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Okay, if I rephrase and say "mainly" instead of "only", then it certainly applies. A design with 100+ kms of ITT would massively favourize these kind of riders. If you had for example Bernal and Dumoulin both showing up in peak shape for a GT, how much would Dumoulin gain on Bernal on 110 km ITT compared to 50-60 km?Just like the 2007 Tour route only created opportunities for riders like Evans and Leipheimer?
And an amount of ITT km comparable to the 2008 Tour would make it impossible for a climber to win?
Bavarianrider complains about the amout of ITT every freakin time a GT is announced. Without exception. Do you think he would be satisfied with 50 km?What some here desire is one ITT of 50 km or more that may be rolling without being too hilly, placed preferably in the second week. I see no demands for 110 km of ITT. Depending on the rest of the route and the nature of the ITTs, a total amount between 60 and 90 km would satisfy most.
But when the position is that ITTs may never legitimately decide the outcome of the race, only mountains, why not skip them completely?
When is the last time the best TTer in a GT got dropped by minutes in the mountains without having to take a *** or missing a freak attack?Just like the 2007 Tour route only created opportunities for riders like Evans and Leipheimer?
And an amount of ITT km comparable to the 2008 Tour would make it impossible for a climber to win?
The last GT with a long ITT (Giro '15) also really suffered from it, right?
Just about every Giro: Almeida on Stelvio and to a lesser extent Sestriere in 2020, Roglic on San Carlo and Mortirolo in 2019, Dumoulin on Finestre in 2018 and on Piancavallo itself in 2017. 2016 had very little time gaps on the TTs between the main contenders except for Chaves so it's not applicable, then before that Contador on Finestre in 2015. That makes Uran the last strongest TT rider to not get dropped normally - but he was weak on the Val Martello stage even without the Quintana controversy and lost a lot on the MTT.When is the last time the best TTer in a GT got dropped by minutes in the mountains without having to take a *** or missing a freak attack?
Roglic was the best ITT rider in the 2019 Giro
Almeida was the best ITT rider from people riding for GC in the 2020 Giro
Both were over 2 minutes behind the winner
Roglic got sick in the 2019 Giro, and the queen stage was nerfed.Just about every Giro: Almeida on Stelvio and to a lesser extent Sestriere in 2020, Roglic on San Carlo and Mortirolo in 2019, Dumoulin on Finestre in 2018 and on Piancavallo itself in 2017. 2016 had very little time gaps on the TTs between the main contenders except for Chaves so it's not applicable, then before that Contador on Finestre in 2015. That makes Uran the last strongest TT rider to not get dropped normally - but he was weak on the Val Martello stage even without the Quintana controversy and lost a lot on the MTT.
Then for the Tour, we have Alaphilippe on the Iseran in 2019 and Froome on Alpe d'Huez in 2015 in the same period. While the Vuelta has Roglic on Peña Negra in 2019 (though one could argue that doesn't count because he had the GC sewn up anyway), no dominant TT rider in 2018 or 2014, Froome on Machucos in 2017 and Dumoulin in Morcuera in 2015.
So more often than not if we're using a cutoff of over a minute on one stage, and a fair few of these sit at 2 or 3.
Agreed, but one of the biggest problems there is that since UCI tightened up the rules on ProContis to prevent teams like Cervélo and BMC coming in at that level with a roster that was clearly WT level so they could get all the invites they wanted without the obligations they didn't (flyaway races like Guangxi etc.), the weakening of some of the major national calendars for stage racers, and the end of the quarantine for dopers at the ProConti level, we're finding decent level wildcards harder and harder to come by, and riders who would previously have led wildcard teams or been free hands at the race are now happier to join the WT teams and be domestiques, so meaning the isolation of those leaders is much harder than it was 10-12 years ago.If race design induced the isolation of key leaders more often I think it would lead to more exciting racing in general.
The climb named Collado de los Ballesteros in the stage to Pico Villuercas is actually the North side of Villuercas. 400m of climbing in 3km. This is longer and just slightly easier gradient than Muro di Sormano. The road surface, though...
Is this good enough for a long range attack?
The last GT with a long ITT (Giro '15) also really suffered from it, right?
2016 Vuelta and 2015 Giro were more of a product of a riders teams failing them than perfect amount of ITT.
Guys.I grew up not far from Cullera, where the 6th stage finishes. I must have been around 12 years old when I went up the hill with a friend and he stole my Tamagotchi. He swore he didn't and that I must have lost it. He didn't have it on him, but I know he stole it and hid it somewhere. Maybe it's still there.
Anyway, that sucked. As does this route.