2014 Vuelta a Espana, stage 18: A Estrada-Monte Castrove en Meis (157 km)

MPFG

I didn't see a thread for this stage
Looks like it would be good for Purito or Valverde , both looking for time but maybe Dan Martin can pull off that stage win...hope so

Pudsy33

Dan will attack no doubt but it just depends on Valverde and Rodriguez following. Should be exciting!

dastardly00

Tom Boonen, Robert Gesink and Fabian Cancellara were all DNS this morning.

Spartacus pulled out to concentrate on the World Champs. And Gesink left the race because his heavily pregnant wife is in hospital as she has undergone surgery twice this week

gordongekko

I how his wife is ok but Robert Gesink pulling out takes a bit of pressure of Dan and might help him focus on aru rather than a what's happening behind him.

pelevin

gordongekko wrote: »

I how his wife is ok but Robert Gesink pulling out takes a bit of pressure of Dan and might help him focus on aru rather than a what's happening behind him.

Focus on Aru in terms of marking him for a stage win or for GC? At nearly 3 minutes back, unless things go very bad for Aru I'd not have thought he's in any way a realistic target in GC.

MPFG

I suppose it was to be expected as I had Gesink in my fantasy team, along with Quintana , Bouhanni, Hofland .....

Ultegra

With Spartacus & tony Martin gone final TT is really up for grabs

ZiabR

Ultegra wrote: »

With Spartacus & tony Martin gone final TT is really up for grabs

Very true, it really is anyones. Contador can run well but again depends on teh route. Does anyone know the TT route?

Ultegra

Racing time of 1hr 17 mins with an average speed of 50.6km/hr !!!

Pudsy33

That's nuts. No way a break will hold, they'll be wrecked!

Darkglasses

logik wrote: »

Very true, it really is anyones. Contador can run well but again depends on teh route. Does anyone know the TT route?

9.7km completely flat IIRC.

dastardly00

logik wrote: »

Very true, it really is anyones. Contador can run well but again depends on teh route. Does anyone know the TT route?

Here.

pelevin

Put modest bets on Valverde and Dan for today. Was thinking Movistar particularly would be anxious for time bonuses to be up for grabs at the end for Valverde & so would work hard against any breakaway.

Darkglasses

Still flooring it by the looks of things

Darkglasses

Gap to the breakaway is now nominal, late attacks are starting to come from the peloton with 28km to go. Should be a sprint finish of sorts.

Paddigol

If Aru wins this I'll throw a temper tantrum.

Daroxtar

Frome giving it a lash with 2 k to go

spock.

Martin losing time.

neris

Paddigol wrote: »

If Aru wins this I'll throw a temper tantrum.

Off you go

godtabh

Froome lost it by looking at his power meter. Typical.

Put about 13 seconds into contador

Ultegra

What was Valverde playing at.

retalivity

Martin 12th, 48s back from Aru

blobbie

retalivity wrote: »

Martin 12th, 48s back from Aru

Hangs onto 6th by 7s from Sanchez

Vuelta a Espana GC: 1 Contador; 2 Froome +1'19; 3 Valverde +1'32; 4 Rodriguez+2'29; 5 Aru + 3'15; 6 Martin +6'52; 7 Sanchez +6'59

Paddigol

neris wrote: »

Off you go

*$%#¥**!!

Consolidation time for Dan now.

MPFG

Arun is such a talent ..... Defo for me a future GT winner ..Second only to Quintana

Dan is on antibiotics it seems....Always finds it hard to stay healthy for 3 weeks

Hopefully he can hang in there in these last stages and be ok for Worlds & Lombardy ....more like his kind of races for a win

pelevin

The battle for first looks very much back on.

godtabh

pelevin wrote: »

The battle for first looks very much back on.

at 1'20?

I'd say bertie will just mark Froome from here to the end

pelevin

godtabh wrote: »

at 1'20?

I'd say bertie will just mark Froome from here to the end

I'd say if just marking Froome were as easy as that, he'd not have lost time to him today. Interesting to see how tough the remaining days are.

MPFG

pelevin wrote: »

I'd say if just marking Froome were as easy as that, he'd not have lost time to him today. Interesting to see how tough the remaining days are.

Sky are going to make them tough...Froome seems to be getting better and better

The 3 amigos were not able to follow him today

quozl

The next stage's profile looks too easy to me for Froome to gain time
http://www.c-cycling.com/sites/vuelta14/stage19.html

Stage 20 however could see him gain some time - http://www.c-cycling.com/sites/vuelta14/stage20.html

With such a short ITT, I can't see him gaining more than a dozen seconds over Bertie in the last stage. Though I guess he could possibly win it and gain bonus seconds for that - if there are any for the time trial stage?

pelevin

Stage 20 looks like D Day all right.

dastardly00

I'd say Sanchez will probably overtake Dan for 6th place in the ITT.

Darkglasses

dastardly00 wrote: »

I'd say Sanchez will probably overtake Dan for 6th place in the ITT.

I dunno, I think Saturday will be far more decisive in terms of time-gaps than the ITT, and Dan's a better climber right now for me. I think he'll gain more time on Sanchez on Saturday than he'll lose on Sunday

Brian?

godtabh wrote: »

Froome lost it by looking at his power meter. Typical.

Put about 13 seconds into contador

That's a little unfair on Aru. Froome did most of the work to open up a gap on his GC contenders, Aru had the final kick to win. I don't think the stage win was a priority for Froome.

Daroxtar

Brian? wrote: »

That's a little unfair on Aru. Froome did most of the work to open up a gap on his GC contenders, Aru had the final kick to win. I don't think the stage win was a priority for Froome.

No, but he wouldn't have turned down the bonus seconds either

Brian?

Daroxtar wrote: »

No, but he wouldn't have turned down the bonus seconds either

That's true, I just think it was an unfair comment. Froome was beaten by the better kick, not because he was staring at his power meter.

Brian?

pelevin wrote: »

Stage 20 looks like D Day all right.

It does indeed. Crucially my Missus is at a baby shower though, so I'll have to watch a recording. Stupid pregnant women.

neris

Brian? wrote: »

It does indeed. Crucially my Missus is at a baby shower though, so I'll have to watch a recording. Stupid pregnant women.

well if its her baby shower your partly to blame (or so you should think) and you need to get your timing right on sexual privilages. If its not hers tell her to get new friends who are more considerate to the timing of grand tour race finishes and crucial stages.

D3PO

Darkglasses wrote: »

I dunno, I think Saturday will be far more decisive in terms of time-gaps than the ITT, and Dan's a better climber right now for me. I think he'll gain more time on Sanchez on Saturday than he'll lose on Sunday

Question is how much is this illness Dan has impacting his condition. He is certainly a better climber all things being equal Im just not so sure all things are equal right now.

Hopefully they are and if so Id expect he can put enough time into Sanchez to hold 6th place, if hes not 100% though then unfortunatly he will probably lost 6th.

Either way I think hes proved he can ride for the GC in a Grand Tour and have realistic ambitions to podium at some point if he improves his time trialling (in the Giro or Vuelta) I dont see any other GT being so stacked with talent in the next few years tbh.

I mean we have to remember of the 5 guys ahead of him 3 of them are GT winners and the other 2 have GT podiums on their Palmares as has the guy directly behind him.

Only Aru is younger than him too