Vuelta a San Juan 2023 (January 22-29)

[Samamba]

Did some riders get a time penalty (including Lopez and Remco) or what? There's some weird changes in the GC. Like Lopez only has 7 seconds on Ganna? How? It was 30 before. How do you get a 23 second time penalty?

PCS isn't wrong btw, I checked the official results.

 

[Lequack]

Every grand tour winner this year will now only win because Lopez won't be there. A load off their shoulder.

 

[Lequack]

Dad and his two kids

 

[Lequack]

Did some riders get a time penalty (including Lopez and Remco) or what? There's some weird changes in the GC. Like Lopez only has 7 seconds on Ganna? How? It was 30 before. How do you get a 23 second time penalty?

PCS isn't wrong btw, I checked the official results.

He has a 30 sec lead in the GC

 

[hfer07]

Aquaman Lopez is back!!

 

[Samamba]

He has a 30 sec lead in the GC

Nope not on the official documents from the organization. Really weird.

For some reason Lopez his full time in 20h 14' 00".
He's not the only one who mysteriously lost time. Remco too, Dotti too, the 43y old Argentinian that was in the break too...

Look at PCS, they copied the official document.

 

[Lequack]

I'm sure they will fix it to show 30 seconds, probably just a mistake.

 

[Samamba]

I'm sure they will fix it to show 30 seconds, probably just a mistake.

Maybe, but it's a weird mistake when certain riders just randomly loose 23 seconds and others 50.

They changed their tweet btw. Confirmed what I said... Certain riders must've been given a time penalty for a mysterious reason.

 

[Lequack]

Maybe they just don't like Lopez in general and docked his time. No matter, it should be enough to win the race.

 

[RedheadDane]

I just have one question: What the hell kind of finish was this? Ganna is not a name I expect to see among a bunch of tiny Colombians!

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I just have one question: What the hell kind of finish was this? Ganna is not a name I expect to see among a bunch of tiny Colombians!

Once again your poor knowledge about the 2020 edition shows.

 

[search]

They changed their tweet btw. Confirmed what I said... Certain riders must've been given a time penalty for a mysterious reason.

there's nothing about it in the communiquee, so I'd think 30s is correct.

https://www.vueltaasanjuan.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/CLASIFICACION-ETAPA-5-RECTIFICACION-OFICIAL-VSJ-2023.pdf

 

[Mayomaniac]

Catholic domination!
Ganna has a history of doing well on this climb, even when he still rode for Uae and Najar went wild. He's really good on shallow gradient tempogrinders.

Nothing dramatic for Remco, with him racing lbl-Giro it's probably better to start the season a bit slower.

 

[AlfaLum]

Thread is super funny.

He bolted away.

Then looked bored and sat up.

And lol at those who think he was hit by the altitude. In like what, the 50 meters he had gained during his attack? That’s just dumb.

And he then rode as if on a Sunday group ride.

Nice that he no longer feels he has to win every race he enters. No other rider is required to do that. Apparently some here still think he is the only pro rider who cannot simply be using a race for training before bigger targets.

Yeah, people do not have to ridiculize every performance where Evenepoel doesn't win.
Yeah, other people also do not have to make up lame excuses every time Remco doesn't win.

Remco tried to win here, but he wasn't able to. Other riders where better yesterday. Maybe it was altitude, maybe it was his form that is lacking. Who cares. Remco has proven he is a great rider, but yesterday a couple of guys where better than him.

 

[theyoungest]

Thread is super funny.

He bolted away.

Then looked bored and sat up.

And lol at those who think he was hit by the altitude. In like what, the 50 meters he had gained during his attack? That’s just dumb.

And he then rode as if on a Sunday group ride.

Nice that he no longer feels he has to win every race he enters. No other rider is required to do that. Apparently some here still think he is the only pro rider who cannot simply be using a race for training before bigger targets.

Renowned Evenepoel hater Remco E. seems to disagree with you.

The moment I went we were already at an altitude of 2,200m and I immediately felt that. My arms were full of lactate for five minutes. It just didn't work for a while, but I came through again and then pushed watts that I needed to participate in the front. So that attack killed me for about three kilometers.

Remco Evenepoel na kamikaze-actie bergop: "Hier mag dit, in de Giro niet" | sporza

Remco Evenepoel heeft op de Alto Colorado zijn eerste klimafspraak van het nieuwe seizoen gemist. De wereldkampioen brak de koers open op de slotklim, maar hield zijn inspanning niet vol. Evenepoel besefte achteraf dat hij een foutje had gemaakt en stak de hand in eigen boezem. "Ik had beter...

sporza.be

 

[Samamba]

there's nothing about it in the communiquee, so I'd think 30s is correct.

https://www.vueltaasanjuan.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/CLASIFICACION-ETAPA-5-RECTIFICACION-OFICIAL-VSJ-2023.pdf

Looks like they changed it then. Same document had another GC ealier. That was a weird mistake.

 

[Extinction]

Yeah, people do not have to ridiculize every performance where Evenepoel doesn't win.
Yeah, other people also do not have to make up lame excuses every time Remco doesn't win.

Remco tried to win here, but he wasn't able to. Other riders where better yesterday. Maybe it was altitude, maybe it was his form that is lacking. Who cares. Remco has proven he is a great rider, but yesterday a couple of guys where better than him.

