Vuelta Stage 17: Villadiego - Los Machucos (180.5 km)

[TromleTromle]

Monster pull by Team Vino - this can become ugly, we need a long-range attack on the top.
I count 5 skybots and the overmind in their wheel

 

[Rollthedice]

Astana will burn all their doms, then Katusha, then Bahrain while Sky will have some 5 fresh guys for Froome before the last climb.

 

[portugal11]

It's raining!! Vodoo time in coming

 

[Climbing]

Weather looks horrible, they say this descent is quite tricky, surely it is with rain.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Hmm technical descent today, could do something there if it rains

 

[jsem94]

Re:

He/she has been told by the mods to post less frequently so lets give him/her a chance

A great amount of those posts are just pure garbage too. Geeze.

 

[sir fly]

Great conditions for a ride.
I love it!

 

[Eclipse]

Scared about Zakarin cycling off a mountain in this weather

 

[TromleTromle]

Re:

Hmm technical descent today, could do something there if it rains

This is looking great - Voodoo fog ahead! all-in!

 

[Climbing]

This will be extremely dangerous, not sure somebody will risk it all here, I guess not.
Edit: man, this is scary...

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Re:

Scared about Zakarin cycling off a mountain in this weather

There's plenty of poor bike handlers there besides Zakarin. Kelderman as well :lol:

 

[Forever The Best]

Re:

God help us all:

Louis Meintjes (UAE Team Emirates) has been improving throughout La Vuelta and is now 14th on GC. He spoke with lavuelta.com about his ambitions until Madrid: “It wasn't too bad (in the ITT). It's not my specialty. I din't prepare specifically for it so I think it was ok. I'm actually feeling a little bit better now than in the first week. I don't think it's enough to win anything but we still try to be up there. The team would like the (UCI) points for the GC so we're gonna ride conservatively and just stay close.

Sorry, couldn't resist it

 

[Rollthedice]

Sturm und Drang.

 

[Eclipse]

More chance of a gentleman's agreement to neutralise this than attacks from the GC men.

A long way out and very scary

 

[jsem94]

LOOK at that descent! Nibali goes and joins the front group taking four minutes on the descent alone. Let me dream.

 

[70kmph]

Whoa...the conditions

 

[skippo12]

I really hope Nibali will risk it in the decent.

 

[Climbing]

Re:

I really hope Nibali will risk it in the decent.

That would be a life risk though, not sure.

 

[portugal11]

I fear for froome. Tough weather and third week, he will crack (one time i will be right)

 

[TromleTromle]

Nibali goint to the front - Bertie in his wheel.... ready for vroomvroom

 

[Rollthedice]

Re: Re:

I really hope Nibali will risk it in the decent.

That would be a life risk though, not sure.

No risk but try to position himself in front, there are a lot of guys in danger of falling off their bikes.

 

[Eclipse]

Re:

Nibali goint to the front - Bertie in his wheel.... ready for vroomvroom

I think it's more than nobody wants to be sat at the back and not able to see what's going on than anyone really is planning an attack. These are absolutely hideous conditions

 

[dfromdub]

Re:

I really hope Nibali will risk it in the decent.

I hope so too, but it certainly looks a bit too extreme from TV... I would not blame him if he does not try

 

[Climbing]

Looks like some km down visibility is a lot better.

 

[SafeBet]

An attack on this descent makes zero sense to me. Too dangerous and you'd be alone in the valley for a long time anyway.