Vuelta a España 2022: Pre-race discussion/hype tread

[KZD]

Huh? Of course it has. There's a whole lot more of physical and psychical stress in the big races and they're much more demanding physical and psychical than at a race like Algarve where parts of the race are like a cycling tour for the pros.

Even if your argument has some degree of truth, doing 6.5w/kg in a 30 minute climb is a great physical performance regardless of the race in question and the Tour of Norway stage in which Evenepoel did it was actually a stage with echlons so they were not there just enjoying the views...

 

[red_flanders]

Looks like Simon Yates beat me to the punch though.

Vuelta a España: Simon Yates warns it 'would be silly' to count out Remco Evenepoel

After a knee injury took Yates out of the Giro d'Italia, he returns to the Vuelta for the first time since winning in 2018 with every intention of winning again.

www.velonews.com

Here are some quotes:

''I read on the Cyclingnews forum that certain posters are doubting Evenepoel, reacting annoyed when confronted with logic and well founded arguments of certain other posters''. (*)

“You look at his demonstration at San Sebastián it would be silly to discount him,” Yates said Wednesday. “Of course he is still very young. I think everyone is still saying, ‘three weeks, three weeks,’ but at some point in the future he will be one of these grand tour riders over three weeks.”

“This year might not be the year, at some point it’s coming,” Yates said. “So we’ll see if it’s this year or not.”

(*) I may or may not have made up the opening sentence.

"The Vuelta isn’t like other grand tours when you’re pedaling around doing nothing all day. It’s hard to stay focused mentally."

Wut?

I mean he's there and lives it, but that seemed like a very strange observation to me. I guess missing the Tour this year didn't help but still...odd.

" I think everyone is still saying, ‘three weeks, three weeks,’ but at some point in the future he will be one of these grand tour riders over three weeks.”

Couldn't agree more with this one. Sums it up nicely.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Sierra Nevada, Stage 15
Richard Carapaz attacks, Nibali and Roglič look at each other.
Roglič: When I followed you on Alpe d‘Huez in 2018 and someone told me you would not start the next day, I asked: 'Why not,( dramatic pause) eh‘. So I followed you the next year at the Giro and then I crashed. But I thought I was still fit enough and continued on. In 2021 at the Tour I crashed but thought I was still fit enough and continued. This year at the Tour I crashed but I thought I was still fit enough and continued. And now we meet again. Just like the 2019 Giro. I really like that Carapaz guy, you know.

Nibali: No

Roglič: What No?

Nibali: No english

Carapaz goes on to win the Vuelta ahead of Nibali, Roglič and Landa.


Disclaimer: Reality may differ from the described events.

 

[CyclistAbi]

Nibali: No
Roglič: What No?

Nibali: Vamos bicicleta de carreras.
Roglič: Por que no.
Evenpoel: Almeida.

 

[dazaau]

I wonder how often the pros read forums. It has to be pretty common. I would like to think our comments are having at least some sort of background effect on the sport.

Oh my god, you actually thought i was being serious?

I'm afraid logic's humour has been missed again. Yates has not admitted to velonews that he spends his spare time on cyclingnews and is personally appreciative of logic's posts.

 

[staubsauger]

What about good old Pozzovivo? Not for a podium obviously. But he always starts strong in a GT. Has done decent TT in the past. Then, the last week actually is a bit lighter at this Vuelta. Even though he might still completely fall apart on the Sierra Guaderrama stage.

 

[red_flanders]

This thread feels much bigger than the Tour and Giro pre race threads

I wonder why.

People are interested in the race?

 

[Rollthedice]

What about good old Pozzovivo? Not for a podium obviously. But he always starts strong in a GT. Has done decent TT in the past. Then, the last week actually is a bit lighter at this Vuelta. Even though he might still completely fall apart on the Sierra Guaderrama stage.

El Pozo, ready to strike.

 

[noob]

Msfp (main stream forum propaganda). Get a hold of yourselves. I blame the RR effect (the Remco Roglic affair). I hope they both stay in contention long enough for the forum hysteria to continue.

If Remco and Roglic are having an affair isn't it just a bit insensitive to write about it openly on the forum? Imagine being wife or girlfriend and finding it out through this forum?!

 

[groogster]

Nothing wrong not being a favourite at the start.
I rather be a dark horse and win it in the end, that’s what legends are made of! My dark horse for La Vuelta … Almeida!

To all The GC favourites please be aware that "objects in the mirror are closer than they appear"

 

[durtyfat7]

Bahrain lineup( probably be strongest in the race):
Mikel Landa
Santiago Buitrago
Gino Mader
Wout Poels
Luis Leon Sanchez
Jasha Sutterlin
Fred Wright
Eduardo Zambanini

 

[Lequack]

So it's finally time for the one true grand tour. Where they're not afraid to put in hard stages that scare off sprinters, unlike the lesser grand tours.

