Vuelta Prediction: How will GC battle Shake up?

[LaFlorecita]

A rider from Pinto is riding his bike around Pinto, shocker.
He isn't on Tinkoff-Saxo's 12 rider shortlist, so isn't even allowed to race.

 

[Gigs_98]

Why are there so many people thinking contador could participate? Just their hope?

 

[Red Rick]

I think it's weird people expect him to not touch a bike at all for a couple of months straight. It's been weeks since the Tour ended. You can rest very well whilst still training very lightly. In the video he already looked heavier than during the Tour imo.

This would be breaking news, if it was Andy Schleck when he was still active. It isn't

 

[Ruby United]

Re:

Giant lineup. http://teamgiantalpecin.com/vuelta-a-espana-line-up-announced/

Lawson Craddock (USA)
John Degenkolb (GER)
Tom Dumoulin (NED)
Johannes Fröhlinger (GER)
Thierry Hupond (FRA)
Koen de Kort (NED)
Luka Mezgec (SLO)
Tom Stamsnijder (NED)
Zico Waeytens (BEL)

Lovely team! Go Lawson!

Woop, woop!

Giant to try control the sprints?

 

[Billie]

Re:

A rider from Pinto is riding his bike around Pinto, shocker.
He isn't on Tinkoff-Saxo's 12 rider shortlist, so isn't even allowed to race.

doubt vuelta organisers would have any problem with him starting without being on the shortlist.

Don't think he will though.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Why are there so many people thinking contador could participate? Just their hope?

Rumors in Spanish press and on Spanish social media.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

A rider from Pinto is riding his bike around Pinto, shocker.
He isn't on Tinkoff-Saxo's 12 rider shortlist, so isn't even allowed to race.

doubt vuelta organisers would have any problem with him starting without being on the shortlist.

Don't think he will though.

I think it is a UCI rule, I don't think the UCI would make an exception.

 

[Billie]

Re: Re:

A rider from Pinto is riding his bike around Pinto, shocker.
He isn't on Tinkoff-Saxo's 12 rider shortlist, so isn't even allowed to race.

doubt vuelta organisers would have any problem with him starting without being on the shortlist.

Don't think he will though.

I think it is a UCI rule, I don't think the UCI would make an exception.

Uci doesn't care about shortlists. It's for the race organisers to know which rider will come (so which team to invite etc....)

 

[MatParker117]

Re: Re:

A rider from Pinto is riding his bike around Pinto, shocker.
He isn't on Tinkoff-Saxo's 12 rider shortlist, so isn't even allowed to race.

doubt vuelta organisers would have any problem with him starting without being on the shortlist.

Don't think he will though.

I think it is a UCI rule, I don't think the UCI would make an exception.

Uci doesn't care about shortlists. It's for the race organisers to know which rider will come (so which team to invite etc....)

If he's not on the list by the DS meeting he can't race.

 

[MatParker117]

Team Sky for Vuelta a Espana: Chris Froome, Geraint Thomas, Nicolas Roche, Sergio Henao, Mikel Nieve, Vasil Kiryienka, Christian Knees, Ian Boswell, Salvatore Puccio.

 

[b.broadhurst]

Re:

Team Sky for Vuelta a Espana: Chris Froome, Geraint Thomas, Nicolas Roche, Sergio Henao, Mikel Nieve, Vasil Kiryienka, Christian Knees, Ian Boswell, Salvatore Puccio.

Strong squad if Roche and Thomas have recovered from Tour.

Henao, Nieve, Kiryienka, Boswell and Puccio all showed up well in Poland.

 

[b.broadhurst]

No GT's for Deignan or Lopez this year. #tough

 

[No_Balls]

Re:

Team Sky for Vuelta a Espana: Chris Froome, Geraint Thomas, Nicolas Roche, Sergio Henao, Mikel Nieve, Vasil Kiryienka, Christian Knees, Ian Boswell, Salvatore Puccio.

The battle of "trains" looks more and more certain. Has Astana and Movistar enough of track expertise to deal with Sky this time around?

 

[Ricco']

The first week suits Henao very hell, I could see him being high in the GC at the start of stage 7 and Alpujarra isn't very difficult.

On the other hand I don't think that Froome will arrive at his best in the first days, even yesterday he was riding a crit.

 

[TMP402]

Re: Re:

Any idea what train Froome is bringing? I don't see where he's gonna take enough time/hang on to Quintana. TT is very late, and he didn't train on that this year, he might take some time on the hill tops though.

