La Vuelta Stage 17: Castellón - Llucena / Camins del Penyagolosa

Daroxtar

Stage 17:Castellón - Llucena / Camins del Penyagolosa 177.5km



Well what can La Vuelta throw at us next? I know, a final climb of 4km@13% and ramps hitting 22%.




Quintana maintains his lead of 3;37 over Froome, 3;57 over Chaves and 4;02 on Bertie with Simon Yates back on 5;07 making up the top 5.

pelevin

Whereas till now largely Froome could be defensive to Quintana's need for aggression cos of the looming tt, roles have reversed now somewhat. After his fantastic life-affirming performance on Sunday, I'd love to see Contador at least get a podium but I'd say he's still not at his best after his crash so we'll see. Orica's two cards to play might see them getting a little out of the box though I'd expect a full-on Sky controlling performance after their humbling on Sunday. Anyway it'll all be very tense at least.

godtabh

Froome will have to go for it and hope to catch a break similar to the other day. Doubt it will happen.

MPFGLB

Froome and SKY to go all out to try and win the stage
whatever happens it will be a dog fight I think...if Froome has any fight he has to try and win and by some margin


BtW I just like to point out I am leading the Boardsie fantasy leagure at the Vuelta AND at ToB...just wanted to point out how great I am ...so I'll be off now

Brian?

Sky will put a man up the road, drill the bottom half of the climb and launch Froome. Froome will explode and Quintana will take another minute.

pelevin

Contador will attack from the gun with two teammates and Valverde, and will gain 23 minutes on everyone.

retalivity

Had a look at the climb on google maps...stretview doesnt go up it, but the start is narrow as hell and in the middle of nowhere. Apparently the first 2km is tar while the last 2 km is concrete

Daroxtar

"Hormigon"
Looks like an evil road

neris

Daroxtar wrote: »

"Hormigon"
Looks like an evil road

looks like deadly tv viewing :D

neris

21% on the last climb,, at what percentage does a bike just stop and keel over?

terrydel

Shock horror, Tejay Van Garderen abandons.
Must be the biggest mental weakling in cycling.

DominoDub

Just watched a RECON of the finish climb just now on Eurosport :eek:

22% !!!!!!

robyntmorton

Eurosport just showed Juan Antonio going up there. Jeez, my legs are gone on the couch just looking at it!

neris

Flechas recon on Eurosport looked mad, the road on the last climb looks like a service road for a forest, ****ty surface, narrow, exposed and twisty

neris

cannondale missed the breakaway............................................................... again

fishfoodie

neris wrote: »

21% on the last climb,, at what percentage does a bike just stop and keel over?

I think it'd look something like this ...

Decuc500

terrydel wrote: »

Shock horror, Tejay Van Garderen abandons.
Must be the biggest mental weakling in cycling.

He went into the race with the purpose of helping Sanchez and trying for stage wins. It didn't work out. His form obviously isn't there. So now he's a 'mental weakling'?

I'd rather believe in and support a rider like Van Garderen than some of the former dopers/miracle workers sprinting up these climbs and getting all the plaudits for it.

terrydel

Decuc500 wrote: »

He went into the race with the purpose of helping Sanchez and trying for stage wins. It didn't work out. His form obviously isn't there. So now he's a 'mental weakling'?

I'd rather believe in and support a rider like Van Garderen than some of the former dopers/miracle workers sprinting up these climbs and getting all the plaudits for it.

Has nothing to do with doping/not doping.
Plenty of riders keep going when out of form or with injuries, its part of the sport.
That's my opinion of him, he literally or metaphorically quits under pressure.

Daroxtar

28 man break away 5;48 up the road with 42 km to go


Imanol Erviti and José Herrada (Movistar), Michael Gogl (Tinkoff), Michal Golas and Leopold König (Sky), Silvan Dillier and Danilo Wyss (BMC), Robert Gesink and Bram Tankink (LottoNL-Jumbo), Simon Gerrans and Magnus Cort Nielsen (Orica-BikeExchange), Dario Cataldo (Astana), Mathieu Ladagnous (FDJ), Haimar Zubeldia (Trek-Segafredo), Axel Domont (Ag2r La Mondiale), Pavel Kochetkov (Katusha), Bart De Clercq (Lotto-Soudal), Kristian Sbaragli (Dimension Data), Mathias Frank and Clement Chevrier (IAM Cycling), Kristijan Durasek (Lampre-Merida), Stéphane Rossetto (Cofidis), Christoph Pfingsten and Scott Thwaites (Bora-Argon 18), Pello Bilbao and Jaime Roson (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) and Perrig Quemeneur (Direct Energie)

Gallant_JJ

Cataldo and Frank (Astana and IAM) gone of the front of the break, 30 sec with 18km to go

retalivity

Gesink set the new strava kom yday for the final climb...available still @2/1 for the stage!

neris

oh..ree..ca bike exchange

neris

retalivity wrote: »

Gesink set the new strava kom yday for the final climb...available still @2/1 for the stage!

he was carltons favourite earlier so probably been jinxed unless carltons rethought his favourite and his new bet is simon clarke :rolleyes:

neris

that looks nasty

mossym

so if movistar boss the climb here with a bunch of riders on the front will they get the same level of hatred and suspicion as sky when they do it?

neris

doesnt look like there,ll be much happening with the GC. contador, chaves, froomr and quintana all together

godtabh

Froome gone

neris

froome dropped and frank takes the stage,,,,just

terrydel

Contador attacking?

Gallant_JJ

Froome back. Top 4 in GC all together in last k

neris

froome looks to be struggling