I'm still shocked to see Contador doing this.
He was very close to not even participate in the Vuelta, and he'll probably win it with "ease".
Gesink has less racing days this year than almost everyone in the peloton, so it's not that surprising to see him do good after recovering from his heart problem.
Edited by b3n3v3nt3 on 08-09-2014 17:20
By the way, Kelderman lost over 8 minutes today. I was sure that he was able to catch the peloton on the downhill, but apparently not. Ten Dam didn't have anything to contribute either, but Gesink is doing a great work so far
Riis123 wrote:
By the way, Kelderman lost over 8 minutes today. I was sure that he was able to catch the peloton on the downhill, but apparently not. Ten Dam didn't have anything to contribute either, but Gesink is doing a great work so far
This is a great learning curve for Kelderman though, he now knows it's hard to ride two good GC's in one year. This experience will only benefit him as a rider, and 15th is not too bad. Gesink is really good indeed, a top 10 GC rider if he doesn't have bad luck or falls or illness etcetera.
Uuh, and another interesting note: No Columbians under 10 minutes today. Urán being suck, Anacona cracking like previous days, Betancur being lanterne rouge and pregnant (admirable feat), Chavez having a hard time after the first week and Arredondo and Quintana retiring. Also Serpa is nothing near Tour-level.
So far, kinda disastrous for Columbia with only one stage win and their 2 GC guys failing to crashes and sickness. Garmin-Columbia anyone?
I actually don't mind the Columbians failing for once. Will only benefit them as a rider, to get some bad luck and generally it gives them more experience.
Paul23 wrote:
How can someone, who pushes incredibly hard yesterday, be that good today, after a broken leg?
Maybe by being a professional athlete? The small(!) tibia fracture, that put him off the bike for around 2-3 weeks and which he ignored when he managed to ride for 15 kilometers after that crash, is a non-issue by now. Vuelta is in third week, Contador aimed for this third week. He, Contador, has easily enough race & training kilometers in his legs by now. It's a Grand Tour after all. Same goes for Froome.
In any case, looks like Contador fulfilled his promise of "going for stage wins" in third week. Edited by Shonak on 08-09-2014 17:35
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
Riis123 wrote:
Uuh, and another interesting note: No Columbians under 10 minutes today. Urán being suck, Anacona cracking like previous days, Betancur being lanterne rouge and pregnant (admirable feat), Chavez having a hard time after the first week and Arredondo and Quintana retiring. Also Serpa is nothing near Tour-level.
So far, kinda disastrous for Columbia with only one stage win and their 2 GC guys failing to crashes and sickness. Garmin-Columbia anyone?
Colombia.
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
TimoCycling wrote:
I actually don't mind the Columbians failing for once. Will only benefit them as a rider, to get some bad luck and generally it gives them more experience.
Paul23 wrote:
How can someone, who pushes incredibly hard yesterday, be that good today, after a broken leg?
I mean...Contador just killed all GC contenders...
Nevertheless...great stage...very exciting
Because for a top tuned athlete like Contador its relative easy to regain his form after a broken Tibia.
He was seen end july riding his bike so he almost a month before the start and this is now entering the 3rd week of racing.
I know people think Contador is doped but if he is then that will make Valverde, Nibali, Quintana, froome and particular Talansky also doped.
TimoCycling wrote:
I actually don't mind the Columbians failing for once. Will only benefit them as a rider, to get some bad luck and generally it gives them more experience.
Paul23 wrote:
How can someone, who pushes incredibly hard yesterday, be that good today, after a broken leg?
Maybe by being a professional athlete? The small(!) tibia fracture, that put him off the bike for around 2-3 weeks and which he ignored when he managed to ride for 15 kilometers after that crash, is a non-issue by now. Vuelta is in third week, Contador aimed for this third week. He, Contador, has easily enough race & training kilometers in his legs by now. It's a Grand Tour after all. Same goes for Froome.
In any case, looks like Contador fulfilled his promise of "going for stage wins" in third week.
Being a professional cyclist? Really? It is not, that he has won the stage...it is the way he won it against other riders like Froome, Valverde and Purito...Valverde and Purito looked like amateurs and Froome was easy for Contador, too.
If you win that easily after a day, in which you are exhausted as f***, it's unhuman.
Also...i don't know, what you know about cycling(i think you know very much), but I am riding about 120k's every second day(ofc i am slow as hell, and the road is pretty much flat and i'm not even close to a professional cyclist) but i just don't think, that this kind of recovery after such a stage is real. My cycling club has the same opinion.
Shonak wrote:
Because for a top tuned athlete like Contador its relative easy to regain his form after a broken Tibia.
He was seen end july riding his bike so he almost a month before the start and this is now entering the 3rd week of racing.
I know people think Contador is doped but if he is then that will make Valverde, Nibali, Quintana, Froome and particular Talansky also doped.
I think that the others dope, too...maybe not everyone, but most of them.
Maybe i just look like that on Contador, because i generally dislike him. I also dislike Nibali, Quintana and Valverde of the guys listed above.
I disliked Froome for a long time and i just started to like him, because of the last stages. I even dislike Wiggins, because it's so obvious that he has doped and because it is getting on my nerves that everyone says that Wiggins is underrated...(78 Mountain and 81 TT is not enough...81 Mountain and 85 TT is much more realistic :roll
Maybe I'm just sad, that this Vuelta just starts to be boring, with Contador being significantly better than everyone else every day.
And i just don't get it.
Contador was injured(i know...it wasn't much, but it was there) and then he rides a great vuelta(that's not the problem) and he pulls a stage, trying to get rid of Froome...and the next stage, he just was much better than the day before.
It just looks not real.
Have you remembered the wall of anger against Froome after the stage up to Mont Ventoux, where he just had gone into full retard mode? Almost everyone thought "What a dopehead". Everyone could say that and it was ok. But if Contador does the same thing and someone(in this example, me ) says something, it's not ok, because he is a "professional cyclist".
Sorry for my bad english...At least i tried
And don't take it personal, guys, i just had so much in my head that had to be let out...
P.S.: Sorry for the lenght of this text.
Down here are some bananas, if someone gets depressed by reading this...
Spoiler
Spoiler
Ok...i lied...it's just 1 banana, but in the next spoiler, there are more
As I watched a replay, it's my time to comment on the most important of the many events of the day:
SSJ2Luigi wrote:
Froome does something
BRING IN THE HATE
Not this time mate. He certainly didn't know the game he tried to play as good as Contador did and got punished for that, but still.... I am honestly shocked.
PS. Looks like Contador strategy yesterday was a good choice. As for all the doubts about Bertie, his watts, injury and form - still Froome did some more unexpectable moves, both today and over the last few days.
Edited by Smoku on 08-09-2014 18:48
) says something, it's not ok, because he is a "professional cyclist".
