Vuelta ‘24

breezy1985

Rafferty now pulling for Carapaz. Could be the day he really starts to make a name for himself.

dastardly00

I didn't get to see any of the live action today. Only 10 minutes of highlights. Looked like a cracking stage.

Tiberi gone due to heat stroke! 😲

https://x.com/BHRVictorious/status/1827761707730731329

eagle eye

So Roglic doesn't seem to like long climbs anymore.

Here's hoping Mas finally breaks through, three runner up finishes in the Vuelta to this point.

breezy1985

2 riders injured and team cars damaged by deer on stage 8.

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/wild-deer-wreak-havoc-at-vuelta-a-espana-leaving-riders-injured-team-car-roof-rack-and-bikes-damaged/

eagle eye

I think tomorrow is a nice chance for Eddie to nab a stage.

lissard

I hadn't appreciated just how hilly the Vuelta is this year - the hard days are nothing but cat 1 or cat 2 climbs and the easy ones are like the Ardennes. What a brutal route - I'd imagine the peloton will be in bits by week 3.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122548889#Comment_122548889

Every stage this week is a GC stage and the average gradients are very misleading. Some of those cat.1's are very tough looking and Sundays HC finale is 24% for a fair section at the top.

Could see a lot of action on those bunched up final 3 climbs today if no one is strong enough to control it.

mewso

Bit of a non-event today. Hard not to feel sorry for Pacher here. Has one .2 win on his palmares and sadly with WvA beside him thats unlikely to change. Can he do something?

*edit - no

eagle eye

Wout is back to his best, good to see that.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122551150#Comment_122551150

Its not his fault but he is such an amazing all rounder he kinda sucks the fun out of all but the biggest races.

eagle eye

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122551390#Comment_122551390

Well I get when they went topped the last climb it was over. Before then we didn't but I love watching the greats. And this tour is a confirmation that he's finally over his injuries. I'm delighted he's back

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122551586#Comment_122551586

He is only great when Van der Poel is absent 🤭

retalivity

Massive break away in the Vuelta, including Dunbar who is also the 3rd best on GC within the group.

Paddigol

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122551600#Comment_122551600

Seems that way in recent years… much and all as I like Wout. When VdP is targeting a race and turns it on there doesn't seem anyone who can live with him 90% of the time.

breezy1985

Way too many big riders in this break to have a clue who is gonna win.

eagle eye

You need to be at the front hitting this last climb, easy for the best guys to.open.uo a 30 seconds gap on it.

So here's hoping Eddie gets up to the front hitting the climb. It's such a big group that a break could be gone before you have a chance to respond if you are back a bit.

retalivity

Narvaez for me. Or one of the Cofidis lads, they've kept quiet.

mewso

Kirby with another gem - "Lipowtiz unable to give Ben O'Connor a turn"

retalivity

GO ON!!!!!!

mewso

Get in you beauty!!!

odyssey06

YESSSS¬!!!!!! DUNBAR!!!!

Slingshot over the group and stole it from the breakaway.

mr spuckler

YES EDDIE!!!

eagle eye

Yes, yes, yes. Delighted for Eddie. I thought his chances were gone when there was a big bunch like that.

LeoD

Wow - that was impressive. Delighted for him.

MangleBadger

I did not see that ending coming!

dastardly00

Absolutely magic from Eddie!!!!

mr spuckler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122555410#Comment_122555410

So many times I thought it was gone from him today - just perfect timing and execution!

mewso

Well that has brightened my day considerably. Fantastic.

LeoD

Dropped in and out over the stage via the live updates, only tuned in on the phone for the last 15k on silent. When I saw the overhead of the rider slingshotting out of the break I never realised it was Eddie until we saw the close up - unbelievable timing!

breezy1985

Fuk sake. I saw the 3 riders go away on the final climb and when I saw Zanna in it decided to continue my cycle home.

