UKC

actually forgot it started yesterday so missed Sky actually putting a decent TTT together - nice to see Peter Kennaugh in red for the day. Bertie managed to make things hard for himself again by losing time.

Kwiatkowski of Sky into red as a result of finishing first of all the Sky and Movistar teams as they're all on the same time after yesterday.

In reply to andy:

Cheers for the heads up, I'd forgotten it started today as well.

In reply to Christheclimber:


Yesterday - think the highlights from today are on ITV4 at 10pm tonight, assume you can get yesterday's on catch up..

In reply to andy:

highlights are 7pm . 10pm on day one due to late start

In reply to tim000:


So I've just spotted - assume 7pm each night?

In reply to andy:
yep . only a late one on the TTT because it was a late start . can also watch live on the internet here . http://www.steephill.tv/vuelta-a-espana/#live

In reply to tim000: I pay my £5 a month for sky go, so can usually sneak it on at work on my iPad!

In reply to andy: Mental finish today at 25%+ - Froome looked like he was going to lose time but in the end took a bit of time out of Quintana and Bertie.

In reply to andy:

Jeez this road looks steep - almost as steep and long as Hardknott- but not quite!

Nice scenery

In reply to Chris the Tall:

Brutal - even the surface was rippled making the savage gradient even harder.

In reply to andy:

Is Valverde doing all three big tours this year?

In reply to nufkin:

Like a Duracell bunny isn't he

In reply to balmybaldwin:


He's amazing. I wonder how he does it?

In reply to DaveHK:

Adam Hansen has been doing it for the last 5 years, but apart from the odd stage win he's taken it easy. Valv was 3rd in the Giro and 6th in the tour, so he could be the 3rd man to finish in the top 10 of all three in the same year. Then again when the two guys did it in the 50's, the vuelta was in the spring, so they had hardly any time off

In reply to Chris the Tall:


Looks like taking time off worked quite well for Simon Yates yesterday. A good bit of excitement for the end of the race without surprise bollards being involved.

In reply to Removed UserBwox:

Contador must have angered one of the cycling gods earlier in the year

In reply to nufkin:


Apis?

In reply to nufkin:

Not watched highlights of today's stage yet so not sure what happened to Contador except that he crashed and was Froome caught up in same crash?

In reply to Christheclimber:
Today's was mental. Classic Vuelta climb - short and stupidly steep. Froome looked to be in a bit of bother.

In reply to andy:


Froome still in third, can he improve on this?

In reply to Christheclimber:


It was a weird climb - short but ludicrously steep. Wonder how he'll be when they have more normal climbs - there's a super-tough day next week finishing up the Aubisque.

In reply to andy:

Who's going to win the Veulta? A week in and none the wiser. Excellent.

In reply to andy:

Froome down to 4th place, is the Vuelta a step to far for him to win. He peaked in winning the TDF and then rode the road race and the time trial at the Olympics.

In reply to Christheclimber:


He's not really "down to fourth" though, is he? Movistar let de la Cruz take the jersey so no change at the top. Millar seemed to think he did ok on Saturday, so I guess we'll see more in the Pyrenees.

In reply to andy:
What a stage! Froome looked dead and buried - lost some time to Quinata, but caught and took 25secs out of Bertie. You wonder how much time Quintana needs before the TT on stage 19.

My sums says Quintana has 53secs on Froome.

EDIT: It's 58s - he's going to have to attack, but Quintana can't feel comfortable with a 37km TT to come.

In reply to andy:


I thought he was in fourth place after stage nine? Must be mistaken.......
Not seen today's stage yet.

In reply to Christheclimber: no, he was down to fourth - but they all dropped a place as they let de la Cruz take the jersey. Relative standings of the GC contenders was the same. Not now though...

In reply to andy:


Cowabunga !

Thrilling stuff- once again it's the lesser of the grand tours that are providing all the entertainment.

Wasn't entirely clear from ITV that Froome dropped back as pacing strategy rather than from a mechanical or crash. Then again it wasn't clear when Quintana crashed either - can anyone enlighten me ?

In reply to Chris the Tall:

No, but what a brilliant race. The scenery was fabulous too. What more could you ask for?

In reply to Chris the Tall:

I wonder why Quintana can't ride the mountains like that on Le Tour? Having said that he's a class act and I hope he wins the Vuelta if Froome doesn't.

In reply to Gone for good:


Form. It's a slippery beast.

In reply to Gone for good:

'Allergies' was the stated reason, so that could mean hay fever, a cold or something else. One thing to remember is that Sky have nowhere near as strong as team as they had at the tour, nor is Froome as focused, nor does the course suit him as well.

