Vuelta a España 2025 discussion

[Devil's Elbow]

He overtrained during the Covid break in 2020, entered the Giro that autumn in minus and suffered through, then in the winter of 2021 he had a horrible crash in training and didnt come back before late August. After that he was't as strong as before, and while the entire peloton speed up during this years he was left behind. In the last couple of years of his career he had some OK results, like 5th in Hungary 2022 and a couple of top 10 overalls in Tour of Norway, Artic Race and Turkey. Of course, he never was a world beater, but in 2019 he was a very solid rider. Outside of the Vuelta he was very solid also in Romandie, Dauphine and Guangxi that season. In the Vuelta, when we remove the time he gained in the break on stage 7 he would still finish 8th overall. And on the stage 18 he did climb like a legit GC rider, and from the peloton finished with Pogacar and Quinatana.

Now he's an expert commentator for Norwegian Eurosport and has a pretty big podcast about cycling.

The man never finished higher than 3rd (including stages and NCs) in any pro race and only managed the top-10 of one other WT race in his career, and that was Guangxi of all things. Even with all the mitigating factors, there's a good case to be made he's the worst rider to have finished in the top-10 of a GT this century.

 

[search]

ASO has meanwhile put up the roadbook:

https://storage-aso.lequipe.fr/ASO/cycling_vue/lv25-libro-ruta-iad-v4.pdf

A better-quality version is available here:

9.01 GB folder on MEGA

341 files

mega.nz

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

It is indeed more unlikely to happen.

It is not. Dice have no memory.

 

[CyclistAbi]

It is not. Dice have no memory.

Actually, they do, try it for long enough and you will see that a dice keeps score.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Actually, they do, try it for long enough and you will see that a dice keeps score.

This is the point at which any meaningful further discussion goes too far from cycling, and I sympathise with the rest of you in not being able to continue the discussion in PMs.

But I will...

 

[Escarabajo]

Its one thing to put together a bottom top-10 and entirely another to top 3 out of thin air like Velits IMO. We have seen loits and lots of relatively random riders making a top-10 due to weak startlists, crashes, breaks, overperforming and the Vuelta being the third GT of the year. The real gems are the likes of Cobo, Froome, Horner, Velits and I guess Haig as well

Velits, how can we forget about him. He tops my list, probably with Froome as well, but Froome went onto have a great career at least. I probably have to go back to watch how did Velits do to be third in that race.

 

[Squire]

Velits, how can we forget about him. He tops my list, probably with Froome as well, but Froome went onto have a great career at least. I probably have to go back to watch how did Velits do to be third in that race.

Putting 2 minutes into Nibali and 6 minutes into Purito in the 46km pan-flat TT definitely helped. He was up against some pretty useless time-trialists in the GC. It was also a rather easy route with only one real mountain stage where he shipped some a couple of minutes to the good climbers. Also HTC magic.

 

[CyclistAbi]

It's interesting that Pogi said Almeida would for sure beat Jonas at Vuelta, bar the crash at the Tour. With the crash he isn't sure.

So UAE must have really levelled up if Pogi feels healthy Almeida can beat Jonas at a GT i assume rather easily.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Pelizzari targetting stages as well. He notes his team told him to because he's still young and they have Hindley.

Man, this will end up being quite a bad top-10. Can't wait!

 

[Gratemans]

I've got the distinct feeling not everybody saying they're only targeting stages, are actually only targeting stages.

 

[Sciatic]

Pelizzari targetting stages as well. He notes his team told him to because he's still young and they have Hindley.

Man, this will end up being quite a bad top-10. Can't wait!

That’s the spirit!

 

[Sciatic]

I've got the distinct feeling not everybody saying they're only targeting stages, are actually only targeting stages.

That would be a good development if someone just “going for stages” gets some time in an early break.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

First place is OK, but:

 

[Devil's Elbow]

First place is OK, but:

Nice of them to do an Enric Mas tribute now that he can't start.

 

[Izzyeviel]

that dj is having a great time

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Observations from the presentation:

• Lotto are back in their harlequin jerseys from the Giro
• Possibly a record number of nationalities? (34)
• Could be record number of Latin American nationalities for a major race in Europe ?(Colombia, Ecuador, Argentina, Uruguay, Venezuela, Guatamala)
• Arkea are reversing colours to black shirt with red sleeves
• Ben O'Connor enjoyed wearing red last year
• Caja Rural missed their cue... got there eventually
• One of the announcers does the annoying "stick an aaaah on the end of every name" thing (but at least he isn't from Southampton), (Janaaah Hirtaaaaaaaah being the worst example), the other doesn't.
• Tom Pidcock more popular with Italian crowd than I would have expected
• No great shout for Tiberi, not deemed worth an interview
• No live acts, just a dj and some library footage of Vueltas past
• Scratch that: Spanish version of Johnny Logan on now
• Ganna (local lad) gets biggest shout so far
• Bernal gains favour by taking his interview in Italian
• Soudal T-Rex Quickstep have left the 4 metre puppet at home
• Landa will "go for stages and see what happens"
• Soren "Crack" Andersen, according to announcer
• Pedersen :"We want to win a stage or two, and for Ciccone to finish"
• Ciccone speaks as though he doesn't know Italian
• Not sure if whistling for Vingegaard was enthusiasm or antipathy: he is "going for the victory overall" (so that's a surprise)
• Ayuso, rather than Almeida, seems to have been given number 1 dorsal.
• Almeida has a red bike, rest of the team white
• Singer is back: three people in the crowd cheered.
• I've had enough

 

[Izzyeviel]

I always thought Romania would be the next breakthrough cycling nation. Turns out its Uruguay.

& now as I mention this, they play the only Romanian pop song I know.

 

[Izzyeviel]

wait, they starting in Italy?

 

[Rou]

Gotta say: This guy sings well.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Bernal is ready to rock....

 

[Dazed and Confused]

sure, Landa will be going for stages... on his way to the podium.

 

[Izzyeviel]

sure, Landa will be going for stages... on his way to the podium.

& todays combativity award goes to....

 

[Dazed and Confused]

At least vinge didn't wear the red helmet on stage.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Would have preferred Jan 'trainwreck" Christen to be part of the UAE squad to lift the spirit a bit.

 

[Netserk]

Why on Earth does UAE have number 1? There seems to be no merit and no pattern in the order of bib numbers.