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Vuelta a Espana

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UncleIan
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Re: Vuelta a Espana

#79528

Postby UncleIan » September 6th, 2017, 4:32 pm

Snorvey wrote:After yesterdays time trial (I don't know how today has gone - I watch it at night), it looks like Froome is in the driving seat for the Vuelta.

Did anyone see the time trial? On a close up it looked like Froome was bouncing his knees off the lower part of his bent upper arm. Maybe he needs a bigger bike, or maybe he gains some advantage from doing this (perhaps keeping a beat or something?)

So Froome could be the 2017 Tour and the Vuelta winner....I know it's not the same 'year' but he could take on the Giro next year and hold all 3 Grand Tour titles.

I think he might the only person ever to do this?


I watched it, but didn't notice his cycling style, it's probably just the most aerodynamic position so he has to put up with it.

You set me thinking, so I went and had a look...

It used to be
Vuelta
Giro
Tour

Merkx won (thanks wikipedia) the tour in '72, then the Vuelta and Giro in '73. I think that means he held all three at once.
Hinault won the Giro and Tour in 82, then the Vuelta in 83.

That's a short list. I mean, the list of riders who've done all three is short enough at six. Wonder if he will do the Giro? It's clear usually concentrates on the tour and the vuelta, but maybe the thought of winning all three...or if he wants to try and join the even shorter list of those who've won the tour 5 times.

I must say, I'm quite enjoying the Vuelta, only watching the highlights, but it seems a bit more random than le tour. I mean, I know there's not much for sprinters in it, but the first few days or the first week of the tour is usually just breakaway goes, gets caught with 5-10km to go, sprint finish. Just seems a bit more exciting. Though I think Froome has it in the bag, barring calamity.

staffordian
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Re: Vuelta a Espana

#79534

Postby staffordian » September 6th, 2017, 5:09 pm

Although the Tour and Vuelta double has been achieved a couple of times over the years, I don't think it has achieved it since the Vuelta switched from early season to late, which is thought to make it a tougher ask, coming relatively soon after the TDF. So if Froome hangs on, as he should barring more tumbles or major mechanicals, it will make the achievement all the more memorable.

I've watched the Vuelta highlights for a couple of years now, having followed the TDF for many years and find it a fascinating race.

I can't really put my finger on what it is, but it does seem to have a totally different feel to the TDF.

Incidentally, a piece on the Vuelta in todays i Newspaper made me smile. In view of the terrain on todays and the next three days, there was definite irony in describing Froome's task over the next few days as downhill all the way to Madrid. :)

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Re: Vuelta a Espana

#79588

Postby Ashfordian » September 6th, 2017, 8:55 pm

Snorvey wrote:So Froome could be the 2017 Tour and the Vuelta winner....I know it's not the same 'year' but he could take on the Giro next year and hold all 3 Grand Tour titles.

I think he might the only person ever to do this?


Even if Froome wins the Vuelta I don't think he will go for the 2018 Giro. I'm sure at some point he will enter the Giro and complete the Grand Tour slam but he/Sky will never risk a Giro win over a Tour win. His rivals have shown this year by spectacularly failing at the tour that you cannot compete in both. He's also not a huge fan of riding in the cold and seems to pick up illnesses more easily when it is cold hence influencing the Vuelta over the Giro.

For Froome to attempt a Giro/Tour double both races would have to have courses designed to his strength, i.e. lots of time trial KM's to give him a cushion against the climbers. If anything the trend is going the other way and they are having less time trial KM's

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Re: Vuelta a Espana

#79607

Postby Ashfordian » September 6th, 2017, 10:57 pm

Snorvey wrote:Today was a bit brutal eh? Thank God for the time trial.


Sure was. The super steep climbs seem to be Froomes kryptonite.

However that is did not look like Froome today and he was beaten by riders he should easily have been able to stay with. I wonder if he has picked up an illness?

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Re: Vuelta a Espana

#79621

Postby didds » September 7th, 2017, 8:40 am

UncleIan wrote:I must say, I'm quite enjoying the Vuelta, only watching the highlights, but it seems a bit more random than le tour. I mean, I know there's not much for sprinters in it, but the first few days or the first week of the tour is usually just breakaway goes, gets caught with 5-10km to go, sprint finish. Just seems a bit more exciting. .


My general impression nof the Vuelta - at least in recent years when I started following it - is that it's really a climber's race, with some brutal climbing.
A few years ago Froome ended up 4th being double teamed out of the race by "Spanish" teams (Valverde and Rodriguez ISTR, but as Contador won over all potentially triple teamed!) on what in my memory seemed to be day after day of vertical climbing!

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Re: Vuelta a Espana

#79720

Postby didds » September 7th, 2017, 5:13 pm

Apparently its roles reversed today - Nibali couldn't stay with Froome.

didds

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Re: Vuelta a Espana

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Postby Ashfordian » September 10th, 2017, 5:10 pm

I'm glad I was wrong on Froome potentially being ill on Tuesday's stage. He proved that wrong and has looked the strongest every day since

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Re: Vuelta a Espana

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Postby UncleIan » September 12th, 2017, 10:28 am

Bit late to the party, away at the weekend, caught up last night. Froome the winner then. Entertaining that he defended the green jersey too. Why not? I thought Trentaine (sp?) took it quite well.

So that's three weeks cycling 2200 miles faster than anyone else, two weeks off, then another three weeks of 2065 miles, again cycling faster than anyone else. That's quite extraordinary.

Did anyone else find they were warming to Froome a bit more on the Vuelta? He seemed a lot, I don't know, happier, more relaxed, cheery, than on the tour. Apparently the Spanish fans seem to like him a lot more than the French do.

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Re: Vuelta a Espana

#100145

Postby Ashfordian » November 30th, 2017, 10:52 am

Snorvey wrote:Froome to take on the Giro next year....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/42172424


It's a surprising choice as it puts at risk a fifth TdF win but when looked at logically it makes sense.

- There's an extra week between the end of the Giro and start of the Tour to allow recovery
- 8 mainly flat days on the Tour before the cobbled stage
- Holding all 3 GT's at the same time
- I've read Sky have been offered £2m to ride the Giro (I'm guessing that meant with Froome as leader)
- Giro starts in Istanbul and rides South to North which reduces the weather risk slightly

It will be great to see if he can achieve it but should also mean Sky will go to the TdF with an actual plan B rider (Poels or Thomas would be my guess)


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