In reply to Chris the Tall: i think it'll be interesting if Froome's within 90 secs or so when they get to the TT. Over 37km you could see him taking a minute or two out of Quintana, so they could go into the last mountain stage with a winner takes all situation. Fabulous race.

In reply to Chris the Tall:




Don't know about Quintana's crash (there was a biggie early on with three withdrawals), but Froome just sat with two team mates and watched a group ride away (to about 45 secs) then gradually wound them back in.

In reply to andy:

Everyone seems to think Froome was simply riding at a consistent pace and obeying his power meter, but I wonder if he had a problem at the bottom and this led his rivals to attack and go harder than they would normally have done, and all except Quintana paid the price.

There are another 4 uphill finishes before the TT at Calpe, including the Aubisque on stage 14 and another big one on the saturday. Froome can't afford to ship 30 seconds on each one

In reply to Chris the Tall:


Absolutely not.

He didn't look to have a problem when he dropped back (I watched it live) but I know what you mean - he did seem to be there one minute and not the next (and there were some weaker riders still with the Bertie/Quintana group), so maybe.

In reply to andy:

Heard an interview with David Lopez. Says Froome was unsure of his form so wanted to ride at a steady pace until he knew how he was doing. Sounds plausible, but would be interesting to know whether he effectively did a negative split, which is how it looked. Obviously his rivals would be interested to know that as well.

Can't say I agree with this http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/quintana-calls-for-power-meters-to-be-banne... as you could say the same for HRMs and GPS. Getting rid of race radios on the other hand would be good IMHO

In reply to Chris the Tall:

From a saddo armchair spectator point of view, I'd like to see more power data available, not less. Mainly because its just interesting but also it makes it harder to hide anomolies.

In reply to GrahamD:


And how exactly would you define an 'anomoly'? Or even 'anomaly'.
The traditional way is 'any power peak from a rider I don't like'.

In reply to andy:

Looking more and more like a two horse race after that stage.

In reply to GrahamD:
Looking that way, but maybe Movistar will use the fact that Valverde is still just a few seconds back to try some different tactics. It's all very well whinging about Froome and his power meter, but all they do is wait til the final climb before attacking (and then only very occasionally). Suspect we will have a couple of quiet days and the next GC battle will come on the Aubisque on Saturday.

I'd say that after today Froome is back as favourite, but there's so many opportunities for Quintana to take more time before the TT that it's still very much in the balance

In reply to Chris the Tall:
Another awesome stage though, eh? What a belting race. Konig's looking good for Sky and Yates is sitting pretty for a top ten (five?).

I didn't see a lot of power meter riding from Froome today, anyway!

In reply to Chris the Tall:


Really? I can't split them at the moment. A great end to today's stage and entertaining to see Froome and Quintana fight it out for the win.

In reply to Gone for good:


If you sit on the fence you get splinters in your arse !!

I agree it's superbly balanced, but I reckon yesterday has just swung the balance in favour of Froome. Yes there are still 4 uphill finishes to come, but it seems that CF is riding into form and might be able to stay with NQ on some of them. Whether he can stay with NQ to the finishes of this weekend's double bill is another matter, but at the same time I doubt if NQ is confident he can take the extra minute or so he'll need to have a hope of retaining the lead after the TT. He'll need to take a risk and attack early, which doesn't seem to be his style. If anything I could see CF trying to do a few tricks - maybe go for a downhill attack today.

I think NQ's guff about power meters is a sign he is a bit rattled - though I have to say that I'm impressed by the way Movistar portray themselves as the plucky underdogs against the dominant sky machines, yet they lead in every category on the race ! Quality mind games - but they already have the public support in Spain and don't think it has any effect on CF - liked his comment about going back to single speed bikes.

In reply to andy:


Dan Friebe is convinced Konig's leaving sky at the end of the season, hasn't really fitted in and is riding for himself as much as anything. Looked that way on Cavadonga, but less so yesterday. If he does stay at Sky he'll have moved up the pecking order a bit - maybe get a shot at the Giro next year (or will it be Thomas, or both)

Likewise Orica now have 3 genuine GC riders and you wonder who will do what next year

In reply to Chris the Tall:

It will be interesting with Yates twins, Adam is probably the more classic climber and Simon is a bit punchier. Obviously Simon not being at the Tour this year wasn't entirely down to team selection, but I wonder if Orica see Simon as a classics + vuelta rider, more all around riders have traditionally done better at the vuelta than the tour.

