Vuelta 2018 Stage 9:Talavera to La Covatilla 200.8 km

[Bot. Sky_Bot]

Dissapointing. I don't understand why Kwiato was trying to be at Majka wheel, he should conserve his energy. Great, S. Yates is in red, I hope he or Quintana will win it.

 

[Red Rick]

Ps I really enjoyed Keldermans final 800mtr. He needed time and because the others didnt want to ride he just went full on an pityful gradient and he actually dropped izagirre and uran. That looked impressive.

Typical Kelderman. Barely capitalises on good legs

 

[sir fly]

Couldn't watch final 30 k's of the stage, now waiting to download the stage. Thought I'd manage to keep away from the report, but since the upload is so slow and there are some teasers in the shape of summaries, I took a look at the results.
All I have to say is: I like the crowded standings. Vuelta always delivers.

 

[Taxus4a]

Re:

thomas/froome/dummo would smash this field without braking a sweat...

It is your opinion, of course yout could be righ or not. I think very different. Of course we are just starting the Vuelta, just the first important stage to take a lot of conclusions.

That reason 4th at the Giro is here working with 2 leaders.

We have here as well the third of the Giro at his best, Pinot , a Tour podium, at his best.

 

[Taxus4a]

Re:

Dissapointing. I don't understand why Kwiato was trying to be at Majka wheel, he should conserve his energy. Great, S. Yates is in red, I hope he or Quintana will win it.[/quote

Kiato has not level to win the Vuelta. Froome was working in both Vuelta and Tour and he was podium, Kiato was working and he was 49. Kiato is a very good rider for a lot of stages and races,he can be in some mountain estages working close to the end (but later lose a world) but he has not level to be top 5 in a 3 weeks race.

Anyway he said he was in the Vuelta just to help, train for the worlds and to try some stages, not for GC.

 

[Alexandre B.]

Re: Re:

thomas/froome/dummo would smash this field without braking a sweat...

It is your opinion, of course yout could be righ or not. I think very different. Of course we are just starting the Vuelta, just the first important stage to take a lot of conclusions.

That reason 4th at the Giro is here working with 2 leaders.

We have here as well the third of the Giro at his best, Pinot , a Tour podium, at his best.

Pinot is not at his best.

 

[Taxus4a]

Re: Re:

thomas/froome/dummo would smash this field without braking a sweat...

It is your opinion, of course yout could be righ or not. I think very different. Of course we are just starting the Vuelta, just the first important stage to take a lot of conclusions.

That reason 4th at the Giro is here working with 2 leaders.

We have here as well the third of the Giro at his best, Pinot , a Tour podium, at his best.

Pinot is not at his best.

This is an interview in spanish:

https://www.lavuelta.es/es/noticias/2018/pinot-llega-con-confianza-a-la-vuelta/12875

He said he is at the Vuelta in a good condition. He was 3rd in Poland, not at his best but a good result in a preparation.
Of course he is much better with rain than with hot.
He said the level of the Vuelta will be high, and it is my opinion.

 

[ClassicomanoLuigi]

Re:

Unfortunate for Mollema, now his tactics can be blamed

Yeah, in Stage 5, Mollema did everything right, it was just he didn't have the best sprint among the final selection, and Clarke was in there. This Stage 8, in retrospect, either Mollema should have gone with King (would have been the winning move), or just set off in pursuit earlier while the others were indecisive. He was overconfident, the break let King get more than a minute ahead before the climb, and Mollema underestimated a super-strong ride by King. To suffer like that and yet come up short must hurt

 

[movingtarget]

Re: Re:

Unfortunate for Mollema, now his tactics can be blamed

Yeah, in Stage 5, Mollema did everything right, it was just he didn't have the best sprint among the final selection, and Clarke was in there. This Stage 8, in retrospect, either Mollema should have gone with King (would have been the winning move), or just set off in pursuit earlier while the others were indecisive. He was overconfident, the break let King get more than a minute ahead before the climb, and Mollema underestimated a super-strong ride by King. To suffer like that and yet come up short must hurt

King was just too good on the day and he would have outsprinted Mollema anyway.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

King was just too good on the day and he would have outsprinted Mollema anyway.

Sure, but if Mollema had gone with King in the first place it wouldn't have been a sprint. Mollema made up large chunks of time on the steeper sections, he'd have demolished King.

 

[Bolder]

I was surprised that Mollema didn't catch King. Hard to fault his tactics -- a long range solo attack by a domestique on a windy HC climb is very unlikely to succeed, so why not wait a bit to see if you can get some help?

That was a monumental mental (and physical) effort by King. I thought he was going to need a trip to the hospital after the stage.

 

[Alexandre B.]

It's the second time King wins on mountaintop finishes without being the strongest climber in the break.

 

[spalco]

Re:

It's the second time King wins on mountaintop finishes without being the strongest climber in the break.

He was the hardest man in the break though, clearly, especially yesterday. That often beats pure skill.

 

[Robert5091]

Re: Re:

It's the second time King wins on mountaintop finishes without being the strongest climber in the break.

He was the hardest man in the break though, clearly, especially yesterday. That often beats pure skill.

King said himself, http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/king-adds-another-summit-win-at-the-vuelta-a-espana/

“Best climber? No way,” he told reporters. “On both stages that I’ve been victorious it was a tactical game.”

“Getting away early,” - on the cobbled section of the unclassified ascent immediately preceding La Covatilla - “was very important.”

Smarter is sometimes better then stronger

 

[Escarabajo]

according to interview with Quintana he recognized he had crisis mid way up the climb and Carapaz help him recover. He was about to drop. So good for him that he came back but hopefully he will improves from here.

Additionally he said that now everyone seems to be tired after the long season. So fresher legs now can be an advantage.

http://www.steephill.tv/players/youtube3/?title=Nairo+Quintana+-+entrevista+en+la+meta+-+9a+etapa&dashboard=vuelta-a-espana&id=WkVt11Xf4i4&yr=2018

 

[woodburn]

None of the leaders is a particularly good time trialist. Should make for some interesting racing before then and after.

 

[Koronin]

Re:

None of the leaders is a particularly good time trialist. Should make for some interesting racing before then and after.

Valverde and Izagirre are the best TTers of the GC field and with both of them the big question is how much of a mental issue do they have with the TTs since their crashes last year almost ended both of their careers. Valverde specifically said in the opening TT that he took it easy on the corners and likely lost around 10 seconds on his time from that.