Vuelta speculation

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Jul 28, 2015
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Re: Re:

Brullnux said:
railxmig said:
TromleTromle said:
railxmig said:
TromleTromle said:
Is this the most ridiculous categorization ever ? ok- Latrape this year as well...

On a fair note -they need to give away the jersey
It's a rather normal behaviour, not only to give the jersey but also as a reward for the breakaway so smaller teams can have an additional objective. There is a tiny problem however... It's on a TTT!? How? What!?! But this misses the point... Will it really be the guy from the winning team, who crossed it first? I can understand categorisation in an ITT, but TTT? Either i'm too stupid for this or Vuelta organizers are really trying to outstupid themselves.

Please, don't even remind me about Latrape and current trend in TdF categorisation system. Either get rid of mostly unused cat. 2 (the same with cat. 4 in Giro) or get rid of HC, as it's HC no more. If this trend continues, then soon a random 1km at 3% bump will be HC.

There is always the Zomegnan-way. 5km @ 9% ? NO. KAT!

That being said I generally like the simpler Giro/Vuelta Cat system than the TDF...
even though the Vuelta sometimes makes it look stupid. But in general that only give 2-3 mountain the ESP cat and that is for some good reasons. This year we got Pandera, SN, Machucas & Angliru right ?

I don't really like the Giro system. There's a rather large disparity over cat. 2 climbs (Mendola, Paganella, Madonna di Campiglio are all cat. 2) i guess caused by underusage of cat. 4. It feels like there are only 3 categories and cat. 1 is almost a TdF HC. Vuelta is sometimes derpy when it comes to categorisation, but at least they don't overuse ESP cat. even if sometimes it should be just cat. 1. I remember there being some inconsistencies with ESP cat. but that's just my flawed memory. Libertine should know more about this topic, so you can ask him about it.
Firstly, Madonna di Campiglio is a Cat. 1, or at least it was in 2015. But a first category climb in the Giro should be more or less equal to an HC climb at the Tour, as there is no higher categorisation. Often they are slightly easier (Pordoi, for example) and would make a Cat. 1 at the Tour as well, but the hardest would easily be HC (Zoncolan, Finestre, Mortirolo, Gavia, Stelvio, Agnello etc). Any discrepancies are caused by RCS's traditionally awful ability to do this. There are also many Cat. 4 hills in the Giro - not as many as the Tour, but that's because of the route, not RCS.
In 2015 the climb of Madonna di Campiglio was longer than before because they went up to Patascoss, in 1999 the finish was properly at Madonna di Campiglio just after the false flat.
If you look at the profile the added part after the passage in Madonna di Campiglio is the tougher with 3 km @ 6,7%. I wouldn't be surprised if in 1999 was a cat. 2 the climb.
tappa_15_S03.jpg
 
Feb 20, 2012
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Ladies and gentlemen.

For the last time

Alberto Contador will win this bike race

What is hyped may never die

Bamooooooos
 
Jun 24, 2017
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Buchmann confirmed to German media that he'll ride la Vuelta. Apparently, his job will be to help Majka as it was planned for the Tour. First time he does two successive grand Tours; aged 24 that's rather early.
 
Aug 3, 2015
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StryderHells said:
Valv.Piti said:
DNP-Old said:
Jagartrott said:
According to this full provisional starting list, no Adam Hansen for L-S. Shocking!
https://twitter.com/ProCyclingStats/status/893367932868333568
Finally this idiotic gimmick can end.
Agree, it had become pathetic at this point.

Pathetic?
Yes, a gimmicky media stunt which finally ended. There are 29 other riders on the team or whatever, remember?
 
Jun 10, 2010
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Well, used to be Hansen would ride al GTs and actually try something in all of them to justify always choosing him before his mates, but lately he just rode along as if merely to tick a box. He did work for Greipel in some of those GTs, but other than that he didn't contribute much anymore.
 
Oct 10, 2015
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Re: Re:

Valv.Piti said:
StryderHells said:
Valv.Piti said:
DNP-Old said:
Jagartrott said:
According to this full provisional starting list, no Adam Hansen for L-S. Shocking!
https://twitter.com/ProCyclingStats/status/893367932868333568
Finally this idiotic gimmick can end.
Agree, it had become pathetic at this point.

Pathetic?
Yes, a gimmicky media stunt which finally ended. There are 29 other riders on the team or whatever, remember?

I never said he should be selected, I was questioning why you would use the word pathetic, gimmicky works but pathetic was an odd choice.
 
Jan 23, 2016
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Re: Re:

HelloDolly said:
Valv.Piti said:
Im pretty sure at this point that Poels will climb at least as good as Froome this Vuelta. Whether thats a good or a bad thing I really don't know.


Yes he will ...but not every day
Woet Poels is going to the Vuelta as a protected rider/ Backup GC guy..
And Sky have been known to give quite a lot of freedom to them in the Vuelta(Konig last year)
Lets see how he does on GC...
He should top 10 the Vuelta IMO. ;)
 
Re: Re:

silvergrenade said:
HelloDolly said:
Valv.Piti said:
Im pretty sure at this point that Poels will climb at least as good as Froome this Vuelta. Whether thats a good or a bad thing I really don't know.


Yes he will ...but not every day
Woet Poels is going to the Vuelta as a protected rider/ Backup GC guy..
And Sky have been known to give quite a lot of freedom to them in the Vuelta(Konig last year)
Lets see how he does on GC...
He should top 10 the Vuelta IMO. ;)

Said nothing about SKY and freedom
Poles always has a bad day in GTs...and now looks like Landa will be there anyway
 
Jul 15, 2016
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So who's the leader for BMC? Caruso? Sanchez? Van Garderen? Dennis?

Astana also has an interesting decision between Aru and Lopez.

And I suppose Pozzovivo will be leading AG2R?
 
Jul 1, 2015
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Re: Re:

HelloDolly said:
Alexandre B. said:
Vroome.exe said:
Singer01 said:
Has anyone ever been arguably the strongest climber at all 3 grand tours?
Yes, Landa in 2017.
Where is the evidence in Le Tour?


Em...where was th evidence in the Giro ??? in 3 breakaways and beaten in 2

I knew the hype would be unbearable
It's perfectly possible to be the best climber and the worst sprinter.