Vuelta al País Vasco 4–9 April 2016

[Jakob747]

Re: Re:

[quote="

The race was a couple weeks ago, couldn't see much because I was helping my sister in the canteen that there is in the top. There were quite a lot of people watching the race (not many young people because the day before was a big party day in town). There is also an anual car race climb in Gorla.

I will visit that canteen next year when Fernando Barceló wins! ...

 

[jonan92]

Yeah, they changed the format. Before it was just one climb, from they started from the townhall and the end was in top of Gorla. Nowadays they starts in the townhall, they go towards Oñati, come back and climb Gorla, go down, Azkoitia, Elgoibar, Soraluze.. and the final climb to Gorla

 

[Jakub]

Re:

But I see that Landa and contador did the race in a very diferent format, so impossible to compare.

Aaaah, das ist aber schön.
Call it random or missclick, but I can see through and the will to click shift key when LANDA is being written is by some people much bigger than the will to click shift key when contador is being written.

 

[Taxus4a]

Re: Re:

But I see that Landa and contador did the race in a very diferent format, so impossible to compare.

Thank you, my friend. Yes I think Landa had to tackle Gorla twice, but I don't remember when the format changed... Anyway, just a bit of reminiscing of the Naturgas days. Climbing wise, Pello Bilbao has been a disappointment too, but maybe he is improving slightly. Thanks again!

Well, Peio is not a dissapoinment, he is doing very well so far in this Pais Vasco, better than a lot of favourites, but not everybody is Landa. He was a long time riding flat clasics in France, who didnt suit him very well. We dont have teams in Spain, so it is difficult for people here. His team mate, who I used to talk and 2 times rode a little on bike last year, he told me one of thoe days: today is Quebec, I love that race,it suit me very well, I remerber 2 years ago I was there in the last climb fighten with Sagan and Van Avermaet...I think how are riding this year these 2 rider and Miguel now is studing for a public job in Bilbao...

So Peio could be happy to be pro, and he is riding quite well, but he has his weakness.

 

[Taxus4a]

Re:

Yeah, they changed the format. Before it was just one climb, from they started from the townhall and the end was in top of Gorla. Nowadays they starts in the townhall, they go towards Oñati, come back and climb Gorla, go down, Azkoitia, Elgoibar, Soraluze.. and the final climb to Gorla

Thanks, I didnt know exactly, but I know in the past was just Gorla, and today is a quite long race with several climbs, so very different format to compare.

Landa did the best time of the new format, and I am not sure if he hold that record.

 

[kingjr]

Re: Re:

Strangest thing is Cummings does what many state is bad. That is doing no work . Yet he is lauded. Reckon there are a few hypocrites in this forum.

Exactly. If Cummings wins with a one km attack after sitting in the bunch for 192km is smart racing. If Gerrans wins with a 200mt sprint after sitting in the bunch for 192,8km is wheelsucking.

What a difference 800mt make.

You did watch the 2015 Tour de France, right? Especially that stage which Cummings won, having been in the day's breakaway from km 5 or so, before going on the attack at the end? That wasn't exactly a Gerrans move...

What about the stage Gerrans won in 2008 though?

 

[Tonton]

We go back to the same arguments: rider X attacks too much, always finishes second. Or Rider Y stays in the wheels and wins. Rider X and Y: do you want fans or wins?

 

[The Hegelian]

Re: Re:

It's always a good day when Cummings wins a bike race. Is he the best opportunist in the current peloton?

Maybe... I remember a time when Ekimov used to do that.

He looked bloody great on a bike. Not sure his strike rate was all that good though. Won that stage in the '91 tour and then tried the same move at least 20 other times without success.....

Cummings is probably already ahead on opportunist palmares.

 

[jens_attacks]

Re: Re:

Strangest thing is Cummings does what many state is bad. That is doing no work . Yet he is lauded. Reckon there are a few hypocrites in this forum.

Exactly. If Cummings wins with a one km attack after sitting in the bunch for 192km is smart racing. If Gerrans wins with a 200mt sprint after sitting in the bunch for 192,8km is wheelsucking.

What a difference 800mt make.

You did watch the 2015 Tour de France, right? Especially that stage which Cummings won, having been in the day's breakaway from km 5 or so, before going on the attack at the end? That wasn't exactly a Gerrans move...

