Vuelta a Andalucia/Ruta Del Sol (2.HC) 14/2 - 18/2/2018

[DNP-Old]

Soto getting better and better, very good.

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Stage

 

[HelloDolly]

Re: Re:

I thought (from the hype merchants on here) Landa was going to fry everyone....Tme Wellens was better

You mean the exactly one Person in this thread (Taxus) who is a known Landa fanboy and predicted his win? I guess if your taking your conclusions from one person hyping a rider every time you are reading through race threads you'll be disappointed very often. After all this is a forum full of fans excited to see their favouites perform and especially at the beginning of the season no one knows what the exact condition of a certain rider is. So let us have our discussions while you can count how often we hyped and backed the wrong riders if that is your thing.

Touched a nerve did I

I am talkingof all the hyple on the Landa thread.....full of it

 

[Netserk]

Re: Re:

I thought (from the hype merchants on here) Landa was going to fry everyone....Tme Wellens was better

You mean the exactly one Person in this thread (Taxus) who is a known Landa fanboy and predicted his win? I guess if your taking your conclusions from one person hyping a rider every time you are reading through race threads you'll be disappointed very often. After all this is a forum full of fans excited to see their favouites perform and especially at the beginning of the season no one knows what the exact condition of a certain rider is. So let us have our discussions while you can count how often we hyped and backed the wrong riders if that is your thing.

Touched a nerve did I

I am talkingof all the hyple on the Landa thread.....full of it

The two posts in that thread about what to expect of Landa in RdS:

What can we hope for in Ruta del Sol? Top 5 and maybe light the race on fire on stage 2 ?

I doubt Landa is in shape right now. Don't expect him to win Andalucia. I don't even think he will reach a top 10.

"I think I should be in good condition in Tirreno already, but my main goal is reaching my best form in País Vasco and the Ardennes."

Crazy hype, I tell y'a!!!

 

[HelloDolly]

I was talking about the Landa 'no one is going to hold me back' followed by 'Landa is the grratest climber ever' hype all through the thread .....well no one did hold him back...must be saving himself for riding for Quintana and Valverde

Oh and if so many want to throw out so much rubbish about Landa then be prepared to have it thrown back when he doesnt perform like some sort of climbing demi god

 

[Angliru]

Re:

I was talking about the Landa 'no one is going to hold me back' followed by 'Landa is the grratest climber ever' hype all through the thread .....well no one did hold him back...must be saving himself for riding for Quintana and Valverde

Oh and if so many want to throw out so much rubbish about Landa then be prepared to have it thrown back when he doesnt perform like some sort of climbing demi god

You need to keep in mind that in most instances the hype of many of these riders is done in jest. You are aware that Bauke Mollema is referred to as "The Great Bauke Mollema". While there are some that may be serious most of the rest are just entertaining themselves and others like carnival barkers or the hype men for boxers as they enter the ring. At the same time many are looking for the next rider that will entertain us all in the mountains of Europe, elegantly dancing away from their rivals in storybook fashion.

 

[Poursuivant]

Re: Re:

I thought (from the hype merchants on here) Landa was going to fry everyone....Tme Wellens was better

You mean the exactly one Person in this thread (Taxus) who is a known Landa fanboy and predicted his win? I guess if your taking your conclusions from one person hyping a rider every time you are reading through race threads you'll be disappointed very often. After all this is a forum full of fans excited to see their favouites perform and especially at the beginning of the season no one knows what the exact condition of a certain rider is. So let us have our discussions while you can count how often we hyped and backed the wrong riders if that is your thing.

Lol

 

[Taxus4a]

Re: Re:

I thought (from the hype merchants on here) Landa was going to fry everyone....Tme Wellens was better

You mean the exactly one Person in this thread (Taxus) who is a known Landa fanboy and predicted his win? I guess if your taking your conclusions from one person hyping a rider every time you are reading through race threads you'll be disappointed very often. After all this is a forum full of fans excited to see their favouites perform and especially at the beginning of the season no one knows what the exact condition of a certain rider is. So let us have our discussions while you can count how often we hyped and backed the wrong riders if that is your thing.

Lol

Well, I said as well the climb was short for him and that it is his forst race and others are in better shape.
Anyway today is a day for Movistar to go into the attack...but SKy is an strong team and Barbero is thinking to win today.

It was more a desire to see a Froome vs Landa than a prediction, but anyway Landa was there and Froome not very far.

Today more likely situation is a stage with a breakaway with spanish teams and finally a buch sprint in the last climb of about 100 riders with small gaps.

But the stage is hard, and with that climb is possible to blow up the race from far, and to have an amazing stage. It depends teams purposes. Astana can win the race in the ITT, but they could try anyway.

