• The Cycling News forum is looking to add some volunteer moderators with Red Rick's recent retirement. If you're interested in helping keep our discussions on track, send a direct message to @SHaines here on the forum, or use the Contact Us form to message the Community Team.

    In the meanwhile, please use the Report option if you see a post that doesn't fit within the forum rules.

    Thanks!

What's your opinion about 2/3 parts of "Vuelta"?

Aug 31, 2012
349
0
0
Visit site
Well, time for a break again, so give us your opinion about these 2/3 parts of Vuelta:

The race
The route
The landscapes
The level of entertaining
 
jsem94 said:
Why the criticism? Tomorrow's a rest day, so this is the time for these kinds of discussions.



Anyway, on topic, I'm not sure Lo Squalo will win this anymore, but anything can still happen.

Because I've seen so many of these threads all by the same user.

Anyway, the race: very nice, really enjoyed it so far, my favorite GT this year by far
The route: OK, would've liked more descent finishes though
The landscapes: haven't paid any attention to them
 
Aug 16, 2011
10,819
2
0
Visit site
Asturiano said:
Been very good, some good action and attacks in pretty much every stage. And the solos of Ratto and Geniez were cool. Would have liked a little more GC action earlier and for the GC guys to put a little more commitment into their attacks. But for the most part it's been good.
The route
Last couple mountain stages have been pretty good. A descent finish on today's stage would have been nice though.
The landscapes
Never pay much attention to them.
The level of entertaining
See re. the race.
 
Jun 28, 2012
798
0
0
Visit site
LaFlorecita said:
Because I've seen so many of these threads all by the same user.

Anyway, the race: very nice, really enjoyed it so far, my favorite GT this year by far
The route: OK, would've liked more descent finishes though
The landscapes: haven't paid any attention to them
Isn't l'Angliru technically a descent finish?
 
LaFlorecita said:
Because I've seen so many of these threads all by the same user.

Anyway, the race: very nice, really enjoyed it so far, my favorite GT this year by far
The route: OK, would've liked more descent finishes though
The landscapes: haven't paid any attention to them

This, I also want to add that today's stage exceed expectations. However, I'm a bit pessimistic about the last week, cause it doens't really offer a lot of actions besides waiting for the final couple of kilometers. Angliru should really have been a roller coaster ride through the biggest mountains of Asturias, maybe finishing in Pola de Lena or on Gamoniteiro or something. I dont want the Angliru to become overused
 
Aug 31, 2012
349
0
0
Visit site
Red Rick said:
This, I also want to add that today's stage exceed expectations. However, I'm a bit pessimistic about the last week, cause it doens't really offer a lot of actions besides waiting for the final couple of kilometers. Angliru should really have been a roller coaster ride through the biggest mountains of Asturias, maybe finishing in Pola de Lena or on Gamoniteiro or something. I dont want the Angliru to become overused

The problem with Gamoniteiro is the top of the climb is too narrow to put the finish.
 
Red Rick said:
This, I also want to add that today's stage exceed expectations. However, I'm a bit pessimistic about the last week, cause it doens't really offer a lot of actions besides waiting for the final couple of kilometers. Angliru should really have been a roller coaster ride through the biggest mountains of Asturias, maybe finishing in Pola de Lena or on Gamoniteiro or something. I dont want the Angliru to become overused

Too late. And if they're going to go with the effective one-climb stages there, they should at least make the final run-in Cuchu Puercu rather than Cordal.

Would love Cruz de Linares-Marabio-Cobertoria-Cordal-Angliru.

But really, I'd love a Puerto de la Cubilla summit finish, or Cobertoria from Pola de Lena afer the easy side of Cordal or something. There is so much they could do with Asturias rather than just keep using Angliru. Hell, go over to the other side of the province and use the Puerto de la Marta or something. Or Acebo, since the Vuelta a Asturias is floundering and not using it anymore. I would pay good money to see the Jito d'Escarandi too, though a bit like Covadonga it might be difficult to link it to many real lead-in climbs.
 
Well, it's good racing but is it really that hard to f'uck up 1½ hours of live transmission every day?

No way would people be this positive if we got 4-5 hours live like in the Tour.

The more live pictures, the better. Right? That's why it's a concern that the race gets praised this much. Just like last year.
 
LaFlorecita said:
Because I've seen so many of these threads all by the same user.

