Vuelta 2018 Stage 4:Vélez-Málaga - La Alfaguara 161.4km

[Hayabusa]

If Yates were to win the Vuelta, that'd make it 3 different winners of the GTs from the same nation. Can't remember any recent years where that's happened.

2008 Spanish riders won all 3 but that was Contador x2.

 

[aarnold517]

Re: Re:

De La Cruz was apparently in the GC group. Still possible for him to get a good GC result.

Really ? Didn't see him. I take back my previous comment, hopefully he will do something GC wise.

I just went back and re-watched and de la cruz wasn't in the leader's group for most of the final couple of kilometers, I think he only came back when the group of favorites slowed down, right about the time MAL attacked. So he did finish in the group, but didn't look nearly as strong as the other contenders that were in the group the whole time.

 

[Cance > TheRest]

Re:

What I noticed.

S. Yates has the Giro legs again. Beware
Buchmann is fantastic
Lopez is Purito like on long mountains, only jump 1km to go. But way worse at hills obviously. I somehow don't like him.

Other GC contenders hard to say. Obviously Aru is not winning. Kelderman did not look great to me either today. Lotto Jumbo tactic seemed to work against them. Kuss I think killed Bennett with his pace. Kruijswijk does not have the explosiveness to attack on a mountain like today. So in the end all they did was set up Yates.

Don't think Yates is quite there yet. It's telling that Buchmann easily closed down a 25 second gap on him in less than 2km's. But Yates should be better in the last week this time, if he's a bit "behind" his top level now.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Re: Re:

What I noticed.

S. Yates has the Giro legs again. Beware
Buchmann is fantastic
Lopez is Purito like on long mountains, only jump 1km to go. But way worse at hills obviously. I somehow don't like him.

Other GC contenders hard to say. Obviously Aru is not winning. Kelderman did not look great to me either today. Lotto Jumbo tactic seemed to work against them. Kuss I think killed Bennett with his pace. Kruijswijk does not have the explosiveness to attack on a mountain like today. So in the end all they did was set up Yates.

Mainly because he didn't help Dumoulin on Sestriere I suppose?

No I don't care about that at all. It's his general riding style that annoys me.

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

S.P. Yates using every opportunity he gets... smart tactics.

The same tactic that self destructed himself at the Giro. Let's see if he can keep this pace up for 3 weeks. You can't always expend this much energy

The Giro had almost everyone fried at the end. There's like 2 climbs that are more than half as hard as the Zonc or Finestre.

 

[Jungle Cycle]

Jon looks in great position... and with a team...

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re: Re:

What I noticed.

S. Yates has the Giro legs again. Beware
Buchmann is fantastic
Lopez is Purito like on long mountains, only jump 1km to go. But way worse at hills obviously. I somehow don't like him.

Other GC contenders hard to say. Obviously Aru is not winning. Kelderman did not look great to me either today. Lotto Jumbo tactic seemed to work against them. Kuss I think killed Bennett with his pace. Kruijswijk does not have the explosiveness to attack on a mountain like today. So in the end all they did was set up Yates.

Mainly because he didn't help Dumoulin on Sestriere I suppose?

No I don't care about that at all. It's his general riding style that annoys me.

Ah ok, thats fair enough. So far I think he simply hasn't been strong enough (whole 2018), but when he is in shape, he is pretty aggressive. Just look at the Vuelta last year, especially the stage to Sierra Nevada.

 

[spalco]

If Yates were to win the Vuelta, that'd make it 3 different winners of the GTs from the same nation. Can't remember any recent years where that's happened.

2008 Spanish riders won all 3 but that was Contador x2.

If Kwiatkowski wins, 3 different riders from the same team won the 3 GTs.

Without looking it up, I'm extremely confident that has never happened.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Re: Re:

What I noticed.

S. Yates has the Giro legs again. Beware
Buchmann is fantastic
Lopez is Purito like on long mountains, only jump 1km to go. But way worse at hills obviously. I somehow don't like him.

Other GC contenders hard to say. Obviously Aru is not winning. Kelderman did not look great to me either today. Lotto Jumbo tactic seemed to work against them. Kuss I think killed Bennett with his pace. Kruijswijk does not have the explosiveness to attack on a mountain like today. So in the end all they did was set up Yates.

Mainly because he didn't help Dumoulin on Sestriere I suppose?

No I don't care about that at all. It's his general riding style that annoys me.

Ah ok, thats fair enough. So far I think he simply hasn't been strong enough (whole 2018), but when he is in shape, he is pretty aggressive. Just look at the Vuelta last year, especially the stage to Sierra Nevada.

Yeah I know. It's just that... whenever he is strong enough he is solo (fair enough). Whenever he is not and he is in a group he rarely rides with anyone (so not just dumoulin), and then punches away with 1km to go. Yeah ofc it's smart, but it's also... meh. It just rubs me the wrong way. Never co operating. Go alone or profit

 

[Breh]

Re:

Well, that's it for Zakarin's season I guess.

 

[drc]

If Yates were to win the Vuelta, that'd make it 3 different winners of the GTs from the same nation. Can't remember any recent years where that's happened.

2008 Spanish riders won all 3 but that was Contador x2.

If Kwiatkowski wins, 3 different riders from the same team won the 3 GTs.

Without looking it up, I'm extremely confident that has never happened.

G is Welsh. If Kwiato wins it would be 3 different nations - hardly unusual. Same team - yes.

 

[Arked]

Re: Re:

I'm impressed by Kwiatkowski.

Top 5 is possible this year. Maybe podium?

Also impressed. Yes, maybe even podium, is the best TTrialist from GT contenders.

Yep. He is the best time trialist by a big margin. If he won't crack and minimize his loses he can even win overall. I'm afraid it's unlikely though. I think there is heavy fatigue creeping in in him.

