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Vuelta al Tachira Discussion
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| roturn |
Posted on 25-07-2016 17:16
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It`s already the 8th edition of the Vuelta al Tachira, which shows the prestige of that early season stage race and the regular opener for the mountains in the MG season.
Some of the biggest PCT riders use to ride here and it`s not surprising that several former winners come back again in 2016.  Marquez won the race twice even in 2010/13 and once more must be watched as he knows these roads better than most others. The two other former winners will have it a lot harder to repeat this as the field is stronger than ever.  Ochoa Quintero 2011 and  Maillet 2014 are solid riders but far from the very best in 2016 and will need to fight for a top10 even.
So who are those top riders, that participate in the 2016 edition?
First the potential top climber in the whole division! No else than  Machado is at the start and surely he wants to set a first big sign. His last season was not as good as many had thought, but it`s a good possibility here to improve.
Then we have 2 very strong riders, who used to be in Pro Tour teams for a long team challenging the very best in any mountain race, taking big wins here and there. First is  Martin, who did step down to ride in his home team. He is one of the best stage racers on any level and might be Machado`s biggest challenger.
The other is  Ricco, a former Giro d'Italia winner, who also stepped down to improve African cycling even more!
It`s quite obvious that most of the top favourites are rather old already with many being 30+. The oldest of them is  Rujano, who was runner-up here in 2014 ahead of Marquez actually. Being the best home rider in this race, he surely wants to show something before his career slowly comes to an end. In especially as he is also riding for the home team Aeropostal Venezuela Ciclismo. Their strength clearly are the mountains with a huge support for him with 5 riders from this region even. Only 3 others are at the start!
And while those names already make it a stronger startlist as in the past, we aren`t finished yet. With  Pinot and  Kiserlovski two more top PCT climbers will hope for glory in this early season race.
Many of them surely had hoped to sneak a win quite easily here or at least a podium seeing the recent competition and the amount of race days in a C1 event. Though we should see a big battle with some huge winners and some hugely disappointed riders instead, who even miss out on a top5.
This even more counts for the next couple of good stage racers, who surely did not see such strong peloton coming:  Talansky,  Brenes,  Chamorro,  Rodrigues, Cataldo,  Gilanipoor or in especially the big gamble of one of the CT`s best stage racers in  De la Cruz.
As only CT team Ticos Air Costa Rica decided to challenge the better PCT squads. And while De la Cruz isn`t the worst choice and would have been a potential top5 candidate in 2015, this year it seems as if it`s an early season shock for them.
While the race offers 2 hill rated stages, no puncheur was nominated to enter this race, so it will be the stage racers with good allround skills to challenge for the win there.
| Rider | Mountain | Hill | Team | | Machado | 84 | 77 | Porto - Prio | | Martin | 82 | 77 | Banc na hÉireann | | Ricco | 81 | 79 | Team Telkom for Africa | | Rujano | 80 | 72 | Aeropostal Venezuela Ciclismo | | Pinot | 80 | 74 | Ayubowan! | | Marquez | 80 | 71 | SanCor | | Kiserlovski | 80 | 75 | Shimano - Siam Cement Team | | Talansky | 79 | 77 | Flores - Ceitec | | Brenes | 79 | 73 | Indosat - ANZ | | Chamorro | 78 | 75 | Coldeportes | | Signorini | 78 | 69 | Indosat - ANZ | | Rodrigues | 78 | 73 | Novatek-Panarmenian.net | | Meintjes | 78 | 76 | Team Telkom for Africa | | De la Cruz | 78 | 75 | Team Ticos Air Costa Rica | | Cataldo | 78 | 75 | Vontobel | | Pereyra | 77 | 67 | Aeropostal Venezuela Ciclismo | | Ochoa Quintero | 77 | 73 | Azteca - NBCSN | | Gilanipoor | 77 | 71 | Compal-Merida | | Maillet | 77 | 70 | Vontobel |
With 3 pan flat opening stages, it`s no surprise to see a couple of sprinters at the start even though the very best might focus other races with less mountains. Last year it was a fight between Avelino, Bouhanni, Krieger and Keukeleire mainly, with only the last one not able to take a win. The 5th stage is another one for the sprinters, which though also favours the breakaway due to some hills/mountains on the route.
