• The Cycling News forum is still looking to add volunteer moderators with. 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 Vuelta a España 2024, stage 16: Luanco - Lagos de Covadonga, 181.3k

Page 19 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
Tadej talking about not riding because it would make his other teammates angry because they needed the opportunities to ride for themselves. Everyone thought he was talking about Almeida, Yates, or Del Toro, but deep down Teddy was talking about Marc Soler.

That is why I am glad Teddy decided to focus on the WC. No Pogi means we get God Tier Soler in Spain.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
Christian van de Velde commenting that Roglic didn't have the legs, today. It didn't look that way to me. He covered everything quite calmly. Also, that was a sketchy final few kilometers with the rain. Not a day to push one's luck.
Exactly. He remained seated and spun to anyone's gap, then led on the descending portion to avoid risk. Kudos to Soler for a frothy ride!
 
Looks like Roglic deliberately avoided taking red today. It could have easily been a minute and a half plus. The disrespect shown to O'Connor in this race by Carapaz, Mas and Roglic has been bizarre.

I think to a degree it is understandable from Roglic and Bora... with the stages left it would be a shock if Primoz did not put 2-3 minutes into him minimum.

But for Carapaz and Mas? They likely both finish on the podium... but O'Connor is not a bad ITT'er and if I were them I would be starting to get a bit antsy.

They have basically 2 Mountain stages left and they have "only" been putting maybe ~1 minute into him on the mountain stages in the last week or so.

It would not be a total shock for O'Connor to come 3rd only because Carapaz and Mas are not respecting him enough.

Now, it shouldnt happen, but could.
 
It's such a weird climb.

Gaps would literally be bigger if they put the finish lower
Problem is the only logical places would be at the Basilica, which would turn it into a puncheur 1km stomp finish, or Mirador de la Reina, which would turn it into a 2km stage with all the action coming on La Huesera.

The issue really for Los Lagos is that long stretch from Cangas de Onis to Soto de Cangas and onwards to Covadonga village, which just kills momentum from before.

You could go from Llomena over Mohandí and even Bada to toughen up that run-in, but you're always going to have to deal with the 15km or so flat between them so unless you make the race hard enough beforehand that it's worth persevering in the valley - like the Euskaltel break of doom in the 2010 Cotobello stage or the famous 2005 Heras stage to Pajáres, momentum is going to be killed in the valley.

Even going over Torno you're going to have the shorter flat from Soto de Cangas, and at the cost of not having any selective climbs close enough to Covadonga to make a difference. Fito or the Llomena-Mohandí doublette is the best you can hope for in that respect.

And unless they pave the eastern path from Següencu to Torio via San Blas, I can't see that happening. That would put a climb of just under 6km at about 9-9,5% at about 30km from the line and cut the pure flat between Soto and Covadonga village to about 6km. But it's a natural park and I don't see them wanting to do it seeing as there's already one road to access the Mirador at Següencu and limited traffic.
 

TRENDING THREADS