Vuelta 2017 stage 11 Lorca - Calar Alto 187,5 km

[ontheroad]

Froome back to third is 2:30 minutes with a TT to come. Anyone thinking he was slightly in decline after the tour is forced to think again. He is stronger at this Vuelta than he was at the tour. Just compare him to Bardet and Aru who were up there on GC at the tour.

Nibali looking good to take 2nd as he now has over a minute on all other competitiors and is probably a slightly better TT'ist than most other GC men. The only remaining battle is probably for the 3rd podium spot which is a bit disappointing for the race with it being only half way through.

 

[movingtarget]

Re: Re:

Nibali could have won this Vuelta if not for Froome.

What kind of reasoning is this?

Nibali would have won the Giro too if not for Dumoulin...........

 

[Escarabajo]

Re: Re:

This Nibali would have won the Giro

Bad: it's true. Good: he still has it.

This

Again, here we go with the strange reasoning!

 

[Arredondo]

Re: Re:

This Nibali would have won the Giro

Bad: it's true. Good: he still has it.

This

Again, here we go with the strange reasoning!

Well, he looks far more punchy and sharp this Vuelta. He was able to put Chris Froome under pressure, the best stage racer in the world atm.

 

[Vasilis]

Whoever finishes second in a race usually would have won if nr. 1 wasn't there.

 

[Escarabajo]

Re: Re:

Nibali could have won this Vuelta if not for Froome.

What kind of reasoning is this?

Nibali would have won the Giro too if not for Dumoulin...........

Or Quintana sucking the third week!!

So many outcomes we can come up with. That's my point.

 

[IndianCyclist]

Only 2 realistic contenders left for the win

 

[Brullnux]

Is tomorrow a potential ambush day or not

 

[Broccolidwarf]

Re: Re:

Nibali could have won this Vuelta if not for Froome.

What kind of reasoning is this?

The same argument the guy coming 100th has:

"If the 99 in front of me had not been better, I would have won this GT"

 

[movingtarget]

Re: Re:

Bad day for BMC and Orica. BMC not unexpected. Great ride by the winner and very good ride by Bardet. Froome looks solid even with a bit of the yo yo.

Is it YO Yo or just his position in relation to other riders Yo Yoing.

I was never good at physics..........

 

[portugal11]

Tomorrow's stage will have carnage. Go go alberto!
Will we have rain tomorrow?

 

[yaco]

A funny stage - Nieve stronger than Froome and Haig stronger than Chaves.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Re: Re:

This Nibali would have won the Giro

Don't know, Dumoulin was super strong throughout

Plus if we start all the what if bs then you could say Dumoulin would have won even more easily if Kelderman had not fallen.

Or if Lance Armstrong took a time travel to 2017 and shown up in TDF 1999 form he would've annihilated the field.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Re: Re:

This Nibali would have won the Giro

Don't know, Dumoulin was super strong throughout

No he wasn't. He was super strong a few stages, then very good on other and pretty mediocre on a few, but the competitors where as well.

Nibali finished with Dumoulin's domestique today

Thank you. At least somebody noticed.

Jesus christ people.

 

[bambino]

Re: Re:

Nibs proving he's the closest competitor to Froome and he'll only get stronger as the race goes on.

It's like after every stage, there's a different 'closest competitor to Froome'

Yeah, it's almost like the situation is evolving on a daily basis.

To be fair Nibs was about a minute ahead of all others than Froome already before this stage when calculatin probable TT times.

 

[Climbing]

So we can finally conclude that Nibali won Tour 2014 fair and square, right?
Not that I have ever had any doubt, it's cycling after all.

 

[Brullnux]

Orica's plan was so cryptic and so secret that not even Chaves himself is able to explain it to the press

 

[Escarabajo]

Re: Re:

This Nibali would have won the Giro

Don't know, Dumoulin was super strong throughout

Plus if we start all the what if bs then you could say Dumoulin would have won even more easily if Kelderman had not fallen.

Or if Lance Armstrong took a time travel to 2017 and shown up in TDF 1999 form he would've annihilated the field.

I like this second prediction!!

 

[skippo12]

The sad thing is that except for Nibali and to a lesser extent Contador no one is even trying to challenge Froome. Orica did a lot of work earlier and was no where to be seen when it mattered most. Zakarin and Kelderman were happy enough to establish a top 10 position and the rest of the group was either way down in the GC or a Sky helper.

 

[carton]

Re:

What happend to A. Yates?

+ 09' 13''. Sandwiched between Daan "Back from retirement at 24" Olivier and Hector "El Jabali" Saez Benito.

Did the Orica staff leave the mussettes at the hotel?

 

[movingtarget]

Re: Re:

Nibali could have won this Vuelta if not for Froome.

What kind of reasoning is this?

Nibali would have won the Giro too if not for Dumoulin...........

Or Quintana sucking the third week!!

So many outcomes we can come up with. That's my point.

Race revision is a bit pointless. Nibali and Quintana were expected to put Dumoulin to the sword in the Giro mountain stages but couldn't do it. I don't see any issues at all. It's like saying if Porte didn't fall in the Tour he would have done this or that. No one knows.

 

[portugal11]

Re:

So we can finally conclude that Nibali won Tour 2014 fair and square, right?
Not that I have ever had any doubt, it's cycling after all.

 

[bambino]

Pellizotti was more than amazing today! Hope he can keep that up, Nibs will need him at this shape.

 

[Escarabajo]

Re: Re:

This Nibali would have won the Giro

Don't know, Dumoulin was super strong throughout

No he wasn't. He was super strong a few stages, then very good on other and pretty mediocre on a few, but the competitors where as well.

Nibali finished with Dumoulin's domestique today

Thank you. At least somebody noticed.

Jesus christ people.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Escarabajo]

Re: Re:

So we can finally conclude that Nibali won Tour 2014 fair and square, right?
Not that I have ever had any doubt, it's cycling after all.

Don't mess it up for us, we are on our post stage predictions!