Vuelta a Espana Stage 9: Villacastín - Sierra de Bejar. La Covatilla 183,0 km

[auscyclefan94]

With the TT tomorrow I think ultimately Rodriguez, Scarponi, Nibali will be reluctant to make a big effort and will mark each other. Someone not threatening GC will nip off for the win - Moncoutie / Sorensen / Kruiswijk / Zaugg / Poels - think the winner will come form one of those

Rodriguez has said he will atack as he needs time.

GVA looks dead from the heat, pretty dissapointed.

True but there are some stages later in the race that suit him.

Only Tschopp, all the rest, Santambriogio, van Avermaet, Frank, Santaromita, Kohler, Kroon, Quinziato and Phinney, finished yesterday. None of them are doing much.

Meh, BMC without Cadel can be useful as tits on a bull.

They've only been in one break and did some attacking in another stage. That's not good enough. Yesterday they were doing lots of work for their leader who was in 44th position on the gc. Jesus Christ! Get in breaks and ANIMATE the race BMC. That way you might get something out of this vuelta.

 

[theyoungest]

Meh, BMC without Cadel can be useful as tits on a bull.

They've only been in one break and did some attacking in another stage. That's not good enough. Yesterday they were doing lots of work for their leader who was in 44th position on the gc. Jesus Christ! Get in breaks and ANIMATE the race BMC. That way you might get something out of this vuelta.

That's what you get with Karsten Kroon on your team. Lots of talk, no delivery.

 

[auscyclefan94]

That's what you get with Karsten Kroon on your team. Lots of talk, no delivery.

Karsten is very funny on twitter but also a little freaky. He did a good ride in MSR but other than that hasn't done much this year. Cadel working for Kroon in AGR last year was bizarre.

I've found it odd why many dutch cycling fans don't like him. Seems like quite a nice funny character.

 

[dlwssonic]

True but there are some stages later in the race that suit him.


Meh, BMC without Cadel can be useful as tits on a bull.

They've only been in one break and did some attacking in another stage. That's not good enough. Yesterday they were doing lots of work for their leader who was in 44th position on the gc. Jesus Christ! Get in breaks and ANIMATE the race BMC. That way you might get something out of this vuelta.

Depends on how GVA recovers, I hope he can at least get a stage. The situation has been improving recently in BMC, they have been getting a handful of small wins from other riders. However this vuelta has been a real quality fail at this point.

 

[theyoungest]

Karsten is very funny on twitter but also a little freaky. He did a good ride in MSR but other than that hasn't done much this year. Cadel working for Kroon in AGR last year was bizarre.

I've found it odd why many dutch cycling fans don't like him. Seems like quite a nice funny character.

Off the bike he's a smart fellow who isn't afraid to stir some controversy. Quite a talented writer too. On the bike he's boring (maybe he's a little too smart to ever try an exciting move).

He's known in Holland for always saying he had great legs but never doing something with them.

 

[LukeSchmid]

Karsten is very funny on twitter but also a little freaky. He did a good ride in MSR but other than that hasn't done much this year. Cadel working for Kroon in AGR last year was bizarre.

I've found it odd why many dutch cycling fans don't like him. Seems like quite a nice funny character.

Perhaps he should become a comedian.

 

[canyonball]

Not very excited about this stage. And as I much as I like Rodriguez...enough already! Time for someone else to shine. Kruiswijk or Anton taking some time back would be good.

BTW, Chavanel trying to break away...again.

 

[just some guy]

192 Fischer (BRA, GRM) DNS

 

[just some guy]

Leader(s) - 1 rider
129 S. Lang (GER, OLO) +54:22

0m19s
29 Toribio (ESP, ACG) +1:21:21

2m30s
216 Ligthart (NED, VCD) +53:55
214 Keizer (NED, VCD) +1:43:24

Peloton 4.20

 

[just some guy]

Leader(s) - 1 rider
129 S. Lang (GER, OLO) +54:22

0m19s
29 Toribio (ESP, ACG) +1:21:21

2m30s
216 Ligthart (NED, VCD) +53:55
214 Keizer (NED, VCD) +1:43:24

Peloton 4.20

all 4 are together now.

Peloton @ 8.14 135 km to go

 

[trevim]

Lang, Keizer, Ligthart and Toribio in the break 8.30 minutes ahead. 126km to go

 

[just some guy]

now at 10.05 with 122 km to go

 

[Mellow Velo]

Nobody in the break is a threat, both to the GC boys, or to winning the stage.
Still, +10 minutes is a healthy advantage.

 

[PedalCastro]

Hoping for a JVdB win today but the break could stay away

 

[just some guy]

Nobody in the break is a threat, both to the GC boys, or to winning the stage.
Still, +10 minutes is a healthy advantage.

We may also get to see the effect of climbing gradients have of Time Trialling Germans riders which is fun.

 

[Michielveedeebee]

We may also get to see the effect of climbing gradients have of Time Trialling Germans riders which is fun.

Nice one

Hmm, sometimes I don't get Lang Like in this years Giro, first stage and goes mad doing a 200 km solo

 

[cineteq]

With the TT tomorrow I think ultimately Rodriguez, Scarponi, Nibali will be reluctant to make a big effort and will mark each other. Someone not threatening GC will nip off for the win - Moncoutie / Sorensen / Kruiswijk / Zaugg / Poels - think the winner will come form one of those

It's a golden opportunity to Rodriguez and Scarponi, since Nibali is obviously hurt from the crash. This is a key stage for them if the want to win it all.

 

[movingtarget]

Karsten is very funny on twitter but also a little freaky. He did a good ride in MSR but other than that hasn't done much this year. Cadel working for Kroon in AGR last year was bizarre.

I've found it odd why many dutch cycling fans don't like him. Seems like quite a nice funny character.

I hear that Kroon is moving teams. I always expected him to achieve more but he has had some terrible accidents. BMC seems to be all over the place sometimes without Evans but when he is in the team they all seem to perform better. So much for Evans being someone who can't motivate his team as used to be a standard comment around here until recently.

I think the GC riders might hope for a day off today but it only takes one team to be aggressive and everything changes. Time gap at the moment is a good one. I'm sure Rodriguez does not want too hard a day before the TT.

 

[Ferminal]

With the TT tomorrow I think ultimately Rodriguez, Scarponi, Nibali will be reluctant to make a big effort and will mark each other. Someone not threatening GC will nip off for the win - Moncoutie / Sorensen / Kruiswijk / Zaugg / Poels - think the winner will come form one of those

Then it sounds like an ideal time for the better climber to put the better TT'er under pressure.

Break has 8 or 9 minutes, Lang to win an MTF?

 

[jens_attacks]

i think the breakaway got this in the bag.no one will chase because they know purito will get the bonus seconds and purito said at the start that katusha won't chase for sure.that's too bad...

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

meh this group would need at least 5 minutes at the base of the climb imo. they dont win.

 

[jens_attacks]

damn did you guys check what igor anton said?war for today? let's hope so
he said that covatilla

 

[cineteq]

It's a golden opportunity to Rodriguez and Scarponi, since Nibali is obviously hurt from the crash. This is a key stage for them if the want to win it all.

Spoke too soon. Just read Purito said at the start of Villacastin that his team won't be chasing the breakaway today, since he wants to give them a rest. I guess Nibali is thrilled

 

[just some guy]

If anyone into surfing teahupoo is going bananas while you wait for the cycling

http://www.billabongpro.com/tahiti11/heat-analyzer-gb

 

[Eyeballs Out]

You can talk about Rodriguez gaining 20-30 seconds today but the difference between being tired and relatively fresh tomorrow could be worth 1-2 minutes