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Volta Ciclista a Catalunya 2023, March 20-26

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It's just simply the perfect VAM climb.

Peyresourde was on the back of Balès, 600 m higher, and with 1.2 percentage point lower average gradient.

I realize that, I even posted about this yesterday. Still, amazing numbers. It's not the only perfect VAM climb done by top guys in recent years. Compare to PDBF last year - Pog and Vinge (both clearly in form) managed 1860 m/h for 20 minutes, also Pogacar managed 1850 m/h on Eze in Paris Nice (but for 15 or so minutes) and 1890 m/h on Carpegna for 19 minutes (it was 300 meters higher but 10% steep). And this is 2-3 percent faster and 20-50 percent longer.
 
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[QUOTE="theyoungest, post: 2810522, member: 8760" …but if I'm Roglic I'm coming away from this week with a lot of positives.
[/QUOTE]

What? That he has gained more bonus seconds on a course that has no TT? You do understand that Rog will have to take some actual real time on the climbs in the giro.

This is no Vuelta Remco even.

And yet Remco is way better than he was this time last year, so..,

Rog beat Remco fair and square. But he has only 10 seconds in a course with zero TT. I would be concerned frankly if I were him. Where is he going to gain real time?
 
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That's insane, surely that 6.9 w/kg for 24 minutes figure isn't right, even for a climb as good as this on a unipuerto stage? They were even mucking about a bit and not doing full gas at points, perhaps the numbers are exaggerated a bit?

They would've been fighting for the win on Madonna di Campiglio in 1999 in this form, anything they're feeding the media about needing to lose another kilo or two and not doing much training is nonsense.

This all seemed to start after that lockdown, it's like a switch was flipped or something. I'll never forget Bernal's comment the mics picked up after that Tour stage 'they're next levelling it somehow'.
 
Kuss in great form and great spot Jumbo in awesome spot to roll a capable Kuss away because the attached at the hip action between Remco and Roglic is riveting. Really don't think I can remember 2 guys slugging it out this good for a while.. Super enjoyable to watch.. and it's really setting everything up for Italy and France..
 
That's insane, surely that 6.9 w/kg for 24 minutes figure isn't right, even for a climb as good as this on a unipuerto stage? They were even mucking about a bit and not doing full gas at points, perhaps the numbers are exaggerated a bit?

They would've been fighting for the win on Madonna di Campiglio in 1999 in this form, anything they're feeding the media about needing to lose another kilo or two and not doing much training is nonsense.

This all seemed to start after that lockdown, it's like a switch was flipped or something. I'll never forget Bernal's comment the mics picked up after that Tour stage 'they're next levelling it somehow'.
Taramae was like 6.16 finishing nearly ~1'39 down.

The number is shocking because people sleep on how much difference a truly easy stage and perfect conditions make.
 
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Taramae was like 6.16 finishing nearly ~1'39 down.

The number is shocking because people sleep on how much difference a truly easy stage and perfect conditions make.

I haven't seen numbers like that since Santi Perez in 2004 and those guys aren't even riding their goal race (so not yet in top form). Something is off here, I think. I expected a VAM fest but this is incredible.
 
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I haven't seen numbers like that since Santi Perez in 2004 and those guys aren't even riding their goal race (so not yet in top form). Something is off here, I think. I expected a VAM fest but this is incredible.
I don't think peak form changes a very fresh 25 minutes W/kg that much. I think it changes a very fatigued climbing performance much more.

The estimated W/kg aren't always the highest in the GTs.
 
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I don't think peak form changes a very fresh 25 minutes W/kg that much. I think it changes a very fatigued climbing performance much more.

The estimated W/kg aren't always the highest in the GTs.

I never said they are i.e. Remco's Norway climb was amazing (but not even close to today's speed!) or Pog's Carpegna. I just haven't seen such numbers for ages. Crazy stuff. If the numbers are correct there may have been some additional factors (besides elevation and uni-puerto stage) that upped the values (maybe wind?).
 
What happened to Landa? It seems his shape is worse than at Tirreno,

I think the level has increased a bit here in Catalunya since Tirreno. Definitely from the top 2 riders. Meanwhile Landa's level might not be worse, it's just the gap at the front is bigger.

Rog beat Remco fair and square. But he has only 10 seconds in a course with zero TT. I would be concerned frankly if I were him. Where is he going to gain real time?

One race at a time. Roglič isn't racing the Giro here, he's defending a small lead on key GC stages in a WT stage race. It'll be different in the Giro.
 
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Betting market says this one is merely a formality. Gives Remco about a 15% chance of overtaking Roglic.

cataluna.png
 
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I never said they are i.e. Remco's Norway climb was amazing (but not even close to today's speed!) or Pog's Carpegna. I just haven't seen such numbers for ages. Crazy stuff. If the numbers are correct there may have been some additional factors (besides elevation and uni-puerto stage) that upped the values (maybe wind?).
Next to no wind.

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What? That he has gained more bonus seconds on a course that has no TT? You do understand that Rog will have to take some actual real time on the climbs in the giro.

This is no Vuelta Remco even.

And yet Remco is way better than he was this time last year, so..,

Rog beat Remco fair and square. But he has only 10 seconds in a course with zero TT. I would be concerned frankly if I were him. Where is he going to gain real time?
We're three climbing stages in and already Roglic is equal, if not slightly better than Evenepoel. I think if you asked him a month ago he'd have signed up for that, seeing where he came from.

Also, it's not a given that he'll lose massive amounts of time in the time trials. After all, we're talking about the Olympic TT champion here... Evenepoel has won just 2 time trials on Worldtour level, Roglic has won 13. It's easy to forget when a new star comes along what the old geezer can do.
 
Not necessarily. There can be various vertical profiles of a climb that could alter calculations. It can be true especially for climbs rarely used (like this one). Pogacar and Vingegaard never reached 1850 m/h for 24 minutes on sub 10% climbs (Pog's 1840 m/h on Peyresourde must be the closest). So 1925 m/h is either an ET performance (even considering low elevation and uni-puerto stage) or something is off with calculations.
The level at last year's TdF was lower than many people realize.
 
I’m trying to remember if you’ve always been singularly focused on cyclists’ physical appearance or if this is a new, elaborate attempt to troll the forum with increasingly charged verbal fondling of the “little bulls” in helmets.

The first might be correct… :) Always looking for the really impressive physiques - they are sometimes rare, in WT road cycling, but some strong impressions remain with me.

Still praising Siutsou‘s tricepses, when he became WC in the RR of the Espoirs, around 2004… Damn, those tricepses!… :) ;-)
 

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