Vuelta a Andalucia (Ruta Del Sol) 2.HC // 18.2 - 22.2

[jaylew]

And now people saying Contador has no chance

Seriously...there are both not at 100% and need to work and lose weight. Contador had a better day in the TT and the first MTF, today Froome had the better legs.
It goes like that when you are at 85% ...one day you have good legs...the next day not so good legs.

I swear this forum is bipolar.
Guys oscillating wildly in performance from one day to the next in February is the most common sight in cycling....doesn't stop everyone from going ape**** every day

These two. That said, I don't think we're going to get the mano e mano battle we all hope for in July. Tirreno might be the closest we get, and of course they'll both still say they're building their form for later races.

I thought Froome's attack was brave today, honestly. He could have finished 2nd and been satisfied, knowing his preparation is going well for the Tour. Instead, he attacked and dropped Contador, giving cycling fans a great show.

I think Froome deserves praise for the way he rode.

Agreed. I thnk he's ridden great both days.

 

[jaylew]

This is 100% true. I enjoyed watching Contador up until I started reading the forums in about 2012. However, the outrageous hero worship over every little thing he does or says makes it hard to be a fan.
Add that to baseless hate of riders like Froome- why, because he stem-stares and sticks his elbows out??? Tell me when you get bonus seconds for having a certain look- and that is why I enjoyed seeing Bertie get dropped today.

Honestly, it wasn't always like that. People around here seemed to like Froome when he first started showing his GC chops. He was exciting and it helped that he was very different from Wiggins. Additionally, the fact that there was beef between those two really helped as Wiggins was extremely disliked in those days.

I think part of what happened is that he and his then gf, now wife, Michelle Cound started to say a bunch of disrespectful and derogatory stuff about AC which turned people off. It didn't help that there was already a bit of an anti-SKY bias here due to their race-choking Borg tactics and some Brailsford stuff.

I think Froome has smartened up a bit in the last year or so and has become a much more likable rider. Nowadays I think a lot of your so-called "hate" just stems from the fact that they are major rivals and at this point most have picked a side.

It's like any major rivalry in sports or even in politics - people tend to unfairly criticize the other side and exaggerate every little thing - pretty normal stuff but certainly annoying when your side is on the losing end (probably even more so if you haven't picked a side or don't have a dog in the fight).

 

[Escarabajo]

It's a 5-day race in February. It's fine. The problem is when GTs and the like only have the same thing on the menu.

+1.

Let's put 5 cols for 200+ kms in the Anadalucia Tour in February.

 

[Suspicious]

What did Froome and Cound say about Contador?

 

[sir fly]

We won't know who the winner is until the last couple of hundreds of meters of the race.
What a season opener!

 

[Jspear]

We won't know who the winner is until the last couple of hundreds of meters of the race.
What a season opener!

True. I don't expect any difference with the GC, but I'm still hoping AC and Tinkov will try...it'll just make things even more interesting.
Degenkolb for the stage win.

 

[The_Juan]

Where was Contador's team today?

I also didn't like the way Alberto dropped Basso the other day. Ivan didn't tell him he wasn't going to be able to pull. And yet Contador just rode away even though he knew he was overweight and Basso was in decent shape.

I know hindsight is always 20/20 but Stevie Wonder would've seen that one coming.

 

[sir fly]

True. I don't expect any difference with the GC, but I'm still hoping AC and Tinkov will try...it'll just make things even more interesting.
Degenkolb for the stage win.

Finishing straight is high speed pitch, but the preceding roundabouts and last kilometer chaos can create two second gap "in einem Augenblick".
Everything's still open.

 

[TANK91]

The Juan you do know the reason they came to the top was Froome was stopping if he just rode tempo Kelderman would have got nowhere near. Froome climbed wierd in the Vuelta. He was just yo yo back and forth.

 

[Ataraxus]

Oh I disagree wholeheartedly. Contador has talked about Froome's attacks in last year's Vuelta multiple times. He just doesn't make mention of them directly, but indirectly he has said, multiple times, how difficult and different it is to ride against someone who launches attacks multiple times in a climb. And this was said at the end of the Ancares climb.

To me, an effort is measured on how much time you put on others. Alberto's effort on Friday was a very good one as he dropped everyone. Same with Froome's today or In Ancares/Farrapona. Col du Beal in 2014 is nothing but an idiotic attack that ended in nothing.

