September 7, Stage 17: Faustino V - Peña Cabarga 212.5km

happytramp

What are the chances of Martin getting the combativeness award? He attacked on all the mountain stages and twice on a lot of them including Anglriu.

Inquitus

happytramp wrote: »

I thought it was suspicious the other day too but when you look at Martin, a youngish rider and member of bikepure, only 20+ seconds behind today and beating them both on stage 9, it doesn't seem so outrageous. What is so unbelievable about two GT contenders racing to win the Vuelta beating guys like Mollema and Martin by 20-30 seconds?

GC contenders with no recent form of note or career indications they are capable of this (who weren't even considered for the GC by their teams at the start), who have been balls out for over 2 weeks of the Vuelta to be where they are in the GC, are beating mountain goats 10kg lighter who are now specifically targeting only the stage win at this juncture.

They are also putting out times and roughly calculated Watts per KG that we haven't see in the big TDF climbs of the last couple of years, and indeed these times on L'Angliru put them in with seriously dubious company from 1999-2008 era on the same climb. It certainly raises my eyebrows anyways.

JacksonHeightsOwn

Inquitus wrote: »

happytramp wrote: »

I thought it was suspicious the other day too but when you look at Martin, a youngish rider and member of bikepure, only 20+ seconds behind today and beating them both on stage 9, it doesn't seem so outrageous. What is so unbelievable about two GT contenders racing to win the Vuelta beating guys like Mollema and Martin by 20-30 seconds?

GC contenders with no recent form of note or career indications they are capable of this (who weren't even considered for the GC by their teams at the start), who have been balls out for over 2 weeks of the Vuelta to be where they are in the GC, are beating mountain goats 10kg lighter who are now specifically targeting only the stage win at this juncture.

They are also putting out times and roughly calculated Watts per KG that we haven't see in the big TDF climbs of the last couple of years, and indeed these times on L'Angliru put them in with seriously dubious company from 1999-2008 era on the same climb. It certainly raises my eyebrows anyways.

I hate to say it, but you're probably right

I can understand your man Cobo doing what he's doing, it's not like he was some no mark, but what has Froome ever done? Cobo has won stages in grand tours and won stage races, but Froomes palmares is mediocre to say the least

on_the_nickel

elduggo wrote: »

the crowd was fairly mad alright. At one stage a Eukatel rider went by and some young lad said something to him. Don't know what it was but it fairly upset him. He reacted and kept looking back down at him (no doubt so he could give him a clip round the ear on the way back down), as he continued cycling up the hill. The kid had a Euskatel cap on so its a strange one.

A lot of Basques on the hill today. All wanting to be friends with the token Paddy!

Was that you in a Limerick jersey? I'm sure I saw a green and white GAA jersey of some description on the highlights - might have been a club jersey.

on_the_nickel

Morrisseeee wrote: »

Twitter from Wiggins :eek:

Ah, toughen up ffs, Brad. Wouldn't last a day with the like of Hinault and Merckx.