 

[Lequack]

Jumbo have decided to just team timetrial to the Vuelta start this year.

Ineos too

 

[Lequack]

EF have come to meme again

https://twitter.com/x/status/1560003800253059073

View: https://twitter.com/RadioPedalEC/status/1560003800253059073?s=20&t=VIbjVe4fzlgjzh-6AlGP4Q

And some new tech.
Tour of the brand new team bus of @JumboVismaRoad in the HQ in Den Bosch. The MAN bus is ready for the Vuelta and fully equipped. Including shower, air conditioning, dressing room and luxurious chairs.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1559852166793265152

View: https://twitter.com/wielerorakel/status/1559852166793265152

 

[Samu Cuenca]

If Remco and Roglic are having an affair isn't it just a bit insensitive to write about it openly on the forum? Imagine being wife or girlfriend and finding it out through this forum?!

I don't think they're having an affair with each other, nor with anyone else. Although the thought of Roglič trying to impress Remco by popping his should back in, while Remco is asking him if he looks too fat in his QS shorts, is a little bit funny.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

They know very well Serry has not won a single race in his life and he never will. Yet they rub it in his face by having him cheer ''in case he should win''.

Heartless and cruel.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1559972922567049218

View: https://twitter.com/qst_alphavinyl/status/1559972922567049218

 

[pman]

Do the rest of you really believe team time trials belong in grand tour racing? Do I enjoy watching them? Yes. Do I think they belong in grand tours? No! I think they completely defeat the purpose of the race of truth.

 

[Nick2413]

Do the rest of you really believe team time trials belong in grand tour racing? Do I enjoy watching them? Yes. Do I think they belong in grand tours? No! I think they completely defeat the purpose of the race of truth.

I’m torn. It seems that TTTs could be a way to help shuffle things up in a race, but if the best TTT teams are the same ones that dominate GC in the first place, they just make the race even more one-sided. These days all the top riders are so good at TT and mountains that the only way to spice up a race seems to be with classics style stages and deliberate attempts at creating chaos.

 

[Lequack]

Daan Hoole (198cm), Juanpe Lopez (170cm) and Alex Kirsch (194cm).

 

[Lequack]

Also, it's the famous day where you get told if you are get to go home prematurely, thanks to some questionable tests

 

[cen]

Sierra Nevada, Stage 15
Richard Carapaz attacks, Nibali and Roglič look at each other.
Roglič: I always respect an Olympic champion. When I followed you on Alpe d‘Huez in 2018 and someone told me you would not start the next day, I asked: 'Why not,( dramatic pause) eh‘. So I followed you the next year at the Giro and then I crashed. But I thought I was still fit enough and continued on. In 2021 at the Tour I crashed but thought I was still fit enough and continued. This year at the Tour I crashed but I thought I was still fit enough and continued. And now we meet again. Just like the 2019 Giro. I really like that Carapaz guy, you know.

Nibali: No

Roglič: What No?

Nibali: No english

Carapaz goes on to win the Vuelta ahead of Nibali, Roglič and Landa.


Disclaimer: Reality may differ from the described events.

fixed

 

[CyclistAbi]

Do the rest of you really believe team time trials belong in grand tour racing? Do I enjoy watching them? Yes. Do I think they belong in grand tours? No! I think they completely defeat the purpose of the race of truth.

Not only it's appropriate it's a shame we didn't see one including Roglič, Dumoulin, Dennis and others. That is all three Olympic medalist going all in. For at least 50km. (Gee)Zeus time trial train.

 

[IndurainsTdF1994]

This thread feels much bigger than the Tour and Giro pre race threads

I wonder why.

¡Vamos a la playa!

 

[BigCoward]

Not only it's appropriate it's a shame we didn't see one including Roglič, Dumoulin, Dennis and others. That is all three Olympic medalist going all in. For at least 50km. (Gee)Zeus time trial train.

Would have loved to see 2012-2013 Sky v 2021-2022 JV.

 

[RedheadDane]

Do the rest of you really believe team time trials belong in grand tour racing? Do I enjoy watching them? Yes. Do I think they belong in grand tours? No! I think they completely defeat the purpose of the race of truth.

I like them. I think they belong in GTs the same way cobbled/gravel roads do; not every year, but every now-and-then.

Daan Hoole (198cm), Juanpe Lopez (170cm) and Alex Kirsch (194cm).

Guess we know whose bikes they shouldn't try and stick Lopez on!