Volta Ciclista a Catalunya 2019, March 25-31

[Laplaz]

Re: Re:

Isn’t MAL going the TDF? Or is he Giro this year??

Really enjoyed watching these two stages on the sly in work.

Nope. Giro this year.

Ooh interesting. How stacked is the Giro this year? Best GC field there in a looong time. I really hope we don’t have any crashes to wreck it.

I guess that leaves Froome and Geraint to battle it out for the Tour between themselves.

Let's hope Crushweak finds his Giro 2016 legs

 

[tobydawq]

Re: Re:

Need that 4th British out of nowhere Tour winner

Out of nowhere? What planet are you living on? The guy was 4th as a 23-year-old and is one of the strongest climbers this year.

 

[Lequack]

Re: Re:

Isn’t MAL going the TDF? Or is he Giro this year??

Really enjoyed watching these two stages on the sly in work.

Nope. Giro this year.

Ooh interesting. How stacked is the Giro this year? Best GC field there in a looong time. I really hope we don’t have any crashes to wreck it.

I guess that leaves Froome and Geraint to battle it out for the Tour between themselves.

Adam Yates.

Yeah but Adam is in form now meanwhile Geraint and Froome are still carrying baby fat to get them through to the Tour.

 

[saunaking]

Re:

López left 3 to 4 seconds on the table with that celebration

???? mayyyyybbbee 1 second

 

[Cookster15]

Re: Re:

Need that 4th British out of nowhere Tour winner

Out of nowhere? What planet are you living on? The guy was 4th as a 23-year-old and is one of the strongest climbers this year.

Exactly what I was going to write. They are identical twins riding on the same team it was only a matter of time that equilibrium would be restored. However Adam was riding in 2016 as a 23 year old all things being equal he will be a stronger rider in 2019 as a 26 year old.

 

[LuckyLoek]

Re: Re:

Isn’t MAL going the TDF? Or is he Giro this year??

Really enjoyed watching these two stages on the sly in work.

Nope. Giro this year.

Ooh interesting. How stacked is the Giro this year? Best GC field there in a looong time. I really hope we don’t have any crashes to wreck it.

I guess that leaves Froome and Geraint to battle it out for the Tour between themselves.

Let's hope Crushweak finds his Giro 2016 legs

His Tour 2018 numbers were better than his 2016 Giro, so that won't cut it. Still hope he'll be in contention for the win though, but I doubt it.

 

[shalgo]

Re: Re:

Need that 4th British out of nowhere Tour winner

Out of nowhere? What planet are you living on? The guy was 4th as a 23-year-old and is one of the strongest climbers this year.

Exactly what I was going to write. They are identical twins riding on the same team it was only a matter of time that equilibrium would be restored. However Adam was riding in 2016 as a 23 year old all things being equal he will be a stronger rider in 2019 as a 26 year old.

Exactly, Adam Yates showed far more potential as a climber and GC rider at a young age than either Froome or Thomas did. He was 2nd at the Tour de l'Avenir as a 21-year-old back in 2013. The following summer, while still 21, he finished 6th at the Dauphine.

 

[Jagartrott]

Side-observation: so little snow in the region - must be a very dry winter there.

 

[Lequack]

 

[Simurgh]

Re:

Crazy! Astana these months in a nutshell :lol:

 

[Rvizzle]

This is a fantastic bicycle race

 

[Red Rick]

Is Yates doing Pais Vasco?

He might be on his way of equalling Contador's legendary achievement of consecutive 2nd places in WT spring races.

 

[tobydawq]

Re:

Is Yates doing Pais Vasco?

He might be on his way of equalling Contador's legendary achievement of consecutive 2nd places in WT spring races.

I think he is.

Contador was also second in Andalucía, though. Yates was only fifth.

 

[Rollthedice]

Switching to rap music definitely changed Astana as a team, they are more focused, train better and generally live a healthier life.

 

[search]

Re:

Is Yates doing Pais Vasco?

He might be on his way of equalling Contador's legendary achievement of consecutive 2nd places in WT spring races.

yep, Adam will do Pais Vasco. Before Tirreno he said that he wants to win one of the three, so he's still on plan

 

[railxmig]

Re:

Switching to rap music definitely changed Astana as a team, they are more focused, train better and generally live a healthier life.

As a certain Harvard dropout and wannabe blood Souljaboi likes to say "stay focused"... while definitely being out of focus.

 

[Alexandre B.]

I assume the first riders can’t really go much faster. Can they?

 

[Rollthedice]

Re:

I assume the first riders can’t really go much faster. Can they?

When? These days or when the real game is on, like the Giro?

 

[Robert5091]

So Sky set up Superman nicely for the win

Chapeau Lopez and who else thinks Vino said to him stop the f**king about and ride? The Giro will be fun to watch this year.

After one long drag up, it's 165 km of up and mostly down tomorrow.

25 man break again or "compacto peloton" for the GC guys to fight for bonus seconds?

 

[JosephK]

Re: Re:

Ooh interesting. How stacked is the Giro this year? Best GC field there in a looong time. I really hope we don’t have any crashes to wreck it.

I guess that leaves Froome and Geraint to battle it out for the Tour between themselves.

Adam Yates.

Yeah but Adam is in form now meanwhile Geraint and Froome are still carrying baby fat to get them through to the Tour.

This. The Sky/Ineos boys are planning for peak peaking at the Tour, this year. Also, I like to think that Le Dawg has secretly been fuming about being relegated to 3rd in last year's TDF, and he will bring his full skeletal wrath against all comers in the 2019 race. I'm expecting a maniacal beatdown . . . should be fun(ny) to watch.

 

[movingtarget]

Very strong win by Lopez.

 

[Lequack]

34 Big Photos from Stage 4 — flockton
http://www.steephill.tv/2019/volta-a-catalunya/photos/stage-04/

 

[tristecsinamigos]

Re: Re:

Also, the Vuelta a Colombia was the most aggressively ridden race with top climbers for years, and all the protagonists were Colombians.

*Tour Colombia.

The Vuelta a Colombia is a 2.2 America Tour race now, and it's raced in August/September, I think.

 

[yaco]

Yates, Bernal and Quintana should have buried Lopez in stage three - They co-operate and he loses 30 or 40 seconds - Actually Lopez benefited at Columbia because Sky chased their own team-mate in Sosa who was in the break - He's had good fortune.

 

[Escarabajo]

I just finished watching the stage and that was quite a display of power by Lopez. He is in great form. He distanced everyone on his own.