Vuelta a España Vuelta a España 2024, stage 17: Arnuero - Santander, 141.5k

[yaco]

There are enough strong riders who could have gone in the break and made it tough for Alpecin to control the stage.

 

[Faserr]

I am sursprised that Alpecin gave them 4 min.

 

[Gratemans]

There are enough strong riders who could have gone in the break and made it tough for Alpecin to control the stage.

I think it's like Samamba said: the stronger attackers will probably have their eyes set on those climbs.

 

[Samamba]

I am sursprised that Alpecin gave them 4 min.

To make jumping to the front group on the climbs not as easy.

 

[Samamba]

DSM working for Bittner is obviously completely normal, I would even give Intermarché a pass, but Kern Pharma is wild.

 

[Slavique Nuke]

DSM working for Bittner is obviously completely normal, I would even give Intermarché a pass, but Kern Pharma is wild.

Pau Miquel's results are pretty decent: 3rd, 4th, 5th

 

[Samamba]

Pau Miquel's results are pretty decent: 3rd, 4th, 5th

I know, pretty good, but obviously never winning (well you never know I guess, Groves could crash), and I would say that sending him in a break actually gives a shot. It's more like "not their job" to do that.

 

[topcat]

Epic stage.

 

[Slavique Nuke]

It's more like "not their job" to do that.

It's not like the whole team works there. Sponsor is probably happy to see one guy showing his jersey for easy TV time & they've already had a pretty successful Vuelta, it doesn't do much harm to put a man up front...

 

[Samamba]

It's not like the whole team works there. Sponsor is probably happy to see one guy showing his jersey for easy TV time & they've already had a pretty successful Vuelta, it doesn't do much harm to put a man up front...

I mean if he last thing counts 10 times can start riding.

 

[ice&fire]

That compact peloton taking all the road width is recipe for a traffic jam when the gradient kicks up

 

[Samamba]

I guess they don't even want to try to make it hard for Groves

 

[nightowl]

Surprised no one wanted to attack from the peloton here, surely you could put a good gap into Groves on this climb and build an advantage on the next climb. At least worth a try for some stage hunters you’d think

 

[ice&fire]

Not many riders needed to block that road

 

[Red Rick]

Pathetic peloton as per usual

Stage should jave had bonus sprint on top of this climb

 

[Tricycle Rider]

16% gradient on a narrow road, ooof. Also, some riders are wearing jackets, so the weather is very different from what we saw two weeks ago. That was hot.

 

[search]

I guess they don't even want to try to make it hard for Groves

it's not like he is unbeatable in big bunch sprints, though.

 

[Samamba]

it's not like he is unbeatable in big bunch sprints, though.

In this field? Bittner maybe, Marit a very small maybe, but that's basically it

 

[Samamba]

Pathetic peloton as per usual

Stage should jave had bonus sprint on top of this climb

So that the break would get them? GC teams would be happy to give them to the break

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Champion mechanical just as I was about to say that the sprinters are losing control at this pace.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Groves is at the back of the Peloton, so he might not be feeling too well.

 

[search]

In this field? Bittner maybe, Marit a very small maybe, but that's basically it

its Groves, he can easily get his positioning completely wrong in every kind of field.

 

[Samamba]

its Groves, he can easily get his positioning completely wrong in every kind of field.

That can obviously happen to everyone but a sprint at the end of a Vuelta with literally no other trains than the Alpecin one is completely different. Everyone will fight for his wheel probably. Way harder then to be out of position, unless he makes a ridiculously dumb mistake like in the stage Bittner won, but then again that wasn't being out of position.

So no, the field definitely matters, also for positioning. Of course he can lose, but the chances are slim anyone but maybe Bittner or Marit if he's in perfect positionbeats him here

 

[search]

That can obviously happen to everyone but a sprint at the end of a Vuelta with literally no other trains than the Alpecin one is completely different. Everyone will fight for his wheel probably. Way harder then to be out of position, unless he makes a ridiculously dumb mistake like in the stage Bittner won, but then again that wasn't being out of position.

So no, the field definitely matters, also for positioning.

maybe, yeah, but I still think it's easier to beat him in a big sprint than in a small one. So making it hard now doesn't make much sense, because he won't be dropped (for good) anyway.

 

[Samamba]

maybe, yeah, but I still think it's easier to beat him in a big sprint than in a small one. So making it hard now doesn't make much sense, because he won't be dropped (for good) anyway.

With making it hard I ment trying to get a break going/jumping to the front group. Alpecin obviously did a smart move letting the break take more minutes, but the break shoudl've just went slower so that bridging was a possibility.