 

[MrTea1976]

If Yates were to win the Vuelta, that'd make it 3 different winners of the GTs from the same nation. Can't remember any recent years where that's happened.

2008 Spanish riders won all 3 but that was Contador x2.

If Kwiatkowski wins, 3 different riders from the same team won the 3 GTs.

Without looking it up, I'm extremely confident that has never happened.

G is Welsh. If Kwiato wins it would be 3 different nations - hardly unusual. Same team - yes.

Froome, Thomas and Yates are all British. They are from the same nation, be they Welsh, northern or expat.

 

[yaco]

Mitchelton Scott need to play it smart with Yates - Ride conservatively until the ITT, then if Kwiatkovski is out of the race, then the only GC contender who can take chunks of time in the ITT is Kelderman - And i doubt he is 100%.

 

[drc]

If Yates were to win the Vuelta, that'd make it 3 different winners of the GTs from the same nation. Can't remember any recent years where that's happened.

2008 Spanish riders won all 3 but that was Contador x2.

If Kwiatkowski wins, 3 different riders from the same team won the 3 GTs.

Without looking it up, I'm extremely confident that has never happened.

G is Welsh. If Kwiato wins it would be 3 different nations - hardly unusual. Same team - yes.

Froome, Thomas and Yates are all British. They are from the same nation, be they Welsh, northern or expat.

Nation doesn't equal country.

 

[Bot. Sky_Bot]

If Yates were to win the Vuelta, that'd make it 3 different winners of the GTs from the same nation. Can't remember any recent years where that's happened.

2008 Spanish riders won all 3 but that was Contador x2.

If Kwiatkowski wins, 3 different riders from the same team won the 3 GTs.

Without looking it up, I'm extremely confident that has never happened.

G is Welsh. If Kwiato wins it would be 3 different nations - hardly unusual. Same team - yes.

Froome, Thomas and Yates are all British. They are from the same nation, be they Welsh, northern or expat.

Yes, if not my Kwiat, it would be marvellous to watch Yates at the top. Brits rulezz.... :razz:

 

[Blanco]

Re: Re:

Gallopin ready for helping role in Innsbruck, it seems.

Yates and Buchmann very impressive.
Valverde working for Quintana who didn't try anything. As expected.

lol Valverde rode for himself bar accidentally ending up on the front after nobody wanted to let him just sit back in having attacked the group. Quintana was never going to do much on a day like this. Not his sort of climb and not his sort of heat.

Yates & Buchmann did look good though

Yeah, ending up in front for 1-2 km
Quintana should've followed Yates, or at least Buchmann and Lopez, but I guess it was more comfortable behind Valverde...

 

[WheelofGear]

Is tommorow's stage hard enough to drop the sprinters?

Kwiatkowski needs all the bonus seconds he can get ahead of the mountain stage. If it's hard enough, it's a good opportunity for him to win a stage.

 

[HelloDolly]

Aru and de LaCruz were dropped and both got back on the flaltter sections and hung in there ...so that doesn't look great for them

LNJ had spurious tactics....Bennett is not the main man for me...SK is esp in final week
Kwaito also can see him shedding time in final week
Kelderman didnt look too hot either but can TT so shouldl be ok
Carapaz also off the back and came back...but will have to work for N & V
Bellbao was way off

Valverde, Qunitana , Uran & Pinot are still my top picks

 

[MrTea1976]

If Yates were to win the Vuelta, that'd make it 3 different winners of the GTs from the same nation. Can't remember any recent years where that's happened.

2008 Spanish riders won all 3 but that was Contador x2.

If Kwiatkowski wins, 3 different riders from the same team won the 3 GTs.

Without looking it up, I'm extremely confident that has never happened.

G is Welsh. If Kwiato wins it would be 3 different nations - hardly unusual. Same team - yes.

Froome, Thomas and Yates are all British. They are from the same nation, be they Welsh, northern or expat.

Nation doesn't equal country.

They are all UK nationals in that instance with British passports. Nation-states are what is relevant to this discussion. I realise you are trolling but just stop it.

 

[Mayo from Mayo]

2008 Spanish riders won all 3 but that was Contador x2.[/quote]

If Kwiatkowski wins, 3 different riders from the same team won the 3 GTs.

Without looking it up, I'm extremely confident that has never happened.[/quote]

G is Welsh. If Kwiato wins it would be 3 different nations - hardly unusual. Same team - yes.[/quote]

Froome, Thomas and Yates are all British. They are from the same nation, be they Welsh, northern or expat.[/quote]

Nation doesn't equal country.[/quote]

They are all UK nationals in that instance with British passports. Nation-states are what is relevant to this discussion. I realise you are trolling but just stop it.[/quote]

I plump for residency and where they pay taxes. So that's two Monegasques and a Catalan (Yates) or two Monegasques and a Frenchman (Kwia)

 

[Bot. Sky_Bot]

If Yates were to win the Vuelta, that'd make it 3 different winners of the GTs from the same nation. Can't remember any recent years where that's happened.

2008 Spanish riders won all 3 but that was Contador x2.

If Kwiatkowski wins, 3 different riders from the same team won the 3 GTs.

Without looking it up, I'm extremely confident that has never happened.

G is Welsh. If Kwiato wins it would be 3 different nations - hardly unusual. Same team - yes.

So what we were listening to (and we will be, I hope) "God Save the Queen" or another anthem?

 

[Pantani_lives]

Simon Yates. Always good in the first two and a half weeks.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Zakarin & Mollema... ouch.

Nice recovery by De Plus. Only lost 38 seconds the final 3k.

 

[klintE]

So today "***" from "horrible and useless team" has won. Roger that.