Volta Ciclista a Catalunya 2019, March 25-31

[Velolover2]

Where are Michelton, Sky and Movistar? They want TDG to win this?

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Handclocked at 5k from the finish, he has 3m40s on the peloton.

 

[DNP-Old]

I'm not sure if giving De Gendt 3:30 is a good move.

 

[Carols]

Super ride Thomas, take it All Down

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Re:

I'm not sure if giving De Gendt 3:30 is a good move.

Any other rider would do his best to defend this, especially with his skillset. But De Gendt is such a "f*ck it" kind of guy, if he doesn't feel like it, he's not going to.

 

[wheresmybrakes]

That's a, screw you Valverde, it you want to win this race, you gonna have do more than win an uphill sprint. lmao

 

[DNP-Old]

Re: Re:

I'm not sure if giving De Gendt 3:30 is a good move.

Any other rider would do his best to defend this, especially with his skillset. But De Gendt is such a "f*ck it" kind of guy, if he doesn't feel like it, he's not going to.

That’s what makes him dangerous too. He’s so unpredictable. He could finish dead last on Valter 2000, he could just as well lose no more than 30 seconds.

 

[DNP-Old]

Egan contending in a bunch sprint. He wants this.

 

[Alexandre B.]

Re:

I'm not sure if giving De Gendt 3:30 is a good move.

I don’t think it will matter. One or two teams will ensure the pace on Vallter 2000 is very high and that will be it.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

De Gendt is such a frikking final boss. Absolute legend

 

[Bardamu]

If there were individual stage races De Gendt would surely win.

 

[TourOfSardinia]

I think Sky didn't pull because dawg was hanging off the back

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Re: Re:

I'm not sure if giving De Gendt 3:30 is a good move.

I don’t think it will matter. One or two teams will ensure the pace on Vallter 2000 is very high and that will be it.

Whether it will matter has more to do with De Gendt than with the teams setting the pace imho. It will also depend on how deep he had to dig today.

 

[PeterB]

Great ride by Thomas De Gendt but not very careful in the interview saying how he likes Spanish people and riding in Spain, while in Catalonia... well, it is really difficult keeping abreast of all the political developments throughout the world...

 

[Lequack]

Re:

I think Sky didn't pull because dawg was hanging off the back

He was just keeping an eye on everyone, easier if you have everyone in front of you.

 

[Red Rick]

Don't think this is nearly enough for De Gendt, but it's an amazing ride today and if he does get close it's gonna be great for the race.

 

[CTQ]

Re:

I think Sky didn't pull because dawg was hanging off the back

as the same the last time he did Catalunya,in 2017, 120th stage 1

 

[yaco]

Surprised that teams give De Gendt so much rope at the beginning of stage races - I can understand during the middle or the end of stage races.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Re:

That's a, screw you Valverde, it you want to win this race, you gonna have do more than win an uphill sprint. lmao

You're obviously forgetting some of the ways Valverde has won this race in the past.

That said, this is reminiscent of the péloton's lethargy in 2010 when Xavi Tondó and Joaquím Rodríguez just rode away 50+km from home and took an aeon on a seemingly disinterested péloton (save for Luís León Sánchez, who tried to bridge the gap on the last descent) - at least here we have some decent sized mountains for the others to try to make up this time, even if their gradients are not ideally suited for attacking.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Im not worried about De Gendt at all. There's two relatively big mountan stages that should be more than enough. Its not just some unipuerto stages, even though the gradients arent overly high.

 

[sir fly]

Only now caught a rerun of the stage (lost every order in my daily schedule)... remarkable ride by De Gendt. Hesitance in the group probably helped him a bit to stay clear, and now they'll have to make up something to prevent him from winning the overall.
Not an easy task considering De Gendt can hang on in the mountains and having in mind the contenders couldn't find a common interest chasing him down already on the first stage of the race.
Nevertheless, bodes well for the coming days... There are going to be those aiming and racing for the overall, as well as those sharpening their form. I suppose today's results have made a clean cut between the groups... doubt the GT contenders, piling up the racing kilometres, will be thinking and bothering about De Gendt's advantage.
But, who knows... You never know with an elite line-up like here. The vanity might come into play, as well.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Re:

Im not worried about De Gendt at all. There's two relatively big mountan stages that should be more than enough. Its not just some unipuerto stages, even though the gradients arent overly high.

Yes, they are lucky De Gendt can't climb.

 

[johnymax]

Re: Re:

Im not worried about De Gendt at all. There's two relatively big mountan stages that should be more than enough. Its not just some unipuerto stages, even though the gradients arent overly high.

Yes, they are lucky De Gendt can't climb.

Scarponi

 

[johnymax]

It feels like De Gendt wins a stage in every stage race he enters. I've thought he he'd have a lot more than 14 pro wins. Well almost all of them are WT wins.

 

[Robert5091]

He sure did his thing today - chapeau De Gendt! 2min 48 sec over everyone else is a lot.

Tomorrow (Tuesday) should see a sprint finish - unless the peloton is still bored and does n't want to chase the break The stage starts 13.05 CET (I expect Greipel is going to go out 100% to win, though as we're in España, ol' man Valverde might well surprise us all )

Mataró - Sant Feliu De Guíxols 166.7 km