This year it might be very similar. The top sprinter in this race is Appollonio, which gives Vontobel a 2nd scoring option in case Cataldo can`t challenge the better climbers. The newly maxed Italian is a strong sprinter and could challenge in the PCT surely.
Serebriakov and Castañeda are the next on the list and both are horrible climbers, so the 3 flat profiles without any KoM`s should go to their favour. Though first won the hillier 5th stage back in 2013.
From the remaining best chances to annoy the 3 have Petit and Bennett. While first has the biggest engine of all sprinters, later proved in past seasons to be an excellent PCT sprinter capable to beat the better. In fact he won 2 sprints here in 2014 in a weaker sprint field.
Small mention of Gatto. While being Appollonio`s leadout, which is already worth a mention, he might be the only real sprinter, who could even go for the win on the final day, which is a half flat, half hilly circuit.
| Rider | Sprint | Acc | Hill | Team | | Appollonio | 81 | 78 | 66 | Vontobel | | Serebriakov | 80 | 77 | 61 | Novatek-Panarmenian.net | | Castañeda | 80 | 79 | 59 | Flores - Ceitec | | Petit | 79 | 78 | 65 | Ayubowan! | | Bennett | 79 | 79 | 63 | Banc na hÉireann | | Forero | 79 | 74 | 60 | Coldeportes | | Gatto | 78 | 72 | 74 | Vontobel | | Keough | 78 | 75 | 64 | Indosat - ANZ | | Haidar Anuawar | 78 | 76 | 56 | Shimano - Siam Cement Team | | Tleubayev | 77 | 77 | 66 | Compal-Merida | | Caldeira | 77 | 79 | 63 | Porto - Prio | | Sutton | 77 | 77 | 62 | Compal-Merida | | Carvalho | 77 | 77 | 61 | Porto - Prio | | Cardoso | 76 | 75 | 71 | Aeropostal Venezuela Ciclismo | | Hawkins | 76 | 74 | 64 | Banc na hÉireann | | Speirs | 76 | 80 | 62 | Banc na hÉireann |
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| jph27 |
Posted on 25-07-2016 17:24
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The aim for Pinot here has to be to fight for the Top 5, and to finish in the Top 10 at the very least. Machado, Martin and Ricco ought to be a class apart here - don't even get why they're here to be honest  - but he should be able to compete quite well with anyone else in the field.
For the sprints, Petit looks like he could do quite nicely considering the opposition isn't the strongest, so I'll be hoping for a stage podium from him at least. Gallopin and Sisira are here alongside our talents for breakaway duty, hope they can pull off a surprise at some point. |
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| roturn |
Posted on 25-07-2016 17:28
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Last year Daan Olivier 5th and Fabio Aru 8th or so for my team. With 77/78 mountain. I really loved the race afterwards.
This year the startlist is so much more filled with elite stage racers. 10 race days in a non HC event is quite surprising tbh and not all will get what they wanted pre race due to that. |
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| trekbmc |
Posted on 25-07-2016 17:28
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Looks like some strong riders went here to race I here in a small field, Ricco is my pick to win but. I hope Marquez pulls through for Ian. 
"What done is, is one." - Benji Naesen
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Posted on 22-11-2024 18:56
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| whitejersey |
Posted on 25-07-2016 17:31
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This is a very interesting stage race, 3! uphill finishes and one with a very minor descent afterwards, should come down the best pure climber in the bunch!
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| Smowz |
Posted on 25-07-2016 17:39
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Yikes Machado is here, goodness gracious Tachira fast becoming a mini GT type race. If a stage racer can dominate then Race Days become worth the waste. Hard to look past Machado - Martin - Ricco podium really.
Haider Anuawar actually won a stage here back when startlists were sane!
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| tsmoha |
Posted on 25-07-2016 17:40
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| Miguel98 |
Posted on 25-07-2016 17:44
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Well, fuck. There goes one goal out of the window already |
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| Margh Norway |
Posted on 25-07-2016 17:45
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"...who surely did not see such strong peloton coming"
You can bet your life on it!!!
Can already fold the first part of our plan:
Getting Cataldo in a top5 spot to make it a raceworthy GC-result.
Our second part suddenly becomes top priority:
Winning the first stages and wearing the leader jersey until stage 4.
