Weds 2nd Sept: Vuelta 2015 stage 11: Andorra la Vella – Cortals d’Encamp 138km

odyssey06 · 01-09-2015 1:22pm

If the organisers or cycling authorities are concerned about equity in a race when big budget teams give their riders a boost then why don't they pay for helicopter transfers for all riders, or minimum 4 star hotels with air conditioning...

Inquitus · 01-09-2015 1:34pm

odyssey06 wrote: »

If the organisers or cycling authorities are concerned about equity in a race when big budget teams give their riders a boost then why don't they pay for helicopter transfers for all riders, or minimum 4 star hotels with air conditioning...

But that would affect profitability

kyeev · 01-09-2015 3:13pm

I am absolutely dying to see this stage. If Tom Dumoulin is dominant, I will be nodding along to Chaves's observation that Dumoulin had an "unbelievable day, unbelievable" on stage 9 v Froome.

letape · 01-09-2015 3:21pm

pelevin wrote: »

It's great how the super-rich 'corporation' sports teams can gain advantages over their rivals. Gives one a warm fuzzy feeling inside when one thinks of the plebs in their buses.

Good for them I say. They should seek to take benefits any way they can.

quozl · 01-09-2015 3:28pm

kyeev wrote: »

I am absolutely dying to see this stage. If Tom Dumoulin is dominant, I will be nodding along to Chaves's observation that Dumoulin had an "unbelievable day, unbelievable" on stage 9 v Froome.

Here's the actual quote - http://www.cyclingquotes.com/news/chaves_i_promised_to_leave_my_skin_on_the_road/

. He did an unbelievable ride today. He is a really strong guy. I want to say congratulations to him. He won the stage and the jersey, that's unbelievable.

Chavez even said in the same interview that his own team, Orica Greenedge, had an

unbelievable ride again today

He clearly likes the word unbelievable. It sounds completely different in context than when you misquote it out of context.

kyeev · 01-09-2015 3:33pm

Thanks for researching that quote. I still don't like the cut of Dumoulin's jib. If he's hammering up the road tomorrow beside Quintana and Froome, I am definitely going to raise my eyebrows

StevieGriff · 01-09-2015 3:45pm

kyeev wrote: »

Thanks for researching that quote. I still don't like the cut of Dumoulin's jib. If he's hammering up the road tomorrow beside Quintana and Froome, I am definitely going to raise my eyebrows

Why? Dumoulin has said he's lost weight coming into the Vuelta and maintained his power. Dumoulin's regular weight is around 70/71kg. Froome race weight is around 67kg and Dumoulin is looking pretty lean compared to his usual weight.

happytramp · 01-09-2015 4:26pm

kyeev wrote: »

Thanks for researching that quote. I still don't like the cut of Dumoulin's jib. If he's hammering up the road tomorrow beside Quintana and Froome, I am definitely going to raise my eyebrows

You along with the rest of the world.... but it's not going to happen.

RobFowl · 01-09-2015 4:32pm

godtabh wrote: »

Why would sky ask him to put on weight?

Need to ask Darth Brailsford that one

Darkglasses · 01-09-2015 4:39pm

kyeev wrote: »

Thanks for researching that quote. I still don't like the cut of Dumoulin's jib. If he's hammering up the road tomorrow beside Quintana and Froome, I am definitely going to raise my eyebrows

Timely reminder for everyone - doping speculation is prohibited, even if it's ever so subtle. I will be carding such posts with bans for repeat offenders.

dastardly00 · 01-09-2015 4:58pm

Tinkoff-Saxo tweeted this photo of a cassette on one of their bikes for tomorrow.

I count 32 teeth on the largest sprocket.

MPFGLB · 01-09-2015 5:07pm

happytramp wrote: »

You along with the rest of the world.... but it's not going to happen.

I am not sure that we will see the end of Dumoulin tomorrow

As I said he weighs about the same as Nico and can push more power on the incline it seems

I wonder what his power to weight was on Sunday ...bet it was way above the old 6W/kg threshold that all the pseudo scientists bang on about

The climbs tomorrow are hard but there are plenty downhills in between, The stage is also relatively short and as a World class TT he knows how to suffer

MPFGLB · 01-09-2015 5:12pm

Dan Martin ‏@DanMartin86 -
@nedboulting and believe it or not, like every other stage it is harder then the profile suggests. #5500m+

Dan Martin ‏@DanMartin86 -
Really hope weather is good for 2moros vuelta stage. Really amazing roads/scenery. Not sure anybody will finish if it's bad #epic #andorra

RobFowl · 01-09-2015 5:12pm

Not moving into the speculation realm but the "6W/kg threshold" figure is just an arbitrary one, not based on peer reviewed data or accepted by WADA.
Seems that if something is mentioned often enough people start accepting it as fact....