In reply to andy:

Interesting snippet: The lack of big name sprinters has meant less teams prepared to work to keep the peleton together, which means more work for the leader's team. Sky exploited this yesterday by getting two riders in the break (though more by luck than design), who didn't do that much work, but kept it going. Only Astana - hoping to set up LL Sanchez, contributed much effort to help Movistar.

In reply to andy:

I have a chuckle every day to see the (gorgeous) podium girls stand several inches taller than Quintana despite being on the lower steps of the podium.

In reply to Yanis Nayu: another belting stage - Yates looking super strong, Froome looking really good too. Quintana must be getting a bit concerned now.

In reply to andy:

Another exciting day, for unexpected reasons. For me this is becoming one of the most entertaining grand tours in recent years

In reply to Yanis Nayu:


A) you get the impression that he went over the bars a lot as a kid, and squashed his neck once too often
B) that childhood was back in the '50s

Anyway, cracking stage today, some many sub-plots. Looked like Movistar had played a blinder getting Moreno in the break, making Sky do the work, but Orica scuppered that with an even better plan. And not just Yates, but Chaves too, both moving up the GC and into serious contention. Almost a British combine, as opposed to the traditional Spanish one.

Anyone still reckon Quintana is the favourite?

In reply to Chris the Tall:



Exactly! He looks about 60!


Yes, it was exciting stuff. Gesink deserved the win; he absolutely buried himself. Yates is a really exciting rider, and I love Chavez.


Swinging Froome's way by the day I think.

In reply to kevin stephens:


I've never watched the Vuelta before, and I nearly gave up on it when I watched an early stage that seemed to be almost entirely on a straight dual-carriageway, but it's been absolutely brilliant.

In reply to Yanis Nayu:

Anyone know why Froome is wearing a white jersey instead of the usual black sky one?

In reply to wynaptomos:

It's the combined jersey (I think he's still borrowing it from Quintana)

In reply to balmybaldwin:

I didn't see the Fertiberia advert coming.

In reply to balmybaldwin:

Quite funny listening to David Miller saying how non of the riders actually understood what the combined jersey was actually for

In reply to andy:

Wouldn't be surprised if Sky tried something today, partly because they don't really need to and so everyone is expecting them to be defensive. Froome was able to withstand Quintana's attacks yesterday, so maybe on a shorter stage he will feel he can go a bit harder

In reply to GrahamD:

The old combined jersey in the tour, as worn by Hinault on Alpe D'huez, was a great and iconic design. But they dropped it years ago, presumably because it was rarely worn by right guy, since he would inevitably be leading some other comp. And particularly in the vuelta, where the GC riders are usually high up in both points and KOM. White should be for youth, and Yates would be wearing it.

In reply to Chris the Tall:

There is a young rider comp, but is there no jersey?

In reply to Chris the Tall:


Should be a good 'un. Unfortunately travelling today so hoping to be somewhere with decent wifi to watch the end of the stage.

In reply to andy: bloody hell, Sky. Marginal Goons.

What were they thinking of?

In reply to andy:

Didn't see that coming. Great stage.

In reply to Yanis Nayu:


Magnificent!

In reply to Mike Highbury:
Is anyone else thinking of hanging themselves from boredom listening to the "commentary" on the Tour of Britain?

Noticed another Cannondale rider chucking his bottle to the side of the road when he was right next to the team car today. I know people often pick them up as souvenirs, but my anti-littering instincts still make me think it's unnecessarily careless

I Probably shouldn't let that spoil the spectacle, mind

In reply to nufkin:

Me too. I'd be tempted to throw them back if near me. Encourages bad behaviour generally e.g. the inner tube co2 canister and gloves I found by the road recently (yes I did pick them up)

In reply to Mike Highbury:

Best stage of the year of any race IMO.

In reply to andy:

Only just got round to watching, hey not much would happen on such a short stage....

Wow - hats off to Bertie and Quintana, such a brilliant move, didn't see that coming. But then again, neither did Sky or Orica.

In reply to nufkin: they are apparently biodegradeable nowadays.

In reply to andy:

Great day... Both Froome and Brailsford were very diplomatic in the interviews, but I'd love to have been a fly on the wall in the Sky bus afterwards. For the first time in a long time Sky were tactically inept!!
Thats a lot of time to make back...

In reply to Yanis Nayu:


Haha, now you mention it!
The wee man's cracked it (Sunday) as well.

In reply to andy:

Be interesting if froome can grab anything, but i think that may be his goose cooked. Amazing that they didn't spot the massing of tinkoff riders during the roll out.

Just shows how fun a short stage can be!

