2023 Vuelta a España

[eth-dog]

I think Jumbo use Roglic to attack tonight. Kuss has to have a shocker to lose to another team, just a question if one of his teammates wants to beat him. Which I think is a shitty outcome.

Yeah, feels like a Rogliç climb over a Jonas climb.

 

[eth-dog]

Crazy how good these short stages are. Don't get me wrong, you need your long epic stages but gimme 120-130km stages with 3 great climbs in every GT

 

[eth-dog]

Reckon Soler will drop 10 minutes on the last climb. Credit to UAE for trying something though

 

[eth-dog]

I think if Remco wins today he can't lose the KOM.

Also Steff Cras is having a great Vuelta

 

[Orange Agent]

I think if Remco wins today he can't lose the KOM.

Also Steff Cras is having a great Vuelta

I think they will catch him, this climb doesn't suit him.

 

[eth-dog]

I think they will catch him, this climb doesn't suit him.

Yeah, he doesn't look likely now. He might be saving himself for tomorrow.

 

[eth-dog]

This fog is insane

 

[Orange Agent]

Poels is still one of the best climbing domestiques going around. Shame he went to Bahrain.

 

[eth-dog]

Poels is still one of the best climbing domestiques going around. Shame he went to Bahrain.

Yep. Him, Kuss, Majka, Soler and Kwiatkowski are the ones for me.

 

[eth-dog]

Remco only needs to win the first two climbs tonight to confirm the win in polka dots.

Top 3 is virtually locked. With only one more genuine mountain stage I can't see Ayuso or Landa making up 3+ minutes on the JV trio unless Kuss blows up.

Green is done as long as Groves finishes. Well done Kaden! Now two more stage wins please.

White, anyone think Uijtdebroeks can chase Ayuso down? I don't think it's fanciful that he does.

 

[Vader]

Poels is still one of the best climbing domestiques going around. Shame he went to Bahrain.

Haven't seen him climb this well since he left UK Postal. That was the best ride he's done in many years.

 

[Vader]

Green is done as long as Groves finishes. Well done Kaden! Now two more stage wins please.

Speaking of which, did anyone else get a laugh out of him sprinting for 0 points, at the intermediate sprint point last night?

 

[eth-dog]

Speaking of which, did anyone else get a laugh out of him sprinting for 0 points, at the intermediate sprint point last night?

I think they thought there were only 4 in front but yes, very funny.

I guess it's better to be safe than sorry though.

 

[Vader]

I think they thought there were only 4 in front but yes, very funny.

I guess it's better to be safe than sorry though.

That's obviously what they thought... surprised their team radio hadn't told them how many riders were off the front.

 

[Ichabod Noodle]

We marvelled at, then questioned US Postal’s dominance. Then we marvelled & questioned UK Postal’s (sorry, the Sky bot’s) dominance. But f**k me, what Jumbo Visma are doing at the moment is just completely off the charts.

they’ll be the first team to sweep the podium at a grand tour & the first team to win all three in a single year - with possibly 3 different riders - although Vingegaard looks more likely than Kuss to win this one after last night & looking at tonight’s profile.

Either way, it’s just insane.

 

[eth-dog]

So Remco has polka dots.

Reckon Ayuso makes a last ditch attempt for the podium?

 

[largebus]

Jonas clearly had more to give on the last climb. They had to slow down at one point to let Kuss catch up.

I like Sepp but it's a shame for the sport he's essentially being gifted the race. It sucks also for Jonas that nuffies on twitter are labelling him a backstabber and not a team player.

It's the 1985 Tour again where Greg LeMond was the strongest but had to gift the win for the local lad Bernard Hinault. I guess the Americans are getting one back finally.

 

[yaco55]

We marvelled at, then questioned US Postal’s dominance. Then we marvelled & questioned UK Postal’s (sorry, the Sky bot’s) dominance. But f**k me, what Jumbo Visma are doing at the moment is just completely off the charts.

they’ll be the first team to sweep the podium at a grand tour & the first team to win all three in a single year - with possibly 3 different riders - although Vingegaard looks more likely than Kuss to win this one after last night & looking at tonight’s profile.

Either way, it’s just insane.

Except they have not won a monument in two years.

 

[Vader]

Jonas clearly had more to give on the last climb. They had to slow down at one point to let Kuss catch up.

I like Sepp but it's a shame for the sport he's essentially being gifted the race. It sucks also for Jonas that nuffies on twitter are labelling him a backstabber and not a team player.

It's the 1985 Tour again where Greg LeMond was the strongest but had to gift the win for the local lad Bernard Hinault. I guess the Americans are getting one back finally.

There are other examples where riders who were clearly superior sacrificed their own chances of winning, to allow their own team mates to win.

Froome, the doped donkey, sacrificed both a Vuelta and a Tour for Wiggins, back in the days before UK Postal lost their access to the top quality juice in the Team GB drugs cabinet. What made it worse for him was that Wiggins wasn't even good enough to win that Vuelta, so his sacrifice was for nothing.

On SM-X205 using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Dees]

There are other examples where riders who were clearly superior sacrificed their own chances of winning, to allow their own team mates to win.

Froome, the doped donkey, sacrificed both a Vuelta and a Tour for Wiggins, back in the days before UK Postal lost their access to the top quality juice in the Team GB drugs cabinet. What made it worse for him was that Wiggins wasn't even good enough to win that Vuelta, so his sacrifice was for nothing.

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Well he did end up winning as another doped donkey got popped

 

[Vader]

Well he did end up winning as another doped donkey got popped

Yeah... Wiggins did eventually get awarded that Vuelta (which I had forgotten).

I refer to Froome specifically as the doped donkey - because he was a 2nd rate domestique, a donkey in horse racing parlance, before he got on the Team GB drugs. He then transformed into a thoroughbred stallion, while UK Postal had access to the Team GB drugs cabinet - before reverting back again again, once Freeman got busted and UK Postal were stripped of their access to the good stuff.

Few other riders have transformed from donkey, to thoroughbred, and back to donkey, the way that Froome did.

I have very little doubt that Pogacar, Vingegaard, Roglic, and a whole bunch of other riders, are doped up to the gills - but none have undergone the transformations that Froome demonstrated. Hence, I would refer to them as dopers, but only Froome is the doped donkey.

 

[Orange Agent]

I see similarities to Vingegaard and Froome. Junior results were terrible, 67th at l'Avenir the year Pogacar won and a whole bunch of good names in the top 10 of that race. He really did nothing of note until 2020/21. Then all of a sudden is unbeatable. As far as Kuss winning here with the other 2 waiting, I see no problem with it. Kuss waited for Roglic in the last week of the Giro, he backed up at the Tour and not as strong but was there when it mattered for Jonas. They both owe him.

 

[Vader]

I see similarities to Vingegaard and Froome. Junior results were terrible, 67th at l'Avenir the year Pogacar won and a whole bunch of good names in the top 10 of that race. He really did nothing of note until 2020/21. Then all of a sudden is unbeatable. As far as Kuss winning here with the other 2 waiting, I see no problem with it. Kuss waited for Roglic in the last week of the Giro, he backed up at the Tour and not as strong but was there when it mattered for Jonas. They both owe him.

Fair call. Vingegaard may be another who is eligible for "doped donkey" status, alongside Froome.

 

[eth-dog]

Well, nice to see Dainese win. I like him a lot. Disappointed Jayco couldn't bring him over honestly, would have been perfect for the Giro and Vuelta teams.

 

[Bigelow]

Has Groves got the green jersey sewn up ?