What about the stage Gerrans won in 2008 though?

I still have nightmares about that. Same as egoi martinez

That's when gerrans earned his infamous name.

 

[Brullnux]

What do we expect today? I'm not sure a similar stage to yesterday will happen as 2km @ 8% is very different from 1.5km @ 12%. Another Contador attack for sure but maybe it ends up being useless like last few ones, or maybe it goes to the finish. Hard to call this stage.

 

[robin440]

gerro for the win!!

 

[DFA123]

Re:

What do we expect today? I'm not sure a similar stage to yesterday will happen as 2km @ 8% is very different from 1.5km @ 12%. Another Contador attack for sure but maybe it ends up being useless like last few ones, or maybe it goes to the finish. Hard to call this stage.

Think a climber will win - the combination of the last two climbs should be way too hard for the likes of Gerrans, and probably too hard for puncheurs like Gallopin. It's steep so the gaps will be big, and there won't be enough organisation or manpower to pull anyone back in those final flat 5km.

Henao, Yates, Purito (if he finds some form) or someone else who can get away (solo or in a small group) on the climb and descent, then beat other climbers in a sprint should be favourite.

 

[Matteo.]

Re:

What do we expect today? I'm not sure a similar stage to yesterday will happen as 2km @ 8% is very different from 1.5km @ 12%. Another Contador attack for sure but maybe it ends up being useless like last few ones, or maybe it goes to the finish. Hard to call this stage.

looking at his statements of recent days, and outside rumors apparently he'll compete conservative until the ITT where plans to win the GC.
but heis a liar longtime, then ...

 

[PremierAndrew]

Re: Re:

Strangest thing is Cummings does what many state is bad. That is doing no work . Yet he is lauded. Reckon there are a few hypocrites in this forum.

Exactly. If Cummings wins with a one km attack after sitting in the bunch for 192km is smart racing. If Gerrans wins with a 200mt sprint after sitting in the bunch for 192,8km is wheelsucking.

What a difference 800mt make.

I don't dislike Gerrans for winning bunch sprints. I dislike him for not attacking in one day races and constantly wheelsucking. And anyway, a 1km attack with a chasing peloton is much more entertaining to watch than a bunch sprint more often than not

 

[SeriousSam]

Re: Re:

What do we expect today? I'm not sure a similar stage to yesterday will happen as 2km @ 8% is very different from 1.5km @ 12%. Another Contador attack for sure but maybe it ends up being useless like last few ones, or maybe it goes to the finish. Hard to call this stage.

looking at his statements of recent days, and outside rumors apparently he'll compete conservative until the ITT where plans to win the GC.
but heis a liar longtime, then ...

Gone are the days when there would be elegant dancing on the pedals, instead, Contador appears to have transitioned towards being a Wiggins type rider. Controlling the damage in the mountains when the pure climbers put on the pressure, then winning thanks to a strong ITT.

Of course, Wiggins was actually a crushingly dominant time trialler, better than Froome, although his climbing in 2012 was probably below current Contador.

 

[Bushman]

Re: Re:

What do we expect today? I'm not sure a similar stage to yesterday will happen as 2km @ 8% is very different from 1.5km @ 12%. Another Contador attack for sure but maybe it ends up being useless like last few ones, or maybe it goes to the finish. Hard to call this stage.

looking at his statements of recent days, and outside rumors apparently he'll compete conservative until the ITT where plans to win the GC.
but heis a liar longtime, then ...

Gone are the days when there would be elegant dancing on the pedals, instead, Contador appears to have transitioned towards being a Wiggins type rider. Controlling the damage in the mountains when the pure climbers put on the pressure, then winning thanks to a strong ITT.

Of course, Wiggins was actually a crushingly dominant time trialler, better than Froome, although his climbing in 2012 was probably below current Contador.

Lolz

 

[jonan92]

It has been raining all the morning, sporadically, the road is wet and the temperature is quite low, riders could face north wind, cold temperatures and some rain today

 

[Taxus4a]

Re: Re:

It's always a good day when Cummings wins a bike race. Is he the best opportunist in the current peloton?

Maybe... I remember a time when Ekimov used to do that.