Otherwise we can make good use of a Maillet miracle like two years back.
Best of luck to all, hope we're having an exciting race.
Thanks for the detailed preview, roturn!
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| matt17br |
Posted on 25-07-2016 17:48
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Ohh what a packed startlist already, certainly quite a bit stronger than last year's!
Gonna be exciting to see how Machado fares here since Porto relies on him as always for promotion, but I'm predicting a Martin win here really.
Vobtobel caught the lucky boat sending Apoollonio here who is the best sprinter among many fatty sprinters, and I'm expecting him to do a Granjel at America here.
Thanks for the preview roturn!
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| The Rider |
Posted on 25-07-2016 17:53
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What a race. What a preview. Hopefully the racing lives up to that, Roturn. Smallish startlist - three big favourites behind that I have to say Talansky has a great chance of finishing fourth. Castañeda might do something in the sprints. Top 5 GC goal for us - crossing our fingers.
roturn wrote:
This year the startlist is so much more filled with elite stage racers. 10 race days in a non HC event is quite surprising tbh and not all will get what they wanted pre race due to that.
Yeah. Sending perhaps the best stage racer in the division to a c1 race where you probably will not get the race lead until stage 7 is ... different! |
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| Stromeon |
Posted on 25-07-2016 17:59
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Gambled on foregoing our top 5 goal here, which I would never have set if I thought we would be successful in acquiring Urán in the transfer season, by not sending him across the border to Venezuela. Looks like it might pay off points wise, with a relatively poor PpRD to be expected on such a long stage race against such a strong field; and more importantly that's 10 race days later in the season where the Urángutan won't have to face off against Machado!
Hopefully Chamorro can climb well and Forero not be too shit; breaks are hopefully a good bet for this racewith a wide range of 76/75 Mo climbers in the team.
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| dev4ever |
Posted on 25-07-2016 19:00
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Bruthal lineup here, definetely happy we are not going and end up repeating the fiasco from last year!
The podium looks almost decidet already. Cant see anyone matching up with the trio Ricco, Macha and Martin.
The biggest suprise in the lineup is Delacruz for me. With a solid TT-stat you would think he would spend his 'PCT-visit' elsewhere really. But easy to be wise in hindsight and certainly couldnt expect such a field here.
Hope to see some proper racing here!
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| Croatia14 |
Posted on 25-07-2016 19:13
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dev4ever wrote:
The biggest suprise in the lineup is Delacruz for me. With a solid TT-stat you would think he would spend his 'PCT-visit' elsewhere really. But easy to be wise in hindsight and certainly couldnt expect such a field here.
CT2 has very few space for de la Cruz, so CT1 sounds logic...it might have been regional team factors to leave him here, which I somehow appreciate in terms of roleplaying
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| Marcovdw |
Posted on 25-07-2016 19:39
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Not here this year, looks like I made the right call 
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| Bushwackers |
Posted on 25-07-2016 19:49
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Great preview. I have to say I'm very happy to have skipped this one after seeing how strong this field is. I am surprised to see some of the big names spending so many race days here as well, but I'm glad that Machado is racing here instead of somewhere else against Amador. Obviously he's the favorite, but it will be interesting to see if Ricco can cause an upset with his advantage in the hills department. Looking forward to this one!
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| knockout |
Posted on 25-07-2016 20:03
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Interesting startlist ! De la Cruz and Machado are two "interesting" selections here. Two big gambles that I would not have made.
My top pick for this race is Ricco who could take the leader Jersey in the hilly stage to defend it till the end. Martin, Machado and Marquez to battle for the other podium spots.
A Big Thank You To All MG Reporters! |
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| Croatia14 |
Posted on 25-07-2016 20:09
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for me clearly Machado > Ricco > Martin easily...I like the gamble, it could be an "easy" GC win instead of some hard fights against other GC specialists...
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| viking90 |
Posted on 25-07-2016 21:41
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Will be a nice race to follow, some guys that I did not expect here.
Hope SanCor with Marquez can do good here since they have a predticted bad season infront of them. |
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| Bjartne |
Posted on 25-07-2016 21:49
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Hmm, even here it's crowded with stars. Sprints are maybe our best chance, but maybe some breakaways can help us achieve something?. Thank you for the in-depth preview roturn! |
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