World Championships Innsbruck 2018

[portugal11]

Re:

Valverde's biggest issue at Lombardia is that he's usually close to if not over 90 race days by the time he races it. He's still managed to podium there with a good 10 to 20 more race days than any of the other GC riders by the time you get to Lombardia. Also he's won and has multiple podiums at San Sebastian after racing for GC at the Tour. Many of the guys he's racing against at San Sebastian weren't racing for GC at the Tour. The guys who are most likely to beat Valverde at this year's worlds aside from Nibali are NOT the top level GC riders.

no... valverde's biggest issue is that lombardia isn't so controlled as liege or fleche. We all know that liege and fleche is decided in the final 300 meters (nowadays) and this is tailormade for a perfect uphill sprinter like valverde. the number of race days never was a problem for valverde and never will be, the guy is a monster all season. how many podiums valverde have in the worlds? A lot!! and he always comes to the worlds with 20 or more race days than the other favourites.

 

[Koronin]

Re: Re:

Valverde's biggest issue at Lombardia is that he's usually close to if not over 90 race days by the time he races it. He's still managed to podium there with a good 10 to 20 more race days than any of the other GC riders by the time you get to Lombardia. Also he's won and has multiple podiums at San Sebastian after racing for GC at the Tour. Many of the guys he's racing against at San Sebastian weren't racing for GC at the Tour. The guys who are most likely to beat Valverde at this year's worlds aside from Nibali are NOT the top level GC riders.

no... valverde's biggest issue is that lombardia isn't so controlled as liege or fleche. We all know that liege and fleche is decided in the final 300 meters (nowadays) and this is tailormade for a perfect uphill sprinter like valverde. the number of race days never was a problem for valverde and never will be, the guy is a monster all season. how many podiums valverde have in the worlds? A lot!! and he always comes to the worlds with 20 or more race days than the other favourites.

He's got 6. However, there is something to it. Even the team has said they've got to find a way to get him to the worlds with less than 90 race days this year. If he didn't screw up the race himself the year Costa won he probably wins that one. Yes he has managed to screw up races himself and it's cost him wins over the years. He'll be a bit fresher if the team can get him to the Worlds with 85 race days instead of 90. He's even said once you hit 90 race days it becomes too much for him even though he's still managed to get a top 5 at Lombardia with over 90 race days. Now for this year's Worlds Spain needs to actually take a team solely dedicated to him instead of a split team, which most likely means you do not put Landa on the Worlds team. The thing the other riders also KNOW if they take Valverde to the finish with them he wins in a sprint. That is something they know before they ever start Lombardia or this year's Worlds. The question is can someone attack from far enough away and hold on. Nibali would be the best candidate to actually do that. But if they take Valverde to the top of the final climb with them or even if he loose a little on the climb and catches them on the decent he wins in the sprint. He can out sprint anyone who is going to be there after that last climb on a flat sprint. The guys who can out sprint him can't climb well enough to be there in the end of this one.

 

[jaylew]

Re:

^^And the other Italian monument. (Not to mention the several championship courses over the years.)

That said, San Sebastian is one of the bigger classics that ends after a descent.

I can't believe you mentioned MSR

 

[slosada]

So, you get Pantano and Atapuma as either, break or Doms. Then Lopez, Nairo and Bernal for a long range attack. Finally, you save Uran, Henao and Betancur for the last chance.... I still have one open spot... Torres can take it as he has had good Lombardias.
Edit: Fvk! I forgot Chaves

 

[jaylew]

Re:

Edit: Fvk! I forgot Chaves

And he's the one with the monument

 

[Netserk]

Re: Re:

^^And the other Italian monument. (Not to mention the several championship courses over the years.)

That said, San Sebastian is one of the bigger classics that ends after a descent.

I can't believe you mentioned MSR

You feel bad for not having Ronde mentioned in the same go?

 

[barmaher]

RVV ends after a descent. Indeed, Roubaix can end after a descent too. Depending on how the riders use the banking on the track.

 

[MightyWheelSucker]

FW has descending gradients at the end, so it is (relative) descend as well.

 

[portugal11]

Re:

RVV ends after a descent. Indeed, Roubaix can end after a descent too. Depending on how the riders use the banking on the track.

 

[Krokro]

Why is this "descending" nonsense still going on? This is becoming really sad to read..

 

[Gigs_98]

Re:

Why is this "descending" nonsense still going on? This is becoming really sad to read..

What do you mean?

 

[Krokro]

I meant this almost troll debate about arguing FW, RRV and Roubaix finishes are after a descent (on the last few posts).

 

[Son of Amsterhammer]

The chance this ends in a sprint of more than 3 riders seems like a long shot. The steepness of that last climb will bury almost everyone. Valverde is favorite for sure, but I could see a whole bunch of riders winning this. It’s going to be a climber though, that last climb rules out any miracles. I guess I’m ok with that, as the climbers never really get a shot at worlds.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

So Nibali reconned the course and said it's the hardest WC course he ever saw and the last climb resembles more a mountainbike climb type of effort.

