2011-08-20 - Vuelta a Espana: dates / route

Absolutely awesome to watch.

both riders were at exhaustion point
although cobo appeared to be able to chat to journalists moments after the finish, while froome was slumped against a barrier gasping.

Cobo getting dropped then coming right back was amazing but I think the journos just swarmed him at the end.

So can Froome do it? His options are limited, to say the least. Could a sustained push on the front by Sky eventually shatter the peloton and leave Cobo isolated, or would a Flanders-style attack on the stage 20 climb snap the elastic and allow Froome to TT to the finish? He'll have to aim to mop up seconds on intermediate sprints, but he's going to be marked tighter than Gary Glitter in a Whacky Warehouse.

Is the GC wrapped up?

sorry if this has been mentioned already.

see the professionalism at 2.30 of this review of stage four.

http://www.itv.com/lavuelta/2011/stage-highlights/stage-4/

Jeez, #231, I think I must be a bit of a traditionalist and I don't think I gave it (the Pro event in the US) much chance. I am a bit of grumpy git and don't like change. Watching an event in quaint European villages sits well with me, that's what I have always watched - the scenery is part of the enjoyment for me. The switch to the US freeways was a bit of a leap for my anti change old school ways. It took away the enjoyment for me. My comment was a tad biased.

As for the silence over the last few days from people on the Vuelta, I think it says it all. The final stage procession seemed to start about 4days ago. In all the event was alive for just a few days, the rest was fairly mundane - with no change in the GC (or even threat to it) in the last 4 days - that can hardly be good for an event.

With only one individual time trial - you have to wonder how this year's race produced a winner that demonstrated all round skills?

I was disappointed by the last few days - which is so annoying given it was building to a bit of climax - then nothing. I don't think the Vuelta has done much to dismiss claims that it is now a much poorer sister to the Giro and the Tour.

recorded the whole thing. watched one stage.

As for the silence over the last few days from people on the Vuelta, I think it says it all. The final stage procession seemed to start about 4days ago. In all the event was alive for just a few days, the rest was fairly mundane - with no change in the GC (or even threat to it) in the last 4 days - that can hardly be good for an event.

With only one individual time trial - you have to wonder how this year's race produced a winner that demonstrated all round skills?

I was disappointed by the last few days - which is so annoying given it was building to a bit of climax - then nothing. I don't think the Vuelta has done much to dismiss claims that it is now a much poorer sister to the Giro and the Tour.

This is Froome attacking on Friday. It was a quality move that was expertly checked by Cobo.

This is Wiggins on the Friday setting a punishing pace that decimated the peloton, a pace that put his own third place in jeopardy as he sacrificed himself for Froome.

Where the terrain allowed the Sky team tried, and they kept up a hard pace in an attempt to crack Cobo. Any attempt to just fly of the front would have been doomed and might have put their 2nd and 3rd places on the podium at risk. The race might have lacked a few fireworks in the last few days but it was still worth watching.
What did you want from the race? I admit it wasn't a 'vintage edition', but there was some brilliant riding at times. We've got Britons on the 2nd and 3rd step of the podium and all you can say is 'Meh'!
Typical British response.

General,

Not sure what you mean by typical British Response - but those last few days of the tour were hardly set up to make to the GC blitzed, whereas the Tour this year had a couple of mountain stages followed by a Time Trial.

The fact is that those relatively less difficult stages towards the end meant that it was almost a foregone conclusion - the commentators on Eurosport and ITV were all trying desperately hard to make viewers believe there was some kind of sting in the tail, but in reality they knew it that opportunities were limited.

Whether you are British or not, the end of that Tour was far from exciting.

Still the question, innit?

Haha. How wrong was I?

at the time a legitimate question, he went stellar after... and his development from 2010 on remains a mystery