Vuelta a España Vuelta a España 2023, stage 2: Mataró - Barcelona, 181.8k

[Red Rick]

It is 80% the same descent and the other 20% are even wider. If that's too dangerous, then you can never have a non-GC-neutralised finish that isn't uphill if it's raining. Would be dozens, if not 100+ neutralisations a year if that's the approach now, fundamentally breaking the sport.

The problem is the discussions aren't treated in any balanced, rational way. It's just a tool to create outrage in media while providing riders with a buzzword to shield them from criticism no matter how valid or full of *** it is.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Have they changed it again?

https://twitter.com/x/status/1695749533848813821

 

[roundabout]

At least that would make more sense than the Montjuic GC times

 

[DNP-Old]

This race is a clown show.

 

[Rackham]

Have they changed it again?

https://twitter.com/x/status/1695749533848813821

If this is true, they've ruined the stage.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

If this is true, they've ruined the stage.

And if this is the new normal, they will have ruined 100 stages next year and another 100 every year after that in the process. It's a death knell.

Edit: and the confirmation. What a farce.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1695752137379102938

 

[Tim Cahill]

We should cancel all sprint stages too then, I see crashes in like half of them anyway.

 

[balac]

Seems like they will take GC time before the approach to the climb...and kill the stage in the process. Sprinter should take this.

if it rains, we just won't have a race anymore on big stage races. Can anyone imagine nuking the classics because it's raining?

 

[Eyeballs Out]

This madness is going to be even more hilarious than yesterday. All the GC riders hammering it up the wall and then basically stopping so that the winner is the rider that can weave their way through the traffic the fastest.

What could possibly go wrong ?

Edit: just seen they've neutered the stage

 

[Bonimenier]

Are there still bonis on both the top of Montjuïc and at the finish?

 

[Rackham]

And if this is the new normal, they will have ruined 100 stages next year and another 100 every year after that in the process. It's a death knell.

Edit: and the confirmation. What a farce.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1695752137379102938

F*ck me. Just gross.

Some of these ******* in the peloton won't be happy until stages are on wide straight roads with an uphill where they unleash their watts.

Shame on the whingers who played the 'safety card' & cried to get the GC times cancelled.

 

[balac]

As always when the race organizers mess up the day before, the cyclist just mess up the next stage. Just cancel the stage if you don't want to race in the rain.

 

[Berniece]

I don’t understand why you would keep boni at the finish if you want to reduce the risk… keep them at the top, sure, but not the finish

 

[Rackham]

As always when the race organizers mess up the day before, the cyclist just mess up the next stage. Just cancel the stage if you don't want to race in the rain.

It's the most anticipated Vuelta in years... & this is what they serve up.

Yesterday was an honest mess which no one predicted or wanted. But today... they've brought it on themselves. It's insane to remove difficult sections of a GT due to rider pressure.

Especially when GC ending crashes happen all the time, mainly in sprint stages (often in perfectly dry conditions as well).

 

[QueenStagiaire]

If it rains on Angliru, they should neutralize the GC times because there‘s an 800 Meter descent at the end.

 

[Rackham]

You have to love how Adam Hansen unironically says "good luck & let's watch"

Good luck for what? There's no race. And why would we watch? There's no race.

 

[Ludwigzgz]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1695751134466511317

View: https://twitter.com/Laura_Meseguer/status/1695751134466511317?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1695751134466511317%7Ctwgr%5E0c9eb85d7819e55ad2d1409d0980a05018432c03%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.embedly.com%2Fwidgets%2Fmedia.html%3Ftype%3Dtext2Fhtmlkey%3D360a92c25f5c4f60934877f71f423a25schema%3Dtwitterurl%3Dhttps3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FLaura_Meseguer%2Fstatus%2F1695751134466511317image%3Dhttps3A%2F%2Fabs.twimg.com%2Ferrors%2Flogo46x38.png

 

[tobydawq]

GC times will be taken at the KOM at Montjuïc, bonus seconds both there and at the finish will be maintained. ***.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1695736228988006842

Edit: and in English.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1695737330248651010

Lol.

 

[KZD]

And if this is the new normal, they will have ruined 100 stages next year and another 100 every year after that in the process. It's a death knell.

Edit: and the confirmation. What a farce.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1695752137379102938

It seems like another overreaction.

Keeping the bonus seconds its the cherry on top of the stupidity cake.

 

[Rob5091]

According to https://racecenter.lavuelta.es/en/
"The start proper is pushed a couple of kilometres after km 0, for safety measures.
The GC times will now be taken 9km away from the finish line."

So what is exactly at 9km to go? There was once a brief plan to have a finish on a roundabout many years ago until someone pointed out it might not be a good idea. There is a sprint with 18 km to go so why have they not used that?

 

[Ludwigzgz]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1695751134466511317

View: https://twitter.com/Laura_Meseguer/status/1695751134466511317?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1695751134466511317%7Ctwgr%5E0c9eb85d7819e55ad2d1409d0980a05018432c03%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.embedly.com%2Fwidgets%2Fmedia.html%3Ftype%3Dtext2Fhtmlkey%3D360a92c25f5c4f60934877f71f423a25schema%3Dtwitterurl%3Dhttps3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FLaura_Meseguer%2Fstatus%2F1695751134466511317image%3Dhttps3A%2F%2Fabs.twimg.com%2Ferrors%2Flogo46x38.png

Not race for the general today? Only a criterium called "stage"?

 

[balac]

According to https://racecenter.lavuelta.es/en/
"The start proper is pushed a couple of kilometres after km 0, for safety measures.
The GC times will now be taken 9km away from the finish line."

So what is exactly at 9km to go? There was once a brief plan to have a finish on a roundabout many years ago until someone pointed out it might not be a good idea. There is a sprint with 18 km to go so why have they not used that?

Twisty roads and the approach to the climb can be dangerous. But if there's bonis at the top are Jumbo, UAE and Ineos not drilling it?? Just another half measure that accomplishes nothing. If there's no bonus, it kills the stage. So we lose either way.

 

[roundabout]

I don’t understand why you would keep boni at the finish if you want to reduce the risk… keep them at the top, sure, but not the finish

Remove all the bonis and keep the stage win only as incentive if the idea is to make the race safer

It may not be fair, but it would be be consistent with the safety card

 

[Devil's Elbow]

You have to love how Adam Hansen unironically says "good luck & let's watch"

Good luck for what? There's no race. And why would we watch? There's no race.

Adam Hansen is to this sport what Elon Musk is to Twitter. His actions are indistinguishable from those of a man trying to destroy the sport.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Cadel and Vinokurov looking like they've just ridden through hell seems so long ago