I don't see why being critical of his performance is ridicule, for it is not, but mere analysis. The fact is his form wasn't sufficient to win, which of course is fine. However, I think he himself will be upset he got dropped by the likes of a returning Bernal and a big Ganna. Cycling isn't just physical, but mental game. Ganna too is peaking for the Giro, perhaps not for GC, but to take the first maglia rosa in the opening TT and he is in better shape than Remco now. Sure it doesn't mean much at the moment, but say it had been Pogacar, who is expected to win every race he enters (so it's not just Remco), people would be just as critical towards him. And so it should be, with extraordinary talent comes more scrutiny over one's performances. It just comes with the territory, like it or not.

As far as the mental game goes, I'm sure he will want to be highly competitive against Pogacar at UAE and not get dropped by minutes on the toughest climb as at TA last year. Champions simply don't like that, which too comes with the territory. Doubtless Remco will also want some early confirmation to know he's on the right path to confidently take on Roglic, et al at the big Giro objective.

 

[Red Rick]

Catholic domination!
Ganna has a history of doing well on this climb, even when he still rode for Uae and Najar went wild. He's really good on shallow gradient tempogrinders.

Nothing dramatic for Remco, with him racing lbl-Giro it's probably better to start the season a bit slower.

Yeah Ganna doing well isn't really a surprise, this was easier than Montagne de Lures and a worse field. Still given it's a 4.2% climb surely that's not enough for the Giro to try and make a Ganna parcours? If he held on on 6% gradients I'd say maybe.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

So Superman is back is a bang. While this shallow gradient is good for a monster engine like Ganna it's not for a lightweight like Lopez so the altitude surely had an impact here. Bernal's performance has to be noted - one year after a terrible crash he looks ready for competition at the top level. As for Remco, obviously it's disappointing but no conclusions regarding 2023 should be drawn here - it's still very early in the season and his move was a mistake considering the circumstances and his current form.

 

[Red Rick]

So Superman is back is a bang. While this shallow gradient is good for a monster engine like Ganna it's not for a lightweight like Lopez so the altitude surely had an impact here. Bernal's performance has to be noted - one year after a terrible crash he looks ready for competition at the top level. As for Remco, obviously it's disappointing but no conclusions regarding 2023 should be drawn here - it's still very early in the season and his move was a mistake considering the circumstances and his current form.

Not really. It reflects that it is January and Lopez is at a team where he isn't preparing for GTs or anything.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Not really. It reflects that it is January and Lopez is at a team where he isn't preparing for GTs or anything.

Don't know which part of my post you disagree with. That it's a good climb for Ganna? Or not really favourable gradient for Lopez? Or that altitude favours Lopez? Or that Remco's attack was a mistake? Most of these statements aren't that debatable TBH.

 

[Red Rick]

Don't know which part of my post you disagree with. That it's a good climb for Ganna? Or not really favourable gradient for Lopez? Or that altitude favours Lopez? Or that Remco's attack was a mistake? Most of these statements aren't that debatable TBH.

I disagree with the large impact of altitude. It's still a very easy climb, Lopez went 33 km/h on average, gaps to some non climbing specialists were very small as well, and Ganna beat all the climbers there apart from Miguel Angel Lopez, who moved down to a continental team. I think the impact of cross/tailwing was bigger.

Given the ease of the climb, Evenepoel getting dropped is even worse, but it's only January he has no real reason to give much of a crap

 

[Extinction]

I disagree with the large impact of altitude. It's still a very easy climb, Lopez went 33 km/h on average, gaps to some non climbing specialists were very small as well, and Ganna beat all the climbers there apart from Miguel Angel Lopez, who moved down to a continental team. I think the impact of cross/tailwing was bigger.

Given the ease of the climb, Evenepoel getting dropped is even worse, but it's only January he has no real reason to give much of a crap

Hi is a winner, of course he will give a crap, otherwise he would not have attacked to win and drop the others. So he rather getting dropped will surely vex him. And he made a mistake, even sinned of hubris, which makes it look foolish, something to make your face turn red at the finish. It's got nothing to with it being meaningless for the Giro, but just making a poor showing. Let's see if he doesn't give a crap to get dropped by Pogacar at the UAE Tour, which also means nothing for the Giro. Somehow I doubt it, because he's no longer coming back to the top from incident, but confirmed monument-GT-World Championship winner.

 

[Red Rick]

Hi is a winner, of course he will give a crap, otherwise he would not have attacked to win and drop the others. So he rather getting dropped will surely vex him. And he made a mistake, even sinned of hubris, which makes it look foolish, something to make your face turn red at the finish. It's got nothing to with it being meaningless for the Giro, but just making a poor showing. Let's see if he doesn't give a crap to get dropped by Pogacar at the UAE Tour, which also means nothing for the Giro. Somehow I doubt it, because he's no longer coming back to the top from incident, but confirmed monument-GT-World Championship winner.

Yeah UAE should matter a lot more. Maybe not extremely so for the Giro, but also to set future expectation in regards to how often you expect Evenepoel to contend for the big climbing races or if you only expect him to contest those for a shorter period during the year.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Najar's time was beaten by both Lopez and Ganna apparently

https://twitter.com/x/status/1619205864250028032