Who will win La Vuelta 2018?

[Escarabajo]

I am thinking next Saturday stage and Yates with no team. Like Dumo in 2015.

 

[spalco]

Re:

Game over, lady and gentlemen.

Absolutely nothing is over.

 

[Gigs_98]

Re:

I am thinking next Saturday stage and Yates with no team. Like Dumo in 2015.

Saying Yates has no team is a bit rude. Adam Yates and hair are two of the best climbing domestiques in this race

 

[Stella0596]

Re:

I am thinking next Saturday stage and Yates with no team. Like Dumo in 2015.

I wonder whether Lotto-Jumbo might have an idea to isolate him.

 

[roundabout]

Re: Re:

The surprising unmention of Enric Más in this thread...

It's a who will win thread, not who will finish 7th.

You were saying? To be fair, he’s not going to win, and could still finish 7th, but compared to some of the names mentioned early... he might as well be.

he is still closer to 7th than to 1st

 

[Bot. Sky_Bot]

Re: Re:

Game over, lady and gentlemen.

Absolutely nothing is over.

What was the biggest gap so far at the finish line between GC contenders? 3 sec. (I don't include Pinot's win).
Assuming Yates will not blow, game over (I don't think Giro scenario will occur again).

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

I am thinking next Saturday stage and Yates with no team. Like Dumo in 2015.

Saying Yates has no team is a bit rude. Adam Yates and hair are two of the best climbing domestiques in this race

Haig is consistently top 25 of the main field, and was consistently there until the last part of the final climb in the Giro. He was 13th and 15th in the last 2 mountain stages

Simon Yates is gonna be with the heads of state. He was 13th on the Covadonga, and now has had a restday and a quiet ITT day.

Yates has the best pure domestiques in the race at this point. Quintana could work for Valverde but Valverde has not beaten Yates H2H at any of the MTFs.

Lopez has a decent team in terms of having dudes there in the final 25, but nothing great when the field is really thinned down. The Covadonga showed that the top 7 are far and away the best climbers in the race.

 

[Blanco]

Re: Re:

I am thinking next Saturday stage and Yates with no team. Like Dumo in 2015.

I wonder whether Lotto-Jumbo might have an idea to isolate him.

I think they can't do that.

 

[Blanco]

Re: Re:

Game over, lady and gentlemen.

Absolutely nothing is over.

What was the biggest gap so far at the finish line between GC contenders? 3 sec. (I don't include Pinot's win).
Assuming Yates will not blow, game over (I don't think Giro scenario will occur again).

And that's why we have a 3rd week in Grand Tours

 

[Valv.Piti]

I can't see SImon Yates not winning the race now, unfortunately. But people will try, especially Lopez I think. Movistar and Kruijswijk too to some extent, but I don't really believe in them to beat Yates, but I think Lopez and Astana will be the main aggressor

 

[barmaher]

It is still all to play for. I think Yates can still keep his form, yet lose the Vuelta.

The gaps are tiny in the top 6.

 

[Climbing]

Top 6 can all reasonably win, being so close.
I would bet on Yates, unless he cracks again Giro style.

 

[Akuryo]

Re:

Enric Mas will win this bikerace.

Just to quote myself from page 2 of this thread.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

2 horse race now with 2 stages to go.

 

[perico]

Re: Re:

The surprising unmention of Enric Más in this thread...

It's a who will win thread, not who will finish 7th.

You were saying? To be fair, he’s not going to win, and could still finish 7th, but compared to some of the names mentioned early... he might as well be.

he is still closer to 7th than to 1st

Not anymore... :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[GuyIncognito]

I don't see anyone but Mas or Yates winning. Yates far more likely of course.

Yates if he doesn't blow up. Mas if he does. The combination required for Valverde to win - not getting dropped Sunday while Yates is and Mas doesn't gain a lot of time - seems the least likely of the three.

Now what I'm wondering is how will Mas do, since he seems to be better on steeper shorter climbs like today's

 

[Red Rick]

I don't really think Mas will risk doing something crazy. Nobody will work with him

 

[GuyIncognito]

He must channel the spirit of Contador

 

[Akuryo]

He has the home field advantage, he lives in Andorra and should know those climbs/roads better than any other contender. Don't know if it will be of much help, but he probably has a better idea where to attack than the others.

 

[del1962]

Re:

He has the home field advantage, he lives in Andorra and should know those climbs/roads better than any other contender. Don't know if it will be of much help, but he probably has a better idea where to attack than the others.

Simon Yates is also based in Andorra

 

[Pricey_sky]

Re:

I don't see anyone but Mas or Yates winning. Yates far more likely of course.

Yates if he doesn't blow up. Mas if he does. The combination required for Valverde to win - not getting dropped Sunday while Yates is and Mas doesn't gain a lot of time - seems the least likely of the three.

Now what I'm wondering is how will Mas do, since he seems to be better on steeper shorter climbs like today's

I was actually thinking the same earlier. Valverde’s recent record in GT’s on the longer climbs doesn’t fill me with confidence that he can profit if Yates cracks, whereas Mas looks to be ending this Vuelta in superb form and could claw that gap back over the 2 mountain stages.

 

[Robert5091]

I can see Mas outclimbing Valverde - barring exhaustion - so a second place is nothing to complain about.

Will Yates blow up Giro-wise? MS & Yates said they were not exactly sure what happened at the Giro so they must be anxious.

 

[lartiste]

Re:

I can't see SImon Yates not winning the race now, unfortunately. But people will try, especially Lopez I think. Movistar and Kruijswijk too to some extent, but I don't really believe in them to beat Yates, but I think Lopez and Astana will be the main aggressor

Do not underestimate Lotto Jumbo, they are very offensive team. And they will be trying to help their man.

 

[Pricey_sky]

Re: Re:

I can't see SImon Yates not winning the race now, unfortunately. But people will try, especially Lopez I think. Movistar and Kruijswijk too to some extent, but I don't really believe in them to beat Yates, but I think Lopez and Astana will be the main aggressor

Do not underestimate Lotto Jumbo, they are very offensive team. And they will be trying to help their man.

They were terrible today though, I expected so much more after most of them took it easy in yesterday’s TT. Even when Astana started to pile it on with 30k to go they were down to 3 riders when Astana/Movistar/Mitchelton had 7 each. Hopefully just a bad day and not the start of illness in the camp.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

I don't really think Mas will risk doing something crazy. Nobody will work with him

I don't think so either. But perhaps he doesn't need to. If Yates cracks, all he has to do is outclimb Valverde by a considerable margin. Not extremely likely, but Valverde hasn't looked too good on longer climbs.