He looked bloody great on a bike. Not sure his strike rate was all that good though. Won that stage in the '91 tour and then tried the same move at least 20 other times without success.....

Cummings is probably already ahead on opportunist palmares.

Yes, but Ekimov tried to break from a flat stage in a big buch sprint with all the team trains settled, it is not the same than a 50 riders group. Cancellara did that with a little bit pave once in le Tour as well.

 

[Taxus4a]

Re:

It has been raining all the morning, sporadically, the road is wet and the temperature is quite low, riders could face north wind, cold temperatures and some rain today

It will be hard Jaizkibel with that north wind and maybe rain.

 

[Taxus4a]

Re: Re:

What do we expect today? I'm not sure a similar stage to yesterday will happen as 2km @ 8% is very different from 1.5km @ 12%. Another Contador attack for sure but maybe it ends up being useless like last few ones, or maybe it goes to the finish. Hard to call this stage.

looking at his statements of recent days, and outside rumors apparently he'll compete conservative until the ITT where plans to win the GC.
but heis a liar longtime, then ...

He is realistic, objetive and he talk by experience. Usually in paus vasco the race is decided in the last ITT, and people ride conservatively thinking in that ITT. Usually 10 people are with the ameor very similar time in Arrate, and the rest of the stage use to give just a few second in the best case. Last year Izaguirre was podium in the ITT, he was working the other days.

But the best example is that Quintana didnt move in all the stages and finally he did this impressibe ITT:

http://www.cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/race.asp?raceid=23934

So it look more clever just to ride these stages trying to dont lose time, necouse some people must try to get time in this kind of stages, as Purito or Yates today.

But if Contador today can put time on Quintana or Pinot, or even Landa (He won in Aia in a break, but it is not his best kind of climb), I am sure that he will do the maximun for that, and that today he will try to put people ahead in a break.

Of course Contador is objetive in that statement, but of course he sometimes do statements a an estrategy to attack when nobody expect. This time I am not sure. Today with rain can be a very hard race, not a long stage, but with a similar profile at the end than Lieje.

 

[Taxus4a]

Re:

What do we expect today? I'm not sure a similar stage to yesterday will happen as 2km @ 8% is very different from 1.5km @ 12%. Another Contador attack for sure but maybe it ends up being useless like last few ones, or maybe it goes to the finish. Hard to call this stage.

Well, yesterday there were 6 km flat at the end. Today there is just maybe one km flat, and another 500 m at the end, the rest is downhill and with another little climb, quite hard, in the last 2 Km.

 

[Taxus4a]

Last little climb is a little bit harder than looks there, track program is not always perfect. After the very fast descent there is a hard corner to the right in an small roundabout that they will reach at 70 Km/h before to rech the finish line on the Orio beach. If it is wet it will be a very risky one.

Very good people in the break:

Km 41.0Breakaway: SILIN (KAT, 7), HERRADA (MOV, 25), ROLLAND (CPT, 61), GALLOPIN (LTS, 81), WELLENS (LTS, 88), ROSA (AST, 156), MOLARD (COF, 197), MONTAGUTI (ALM, 76), BRAMBILLA (EQS, 132), VERONA (EQS, 138), DENIFL (IAM, 143), ULISSI (LAM, 118) and one more Breakaway

 

[JRanton]

Yup, good break with 3 riders only about a minute/minute and a half down. Should make for a hard day's racing.

 

[JRanton]

Tossato abandons. Juts four riders left with Bertie.

Woods (Cannondale) is the other rider in the break.

 

[Txrt]

Pello Bilbao is my friend. Same school, same town, he's a year older than me; but I've followed him and Haritz Orbe (who's a great friend of mine) since they both were very young. Orbe actually played football with me from 8-12, when he quit it for football. He always had more talent and potential than Pello, and was more of a winner. He barely rode these last two years due to back problems and now he quit cycling because he couldn't do it anymore, after seeing quite some back specialist doctors. A shame really.

Pello is doing very well, and even if I expected a bit more from him in the first stage, he's done fantastic the last two ones.

Beñat Intxausti is also from the same town as I am, Gernika-Lumo. His girlfriend is a friend of mine and was my classmate for years. Or now maybe she's his ex. Not sure.