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Vuelta stage 20. Corvera → Alto de El Angliru - 119km

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Re: Re:

Eyeballs Out said:
hrotha said:
Daft? The fact that all but 27 riders made the time cut at the end of a three-week race kinda proves you're wrong, but regardless, HD shouldn't be calculated so that nobody has trouble making it (unfortunately, it usually is).

27 minutes for a 119 km stage should be enough.
Yep daft. No pro rider should have trouble making it as long as they ride to their max - which I would think is exactly what happened yesterday. The rule is there to stop riders coasting in theory (and yes they absolutely should have thrown out everyone last year when it was obvious everyone had that was HD was having an extra rest day). We regularly see genuinely easier stages where the cut off is 50 mins +.

I don't think it's that unrealistic to expect people to stay within 25 minutes on a stage where the 3 categorized climbs took 88 minutes to climb.
 
Re:

Armchair cyclist said:
No word from the race organisers about why they are ignoring the HD cutoff for this stage?

27 riders missed it, and although the rules allow extension of the limit, it is "only in exceptional, unforeseeable cases of force majeure".

Losing the Green jersey favourite, the Polka dot jersey leader, and the majority of those who will meaningfully sprint today would be unfortunate, but is not exceptional and unforeseeable.

Did something serious happen to impede the later finishers, or did they just hope no-one would notice and decide that it was not worth the hassle?

Maybe considering the wet conditions they preferred this to riders risking life and limb on the descent especially with the looming challenge of the Angliru.
 
Re: Re:

Eyeballs Out said:
Maybe considering the wet conditions they preferred this to riders risking life and limb on the descent especially with the looming challenge of the Angliru.

If they consider that the weather was so extreme that it comprises exceptional and unforeseeable circumstances, they should have come out and said so. What is not acceptable is to remain totally silent on the matter, as though they are above questioning.

The packing of Cannondale riders around Villella shows that they, at least, were aware of the danger of missing the cut and worked to meet the limit. All those behind the 5 Cannondale riders were apparently unbothered or incapable.
 
Re: Re:

TourOfSardinia said:
El Pistolero said:
Zoophonic said:
El Pistolero said:
God I dislike Poels and Froome so much.

Im sure they wouldn't care for you either but not sure they would be bothered right now. Plenty to celebrate. Contador winning his last GT mountain stage and the double for Froome and Sky.


That's a reason to weap.

Poels was almost freewheeling on the freaking Angliru. This farce will last another decade.
But we don't need to watch any more
now the king
has left the building
lol so you were only watching cycling because Bertie was in it?

and folk have a nerve to moan about July fans