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.

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?

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.

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.

As already said, the parcours of this edition are particulary difficult, and
quite different from last year, with a good mix of short and steep mountain
finishes and longer but more gradual climbs.
http://www.altimetrias.com/aspbk/verPuerto.asp?id=258
http://www.rutasdeciclismo.com/index...=puertos&id=58
http://www.altimetrias.com/aspbk/verPuerto.asp?id=388
http://www.salite.ch/covatilla.htm

Not the Dolomites or TdF Pyrinees, but they'll create big gaps

Jenko

BTW, what the heck has happened to Igor Gonzales de Galdeano? He was never in
the same class with Hamilton, but until about 18 months ago he was solidly in a
second tier of riders capable of top-5 showings in big TTs and top-10s in final
GC. He'd finish with the second group behind the leaders on the climbs.

Now, nothing. Has he been relegated to Saiz's doghouse after after last year's
Vuelta and commanded to ride only as a second-rate domestique from here on out?
Could he be doing better with another team, or has he peaked and is now in
decline? He was Vuelta runner-up not that long ago.

Brenton James wrote:
Have you ever watched the Vuelta? These climbs never give very big time
gaps.

Never? These look like pretty big time gaps:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2004...ults/vuelta049

Those are nothing, after hearing that the TT gaps ment nothing, and that the
mountain gaps would be much bigger.

10 riders within a minute of the winner on a HC finish? Those are small time
gaps. Compare that to say... stage 18 of the 2003 Giro.

"Robert Chung" wrote in message
...
Brenton James wrote:
Have you ever watched the Vuelta? These climbs never give very big time
gaps.

Never? These look like pretty big time gaps:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2004...ults/vuelta049

Brenton James wrote:
Those are nothing, after hearing that the TT gaps ment nothing, and
that the mountain gaps would be much bigger.

10 riders within a minute of the winner on a HC finish? Those are small
time gaps. Compare that to say... stage 18 of the 2003 Giro.

Paraphrasing something you yourself said elsewhere in this thread,
Chianale was a rare exception.