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Vuelta 2012, Stage 17: Santander > Fuente Dé (187 km)

Page 37 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
cineteq said:
He didn't have a bad day per se, his team did. Otherwise he wouldn't have finished 2.38 off Contador without any help. If anything he should have followed, right away, Contador when he attacked, especially knowing his team couldn't help him. Decisions, decisions, decisions....

What I've been wondering is: the very moment Contador attacked did he know that his team was going to collapse?
Cause I can't believe he didn't follow knowing Moreno and Menchov wouldn't pull a metre for him.


Also from the video: escapada, contador, valverde/purito, peloton froome and the

BISONTE :D
 
SafeBet said:
What I've been wondering is: the very moment Contador attacked did he know that his team was going to collapse?
Cause I can't believe he didn't follow knowing Moreno and Menchov wouldn't pull a metre for him.


Also from the video: escapada, contador, valverde/purito, peloton froome and the

BISONTE :D
He must have known, although ultimately it came down to this:
"If I stay it will be double, If I go there will be trouble" :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hV2lCnG5VA
 
Even if he wasn't super, if Purito had bridged to Bertie right away, its hard to believe he couldn't, it's possible Bertie would have given up, he could only be encouraged by what happened.

I guess that when Valverde took off Purito was just discouraged and that had weakened him.
 
icefire said:
I don't think it was a matter of a bad physical condition. Purito didn't read properly the race situation. Intxausti made some wise comments after the stage. Movistar saw SBTB moving men to the front and they did the same. Katusha? Then, Purito said that when Alberto attacked he was just scared to go that early. We don't know if he could have followed Alberto's wheel, but he said he chose to stay close to his teammates. From then on it was first a TTT with SBTB better than Katusha (actually Losada). Purito asked Valverde if his teammates were going to wait him to chase and Valverde said that his team car had a different plan. After Losada dropped, the race was an ITT with Alberto better than Purito. It was a bad day for Katusha as a team. Moreno had a crash in one of the weekend stages and is not in top condition. And Purito was forced to put his nose in the wind for longer that he's ever done. Using his own words when he described the climb to Cobertoria, yesterday he couldn't hide as a rat behind two towers.

If what you are recounting is accurate, I don't feel so bad for Purito any longer.
 
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Anonymous

Guest
Well, i am not impresssed - except...

I think the stage showed that the individual titles have no relevance. I am new to this cycling lark and I can see plain as a pikestaff, that both sprints and climbs, you name it, are all down to teams. They might have one strong rider who can go away, but without the team and tactics, the slipstreaming nature of cycling means that only teams make the difference.

The task is to break the tow.
 
Howard Thomas said:
I think the stage showed that the individual titles have no relevance. I am new to this cycling lark and I can see plain as a pikestaff, that both sprints and climbs, you name it, are all down to teams. They might have one strong rider who can go away, but without the team and tactics, the slipstreaming nature of cycling means that only teams make the difference.

The task is to break the tow.

I feel like I'm having a deja vu moment... didn't you post all that before :confused:
 
Aug 1, 2009
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Howard Thomas said:
I think the stage showed that the individual titles have no relevance. I am new to this cycling lark and I can see plain as a pikestaff, that both sprints and climbs, you name it, are all down to teams. They might have one strong rider who can go away, but without the team and tactics, the slipstreaming nature of cycling means that only teams make the difference.

The task is to break the tow.

You started to watch cycling yesterday, right ?
 
icefire said:
I don't think it was a matter of a bad physical condition. Purito didn't read properly the race situation. Intxausti made some wise comments after the stage. Movistar saw SBTB moving men to the front and they did the same. Katusha? Then, Purito said that when Alberto attacked he was just scared to go that early. We don't know if he could have followed Alberto's wheel, but he said he chose to stay close to his teammates. From then on it was first a TTT with SBTB better than Katusha (actually Losada). Purito asked Valverde if his teammates were going to wait him to chase and Valverde said that his team car had a different plan. After Losada dropped, the race was an ITT with Alberto better than Purito. It was a bad day for Katusha as a team. Moreno had a crash in one of the weekend stages and is not in top condition. And Purito was forced to put his nose in the wind for longer that he's ever done. Using his own words when he described the climb to Cobertoria, yesterday he couldn't hide as a rat behind two towers.

I think whole team is tired as they were working at the front since 2 weeks and they simply couldnt place riders everywhere like saxo and movistar did.

Btw, what is Menchov doing??
 
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Howard Thomas said:
I think the stage showed that the individual titles have no relevance. I am new to this cycling lark and I can see plain as a pikestaff, that both sprints and climbs, you name it, are all down to teams. They might have one strong rider who can go away, but without the team and tactics, the slipstreaming nature of cycling means that only teams make the difference.

The task is to break the tow.

Isn't this the 4th/5th time you have said this? You can stop now, nobody is buying it.
 
burning said:
I think whole team is tired as they were working at the front since 2 weeks and they simply couldnt place riders everywhere like saxo and movistar did.

Btw, what is Menchov doing??

Menchov has to be mutiple GT winner with the worst career ending, this is really shameful, hopefully he'll resign at the end of this season.
 
Howard Thomas said:
I think the stage showed that the individual titles have no relevance. I am new to this cycling lark and I can see plain as a pikestaff, that both sprints and climbs, you name it, are all down to teams. They might have one strong rider who can go away, but without the team and tactics, the slipstreaming nature of cycling means that only teams make the difference.

The task is to break the tow.

Then cycling is obviously not for you. Go away and watch something else.
 
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It is indeed hard to come to any other conclusion...

@Cimber - Yeah it looks like it was even more epic than transpired on TV...you got a sense of that in that amateur video made shortly after Bertie's attack, the field had been ripped apart, guys everywhere, it looked like a kermesse!
 
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Anonymous

Guest
zapata said:
Then cycling is obviously not for you. Go away and watch something else.

What a lovely bunch you cyclists are. Your comments on here are among the very worst I have read anywhere on the net.

Just count all the green grinning men (it would be OK if the comments actually were witty).
 
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Anonymous

Guest
Howard Thomas said:
What a lovely bunch you cyclists are. Your comments on here are among the very worst I have read anywhere on the net.

Just count all the green grinning men (it would be OK if the comments actually were witty).

Well...thank you!
You won't be liked with such comments anywhere. I guess you lack social skills for even mild internet communication.

Only from recently I'm an active member but what I've learned is that in normal road racing forum people are witty, interesting and the atmosphere is cozy. In clinic things can tend to be a little bit paranoid :eek: but even that can be fun sometimes and who says sports in general didn't give enough reasons for suspicion and skepticism!

Anyways, I guess someone brushed you off and you are a very sensitive person.
You might have a look at this video and HTFU :D
 

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