Vuelta ‘24

Dodge

he might have Kuss’d it. Hilarious if it happens two years in a row

His previous best GC result was also due to breakaways so it’ll be interesting to see if he can ride as a leader now

Should be fun

breezy1985

He isn't the most consistent but 5' is a huge gap given the weak enough field behind.

I feel like others are gonna spot that the race is open and go long. Lots of riders in the top 30 capable of doing what O'Connor just did if there is no strong controlling team.

De Bhál

This makes it even more watchable now with O'Connor that far ahead.

Great win

De Bhál

Eddie Dunbar finished with Roglic Kuss and co

retalivity

Uran abandons with a fracture, and effectively retires i think. Sh1tty way to finish up

Morris Garren

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122533105#Comment_122533105

So that's Costa and Uran gone for EF; Owain Doull fell heavily on his arse also; Young Rafferty will be busy on domestique duty so.

Also, the Velogames leaderboards could also go arse-over-tit if various riders have to attack O'Connor, which they will.

Mefistofelino

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122532125#Comment_122532125

Pfffft,

The Ronde van Hengstdijk last month started in a church

eagle eye

Todays stage could go so many ways. It could be a bunch sprint,or one where only a few sprinters make it. It looks to me like a stage for your puncheurs and rouleurs so WVA stands out.

If he didn't do what he did yesterday I'd say O'Connor could be dangerous in a stage like this but no chance he gets an opportunity today.

retalivity

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122534855#Comment_122534855

Final climb isnt that hard and is 25k from the finish, it will be a non-GC breakaway stage or WVA vs Groves again

eagle eye

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122535001#Comment_122535001

Did you see that there's half of a km at 14%? It's not smooth either, it averages 5.6% but there's a few sort steep sections. There'll be a breakaway on it but it's about how much time they get be because there's 26km left after it. Wout is capable of staying close enough to any break to get back in I think. I dint think Groves is, he'll need his team.

As I said there's three ways that this stage could go and the last climb will decide it.

Tbh, I would t be surprised to see one of the GC guys go to try and pull back some time.

mewso

Hatch is on today and mentioned Cartlon Kirby is having an operation. So I googled him wondering what age he is and found there is a petition to have him fired by Eurosport/Discovery:-

https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/get-rid-of-carlton-kirby

Most of the points are fair but it's not something that bothers me so much I would want him fired. One commenter calls him the Alan Partridge of cycling which sums it up well for me. I just find him silly. Doesn't really ruin it for me. Dan Lloyd (proper cycling nerd) was my favourite but he is gone so I can't say I like any of them all that much really but to say they should be sacked?

eagle eye

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122535489#Comment_122535489

Kirby is by far the best cycling commentator in my opinion. He's intelligent, jovial, knowledgeable and clearly has a great relationship with Sean Kelly.

Yes he goes a bit overboard about the British cyclists but he's from there so that's forgiveable.

eagle eye

I just started a petition to give Carlton an MBE. Should be fun.😀

retalivity

I used to hate Kirby commentating, there's posts in here from tours/giros/vueltas past where I've constantly complained about him. But i've mellowed on him now, and actually like the meandering conversations about nothing or the contradictions, or the "here's the corner i was telling you about" that he never told us about.

That petition seems to have been running for over 3 years.

mewso

Yeah the petition is as funny as Carlton really. Brian Smith, who I find decent as the expert co-commentator, recently got stuck doing some race on his own and he was very unsuited to it. You need the wafflers to fill the dead air. Be careful what you wish for I say.

Mefistofelino

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122535677#Comment_122535677

He's no David Duffield

dastardly00

Alpecin riders falling all over the place 😕

dastardly00

Highly unlikely Wout wins the stage without all of the hard work from Sepp Kuss!

retalivity

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122536155#Comment_122536155

Wouldnt see Jonas doing that!

Daroxtar

That was a very enjoyable last 25km. O'Connor has really thrown a spanner in the works with yesterday's win so it looks like it'll be plenty of hectic racing from Roglic to try and claw back that time but Bora aren't anywhere near as strong as Jumbo were last year so he'll have to do a good bit on his own.

If O'Connor stays upright and healthy, that 5 minutes will be a huge task for Rog to overcome. It might hinge on the final TT again.

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122535885#Comment_122535885

100% the best commentators on TG4 were great for the tour as only one was really knowledgeable in regards racing, the other knew a lot but he knew so much about food, scenery, loosely linked Irish stories relating to Irish cycling that he really filled in the dull (viewer wise stages)

G1032

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122535489#Comment_122535489

I like Kirby. Takes some skill to talk through 4hrs of a sprint stage. I'd get the impression he's quite intelligent too and is able to converse on a broad range of topics. I prefer him to Rob Hatch, but Hatch is still a good commentator I think. What I find is that it's very difficult for me to actually sit and watch a race now when either of those 2 aren't commentating. The 2nd tier Eurosport commentators really take from my enjoyment of a race.

eagle eye

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122536439#Comment_122536439

There's a bunch of brutal stages to come and they don't suit Ben. I'd love to see Ben win it but I just can't see it happening in this tour.

Tomorrow could end up a GC battle on the final climb. It's like the perfect stage for Roglic where the climb is tough but not that long.

We could get a breakaway though.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122537654#Comment_122537654

Sunday is the only one I think he really has to worry about. Cant see him not crack on one of the climbs if attacks are going.

His best hope is Rog does his usual nonsense of waiting for the last 500m of every stage to attack.

I still think his biggest problem is someone taking the jersey exactly the way he did.

De Bhál

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122536479#Comment_122536479

Now that Cavandish is close to retirement, Kirby might be a bit more palatable.

Ah I never had too much of an issue listening to him. Bit Alan Partridge, but, other than that, a good sense of humor.

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122537745#Comment_122537745

Similar opinion to yourself.

But one things that bugs me is he starts his hyper excited sprint commentary from way too far back. That's ok for near the line but he is in that mode for about half a minute.

eagle eye

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122537733#Comment_122537733

On the long climbs Kuss will put the pressure on a long way out I'd imagine. He's been doing that as a super domestique for years and for himself in this race last year. He won't be the only one, I'd expect Almeida and Mas, who seems to have hit form, to go hard on those stages too.

You've got tomorrow, 13, 15, 16, 19 and 20 which are really tough. I think that's the stages. I looked at it a week ago.

mewso

Interesting proposition for O'Connor today. He could let Tejada take red. Probably not a big threat and gives his team a rest. As it is right now I don't think his team really needs to work too hard here since other teams have their GC positions under threat.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122539041#Comment_122539041

If he loses red he isn't getting it back.

mewso

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122539309#Comment_122539309

Well it aint going to happen now but if he had lost it to Tejada by a minute or so and stayed with Rog etc. then I think he would easily have gotten it back first day Tejada couldn't stay with them. Doesn't matter now anyway.