Vuelta a España Who Will Win the Vuelta 2019?

[Pantani_lives]

Four days before the Vuelta it's time for a poll. Who is your favourite for the final victory? Nine candidates are listed. If you vote "other" you can specify it in the thread.

 

[Blanco]

Alejandro Valverde Belmonte will win this bike race!

 

[movingtarget]

A South American will win...........

 

[Salvarani]

What yall think Pogacar can do? Top 10 or even better?

 

[Cookster15]

Head says Roglič. Heart says Quintana. Roglič gets my vote. Not confident though as he hasn't revealed his form. In his favour is he isn't coming into the Vuelta too hot. Love to see Chaves go well but of the South Americans I would rank MAL and Carapaz higher.

 

[Cinemaniak]

If Roglic reaches and keeps his 'normal' level, I don't see him losing this Vuelta. Climbs suit him, just like the TTT+ITT..

 

[rick james]

Lol why is Valverde on the list

 

[DJ Sprtsch]

He is gong to win, that's why.

 

[Salvarani]

If Roglic reaches and keeps his 'normal' level, I don't see him losing this Vuelta. Climbs suit him, just like the TTT+ITT..

He is definitely the favorite, but idk if the longer and really steep climbs suit him more than others. He had problems on Mortirolo in Giro, whether he came in too hot or not, and there are some climbs with similar or higher gradients. Idk if that could matter. I think having a very strong team to control will help a lot, which he didnt have in the Giro. He will be hard to beat if he finds some of that form from earlier in the season.

 

[Pantani_lives]

What yall think Pogacar can do? Top 10 or even better?

He might be better than Aru. Top 10 seems very possible, but it's only his first GT.

Lol why is Valverde on the list

The course suits him, with a lot of middle mountains and finishes on muritos.

 

[spalco]

Puh, no idea. I guess doing two GTs in a year doesn't matter anymore?

I'm going with Carapaz I suppose, he's proven he can win over 3 weeks whereas most of the others on that list, including Roglic and MAL haven't.

I'm mostly hoping for a South American GT sweep though.

 

[Lequack]

 

[Carols]

Roglič his time has come!

 

[rick james]

Think Roglic has learned his lesson the same way Yates last year learned his

 

[Blanco]

Lol why is Valverde on the list

Because he's a freaking legend! Did you even watched Vuelta in the last 15-20 years?! Or the Tour is cycling?!

 

[rick james]

Because he's a freaking legend! Did you even watched Vuelta in the last 15-20 years?! Or the Tour is cycling?!

Aye, he’s shown he won’t win it

 

[Cance > TheRest]

Think Roglic has learned his lesson the same way Yates last year learned his

Two very dissimilar situations, if you ask me.

As far as I am concerned, Yates out-raced himself in the beginning of last year's Giro. Meanwhile, Roglic rode defensively throughout the entire Giro, but just faded in the last week of the race (the reasons for him fading could be many things but it certainly was not because he made the same errors as Yates did the year before).

 

[Singer01]

Because he's a freaking legend! Did you even watched Vuelta in the last 15-20 years?! Or the Tour is cycling?!

He hasn't won a GC for 10 years, he hasn't looked like winning one since 2012? What has the past got to do with now? Also, since his WC win, he has lost the eye of the tiger.

 

[Noddy97]

Because he's a freaking legend! Did you even watched Vuelta in the last 15-20 years?! Or the Tour is cycling?!

So because he is a legend, he is a favourite? nonsense... the guy is 39 years old, he is not a gt contender anymore, even in his prime years he only won one vuelta because the stars alligned to that win.

 

[tobydawq]

He was a couple of stages from winning last year and the race suits him better this year + in the Tour he showed he has still got it.

People have kept saying thrughout the last many years that Valverde is not a GC candidate, yet he rides GC much more successfully than most others.

 

[Noddy97]

He was a couple of stages from winning last year and the race suits him better this year + in the Tour he showed he has still got it.

People have kept saying thrughout the last many years that Valverde is not a GC candidate, yet he rides GC much more successfully than most others.

Seriously?

 

[tobydawq]

Seriously?

Sorry, it's spelled throughout, my mistake.

Otherwise, yes, pretty seriously...

 

[wheresmybrakes]

The only outcome I can see with Movistar is them getting the team classification (as usual). Hope NQ and Carapaz don't end up having to lose out on going for the win just to get Valverde onto the podium. I would like NQ to get the win but the team JV have got, I can't see Roglic not winning.

 

[Pantani_lives]

Of course Ineos waited until after the poll creation to change its line-up, so Poels isn't in the poll.

 

[Bolder]

I'm going with a "head" candidate and several "heart" candidates. I picked Carapaz, simply because he can hold his own in the TT but is the best climber in the field, based on his Giro performance.

My "heart" candidates are Roglic, Lopez and Quintana. Having said that, I think any of the listed riders can win, except for Valverde.

There seems to be a groundswell of consensus growing around Roglic, but tbh I think Carapaz can take minutes from him on the final finishing ramps in Stages 7 and 13, and maybe stage 5 too. Of course, he'll need those minutes, as I expect JV to take at least 1:30 from Movistar in the opening TTT and Roglic to take another 2 mintues in the ITT, if not more in both...at the end of the Giro it still looked to me like Carapaz had more in the tank whereas Roglic was emptied. Of course that was months ago.