Vuelta after TT today?

O.K. So who is going to be left out today? Who are the pretenders?

It seems that Aitor Gonzalez IS the favourite for the TT (is the last year
of his contract with Fassa and he has to do something to impress some DS, he
seems to have the "legs" this time). Is speedy going to win the Vuelta
again? Or is he going to be another big dissapointment?

Has Beloki finally made it out of his post-TdF 2003 crisis? If he can be one
of the top 10 today, he could be considered recovered to be a podium
favourite in next year TdF. For the moment he seems to be managing to be the
leader of his own team, and that should be the minimum he should manage to
do in this Vuelta.

Tyler has to show today if he still has it after his Olympic TT. If he wins
the TT today he will be the absolute favourite to win this race.

Others potentially well placed GC-guys after today's TT : Isidro Nozal,
Floyd Landis, Sastre. One os this could be out after today.

Trying not to lose more than 2 mins (in order of probability): Garzelli,
Menchov, Valverde and Heras.

Incognito: Cunego. Does he really give a damn about his vuelta? (probably
not), we'll see today.

"alex" wrote in news:4142d0b0$0$28460$9b4e6d93
@newsread4.arcor-online.net:

Tyler has to show today if he still has it after his Olympic TT. If he wins
the TT today he will be the absolute favourite to win this race.

He'd have to stay on his bike first, which is unlikely.

"alex" wrote:

O.K. So who is going to be left out today? Who are the pretenders?

I think today's TT will mean almost nothing for the final Vuelta's result.
With so many steep climbs Kms in the next 2 weeks, the final gaps will be
in the quarters of hours' order. So the 2-3 minutes that can separate the
top contenders nowadays will be of no aid when the big crisis are going to
cloak the riders in the mountains.

alex wrote:
O.K. So who is going to be left out today? Who are the pretenders?

It seems that Aitor Gonzalez IS the favourite for the TT (is the last
year of his contract with Fassa and he has to do something to impress
some DS, he seems to have the "legs" this time). Is speedy going to win
the Vuelta again? Or is he going to be another big dissapointment?

Disappointment.

Has Beloki finally made it out of his post-TdF 2003 crisis? If he can
be one of the top 10 today, he could be considered recovered to be a
podium favourite in next year TdF.

Finished 52nd.

Trying not to lose more than 2 mins (in order of probability): Garzelli,
Menchov, Valverde and Heras.

Garzelli, +4.20
Menchov, +2.20
Valverde, +1.32
Heras, +1.37

Incognito: Cunego. Does he really give a damn about his vuelta?
(probably not), we'll see today.

Evidently not.

Robert Chung Wrote:
alex wrote:
O.K. So who is going to be left out today? Who are the pretenders?

It seems that Aitor Gonzalez IS the favourite for the TT (is the last
year of his contract with Fassa and he has to do something to impress
some DS, he seems to have the "legs" this time). Is speedy going to
win
the Vuelta again? Or is he going to be another big dissapointment?

Disappointment.

Has Beloki finally made it out of his post-TdF 2003 crisis? If he can
be one of the top 10 today, he could be considered recovered to be a
podium favourite in next year TdF.

Finished 52nd.

Trying not to lose more than 2 mins (in order of probability):
Garzelli,
Menchov, Valverde and Heras.

Garzelli, +4.20
Menchov, +2.20
Valverde, +1.32
Heras, +1.37

Incognito: Cunego. Does he really give a damn about his vuelta?
(probably not), we'll see today.

Evidently not.
maybe yu missed Cunego in the Giro, but he is a terrible Time trialer.
2.43 down is trying for him. He could still easily make that up if he
is on form. Of course the feild is much stronger for the vuelta than
giro.


--
lazysegall

Umm... No.
Have you ever watched the Vuelta? These climbs never give very big time
gaps. Almost all of the climbs are gradual and lack steepness.
2-3 minutes typically wins the Vuelta.

"Davide Tosi" wrote in message
...
"alex" wrote:

O.K. So who is going to be left out today? Who are the pretenders?

I think today's TT will mean almost nothing for the final Vuelta's result.
With so many steep climbs Kms in the next 2 weeks, the final gaps will be
in the quarters of hours' order. So the 2-3 minutes that can separate the
top contenders nowadays will be of no aid when the big crisis are going to
cloak the riders in the mountains.

Brenton James wrote:
Umm... No.
Have you ever watched the Vuelta? These climbs never give very big
time
gaps. Almost all of the climbs are gradual and lack steepness.
Dumbass -


Like the Angliru?


Ya, not steep at all.

"Brenton James" wrote:

Umm... No.
Have you ever watched the Vuelta?

Every year since I don't ever remember when. But maybe not too many,
indeed. Probably late '80s early '90s.

These climbs never give very big time
gaps. Almost all of the climbs are gradual and lack steepness.
2-3 minutes typically wins the Vuelta.

Not really true about the past (someone already pointed out about the
Angliru). But this is by far the most difficult Vuelta course of the last
25 years (maybe ever, but I am not really that informed about historic
Vueltas) with so many climbs, so many steep sections and such series of
climbs within a single stage that I am pretty sure we will see the kind of
time gaps that were typical of early '80s TdF.

In article ,
"Robert Chung" wrote:

alex wrote:
O.K. So who is going to be left out today? Who are the pretenders?

It seems that Aitor Gonzalez IS the favourite for the TT (is the last
year of his contract with Fassa and he has to do something to impress
some DS, he seems to have the "legs" this time). Is speedy going to win
the Vuelta again? Or is he going to be another big dissapointment?

Disappointment.

It'll be back to trying to win a stage for him this year.

Trying not to lose more than 2 mins (in order of probability): Garzelli,
Menchov, Valverde and Heras.

Garzelli, +4.20
Menchov, +2.20
Valverde, +1.32
Heras, +1.37

We're still going to be hearing that Roberto Heras can't time trial to
save his life, but for him to only lose 1:37 on this stage shows (imo) that
he isn't so bad at all. I doubt (ok, its pretty safe to say that I *know*
this) he'll ever win a big one against guys like Hamilton, but he is
starting to get to the point where he limits his losses to a manageable
level.

--
tanx,
Howard

"Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind."
Albert Einstein

remove YOUR SHOES to reply, ok?

Dumbass,
Angliru is a rare exception, and it isn't ridden this year.
Which is why I said "almost all".

"Kurgan Gringioni" wrote in message
...

Brenton James wrote:
Umm... No.
Have you ever watched the Vuelta? These climbs never give very big
time
gaps. Almost all of the climbs are gradual and lack steepness.
Dumbass -


Like the Angliru?


Ya, not steep at all.