• The Cycling News forum is looking to add some volunteer moderators with Red Rick's recent retirement. If you're interested in helping keep our discussions on track, send a direct message to @SHaines here on the forum, or use the Contact Us form to message the Community Team.

    In the meanwhile, please use the Report option if you see a post that doesn't fit within the forum rules.

    Thanks!

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

Page 13 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
Teams are starting to announce their Vuelta squads. Here's Bora:


I'm patiently waiting for Jumbo & Rogla.
So Bora now have a team with two sprinters where one has to lead out the other, two rouleurs to help them in the TTT, as a sprint train and in nervous situations and four guys for GC. They better announce that Buchmann will work for the others because he has the worst results right now and they desperately need someone who can help them after the first climb of the day.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
I don't believe this 4 leader stuff for BORA. Buchmann and Keldermann should be domestiques. It's time for Bora to say goodbye to the GC Buchman project just for German marketing reasons and Keldermann hasn't been in GC form all season.
Higuita has shown to be capable this season, parcour suits him and he was planned to ride Vuelta all season, he deserves leadership with Hindley.

Bennett is obviously a purely symbolic token of good will, I suspect this will be a disaster GT for him but maybe with no one expecting anything anyway he'll suddenly find his form.

Yes, there is no such thing as four leaders, not even at Ineos. They know who can actually win this and the others will work for him. My money is on Hindley but we will see. Although clearly around here someone who has never finished a Grand tour and come 11th at Swiss is clearly more likely to win than someone who has beaten carapaz at the giro and come second at the Giro previously. I don't see it but I'll enjoy the entertainment in any case.

Hoping Roglic starts, and starts healthy.
 
It's the Vuelta. They only need mountain doms before the last climb on stage 20, more or less.
Nah, stage 15 as well, and there are some stages where it will still come down to the last climb, but still is plenty hard beforehand.

But shouldnt be the biggest problem. At that point of time, Kelderman will have shipped infinite minutes already.

I hope Ayuso will go. Then this Vuelta will mark Valverde's retirement, but also the introduction of the extremely talented and consistent Carlos Rodriguez and the Pogacar-esque phenomenon that is Juan Ayuso! Now we just need Enric Mas to do something big...

Mads P will race? Thats good, I think he will come to quite like the Vuelta before the Worlds, and as some extra 'traning' for next spring.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
Prediction time:
Lopez and Carapaz will lose time TT and/or smaller mountains/hilly stages whereas Almeida and Roglic will be less likely to miss out.

I'd say Almeida is much more uneven in hilly terrain than Carapaz. Carapaz and Higuita are the kings of hilly terrain. They both dropped Almeida in Catalunya and in the giro Carapaz and the others dropped Almeida on a hilly stage as well. Start and stop is not Almeida forte. It's definitely Carapaz and Higuita territory.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
FZ8E_ogWQAAg7XX
 
Nah, stage 15 as well, and there are some stages where it will still come down to the last climb, but still is plenty hard beforehand.

But shouldnt be the biggest problem. At that point of time, Kelderman will have shipped infinite minutes already.

I hope Ayuso will go. Then this Vuelta will mark Valverde's retirement, but also the introduction of the extremely talented and consistent Carlos Rodriguez and the Pogacar-esque phenomenon that is Juan Ayuso! Now we just need Enric Mas to do something big...

Mads P will race? Thats good, I think he will come to quite like the Vuelta before the Worlds, and as some extra 'traning' for next spring.
I'm not sure Ayuso is the bigger phenomenon compared to Rodriguez at this point. Ineos have kept him under wraps for his first seasons, but what i've seen of him this year has impressed me more than Ayuso. Obviously, Ayuso is over a year younger, but i think we'll have to see how this pans out. It's also possible one will turn into more of a Valverde type of rider and the other will turn into a full-fledged GT/C rider.

I'm also curious to see Tiberi here. I can't imagine he is going for a nice GC result at this point, but he's a talented rider and i think he could do well in a number of stages.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
Do we know anything about Ben O'Connor's shape after his drop out of the Tour?
Might do very well in this field! One of my favorites for the GC.

« Ben will be our leader for this Vuelta, which he always planned to ride. He left the Tour de France disappointed following his abandonment, so we will wait to see how he is feeling during the first stages to decide on a more precise objective. His physical condition is good, he has prepared well. He comes to shine on the Spanish roads and to be among the best riders. Ben has the ability to excel in the general classification. »

 
I am interested in the performance of three riders.

Ethan Hayter who tends to ride anonymously but continues to rack up wins - He could win one of the intermediate stages.
Ben O'Connor - People forget the key stage in the lead up to the TDF was the last stage of the Dauphine - When Vingegard and Roglic pressed the go button he still managed to finish only 15 seconds behind.
Tim Merlier - Yes, he will win a stage but can he make it past the first rest day which is important for his future.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
But do you think Bora will have to pace/pull the peloton before the last climb with a climber? I don't. I think it would be limited how valuable it'd be to have Fabbro around.

I think that Bora will not wear the leader jersey in the first days so they don´t need to work a lot. And after stage 6 (maybe 8 or 9) there will be the first time gaps between the four GC guys and then the roles are getting clearer.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
That QS team is far more entertaining than the tour one, Remco, Masnada and Alaphilippe all have it in them to do something ridiculous at some point in the race, it's a shame Cavendish isn't going so they can have all the troublemakers on one bus.

Same with the UAE team, if Catalunya is anything to go by then we're in for a treat, maybe they are rushing along Ayuso to help Pogacar next year but the kid has a bit of an independent streak to put it mildly so hopefully we get some throwing out of the earpiece type antics.
Or flailing of the arms a la Soler!
 

TRENDING THREADS