MPFGLB · 01-09-2015 5:14pm

RobFowl wrote: »

Need to ask Darth Brailsford that one

Since we can't ask Brailsford anything ...what does that mean ?

RobFowl · 01-09-2015 5:17pm

MPFGLB wrote: »

Since we can't ask Brailsford anything ...what does that mean ?

Nico put on 2 kilos because Dave Brailsford told him to..

MPFGLB · 01-09-2015 5:54pm

So I was looking for as hard a stage in recent history and this is the one I came up with as the nearest in spiky mountain tops

http://www.procyclingstats.com/race.php?id=116882&c=8

Look who came in 3rd

velo.2010 · 01-09-2015 6:28pm

StevieGriff wrote: »

Froome race weight is around 67kg

Froome was 66kg at the Dauphine and 64/65 kg at the Tour.

Killer stage tomorrow! How much TV coverage will there be? Remember 2012 and everybody missed Contador's attack... something similar could happen tomorrow. However, if it turns out as hard as it looks then we may not miss anything as the riders might simply chose to wait until the final climb.

If its pissing rain, gawd knows what will happen.

ThisRegard · 01-09-2015 6:46pm

We've stung before with stages that looked great on paper, TV coverage was for pretty much all the stage, and nothing bloody happened until the last few k.

StevieGriff · 01-09-2015 7:20pm

velo.2010 wrote: »

Froome was 66kg at the Dauphine and 64/65 kg at the Tour.

Killer stage tomorrow! How much TV coverage will there be? Remember 2012 and everybody missed Contador's attack... something similar could happen tomorrow. However, if it turns out as hard as it looks then we may not miss anything as the riders might simply chose to wait until the final climb.

If its pissing rain, gawd knows what will happen.

He was 67.5kg for the famous stage 10 during the tour according to Tim Kerrison. But then again, I suppose it's one of the exact figures teams and riders might want to keep a bit quite.

on_the_nickel · 01-09-2015 9:06pm

MPFGLB wrote: »

So I was looking for as hard a stage in recent history and this is the one I came up with as the nearest in spiky mountain tops

Meh, it's no Des Hanlon.

Beasty · 01-09-2015 9:56pm

velo.2010 wrote: »

If its pissing rain, gawd knows what will happen.

Probably add about half a kg in my estimation.....:pac:

ednwireland · 01-09-2015 10:34pm

Inquitus wrote: »

Take the mobile kitchens and chefs for example, this was instituted by Sky and then copied by alot of the top teams, and will always be way beyond the means of some teams.
.

thought BMC were the first to do that...

edit : looks like garmin had one in 2010 !

http://slipstreamsports.com/2010/06/27/tour-prep-inside-the-service-course/

Darkglasses · 01-09-2015 11:18pm

Mikel Landa to beat Frank Schleck is 8/13 on PP. Bit of a gimme I think.

Pudsy33 · 01-09-2015 11:25pm

Darkglasses wrote: »

Mikel Landa to beat Frank Schleck is 8/13 on PP. Bit of a gimme I think.

I was considering taking Schleck tbh!

Inquitus · 01-09-2015 11:32pm

ednwireland wrote: »

thought BMC were the first to do that...

edit : looks like garmin had one in 2010 !

http://slipstreamsports.com/2010/06/27/tour-prep-inside-the-service-course/

My point was more someone will do it and then only the others that can afford it will follow suit, money talks, and the rest of ye can eat soggy overcooked pasta in the 2 star hotel buffet!

Darkglasses · 02-09-2015 12:01am

Pudsy33 wrote: »

I was considering taking Schleck tbh!

I guess we'll only know for sure tomorrow, but I can't see any reason to think Frank can get anywhere near Landa based on his performances this year.

dastardly00 · 02-09-2015 12:10am

Schleck has been shockingly poor so far for someone who was 'targeting' the GC.

The only risk with the bet I see is that Landa has said that his role now is purely to work for Aru. So whenever he has emptied the tank, he will take it very handy to the finish.

That should still be enough to beat Schleck though...

ThisRegard · 02-09-2015 8:12am

In fact first I realised he was actually in the race was when his name was mentioned as being part of a pile up.

Peterx · 02-09-2015 8:35am

The marginal gains didn't accrue yesterday - from Nico's diary in the Irish Independent

"After about an hour of bobbing around in the wind, however, the pilot informed us that we were flying towards ...... Reus Airport, near Salou. Here we waited for about 40 minutes as the team cars made a detour to collect us and complete the journey, which took another three hours.
We didn't arrive at our hotel until quarter past midnight"

Weds 2nd Sept: Vuelta 2015 stage 11: Andorra la Vella – Cortals d’Encamp 138km

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