Vuelta 2018 Stage 8:Linares - Almadén 195.1km

[tobydawq]

Re: Re:

Look at the mix of riders in stage top 10...

Yeah, what a weird mix.

Alex Dowsett is also surprised

https://twitter.com/alexdowsett/status/1035973401914032129

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

Valverde not going for the win but somehow winning! (seems to be this Vuelta's theme - "I didn't mean to win!")

http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/vuelta-a-espana-2018/stage-8/results/

My DS told me to get on Sagan’s wheel but I told him, ‘I’m not going to go for the stage today - I’m going to focus on not losing time’,” Valverde revealed.

Chapeau for not losing time! Lotto Jumbo came up short even with 4 guys at the front at the flamme rouge. Bit too steep, or not at 100% for Sagan.

Valv is really weird that way sometimes actually. I mean, why wouldn't he mix it up today when he sometimes does on completely flat finishes? Sometimes I wonder if he is lying, trolling or just a bit stupid at times.

Sooooo happy. When Valverde wins my day gets a lot better.

 

[JosephK]

Re: Re:

Valverde not going for the win but somehow winning! (seems to be this Vuelta's theme - "I didn't mean to win!")

http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/vuelta-a-espana-2018/stage-8/results/

My DS told me to get on Sagan’s wheel but I told him, ‘I’m not going to go for the stage today - I’m going to focus on not losing time’,” Valverde revealed.

Chapeau for not losing time! Lotto Jumbo came up short even with 4 guys at the front at the flamme rouge. Bit too steep, or not at 100% for Sagan.

Valv is really weird that way sometimes actually. I mean, why wouldn't he mix it up today when he sometimes does on completely flat finishes? Sometimes I wonder if he is lying, trolling or just a bit stupid at times.

Sooooo happy. When Valverde wins my day gets a lot better.

The way things are going, he may "unintentionally" win the whole enchilada in a couple weeks.

 

[Koronin]

Re: Re:

Valverde not going for the win but somehow winning! (seems to be this Vuelta's theme - "I didn't mean to win!")

http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/vuelta-a-espana-2018/stage-8/results/

My DS told me to get on Sagan’s wheel but I told him, ‘I’m not going to go for the stage today - I’m going to focus on not losing time’,” Valverde revealed.

Chapeau for not losing time! Lotto Jumbo came up short even with 4 guys at the front at the flamme rouge. Bit too steep, or not at 100% for Sagan.

Valv is really weird that way sometimes actually. I mean, why wouldn't he mix it up today when he sometimes does on completely flat finishes? Sometimes I wonder if he is lying, trolling or just a bit stupid at times.

Sooooo happy. When Valverde wins my day gets a lot better.

The way things are going, he may "unintentionally" win the whole enchilada in a couple weeks.

Valverde has gotten extremely good at downplaying his chances of winning anything. I think maybe he's gotten way too good at. The way he's wired he going to try to win anything he has a shot at. Maybe it's his way of trying to take pressure off his team?

Great win by Bala today! Two stages, breaks the record for most all-time wins for his team.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Deleted: put it in the wrong thread.

Not quoted, why couldn't I delete it?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Re: Re:

Impressive Nizzolo, looks like he's getting back to his best. Also good showings by Garcia and Ion Izagirre. The latter could be a dark horse for the overall win.

I have no idea what to expect from Ion. He has never finished in the top 10 of a GT, but he's also never really had a succesful attempt without a crash. I actually think he's consistent enough, but his top level is probably a bit too low to win the overall

Ion is kind of like Luís León Sánchez in his mix of skills, I think. Luísle has had two 10th places in GTs but nothing really higher, though you can argue that Ion has shown more as an overall climber on longer ascents that may stand him in good stead, plus the fact Nibali's gone southward so quickly has given him GC freedom that Luísle only really had in 2010 when he was stagehunting in the Tour (and got some time gifts as a result) and in a relatively weak Vuelta field where he wouldn't have been in that top 10 had Antón not crashed out and certainly wouldn't have led the team had Valverde not been suspended. At the same time, Menchov losing time early on and Wiggins not doing so was the reason Cobo won in 2011 and Froome didn't, and with the likes of Porte and Nibali, some of the biggest names in the race, falling away early, the chance for a 2011-like outsider being right up there is perhaps better than usual, though I suspect it'll be more like 2010 with a smaller number of the established stars battling for the win and any surprise packages being along the Velits lines in their upper ceiling rather than Cobo/Froome doing the 1-2.