Volta ao Algarve, 15-19/02 (2.HC)

[jens_attacks]

Who cares about them, all i want is rui sousa and joni brandao.

 

[inacion]

Re:

Who cares about them, all i want is rui sousa and joni brandao.

Cândido Barbosa was also legend, stage wins record. A "low tier" Peter Sagan, very good sprinter, decent time trial and climber

 

[Jagartrott]

Re: Re:

Hey, I would be mad as well if I slowly began to realise that a) I didn't have the speed I used to and b) that QuickStep has the 2 flat out fastest sprinters in the peloton all of a sudden. Superstar Gaviria.

Sad reply.
Why do you have to diss a rider that has always been a class act?

 

[Max Rockatansky]

With 38 kilometers to go it is Pelotão compacto.

 

[Max Rockatansky]

Not 38...

Alto da Pomba just started. Pelotão fading...

http://www.tvi24.iol.pt/direto

 

[Max Rockatansky]

Quick Step has picked up the tempo for Dan Martin.

 

[Max Rockatansky]

Oh boy, DER PANZERWAGEN looks strong.

 

[portugal11]

Etixx loooooool

 

[Max Rockatansky]

Etixx is destroying the field.

 

[portugal11]

Enric mas wow. He is still a rookie

 

[Arredondo]

Mas is a beast!

 

[Geraint Too Fast]

Kwiat looked good closing that gap.

 

[carolina]

amaro antunes has this in the bag

 

[Max Rockatansky]

Looking not bad for the Panzer.

 

[Max Rockatansky]

Hard fight for the win. Dan Martin takes it.

Roglic 2nd, Kwiatek 3rd at 20 seconds, Antunes, Lulu and Castroviejo at 30 seconds.

 

[classicomano]

That was an amazing battle. Rogla is super strong right now, lets see what he has in the TT.

 

[johnymax]

Last year there were around 20 riders in 20s on this stage. Today there were only 3. It shows you how the race changes with different approach. The peloton exploded right at the beginning of the climb thanks to Etixx.

Congrats to Dan Martin, but I'm mostly happy to see Rogla for the first time going toe to toe with a world class rider. You could see how strong he is. He did 75% of the work in the last 2km and still Martin was barely able to outsprint him on his terrain.

 

[Ricco']

Re:

Last year there were around 20 riders in 20s on this stage. Today there were only 3. It shows you how the race changes with different approach. The peloton exploded right at the beginning of the climb thanks to Etixx.

Congrats to Dan Martin, but I'm mostly happy to see Rogla for the first time going toe to toe with a world class rider. You could see how strong he is. He did 75% of the work in the last 2km and still Martin was barely able to outsprint him on his terrain.

Different route, the beginning of the climb was harder this year.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Re:

Last year there were around 20 riders in 20s on this stage. Today there were only 3. It shows you how the race changes with different approach. The peloton exploded right at the beginning of the climb thanks to Etixx.

Congrats to Dan Martin, but I'm mostly happy to see Rogla for the first time going toe to toe with a world class rider. You could see how strong he is. He did 75% of the work in the last 2km and still Martin was barely able to outsprint him on his terrain.

It was a fantastic performance by Roglic, but by no stretch of the imagination is a long, shallow, big ring climb Dan Martin's terrain. He's the only world class climber in the field, and so the favourite, but short of going to Colorado it would be hard to find a big climb that plays less to his strengths. It's one for the power guys, which was why Stybar was so effective and also why Quickstep knew they had to go nuts early and make it as hard as possible.

 

[johnymax]

Re: Re:

Different route, the beginning of the climb was harder this year.

I thought it was the same climb. My bad then. Nonetheless nice last 10km.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Re:

The parcours would be perfect for a Kwiatkowski in any kind of shape but it doesn't seem like he's got any at the moment. In fact it's a very lackluster field this year, but that makes the GC wide open. I'd expect Roglic, Castroviejo, Sanchez, Cummings and Tony Martin to fight it out with Moscon and Gallopin as dark horses.

Looks prophetic.

It should really be Roglic from here, unless he has an off day in the TT.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Why do reports keep saying that Martin is just 26 seconds ahead of Kwiatkowski rather than 4 seconds ahead of a guy who won a GT TT last year?

 

[johnymax]

Re: Re:

Last year there were around 20 riders in 20s on this stage. Today there were only 3. It shows you how the race changes with different approach. The peloton exploded right at the beginning of the climb thanks to Etixx.

Congrats to Dan Martin, but I'm mostly happy to see Rogla for the first time going toe to toe with a world class rider. You could see how strong he is. He did 75% of the work in the last 2km and still Martin was barely able to outsprint him on his terrain.

It was a fantastic performance by Roglic, but by no stretch of the imagination is a long, shallow, big ring climb Dan Martin's terrain. He's the only world class climber in the field, and so the favourite, but short of going to Colorado it would be hard to find a big climb that plays less to his strengths. It's one for the power guys, which was why Stybar was so effective and also why Quickstep knew they had to go nuts early and make it as hard as possible.

I meant the uphill sprint, not the whole climb. I certainly agree with you, but I was talking about sprinting on 4-6% gradient in the last 200m after a 10km climb. Sure he would prefer a steeper finale but he is still one of the best in the World on this kind of finish.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Re: Re:

Last year there were around 20 riders in 20s on this stage. Today there were only 3. It shows you how the race changes with different approach. The peloton exploded right at the beginning of the climb thanks to Etixx.

Congrats to Dan Martin, but I'm mostly happy to see Rogla for the first time going toe to toe with a world class rider. You could see how strong he is. He did 75% of the work in the last 2km and still Martin was barely able to outsprint him on his terrain.

It was a fantastic performance by Roglic, but by no stretch of the imagination is a long, shallow, big ring climb Dan Martin's terrain. He's the only world class climber in the field, and so the favourite, but short of going to Colorado it would be hard to find a big climb that plays less to his strengths. It's one for the power guys, which was why Stybar was so effective and also why Quickstep knew they had to go nuts early and make it as hard as possible.

I meant the uphill sprint, not the whole climb. I certainly agree with you, but I was talking about sprinting on 4-6% gradient in the last 200m after a 10km climb. Sure he would prefer a steeper finale but he is still one of the best in the World on this kind of finish.

Sure. If you come to the flamme rouge on a climb, even a shallow one, with Martin you are probably dead meat unless you are Valverde. Last time I remember an unexpected rider only just about losing in circumstances like that it was a very young Chaves in Beijing which bodes well for Roglic.

(The Chaves example was even more impressive though as it was against a Martin who had just won Lombardia and who went totally berserk in the finale)

 

[del1962]

Roglic at 4 seconds
Castroviejo at 45 seconds
Kwiatkowski at 26 seconds

Top 3 on GC after ITT