Volta Ciclista a Catalunya 2022 (March 21-27)

[noob]

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They look like brothers! Not in the friends kind of sense, but as if they had the same dad or something :O

 

[noob]

It will be decided on a sprint the last stage!!

Isn't Quintana a crazy good descender though?

 

[tobydawq]

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They look like brothers! Not in the friends kind of sense, but as if they had the same dad or something :O

Not really. Just like Pogacar and Almeida don't do that, either...

For someone who has admitted to being face-blind, you sure have a lot of observations of people looking alike.

 

[RedheadDane]

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They look like brothers! Not in the friends kind of sense, but as if they had the same dad or something :O

I didn't notice Almeida was sitting down, so I thought Ayuso was really tall.
Or Almeida really short.
Or probably a combo.

 

[noob]

I didn't notice Almeida was sitting down, so I thought Ayuso was really tall.
Or Almeida really short.
Or probably a combo.

Almeida is half a head shorter than the rest of his teammates in this race, but not this extreme

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

So if Quintana and Almeida finish in the same group, both outside the top three on Sunday (let's assume the same will be true on the two stages between now and then), will this be the biggest race determined on countback? When else has it been the determining factor?

EDIT:
on a quick google, the only example I see referenced is the 2009 Tour of Taiwan: https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/tour-de-taiwan/2009/gc
(Jezowski 26, McDonald 72 of 7 stages)

 

[Mayomaniac]

Yes I know he is doing that. But in the same interview he also said he wanted to test his level against top competitors in Tirreno and Catalunya. Today was a bit disappointing in that regard..

I know...
On the other hand he wasn't impressive in shorter stage races last year before the Giro and neither was he in 2019, so maybe it's not that bad.

 

[tobydawq]

So if Quintana and Almeida finish in the same group, both outside the top three on Sunday (let's assume the same will be true on the two stages between now and then), will this be the biggest race determined on countback? When else has it been the determining factor?

EDIT:
on a quick google, the only example I see referenced is the 2009 Tour of Taiwan: https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/tour-de-taiwan/2009/gc
(Jezowski 26, McDonald 72 of 7 stages)

I think so. I don't remember any race where it actually ended up happening, although I'm sure it has happened.

 

[Mayomaniac]

So if Quintana and Almeida finish in the same group, both outside the top three on Sunday (let's assume the same will be true on the two stages between now and then), will this be the biggest race determined on countback? When else has it been the determining factor?

EDIT:
on a quick google, the only example I see referenced is the 2009 Tour of Taiwan: https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/tour-de-taiwan/2009/gc
(Jezowski 26, McDonald 72 of 7 stages)

The Tour of the Republic of Cina has to be one of the most dissapointing ways to use the terrain that you have, almost on the same level as the Bayern Rundfahrt...

 

[RedheadDane]

Almeida is half a head shorter than the rest of his teammates in this race, but not this extreme

I mean, you could find several examples of two riders within a team with a similar - or even bigger - height difference.

 

[Escarabajo]

Higuita shot himself in the foot by never doing a pull, meant he was caught out by the hairpin.

Higuita looked to be very strong in the climb and even closed some gaps. He should be smarter than this because he just lost the stage. I understand the old Quintana having issues closing gaps but not Higuita.

 

[Billie]

So if Quintana and Almeida finish in the same group, both outside the top three on Sunday (let's assume the same will be true on the two stages between now and then), will this be the biggest race determined on countback? When else has it been the determining factor?

EDIT:
on a quick google, the only example I see referenced is the 2009 Tour of Taiwan: https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/tour-de-taiwan/2009/gc
(Jezowski 26, McDonald 72 of 7 stages)

Tour Down Under 2018 Impey and Porto finished s.t. and Impey won on countback.

I seem to remembering it happening regularly (almost every year) back when they had the finish in Willunga and not atop the hill.

 

[KZD]

Impressive finish from Almeida after so much work really deserved win

 

[DaLong]

Tour Down Under 2018 Impey and Porto finished s.t. and Impey won on countback.

I seem to remembering it happening regularly (almost every year) back when they had the finish in Willunga and not atop the hill.

That was the first race I watched when I got into pro cycling, I was like oh this must happen all the time...

 

[tobydawq]

That was the first race I watched when I got into pro cycling, I was like oh this must happen all the time...

I couldn't remember any race where it had happened it all, and let's just say that I have seen a few races.

 

[Lequack]

Almeida now the favorite to win the Tour.

 

[Escarabajo]

Almeida now the favorite to win the Giro.

