Vuelta a España 2019 stage 17: Aranda de Duero - Guadalajara > 219.6 km

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Blanco

Blanco

Jun 6, 2017
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King Boonen said:
They would work to the end no matter what, Movi just gave them a hand in the chase. Quintana's GC gap would have been under 2minutes.
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But there were no Jumbo or UAE riders left after Movistar drilled that climb, no? So that's 5-6 men less to work on the front, am I right?
If Movistar really wanted to chase Quintana (which is really a total nonsense, by the way), then
a) they would not work in the first group at all
b) they would called back all their men
c) Soler would bury himself on the front of that chase group
 
King Boonen

King Boonen

Jul 25, 2012
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jaylew said:
Ok, I missed almost the entire stage but I'm really struggling to understand why Astana wouldn't force Pogacar and Roglic to chase. They could have tired them out for tomorrow's stage and Lopez would have a better chance of finishing on the podium by tiring out Pogacar over Nairo. And he wants the young rider's jersey as well. I just don't get it.
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They didn't seem that interested until Movistar cut a minute out of the breaks advantage, maybe they thought they could take more of it back.
 
tobydawq

tobydawq

Nov 16, 2013
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Can anybody explain to me why Molano didn't drop down to help Pogacar?

And the fact that Ineos with 4 riders in the 26 man front group manage a 15th place as their best result really epitomises their Vuelta.
 
Valv.Piti

Valv.Piti

Aug 3, 2015
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tobydawq said:
Can anybody explain to me why Molano didn't drop down to help Pogacar?

And the fact that Ineos with 4 riders in the 26 man front group manage a 15th place as their best result really epitomises their Vuelta.
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Think it was the right call to do that actually. I think the ones who blew it was Astana, really handing the win to Rogla. Just imagine if they hadn't pulled after Movistar's attack....
 
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M

movingtarget

Aug 5, 2009
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Roglic dodges a bullet. Watching Quintana take off with the break not such a good idea. Should be plenty of deep sleepers tonight and tired legs tomorrow.
 
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jaylew

jaylew

Mar 19, 2009
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King Boonen said:
They didn't seem that interested until Movistar cut a minute out of the breaks advantage, maybe they thought they could take more of it back.
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But why on earth would they care about bringing it back? Their fight is against Pogacar and to a lesser extent, Roglic and Valverde. Nairo doesn't have the legs to be a real threat. It just boggles the mind.

Besides, from what I saw they weren't having any luck trimming the deficit anyway yet they stayed on the front.
 
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King Boonen

King Boonen

Jul 25, 2012
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Blanco said:
But there were no Jumbo or UAE riders left after Movistar drilled that climb, no? So that's 5-6 men less to work on the front, am I right?
If Movistar really wanted to chase Quintana (which is really a total nonsense, by the way), then
a) they would not work in the first group at all
b) they would called back all their men
c) Soler would bury himself on the front of that chase group
Click to expand...
They did about the minimum work they could get away with in the front group. They still needed to make the other teams ride. That's also why they wouldn't call back their riders.

I'm not saying they'll actively try and destroy Quintana's chances no matter what, maybe my first post in this discussion was a little hyperbolic. I'm saying that they don't care about Quintana. They'll take his finish whatever it is, but they're riding for Valverde. They want Valverde on that podium in the WC jersey at the end of the race. If you're dropping guys with a tailwind they ain't going to be contributing to any chase. Movi took a minute out of the break and suddenly Astana were interested. There are much better ways they could have helped Quintana. They could have disrupted the chase, let gaps appear and forced others to close them and generally just sat on wheels and made themselves annoying to everyone there.
 
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King Boonen

King Boonen

Jul 25, 2012
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jaylew said:
But why on earth would they care about bringing it back? Their fight is against Pogacar and to a lesser extent, Roglic and Valverde. Nairo doesn't have the legs to be a real threat. It just boggles the mind.

Besides, from what I saw they weren't having any luck trimming the deficit anyway yet they stayed on the front.
Click to expand...
Maybe they thought Movi went too hard and they could shed Valverde. Maybe they want to secure Lopez in 5th or higher. Movi took a minute out of the break and that kept Lopez above Kelderman. I don't think it was very sensible.
 
carton

carton

Aug 4, 2014
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Gilbert doing Gilbert things, timing it to the second, outsmarting the specialists and the pursuers alike. Quintana doing Quintana things, going for broke come hell or high water, standing up to winds of fate with that stoic panache of a rider who can't help but ride to win. Quickstep being Quickstep, forcing the move, attacking in droves, getting it right just about often enough. Movistar being Movistar, a cunning plan dutifully executed, only to be outsmarted by an on-the-run strategical masterstroke of its own devising. Astana being Astana, unyieldingly punishing its riders by unapologetically punishing the race.

As much as I enjoy the high-mountain track stands, the cobbled slugfests, and those Gordian knots stage elegantly sliced open by a whirlwind sprint; cycling is truly at it's best on days like these. When there's everything to play for and nothing is certain but a renewed if often ephemeral faith in the uncertainty of a sport that so often mirrors life; where the grand narratives of our minds have no hold on a reality that has not yet been shaped to reaffirm them.
 
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I

ice&fire

Jul 1, 2015
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The irony of Astana not 'getting it' today is that the memorable stage to L'Aquila in the Giro 2010 was possible because Vino was wearing the maglia rosa and he didn't care.
 
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repre

repre

Dec 31, 2017
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huangho said:
A bluff from Astana...



He must be cooked tomorrow, is not normal to go bananas one day and going splending in the next one... He worked hard today, and that effort will be paid tomorrow.
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Who is not cooked after this stage?
 
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slosada

slosada

May 29, 2013
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As much as Movistar is a mess, they did it right today.
However, it cannot be said the same for Astana, they just gave up their chances to win red and/or white. It's a huge possibility that Nairo pays for today's effort tomorrow.
So will Movistar and Astana, as for Roglic and Pogacar... They followed wheels all the time.
Oh, the whole JV and UAE softpedaled the last 40 Kms

Re: Molano, they hoped to win the stage with him. He has won in similar finishes (slightly uphill). And he's almost useless as rouleur
 
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Naico

Sep 26, 2015
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Escarabajo said:
Why Astana doesn't Gamble and just put the brakes!!!
Let Pogacar and Roglic work for it. At least Pogacar. They would kill him today.
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This! No idea why Astana chased so hard. Roglic and Pogacar were completely isolated. They could have obliged them to chase. If not to attack and drop them later in the stage, to at least kill them ahead of tomorrow. Very poor tactics imho!
 
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