In reply to andy:


Well, that's not quite so bad.
Maybe the UCI can introduce a fine for littering. Or time penalties

In reply to Lusk:


And Kenny whatshisname (in the KoM jersey, I think) is even worse. He looks like a twelve-year-old when mixed up in the breakaways. It was hard to judge how far apart everyone was on Saturday's summit finish since the scale was all wonky

In reply to nufkin:



I think they do in triathlon.

In reply to andy:

I think they do issue fines, just as they do for weeing in the wrong place, but the teams just shrug it off. And time penalties would only concern the dozen or so riders at the top of the GC. What would be good is if they introduced the stop/go penalties you get in triathlons, thus forcing the riders to put in extra effort to get back to the bunch.

Some riders do try to throw bottles to fans, but there is also a risk that a bottle could bounce back into the peleton and cause a crash.

In reply to Chris the Tall:

Brutal climb at the end of today's stage. Froome running out of days to cut the time gap.
A fairly flat stage tomorrow and then the time trial. Quintana now hot favourite!

In reply to andy:

Excellent win for Froome in the time trial today. One minute and twenty one seconds behind Quintana.

In reply to Christheclimber:

What a fantastic ride by Froome. Last chance saloon for Team Sky tomorrow. I wonder if the team will be strong enough to keep Froome at the front?

In reply to Gone for good:


Let's all pray for that not to happen.

In reply to Mike Highbury:


Yep, the tin foil hat brigade would go ballistic and the resultant internet meltdown would send us back to the Stone Age.

Really disappointed today, was hoping for some long lingering shots of the penon.

We'll obviously never know what would have happened today without stage 15, but I suspect NQ decided to play safe and not risk a crash. Can't see Froome turning it round, but should be a fascinating stage. Maybe Orica will go for broke?

Looks like Sanchez is out, chapeau for finishing in that state, horrible looking injuries

In reply to Mike Highbury:


Why?

In reply to Yanis Nayu:


Excellent finish and steephill is way better in Greece, BTW

In reply to Mike Highbury:

What a great Vuelta it has been this year and Nairo Quintana is the deserved winner. Hats off to you Nairo and I'm already looking forward to Le Tour next year. Froome deserves credit for taking the race down to the wire and I'm sure he will come back next season with the Vuelta on his list of must wins.

In reply to Gone for good:

The Vuelta's been brilliant, and Quintana's a deserving winner. His rivalry with Froome is really good for the sport, and Froome's sportsmanship on the line was good to see. He's a gentleman. Great to see Chavez on the podium too - I just love the guy. He must be great to have on your team.

In reply to Gone for good: and nice sportsmanship from Froome to applaud Quintana over the line. Superb ride from Quintana - tactically and physically. Credit to Valverde as a super-super domestique too. Chapeau, Movistar.

In reply to andy:

Agree with those last 3 comments, been a great race, chapeau all round.
Feel a bit sorry for Bertie - yes I know, but it was his attack on stage 15 that turned this race around, but in the end it didn't benefit him.
Interesting that the top 3 have all been on the podium in one or other of the grand tours. I think it's great for the sport that la vuelta is becoming more important and attracting the attention of the big names.

In reply to Chris the Tall:
agree re Bertie - he has had some crap luck and that attack showed what a proper bike racer he is. You do wonder how much of his slight lack of form at the pointy end of stages was down to him falling off a lot early in the race.

In reply to andy:

When interviewed yesterday Contador was asked if would win the Vuelta in 2017; his response was "le Tour, le Tour". Would anyone risk putting a bet on any of these 3 for the TdF next year?

In reply to andy:

There is also the possibility that his bad luck is an indication of a lack of form at the non-pointy end of things ! In both the tour and the vuelta he has go down in those innocuous crashes in the middle of the peloton, the sort of crashes that are very often caused by a moments inattention from tired riders. The Berie of old wouldn't be amongst such riders.

In reply to Chris the Tall: yes, guess so - he does seem to have got into a bit of a habit of daft crashes in the last year or two. I think it was interesting that when Sky didn't have their "a-team" out to support Froome they looked a lot more beatable.

In reply to Yanis Nayu:


Yes the Vuelta has been really good. Quintana has been excellent and Froom was magnanimous in accepting his loss yesterday to him. Really enjoyed the battle between Latour and Atapuma.

In reply to Christheclimber:
Did you see on the ITV highlights that they thought Atapuma was racing for the wrong line - the KoM was a few hundred metres before the actual finish. Shame if true.

In reply to andy:


Yes saw the highlights. What a bummer for Atapuma.