It's going to be insanely hard

 

[Red Rick]

So Nibali reconned the course and said it's the hardest WC course he ever saw and the last climb resembles more a mountainbike climb type of effort.

It's going to be insanely hard

You know what that means right?

Group ride to the last 2 climbs.

 

[Climbing]

Well, distance 261.74 Km altitude gain 4958 m.
Number don't lie, good chance at an actual real mano a mano.

Edit: Cassani said that that last muro has max of 28%... that is insane.

 

[Koronin]

So Nibali reconned the course and said it's the hardest WC course he ever saw and the last climb resembles more a mountainbike climb type of effort.

It's going to be insanely hard

You know what that means right?

Group ride to the last 2 climbs.

Yep.

 

[Rollthedice]

So Nibali reconned the course and said it's the hardest WC course he ever saw and the last climb resembles more a mountainbike climb type of effort.

It's going to be insanely hard

You know what that means right?

Group ride to the last 2 climbs.

Nibali said it will be very difficult to manage, control and for feeding, fellow riders will be in for a surprise when they'll see the difficulty. Cassani added that there's 28% at some point on the last climb of the race.

 

[Red Rick]

So Nibali reconned the course and said it's the hardest WC course he ever saw and the last climb resembles more a mountainbike climb type of effort.

It's going to be insanely hard

You know what that means right?

Group ride to the last 2 climbs.

Nibali said it will be very difficult to manage, control and for feeding, fellow riders will be in for a surprise when they'll see the difficulty. Cassani added that there's 28% at some point on the last climb of the race.

Are the Worlds with one less rider per team as well?

 

[Gigs_98]

Use that super steep climb earlier so you still have something like two more regular climbs after it and you have a superb route with action from far out almost guaranteed. Now you instead most likely have a big group coming to that murito where the big stars will battle it out. Nibali will probably be the one most angry about this decision since for him this murito destroys an otherwise perfect route. I really would have had a hard time seeing anyone else winning there, but now I'm not so sure. He has shown before that he is very strong on climbs that don't suit him if the race before has been hard enough, but 28%? That might be too much for him.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

I thought WC is also a rider less yeah.

And when it's this hard there is no control. Plus my hope is Colombians will slaughter the field early on

 

[Koronin]

So Nibali reconned the course and said it's the hardest WC course he ever saw and the last climb resembles more a mountainbike climb type of effort.

It's going to be insanely hard

You know what that means right?

Group ride to the last 2 climbs.

Nibali said it will be very difficult to manage, control and for feeding, fellow riders will be in for a surprise when they'll see the difficulty. Cassani added that there's 28% at some point on the last climb of the race.

Are the Worlds with one less rider per team as well?

Don't think so. Remember only 5 countries have a full 9 man roster. Most teams will have 6 riders or less anyway.

 

[Climbing]

It's 8 riders for top 10 nations I think http://www.uci.ch/mm/Document/News/News/18/54/12/CMR-Systèmedequalification2018-ENG_English.PDF

Edit: wherever you put that last ascent, after almost 5000 altitude gain I seriously doubt there will be a big group...

Edit2: obviously "28% zomg" it's just an hairpin somewhere between km 1.5 - 2.5 of the climb, so it's not Los Muchachos level is my guess.

 

[Rollthedice]

So Nibali reconned the course and said it's the hardest WC course he ever saw and the last climb resembles more a mountainbike climb type of effort.

It's going to be insanely hard

You know what that means right?

Group ride to the last 2 climbs.

Nibali said it will be very difficult to manage, control and for feeding, fellow riders will be in for a surprise when they'll see the difficulty. Cassani added that there's 28% at some point on the last climb of the race.

Are the Worlds with one less rider per team as well?

9.2.034 For the Men Elite, Women Elite, Men Under 23 and Men Juniors XCO events and the
Men Elite and Men Juniors DHI events, the maximum number of riders (apart from
reserves) for each team is determined on the basis of the classification by nation of the
previous year's world championships, as per the table below:
Nations ranked Maximum number of riders (except reserves)
1 to 10 and the host nation 7
11 to 20 6
21 to 30 5
31 or after 4
Unranked nations 3

 

[Red Rick]

So Nibali reconned the course and said it's the hardest WC course he ever saw and the last climb resembles more a mountainbike climb type of effort.

It's going to be insanely hard

You know what that means right?

Group ride to the last 2 climbs.

Nibali said it will be very difficult to manage, control and for feeding, fellow riders will be in for a surprise when they'll see the difficulty. Cassani added that there's 28% at some point on the last climb of the race.

Are the Worlds with one less rider per team as well?

9.2.034 For the Men Elite, Women Elite, Men Under 23 and Men Juniors XCO events and the
Men Elite and Men Juniors DHI events, the maximum number of riders (apart from
reserves) for each team is determined on the basis of the classification by nation of the
previous year's world championships, as per the table below:
Nations ranked Maximum number of riders (except reserves)
1 to 10 and the host nation 7
11 to 20 6
21 to 30 5
31 or after 4
Unranked nations 3

Thanks. That's gonna be a *** to control.

Might compile a list of some sorts of GT of riders who've gotten top 5 in GTs or LBL/Lombardia in the run up to the WC