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

[aku994]

Is this year's easier route and relatively weak start list enough for Roglič to win even if he isn't at 100% ?

 

[Escarabajo]

Is this year's easier route and relatively weak start list enough for Roglič to win even if he isn't at 100% ?

No. IMHO.
Additionally, You sometimes get surprises at the Vuelta from 1 or 2 riders.

 

[cen]

Roglic at 95% wins this imo.

 

[ice&fire]

Is this year's easier route and relatively weak start list enough for Roglič to win even if he isn't at 100% ?

The route is easier in the last week, but the first week in Spain (stages 4-9) includes 3 MTFs and is not much easier than recent editions. And the second week still has 3 hard MTFs.
The route was designed to attract TDF contenders who might be worried about declining form in the last week, not for riders coming undercooked from injuries expecting to peak in that last week.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Alaphilippe downplaying expectations for Evenepoel, much like Masnada did for the Giro last year:

« Il est en train de faire une saison vraiment exceptionnelle, c’est super de le voir aussi fort. Dans sa condition actuelle, il est capable de faire des grandes choses et on va l’aider pour faire le maximum. Tout est possible. J’espère qu’il gagnera. Il peut le faire. Et s’il ne gagne pas, il peut faire de belles choses, de grands numéros, de belles victoires. C’est l’objectif de l’équipe. »

 

[Valanga]

How is saying he can win the Vuelta downplaying it?

 

[hayneplane]

I think Landa will just try to not lose time at the beginning of the Vuelta & then he'll see if he can aim high. Bahrain will ride for Mader for the GC if it's not him?

Or Haig after his podium last year depending how well he has recovered from abandoning the tour due to crash injuries

 

[Boes]

How is saying he can win the Vuelta downplaying it?

I think it's sarcasme

Masnada last year said Evenepoel could win the Giro and we all know how that ended up

 

[Valanga]

I think it's sarcasme

Masnada last year said Evenepoel could win the Giro and we all know how that ended up

I see, I did not remember Masnada ;-)

But the Evenepoel hype is building then.

 

[Lequack]

It's going to be 7W/kg action all the way to Madrid.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

It's going to be 7W/kg action all the way to Madrid.

You have to give credit where credit is due. Back in Valencia he was riding around with 7kg/W, so he has made quite some progression.

I see, I did not remember Masnada ;-)

But the Evenepoel hype is building then.

Last year the team and Evenepoel were saying they wanted to take it day by day. Lefevere talking about pulling him out halfway etc. Then Masnada in GdS ''He's gonna win''. This time Evenepoel is saying he wants a top 10 and a stage win, and now Alaphilippe...

 

[Valv.Piti]

Sure, but Remco is being disingenuous if thats what he thinks he's coming for. How about a 9th place alá Ten Dam, Zubeldia and Meinjtjens and then a win in the ITT? Really? That would be a disappointment, not a goal achieved, and thats not what youre coming for - everybody knows that.

 

[Red Rick]

Sure, but Remco is being disingenuous if thats what he thinks he's coming for. How about a 9th place alá Ten Dam, Zubeldia and Meinjtjens and then a win in the ITT? Really? That would be a disappointment, not a goal achieved, and thats not what youre coming for - everybody knows that.

The signals are very very mixed. It's like saying "yeah he's gonna be the best thing ever but keep expectations low"

 

[Ilmaestro99]

You have to give credit where credit is due. Back in Valencia he was riding around with 7kg/W, so he has made quite some progression.


Last year the team and Evenepoel were saying they wanted to take it day by day. Lefevere talking about pulling him out halfway etc. Then Masnada in GdS ''He's gonna win''. This time Evenepoel is saying he wants a top 10 and a stage win, and now Alaphilippe...

Fausto has a great mindset and has high expectations for both himself and his leader

 

[Bonimenier]

Sure, but Remco is being disingenuous if thats what he thinks he's coming for. How about a 9th place alá Ten Dam, Zubeldia and Meinjtjens and then a win in the ITT? Really? That would be a disappointment, not a goal achieved, and thats not what youre coming for - everybody knows that.

He's either disingenuous or arrogant. I suppose he chose the former.

 

[Big Doopie]

Damn. This thread is taking pages and pages away from the Remco thread.

;-)

 

[Valv.Piti]

Why not say you want to try to win? Wheres the harm in that?

 

[noob]

Doesn't matter what Remco says.

Damned if he does and damned if he doesn't.

 

[Escarabajo]

Roglic at 95% wins this imo.

95%?
LOL. How do we measure between 95% and 100%. We can measure big jumps, but not this small. Small jumps can be natural decline etc,

 

[Ilmaestro99]

95%?
LOL. How do we measure between 95% and 100%. We can measure big jumps, but not this small. Small jumps can be natural decline etc,

I think he meant hematocrit

 

[Red Rick]

Doesn't matter what Remco says.

Damned if he does and damned if he doesn't.

There's a hundred generic variations of "I was feeling good, I hope that translates well to the Vuelta, I hope to compete for the podium" or something like this. This isn't one of them.

 

[sir fly]

95%?
LOL. How do we measure between 95% and 100%. We can measure big jumps, but not this small. Small jumps can be natural decline etc,

I suppose it's the level enough to beat everybody but Ganna in the tt and the strongest two from this year's Tour uphill.

 

[CyclistAbi]

Looks like Dennis has some health issues. In my opinion quite a blow for JV. Get well soon. Don't know who could drop in as an adequate replacement at this point. That is if Dennis won't be able to start.

As for Rogličes chances. If the injury won't get in the way for too much. Then he can win this race. Just like any other race he participates in. Including Tour.

In the end it's rather normal that no cyclist can win them all and to do that all the time.

The team has plan B. Read it in some local news. If Roglič won't be able to participate. But they didn't want to say what the plan B is. Thinking about it somehow i doubt they would just go for stages. And considering now both Roglič and Dennis might be out. It will be interesting to see their final selection.

 

[Gigs_98]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1541850630469419017

View: https://twitter.com/lavuelta/status/1541850630469419017

I'm a little late to the party but I simply cannot not comment on this. I don't know exactly what it is but something about an event like the Vuelta acting line it's the football world cup with it's own song and all is just so funny to me.

Like "yeah Vuelta, all the kids are gonna sing this song while they are constantly partying for the three biggest weeks of the year. This is all what those cool young TokTikers are gonna talk about for the next month"

Maybe I have grown too cynical but to me this video feels like they are shooting at and are missing their target audience by a distance longer than the TT milage Evenepoel would need to ever win a GT.

On a similar note I also think that in 20 years this video will be posted somewhere on the internet and everyone will laugh their asses off about just how "20's" it is.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Why not say you want to try to win? Wheres the harm in that?

If he would say something like that, you wouldn't see the end of how arrogant he is, having achieved ''nothing'' and that he has still ''everything to prove'', or what a ''nasty creepy guy'' he is (no, i'm not making this last one up, it comes up a lot on Wielerflits). I'm not joking, take a random Wielerflits article from before his win in Liège and read the comments (there is a handy translate plugin for firefox that works on the text you selected, if you need it). Because that's literally what he used to do, go to a race and when asked, he would say that he would try to win. Initially people thought it was cute, until he actually started winning a lot of those races he said he wanted to win. Then suddenly it wasn't that cute anymore but arrogant and whatnot. When Pidcock said he wanted to win the TDF one day, people reacted positively to it. When Evenepoel says anything remotely similar, he's an arrogant brat.