Fantastic stuff. Don't know how he made it back.

daragh_

Can someone explain to my neighbours why I've been shouting at the laptop

odyssey06

Seen on PCS… Irish wins at the Vuelta:

dahat

That’s a new contract type of won for him.

Charlie69

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122548208#Comment_122548208

Nice one 👍

G1032

Magic win. I didn't think he had it in him tbh. Delighted

Large bottle small glass

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9hSSlLfT9k

Reminded me of this

Paddigol

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122555649#Comment_122555649

I found myself getting nervous again re-watching that 🤣

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122555649#Comment_122555649

Valverde looked around and decided not to chase because it wasn't one of his teammates on the attack.

beggars_bush

Delighted for Eddie after all the setbacks

Morris Garren

Okay, I take everything back, that was a BRILLIANT win from Eddie; didn't think the finish suited him but timed it perfectly. Izzaguirre was gonna counter up the barrier but Verona blocked him, Narvaez was being watched and Eddie flew away up the right hand side instead. Really delighted for him. Plus he might have to buy Brandon McNulty a pint some day- not sure why he single-handedly brought back the boys out front in the final kms, but hey that's racing!

eagle eye

Have to say it's the most exciting grand tour in a long time. There's so many that could win it. I like Mas, he looks very strong and I'd love for him to win it too after three second place finishes.

Roglic is the favourite but I'm not sure he has it on the long uphill stages anymore. Today was his type of stage but he couldn't shake off Mas.

I'm not sure about O'Connor but he's still got a nice lead.

There's Carapaz, Landa and you couldn't rule out Rodriguez either. Yates is two minutes back from Roglic but he's capable of exploding on a stage and making up a lot of time.

Dodge

first professional road win for Eddie. His other wins have been GC and this years national TT.

You could see what it meant for him too

He’s the 10th Irish man to win a GT stage

https://statsthatarepointless.wordpress.com/2014/05/25/irish-stage-wins-cycling-grand-tours/

2smiggy

Orla and the lads in the studio of Eurosport had a lovely chat about Eddie after the 8pm highlights. Spoke very highly of him

retalivity

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122556435#Comment_122556435

The current top 10. I'd say the same, any of the top 6 + Yates could conceivably win it. Although have to keep in mind there is a final day 25k TT, Roglic will put a minute into most/all of the top 10 on that stage, so the other would need to break him on one of the mountain stages.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122557120#Comment_122557120

In my head it doesn't feel like Bennett and Martin had an overlap.

Our success has essentially been 2 blocks of riders with Healy hopefully being the start of the 3rd. Elliott's success just looks more and more incredible as the years go by.

Paddigol

I'd love to see O'Connor hold on for the GC win. Would be great to see a small team achieve that level of success after the influx of big money spread around a few teams in recent years and the trend of build squads of super doms. I think O'Connor is a decent skin who has probably taken a lot of flak for how the Netflix production team decided to portray him in the last couple of seasons. I've seen enough to think he's not a bad egg. A French team too. Personally I think it would be great to see.

Also delighted for Dunbar. Whatever else he achieves he has that GC stage win forever, and won in style too. He's more than paid his dues in the peloton over the years… fully deserved. Might be the catalyst for him to find another gear.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122557240#Comment_122557240

I love AG2R but I just can't warm to O'Connor. Possibly because he keeps fuking things up for AG2R and I really hope they pivot away from him once he fails to win this Vuelta from such a good position.

I'm selfishly hoping a Spanish rider wins it so I can join the party in Madrid.

fat bloke

Made the mistake of just glancing at facebook on the way home to watch the highlights and a big StickyBottle spoiler hit me in the face!!!

Still. Was an absolutely fantastic moment for Eddie and us all. Absolutely amazing. If he does nothing else, that can never be taken away from him. Grand Tour stage winner. Awesome.

Dr. Bre

hoping for a top ten finish on GC from Dunbar!

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122557461#Comment_122557461

I think he will definitely go for another stage which could easily result in a top 10. Problem is there are a whole bunch of riders around him for whom that applies to.