Anyway, the race: very nice, really enjoyed it so far, my favorite GT this year by far
The route: OK, would've liked more descent finishes though
The landscapes: haven't paid any attention to them


I know it can go by unnoticed you when you are caught up in the racing but it's all part of the package and appeal for many who are seeing a Grand Tour for the first time. I try to sell this part of the sport to unsure cycling fans that I'm trying to convert and it has worked.
 
I am spanish, tomorrow the vuelta cross my shire roads, and I have been inside the Vuelta other years, so I know well this race.

It s been without a clear leader, but IMO, not becouse a hight level, but becouse nobody is in his best... just Horner, but Horner since he got his best level in his career, have never finished a GT witout injurie problem or similar, or without work to anybody, so... he is an unknown man for the last week.

Nibali went here a little bit short... Arroyo was stronger in Burgos, the same as Basso in a climb as Neila, quite explosive, and Quintana (I was there 300 m before the finish) was much better than him finishing a peak.

So yes, Nibali is in a good shape, but not as strong as in the Giro, he will be better in the worlds.

Valverde is ok, he is like last year, not as in the Tour, but he is ok, but last year Purito was stronger in the hard climbs.

Purito is not the same, he say that, he is always very clear about his condition, when he said: I am superlative, he was, and when he say he is not, he is not. He is ok, but no super, not the man that climb better than froome in the Tour (he had a crash just before Piriynees, other way...)

This way Roche is at the level of these big riders.

But there is nothing clear... they are in a shape that we dont know if someone will improve or will crack...so it is all undefined...and that is for me less interesting, more emotion, yes, but there is not a clear reference.

I mean, we dont know if Nibali is decreasing, and that way others must to attack or today was just a bad day...

In Angliru, one minute is nothing, so, everything could happens still.

I think that if Urán would have had the shape of the Giro could be won this Vuelta, but he is not.. he is ok, but he had some bad days, he didnt race Burgos and he aims Worlds and Lombardia, his loving race, more than The Vuelta, where Henao was the main leader.

But the Vuelta is funny, has had different nice days, attacks, hot, cold, hard climbs, differents leaders, suprises, big names in the flats stages: Tony Martin, Cancellara, Gilbert, Stybar, EBH,,,

It is a pity for Dan Martin, and a pity for Basso, but he wanst anought ready for that cold, it was a little his fault.

Both of them could have won this.
 
Libertine Seguros said:
Too late. And if they're going to go with the effective one-climb stages there, they should at least make the final run-in Cuchu Puercu rather than Cordal.

Would love Cruz de Linares-Marabio-Cobertoria-Cordal-Angliru.

But really, I'd love a Puerto de la Cubilla summit finish, or Cobertoria from Pola de Lena afer the easy side of Cordal or something. There is so much they could do with Asturias rather than just keep using Angliru. Hell, go over to the other side of the province and use the Puerto de la Marta or something. Or Acebo, since the Vuelta a Asturias is floundering and not using it anymore. I would pay good money to see the Jito d'Escarandi too, though a bit like Covadonga it might be difficult to link it to many real lead-in climbs.

A todos nos molaria ver una etapa asi, pero joder, condicionaría toda la Vuelta mucho mejor sin Angliru.

That is a nice stage, but much better without Angliru at the end, Angliru is to be just with Cordal.

It is better a stage with Cobertoria, Linares, Tenebredo, Oviedo/Naranco.. the last stage of the Vuelta.
 
The race Great so far. Many suprises yet to come
The route Great as well. Last 3 stages have been fantastic
The landscapes Breath taking
The level of entertaining has been great since we see the escapades are able to make to the finish line while the battle for the GC continues.

Sadly the Logistics from Unipublic as far as GC standings at the end of every stage have been horrible as well as the follow up on riders when a breakaway is on....

nevertheless The Vuelta has been fantastic so far:)
 
Nov 26, 2012
3,216
0
0
Visit site
after waiting for eons to see the break win, now we are in the process of waiting for eons to see the bunch win. A great race should have the right set of balance for all kinds of riders to win.

I missed the last 2 weeks of giro. From what i have seen so far, this race is more entertaining than the rest.