Fixed that for you!

 

[search]

So if Quintana and Almeida finish in the same group, both outside the top three on Sunday (let's assume the same will be true on the two stages between now and then), will this be the biggest race determined on countback?

also a three-way-tie (if Higuita finishes 2nd on that last stage - and he definitely is quite quick from a reduced group) isn't completely unrealistic.

I guess UAE will go for the late bonus sprint(s) tomorrow already, though.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I couldn't remember any race where it had happened it all, and let's just say that I have seen a few races.

2010 Tirreno-Adriatico is one of the main ones I remember for that. Scarponi had his teammates trying to steal bonus seconds in the parade stage around San Benedetto del Tronto, to stop Stefano Garzelli grabbing the GC on bonus seconds in the intermediate sprints. Scarponi had sat up and showboated across the line in Chieti on stage 4 (which was otherwise an epic win) and this ended up costing him the GC as he ended up on the same time as Garzelli, losing the jersey on countback due to the seconds the latter gained in the intermediates on the final day. It's one of my favourite editions of the race, but it was a farcical way for it to be resolved, with Androni and Acqua e Sapone domestiques sprinting out the intermediates, with Androni sending riders to try to stop Garzelli winning the sprint, and Acqua e Sapone making sure enough riders were sprinting to stop Scarponi collecting any to limit his losses.

 

[tobydawq]

2010 Tirreno-Adriatico is one of the main ones I remember for that. Scarponi had his teammates trying to steal bonus seconds in the parade stage around San Benedetto del Tronto, to stop Stefano Garzelli grabbing the GC on bonus seconds in the intermediate sprints. Scarponi had sat up and showboated across the line in Chieti on stage 4 (which was otherwise an epic win) and this ended up costing him the GC as he ended up on the same time as Garzelli, losing the jersey on countback due to the seconds the latter gained in the intermediates on the final day. It's one of my favourite editions of the race, but it was a farcical way for it to be resolved, with Androni and Acqua e Sapone domestiques sprinting out the intermediates, with Androni sending riders to try to stop Garzelli winning the sprint, and Acqua e Sapone making sure enough riders were sprinting to stop Scarponi collecting any to limit his losses.

I must have been too busy marvelling at the breakthrough of a young Slovakian at the contemporary Paris-Nice to remember much from that edition of Tirreno

I do remember it was tight and that Scarponi was bitterly disappointed but I couldn't remember it had been exactly the same time.

What a strange thing by the way to have a Tirreno without any TT.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I must have been too busy marvelling at the breakthrough of a young Slovakian at the contemporary Paris-Nice to remember much from that edition of Tirreno

I do remember it was tight and that Scarponi was bitterly disappointed but I couldn't remember it had been exactly the same time.

What a strange thing by the way to have a Tirreno without any TT.

Stages 6 and 7 were after Paris-Nice had finished, and stage 5 was after the Nice-Nice stage Sagan played no role in, as Tirreno-Adriatico ran Wednesday to Tuesday in those days

The Saturday that week was pretty damned epic, with the 240km Chieti stage and the Col de Vence stage of Paris-Nice where Xavier Tondó held off the bunch from distance taking place the same day. It was before the infamous T-shirt gave us our first indication what kind of person Peter was and would become, but after his talent had started to tell us what kind of rider he was, too. Halcyon days, those.

 

[tobydawq]

Stages 6 and 7 were after Paris-Nice had finished, and stage 5 was after the Nice-Nice stage Sagan played no role in, as Tirreno-Adriatico ran Wednesday to Tuesday in those days

I know, I was on a school trip during the Paris-Nice week but returned home on the Friday, so I really have no good excuse. But looking at the results of the Tirreno stages now, no bell is ringing. Gerdemann outsprinting Breschel and Farrar among others, really?

 

[roundabout]

I know, I was on a school trip during the Paris-Nice week but returned home on the Friday, so I really have no good excuse. But looking at the results of the Tirreno stages now, no bell is ringing. Gerdemann outsprinting Breschel and Farrar among others, really?

Rainman Lastras was 2nd that day (hint, hint).

I think the finale of that stage (maybe even the whole coverage) is on youtube.

 

[Sandisfan]

I don't do numbers!
The other one was a geniune typo.

Funny enough When I read Your comment, I read it as "Genius typo"

 

[zigzag wanderer]

I mean, you could find several examples of two riders within a team with a similar - or even bigger - height difference.

Not cycling , but my favourite is this one from the England football team: 2.01m and 1.65m