Vuelta a España Vuelta a España 2020: Stage 11 (Villaviciosa › Alto de La Farrapona. Lagos de Somiedo 170km)

[Cassirer]

I understand the Jumbo critics, but I dont think what they are doing is that wrong. They lost the tour because of a miracle Performance, *** happens. Now Roglic in the lead and not loosing any time on a tough Mountain with a TT to come and being able to conserve energy after a looong season seems not a bad way to go per se.

 

[trevim]

Look at how relaxed Kuss was at the end. What a complete waste. Jumbo's main tactic appears to be "scare everybody from attacking by having Kuss in reserve" but then they're pinned to the level of their third best rider which means the entire GC mix can ride in comfortably, and they just look bereft of any idea how to do anything else.

I didn't work out very well at the Tour, Roglic's 3rd week is always a mystery. Although in this case it's more like 2nd and half week so he might get by...

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Mikel Nieve up to 10th place, in accordance with the prophecy.

 

[Sciatic]

But they are the only team who tried something today?

 

[Red Rick]

Mikel Nieve up to 10th place, in accordance with the prophecy.

Least 2020 thing in 2020?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I understand the Jumbo critics, but I dont think what they are doing is that wrong. They lost the tour because of a miracle Performance, *** happens. Now Roglic in the lead and not loosing any time on a tough Mountain with a TT to come and being able to conserve energy after a looong season seems not a bad way to go per se.

Sepp Kuss hasn't raced a single stage hard since the Dauphiné. Use him rather than having 20 guys coming to the finish together because nobody is prepared to expend George Bennett until 300m from the finish.

 

[broppo]

make it rain tomorrow please, or else this vuelta will be so incredibly boring!!!

 

[Keram]

So good parcours so bad stage. I am home office anyway so I should not watch it closely but today I did not want to. The best thing was good weather and beautiful environment.

 

[Netserk]

What an awful stage.

I see Roglič and Jumbo learned precisely nothing from the Tour fiasco.

Maybe he had a bad day. Maybe he fears the fatigue and wants the race to be as easy as possible.

Roglic wasn't the only one who could attack but didn't.

 

[Cassirer]

Sepp Kuss hasn't raced a single stage hard since the Dauphiné. Use him rather than having 20 guys coming to the finish together because nobody is prepared to expend George Bennett until 300m from the finish.

Yeah fair point, I hoped He would attack as well

 

[Alexandre B.]

Movistar 5th, 6th and 8th on GC.

I understand their love for team classification (well, maybe not) but this is taking things too far.

 

[JosefK]

I do agree they could've tried something, especially with Carapaz being isolated. You never know when you might need more advantage, as seen in the Tour.

Both sides of this issue have good points. Some of it might come down to factors that fans will not be able to know, like how well Rog recovered from the previous day's hard effort. Though still -- Jumbo did have Carapaz isolated today, and there is no time buffer between 1 and 2.

 

[WKA311]

Mikel Nieve up to 10th place, in accordance with the prophecy.

Gotta win that Queen stage on the Angliru tomorrow.

 

[Fernandez]

There are 3 things absolutely certain in this world: death, taxes and useless Movistar tactics

So much Movistar bashing but what could have done today?

 

[Red Rick]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1322578420702859268

View: https://twitter.com/ammattipyoraily/status/1322578420702859268

 

[hrotha]

Maybe he had a bad day. Maybe he fears the fatigue and wants the race to be as easy as possible.

Roglic wasn't the only one who could attack but didn't.

It's certainly possible that he was doing like Basso and Liquigas in the days of yore. I'd believe it in a heartbeat if Roglič didn't have previous.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I didn't work out very well at the Tour, Roglic's 3rd week is always a mystery. Although in this case it's more like 2nd and half week so he might get by...

Well, if they'd actually tried to gain time at some point, maybe they would have had enough in hand. At the Tour they only had two tactics:

• Burn everybody up and set Roglič up, then make sure he doesn't attack afterwards, but instead picks one or two riders to follow. Be sure to let secondary contenders go even if you're strong enough to follow - they're no threat.
• Ride up every mountain at the tempo of your third best rider, because nobody will dare attack if you can chase them with a completely fresh Kuss.

The former wastes all the work of the domestiques, and the latter wastes any chance of gaining time by limiting the pace to one that any reasonably strong GC contender can handle, and staying at that tempo long after it is clear that it has shelled everybody that it's going to shell.

 

[klintE]

It was the only GC team that came to race today.

Apparently yes but the output is they achieved nothing.
Soler will pay for today effort tomorrow.

 

[gunara]

So we can excuse them all today, and what's exactly the point of having such stage before Angliru anyway if everyone is - predictably - busy saving themselves.

 

[titan31]

One bad stage for Roglic and he can easily lose the Vuelta, even with the TT. Considering he already suffered on Formigal and the strength of his team today, j think it's a mistake to not try something. Don't even have to attack himself. Have Gesink and Bennett drive the pace early instead of relying on Vindegaard and you might see others guy crack that Kuss can then ride you away from. Might not break Carapaz but could have done one of Carthy, Martin or Mas.

 

[Eclipse]

I understand the Jumbo critics, but I dont think what they are doing is that wrong. They lost the tour because of a miracle Performance, *** happens. Now Roglic in the lead and not loosing any time on a tough Mountain with a TT to come and being able to conserve energy after a looong season seems not a bad way to go per se.

Roglic will probably be fine, the field here isn't deep, but miracles do happen in cycling and for as long as JV leave riders in an attackable distance he's at risk. It could just be something herculean on the final Saturday or a bad day for Rogla, but ambushes do happen too and you never know when someone will make a surprise stick.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Movistar 5th, 6th and 8th on GC.

I understand their love for team classification (well, maybe not) but this is taking things too far.

Movistar by now should have worked out that they do not have any riders stronger than Carapaz or Rogla. As a result, this is absolutely what they should be doing. Keep all three members of their triad relevant, and keep putting at least one of them in the attack to keep those stronger riders and their teams chasing them at all times. Eventually, if they're fortunate, the elastic will break, and either one of their guys gains a load of time off the front, or the big guns are isolated and spending too much effort pulling them back. While Movistar haven't exactly maximised the opportunities they've created (Valverde not catching Woods, Soler being outsprinted by Gaudu today), I don't see much wrong with how they're approaching this race. It's their best chance of making something of it.

Abarcá have a history of interjecting themselves into GC mixes they don't really have a business being part of (most notably winning the Tour with Óscar Pereiro and podiuming the Giro with David Arroyo), and collapsing in GC mixes they should be at the forefront of (anything with the Quintana-Landa-Valverde triad).

 

[Devil's Elbow]

So we can excuse them all today, and what's exactly the point of having such stage before Angliru anyway if everyone is - predictably - busy saving themselves.

GT organisers very clearly don't understand pacing. Geographical constraints are no excuse this time considering Angliru is closer to today's start than Farrapona.

 

[Alexandre B.]

So much Movistar bashing but what could have done today?

Soler wanted everything and he came out nearly empty-handed. He should've aimed for the time gaps instead of the stage win.

 

[WKA311]

The Movistar bashing and memeing is getting out of hand. They put Soler in prime position to gain time in GC and win the stage. Gaudu is an amazing climber, it's no shame to narrowly lose against him on a MTF.

Granted, Soler will probably pay for today tomorrow but they were at least doing something and not just riding the train and then sprint at the finish.