A mixed scenario could be a good breakaway with Movistar and Astana riders, a good selection in the big climb and the attack of the leaders 20 Km away from the finish

 

[Taxus4a]

The main climb and the final climb today:

(without the hard first Km)

With cobbles sections.

Last climb could be quick selective if the race is well selected at his botton, wich is quite possible if the pace is high today, becouse after the big climb, the terrain is quite hard and the stage is long.

If we have more than 100 rders at the botton, even Barbero could win as he said, althoug the last climb is too hard for him. Good for Luis Leon with those cobbles and his good shape.

 

[Taxus4a]

Interesting

 

[Maaaaaaaarten]

That last climb looks pretty cool!

 

[Taxus4a]

After to see all the last climb.. wow...almost all the climb is in cobbles, but some sections.. as the flat part and others quite soft...but the stepest parts are a bad cobble, and the end is pavé as well, not very easy, but not hard, I think this is harder than Kapelmuur.

 

[Serpentin]

Wow nice final climb. Hope that they make it hard on the main climb so that they make a small group. Go Movistar!

 

[Broccolidwarf]

Wondering (and hoping) if Fuglsang wil try to go early today, on the Kat. 1, to test his long-range attack, before we get to the serious races.

If Astana waits for the last climb, it will probably be Sanchez they ride for...... unless ofcourse Fuglsang fancies his chances on the cobbles, which arguably he is better at, than all the pure climbers.

 

[Samamba]

I just looked at the last climb on Google Street View. It starts off with a well paved 500 meters that are pretty steep (>12%), followed by a really steep (almost 20%) 100 meters with bad cobbles. Then there is part of 500m with tiles, so not really cobbles. In those 500m there is also a small downhill section. The riders will finish with a 250m cobbled section at >10%.

 

[tobydawq]

Re:

I just looked at the last climb on Google Street View. It starts off with a well paved 500 meters that are pretty steep (>12%), followed by a really steep (almost 20%) 100 meters with bad cobbles. Then there is part of 500m with tiles, so not really cobbles. In those 500m there is also a small downhill section. The riders will finish with a 250m cobbled section at >10%.

Will it be a Vanmarcke-Naesen showdown then? Or is it maybe a bit too long? Or will they have been shed on the mountain earlier in the day?

 

[Samamba]

Re: Re:

I just looked at the last climb on Google Street View. It starts off with a well paved 500 meters that are pretty steep (>12%), followed by a really steep (almost 20%) 100 meters with bad cobbles. Then there is part of 500m with tiles, so not really cobbles. In those 500m there is also a small downhill section. The riders will finish with a 250m cobbled section at >10%.

Will it be a Vanmarcke-Naesen showdown then? Or is it maybe a bit too long? Or will they have been shed on the mountain earlier in the day?

Yeah, I really don't know. I would think it's too long, too steep and it's not like the whole climb is covered with cobbles. Plus like you said, there is pretty big mountain earlier in the stage. Sanchez is my favorite, but I wouldn't be surprised if a more classic type wins this. Depends on how the stage is raced, I guess.

 

[tobydawq]

Yeah, okay, I somehow missed the first part of your description (the 500 metres of well-paved roads with more than 12%). That does not seem like something they could survive and it would definitely weaken them significantly for the cobbled part.

 

[Taxus4a]

Re:

I just looked at the last climb on Google Street View. It starts off with a well paved 500 meters that are pretty steep (>12%), followed by a really steep (almost 20%) 100 meters with bad cobbles. Then there is part of 500m with tiles, so not really cobbles. In those 500m there is also a small downhill section. The riders will finish with a 250m cobbled section at >10%.

More or lees, but that final 250 meters cobble section get 20 %, and the forst one 19%, are really step and both with bad cobbles... just the last 100 meters are normal average, but no soft, abou 7-8 % with normal cobbles, ( no tiles) The rest is exactly as you say.. a hard final for a og and har stage, becouse the climb 20 Km away form the finsh is step.
If a tea,. Astana or Movistar consider they are strong and want to destroy the race today, they have stage for that.

 

[Samamba]

Vanmarcke is in the break with 12 others. No Astana in it so I predict (and hope) they will control the race.

 

[Taxus4a]

Two Movistar riders on the break, but De la Cruz as well. Maybe is just a move for the stage, but I hope something in GC

 

[TomLPC]

First chance I’ve had to watch a proper race this season, already confused by these kits.

 

[Max Rockatansky]

It's february for f... sake. Sky already in TdF Deathstar mode.

 

[Simurgh]

Has Froome come back from the puncture?

 

[Sciocco]

Awesome little climb.