, as he's very often referred to as TGBM in more recent threads as well. Like in this year's Tirreno for example.

But the Machado hyping in every race he starts and the original TGBM running gag are pretty much the same, though I got used to calling Mollema TGBM because of it.

On a serious note: I hope Machado finally gets a win, maybe he shouldn't aim for GC all the time, as it seems he doesn't ride well in the peolton at all. A breakaway will suit him much better, and a win here would be great for confidence.

 

[jens_attacks]

be afraid wiggo. the condor has woken up