Oh please. There's no need to focus on the " sentences", while there are more important sentences contributing to the discussion.
The fact that Contador didn't mention, doesn't prove the Vuelta attacks weren't brutal.

Now let's talk numbers shall we.
-In Farrapona Chris' out-of-saddle attack lasted 20 sec exactly
-In Ancares it lasted 18 seconds and he distanced Contador temporarily

How come Froome can sustain 30 seconds attacks in higher slopes in Andalucia. And multiple 30sec attacks in the Dauphine, while at the Vuelta his accelerations last 20 and 18 seconds.
And the tenacity of Froome during those Vuelta attacks is no where close to the tenacity of Dauphine & Andalucia attacks.
And Froome never performs such brutal attack in any other of the abundant Vuelta mountain stages.
The idiotic part is very relative. All I know is those Beal attacks have much more popularity in youtube than Farrapona and Ancares stages combined.

 

[Pricey_sky]

I notice on the profile for today there is a little ramp at the end, is it serious or just a little false flat?

 

[Hugo Koblet]

I notice on the profile for today there is a little ramp at the end, is it serious or just a little false flat?

Something like 5% average. Degenkolb vs Lobato for me.

 

[LaFlorecita]

I notice on the profile for today there is a little ramp at the end, is it serious or just a little false flat?

from 500 to 200 to go the road goes up 63m. Which means 20% average. But after yesterday, I'm not sure we can really trust the race details too much.

edit: I just realized the profile doesn't even match the table. There we go.

 

[Dr. Juice]

from 500 to 200 to go the road goes up 63m. Which means 20% average. But after yesterday, I'm not sure we can really trust the race details too much.

edit: I just realized the profile doesn't even match the table. There we go.

Last km averages just 6% or a little less (they go from ~50 mt to 105-110 m atitude). But those last 200 m are flat. So it's basically 800m at 7,5 % with a couple of short but steep sections.
From - 500 to -200 the incline is steeper...and of course steeper than the average gradient...should be above 10% while the less stepp parts will have 4-5% which balances the overall average gradient of 7-8%

Conclusion: Lobato with one leg. If he starts the sprint somewhere in 20th position....it'll be a close fight.

 

[Dr. Juice]

Those 300m between -500 and -200 seem to be at more than 10 percent.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Those 300m between -500 and -200 seem to be at more than 10 percent.

according to the table they are at 20%, according to the profile they are at 7%

 

[mrhender]

Those 300m between -500 and -200 seem to be at more than 10 percent.

I reckon SKY will take no chances and ride that thing as if there was no tomorrow?

 

[Dr. Juice]

according to the table they are at 20%, according to the profile they are at 7%

I took a ruler and compared the altitudes. That particular part start at 80m altitude and goes to 105m. 25 metres height gain within 200 metres means 12.5 %. Maybe there are short 20 m with 20%. Overall those 200 m before it gets flat are surely over 10% average.

To sum it up:

Last km average: just under 6%.

-1km to 400 m : That's 600 m at around 6-7% . Then 200m with steep gradients above 10%. Then last 200 m flat.

 

[jens_attacks]

there is always google street.

just saying

 

[sir fly]

there is always google street.

just saying

That's the way.

You can see it by your own eyes, draw the path and see its profile (Google Earth).

 

[LaFlorecita]

there is always google street.

just saying

Yeah that could work

If I knew what route they're riding.

 

[Beacon Hill]

If todays finish is potentially as tricky as has been mentioned. I wouldn't be at all surprised if AC and his band of merry men could pull something off.

Probably wont be for lack of trying anyway which should at least brighten up the stage.

 

[LaFlorecita]

If todays finish is potentially as tricky as has been mentioned. I wouldn't be at all surprised if AC and his band of merry men could pull something off.

Probably wont be for lack of trying anyway which should at least brighten up the stage.

I'm sure Alberto will try, and it will look like the little dig he put in on stage 2 Froome won't give him even a millimeter. I just hope Alberto won't lose the points jersey to Froome.

 

[Geraint Too Fast]

Yeah that could work

If I knew what route they're riding.

http://www.vueltaandalucia.es/index.php/mapa-etapa-5?profile=1&profileSource=Etapa5.kml

 

[LaFlorecita]

http://www.vueltaandalucia.es/index.php/mapa-etapa-5?profile=1&profileSource=Etapa5.kml

thanks, I was looking at the time table. Does not look very hard.