Nibali also said he was not riding for the GC before Vuelta 13. I don't believe him.AA_ESP said:Mayomaniac said:In an Interview that was published in La Gazzetta yesterday Nibali said that he'll ride the Vuelta, but he'll just try have fun, the team is probably almost forcing him to ride it.
A rider of the quality of Nibali maybe riding for fun but he will also be riding to win. No doubt about that. That is what champions are all about. At the Giro there was obviously a little bit of tension between Aru and Landa, now we can add Nibali to the pot of ingredients, lets see what the final result is. Add a little Vino and I'm sure team morale, bonding, will be OK.![]()
robin440 said:will zakharin ride?
bassano said:problem for riders with Tour in legs could be very hard 1st week, they can loose minutes there
also I think froome is not going to ride Vuelta, Nibali maybe but I think Aru will be more fresh
Valverde will be tired in my opinion, not sure if Rodriguez will be still GC rider, I expected from him little more on tour
Quintana hard to say, he seemed to be fresh in Alps then Froome
And my odd Vuelta winnerSafeBet said:Damn, Zakarin was my dark horse for the podium.
reubenr said:My pick would be Quintana, but the time trial is like an invitation to Froome, who seems to me bent on proving something. I did not think he won the TDF, but rather it seemed more like Quintana lost it in the first week, when the peleton was split, which seems to happen a lot to Movistar. If Quintana doesn't win, then I would like to see Majka, but on the other hand, I would prefer to see Nibali win, if Froome rides and Quintana doesn't have a good time trial. Basically, I want everything, but more than that I am hoping for a good race, unlike the TDF, in which no one really attacked. It was not a very well animated race. One of the problems is that the "mountains" are a little too much to promote animation. They beg for survival tactics and a pound or two of something extra. Although I am much older, I have only watched the race for about 40 years, and it seems to have gotten less exciting over time. Perhaps it is me, but the routes seem not well designed for daring riding. One of the most exciting races of recent memory was the Vuelta that Contador won and Rodrigquez lost. It was a very daring attack that was very predictable in a way because it was possible. Most of the stages in the TDF do not allow for much other than break aways of the "we'll let them go" type, group sprints and herculean climbs, the order of which leaves a lot to be desired and really retards great racing, in my totally biased opinion. I like surprises. There were none, except maybe Cummings' victory, although I must say that Sagan was awesome to watch, even if he never won. He was always there, animating the race.
Metabolol said:reubenr said:My pick would be Quintana, but the time trial is like an invitation to Froome, who seems to me bent on proving something. I did not think he won the TDF, but rather it seemed more like Quintana lost it in the first week, when the peleton was split, which seems to happen a lot to Movistar. If Quintana doesn't win, then I would like to see Majka, but on the other hand, I would prefer to see Nibali win, if Froome rides and Quintana doesn't have a good time trial. Basically, I want everything, but more than that I am hoping for a good race, unlike the TDF, in which no one really attacked. It was not a very well animated race. One of the problems is that the "mountains" are a little too much to promote animation. They beg for survival tactics and a pound or two of something extra. Although I am much older, I have only watched the race for about 40 years, and it seems to have gotten less exciting over time. Perhaps it is me, but the routes seem not well designed for daring riding. One of the most exciting races of recent memory was the Vuelta that Contador won and Rodrigquez lost. It was a very daring attack that was very predictable in a way because it was possible. Most of the stages in the TDF do not allow for much other than break aways of the "we'll let them go" type, group sprints and herculean climbs, the order of which leaves a lot to be desired and really retards great racing, in my totally biased opinion. I like surprises. There were none, except maybe Cummings' victory, although I must say that Sagan was awesome to watch, even if he never won. He was always there, animating the race.
I think it has more to do with everything being more competitive and calculated. Increased professionalization has ruined the entertainment value of many sports.
reubenr said:My pick would be Quintana, but the time trial is like an invitation to Froome,
I blame radios as well - nothing is left to chance.reubenr said:Metabolol said:reubenr said:My pick would be Quintana, but the time trial is like an invitation to Froome, who seems to me bent on proving something. I did not think he won the TDF, but rather it seemed more like Quintana lost it in the first week, when the peleton was split, which seems to happen a lot to Movistar. If Quintana doesn't win, then I would like to see Majka, but on the other hand, I would prefer to see Nibali win, if Froome rides and Quintana doesn't have a good time trial. Basically, I want everything, but more than that I am hoping for a good race, unlike the TDF, in which no one really attacked. It was not a very well animated race. One of the problems is that the "mountains" are a little too much to promote animation. They beg for survival tactics and a pound or two of something extra. Although I am much older, I have only watched the race for about 40 years, and it seems to have gotten less exciting over time. Perhaps it is me, but the routes seem not well designed for daring riding. One of the most exciting races of recent memory was the Vuelta that Contador won and Rodrigquez lost. It was a very daring attack that was very predictable in a way because it was possible. Most of the stages in the TDF do not allow for much other than break aways of the "we'll let them go" type, group sprints and herculean climbs, the order of which leaves a lot to be desired and really retards great racing, in my totally biased opinion. I like surprises. There were none, except maybe Cummings' victory, although I must say that Sagan was awesome to watch, even if he never won. He was always there, animating the race.
I think it has more to do with everything being more competitive and calculated. Increased professionalization has ruined the entertainment value of many sports.
Great point. Efficiency is the mother of all ruin. To counter that, the organisers need to be more skill full or artful or something or other.
King Of The Wolds said:reubenr said:My pick would be Quintana, but the time trial is like an invitation to Froome,
Whilst Froome has improved his descending, hill finishes and tactical nous, his TTing hasn't been up to much all year. He'd probably put some time into all of his GC rivals, but not so much whereby it would be an open invitation, as it would with his 2012 and 2013 TT form.
Interesting that Brailsford was quick to express caution to any Vuelta bid discussion, presumably in light of the memory of Froome's relatively poor 2012 appearance after a full 3 weeks in France, which wouldn't have been as mentally or physically taxing as this one. Not to mention the demand over the next couple of weeks of media appearances, crits, sponsor meets, etc.
I don't think he'll ride.
sienna said:I'm surprised that Spain's Grand Tour has only one UCI World Team and one wild-card team from its own country.![]()
All I could see are Moviestar and Caja Rural.reubenr said:sienna said:I'm surprised that Spain's Grand Tour has only one UCI World Team and one wild-card team from its own country.![]()
Do they have any other teams? Maybe one, and who dat?
sienna said:All I could see are Moviestar and Caja Rural.reubenr said:sienna said:I'm surprised that Spain's Grand Tour has only one UCI World Team and one wild-card team from its own country.![]()
Do they have any other teams? Maybe one, and who dat?![]()