I blame poor local knowledge of the eurosport commentators for the lack of appeal on landscape. Also, to show landscape, we need some amount of calm. Just showing the last one hour(often successfully) where things are heating up doesn't give much room for landscapes. Again, this is something they can fix with for live footage, and a generous support from spansih tourism ministry.

Route: the only profile i liked in the last week was not aired.
 
Sep 8, 2012
110
0
0
Visit site
The race
Pretty good from a GC point of view - plenty of contenders performing well. Mountain and Points jerseys though, are rendered irrelevant again by ...

The route
A little extreme for my tastes.
Like last year, a half hour of guaranteed fun at the end is paid for by the elimination of the non GC jerseys as a meaningful thing.
Gratuitous complications on the final kms of flatter stages can be fun, but just feels like they are ****ing with the riders sometimes. Too little there for the sprinters.
Still, they succeeded in their object - an action packed hour of TV, and GC relevance nearly every day.

The landscapes
Better than usual. Large swathes of Spain are ugly and desolate, but they have been in some rather lovely and interesting places this year. ( Whats the deelio with so many being indifferent to the landscape in a Grand Tour? Y'all must be under 30. Local history and culture and food is a big part of a Grand Tour. Barbarians I tells ya! :D )

The level of entertainment
Pretty good, but not great. The close GC helps a lot, and there is always some "action". Repetitive in its own way though.
The Tour may have had the depressing spectre of Dawg dominance hanging over it, but it had some profound moments, surreal incident, and intrigue which are missing as yet from the Vuelta.

The Vuelta is the most reliably entertaining as usual, but enforced as it is, it amounts to a kind of......disposable sort of entertainment.

------
So though I am more casually entertained during it, I'm not sure it is better even than this years tour: the Tour and Vuelta tend to have a very different character.

The Tour is more like a long term romance. Progressively more boring and comfortable as time goes on, it can be frustrating, turgid, predictable, and can take attention and patience and work. But yet sometimes provides moments of true profound wholeness and meaning, where all the world else becomes an irrelevance.
The Vuelta is more akin to some dude renting out a crew of midget ladyboy hookers every night to go with his sack of crystal meth. Decadent gratification is guaranteed, but it is perhaps a little extreme, hollow, and when you stand back from it, not all that aesthetically pleasing.


That said, it is set up great for after the rest day - so pass me the meth pipe and lets get this party started!
 
batchuba said:
The race
Pretty good from a GC point of view - plenty of contenders performing well. Mountain and Points jerseys though, are rendered irrelevant again by ...

The route
A little extreme for my tastes.
Like last year, a half hour of guaranteed fun at the end is paid for by the elimination of the non GC jerseys as a meaningful thing.
Gratuitous complications on the final kms of flatter stages can be fun, but just feels like they are ****ing with the riders sometimes. Too little there for the sprinters.
Still, they succeeded in their object - an action packed hour of TV, and GC relevance nearly every day.

The landscapes
Better than usual. Large swathes of Spain are ugly and desolate, but they have been in some rather lovely and interesting places this year. ( Whats the deelio with so many being indifferent to the landscape in a Grand Tour? Y'all must be under 30. Local history and culture and food is a big part of a Grand Tour. Barbarians I tells ya! :D )

The level of entertainment
Pretty good, but not great. The close GC helps a lot, and there is always some "action". Repetitive in its own way though.
The Tour may have had the depressing spectre of Dawg dominance hanging over it, but it had some profound moments, surreal incident, and intrigue which are missing as yet from the Vuelta.

The Vuelta is the most reliably entertaining as usual, but enforced as it is, it amounts to a kind of......disposable sort of entertainment.

------
So though I am more casually entertained during it, I'm not sure it is better even than this years tour: the Tour and Vuelta tend to have a very different character.

The Tour is more like a long term romance. Progressively more boring and comfortable as time goes on, it can be frustrating, turgid, predictable, and can take attention and patience and work. But yet sometimes provides moments of true profound wholeness and meaning, where all the world else becomes an irrelevance.
The Vuelta is more akin to some dude renting out a crew of midget ladyboy hookers every night to go with his sack of crystal meth. Decadent gratification is guaranteed, but it is perhaps a little extreme, hollow, and when you stand back from it, not all that aesthetically pleasing.


That said, it is set up great for after the rest day - so pass me the meth pipe and lets get this party started!

I love this analogy. Now, you have to finish it with Giro. Please :)
 

TRENDING THREADS