Sergio Henao and G are confirmed

Sounds very weak for the Skytrain. Don't think G will be climbing as well, Astana will have 5 guy's left when Froome is down to Henao

Also Nieve and Roche, probably Boswell, Deignan, Kiryenka, Sitsov. Otherwise Lopez or Knees.

Nearly nailed it. That sly Puccio!

 

[DBotero]

Re:

Team Sky for Vuelta a Espana: Chris Froome, Geraint Thomas, Nicolas Roche, Sergio Henao, Mikel Nieve, Vasil Kiryienka, Christian Knees, Ian Boswell, Salvatore Puccio.

Hard to understand the decision of not selecting Deignan and Lopez At least Henao made it this time.The team looks decent on paper but i have doubts about Thomas and Roche form.

 

[staubsauger]

Re:

The first week suits Henao very hell, I could see him being high in the GC at the start of stage 7 and Alpujarra isn't very difficult.

On the other hand I don't think that Froome will arrive at his best in the first days, even yesterday he was riding a crit.

Maybe he was killing it in some hard training sessions? Then, a criterium may be a nice little recovery ride.

 

[TMP402]

Re: Re:

Team Sky for Vuelta a Espana: Chris Froome, Geraint Thomas, Nicolas Roche, Sergio Henao, Mikel Nieve, Vasil Kiryienka, Christian Knees, Ian Boswell, Salvatore Puccio.

Hard to understand the decision of not selecting Deignan and Lopez At least Henao made it this time.The team looks decent on paper but i have doubts about Thomas and Roche form.

Agreed that I can't see Thomas being as helpful as in the Tour, but Roche may have lost some weight and has apparently done two GTs in a year several times so who knows.

 

[TMP402]

Movistar's team doesn't seem wonderfully strong.

 

[Pharazon]

happy that boswell is making his gt debut

 

[DBotero]

Re:

Movistar's team doesn't seem wonderfully strong.

Nairo Quintana (Col), Alejandro Valverde (Spa), Andrey Amador (CRc), Giovanni Visconti (Ita), Rory Sutherland (Aus), Javi Moreno (Spa), Imanol Erviti (Spa), Fran Ventoso (Spa) and José Joaquín Rojas (Spa).

Not too impressive.Some bigger names were left out,strange choices.

 

[Gigs_98]

Re: Re:

Team Sky for Vuelta a Espana: Chris Froome, Geraint Thomas, Nicolas Roche, Sergio Henao, Mikel Nieve, Vasil Kiryienka, Christian Knees, Ian Boswell, Salvatore Puccio.

Hard to understand the decision of not selecting Deignan and Lopez At least Henao made it this time.The team looks decent on paper but i have doubts about Thomas and Roche form.

Agreed that I can't see Thomas being as helpful as in the Tour, but Roche may have lost some weight and has apparently done two GTs in a year several times so who knows.

I didnt expect that Thomas would be even almost as helpful in the mountains of the tour, as he finally was, so I wont underestimate him. I just hope that they aren't in good shape because I don't want to see another sky train gt. Its okay if froome races good and causes some great attacks but please not mtf's like last year when froome pulled alberto up the mountain although he was behind him.

 

[Ricco']

Re: Re:

Movistar's team doesn't seem wonderfully strong.

Nairo Quintana (Col), Alejandro Valverde (Spa), Andrey Amador (CRc), Giovanni Visconti (Ita), Rory Sutherland (Aus), Javi Moreno (Spa), Imanol Erviti (Spa), Fran Ventoso (Spa) and José Joaquín Rojas (Spa).

Not too impressive.Some bigger names were left out,strange choices.

Anton is a shadow of what he was but he could still put some work to his leaders and his shape in Poland wasn't that bad (working for Izagirre in Bukowina stage, for instance, and the last men to be dropped in the team except for the leader). Better than Sutherland, for instance. I guess that the undesired riders for 2016 were sent to Tour du Limousin and some of them could be of good assistance (Team Gadret, Capecchi, Antón, etc.)

 

[Gloin22]

Van Asbroeck
Bennett
Keizer
Lindeman
Roosen
Teunissen
Tjallingii
Van Winden
Wynants

Awful team...breakaways galore i guess..Asbroeck found the step up tough but could get result or so.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

Van Asbroeck
Bennett
Keizer
Lindeman
Roosen
Teunissen
Tjallingii
Van Winden
Wynants

Awful team...breakaways galore i guess..Asbroeck found the step up tough but could get result or so.

That is an embarrassing team.