2013 Vuelta a España - Tour of Spain

2013, the year of ugly riding style

For what reason; due to Horner coming out of nowhere or what?

41 year old rides away from some of the best climbers in the world at the peak of their career - please..

Diary of a Grand Tour Addict, or Going Cold Turkey in a Hot Country:
A Bad Case of the Vuelta Blues

http://wp.me/p3EEKP-7D

Disclaimer - I haven't seen a minute since Stage 3 so all the above is probably bollocks.

fucking brilliant blog and title! have some rep. hope to see you on a ride soon (falling leaves?) i owe you a drink

^^
Does seem odd... very odd! Difficult to engage in a serious discussion regarding his performance and, as the case might be, performance enhancing drugs, when really there is no factual evidence, as far as I know, to suggest that Horner didn't win it fair and square.

If I'm perfectly honest I sat with the same feeling watching Froome winning the Tour de France. at the end of the day one can only speculate, and in this case, watching Horner demolishing the competition, I find it very hard not to...

That just makes a mockery of the Vuelta as a race.

Horner, who has been consistently standard, even disappointing in Europe, finds best form at age of 41. No chance.

Even if he had been consistently outstanding in Europe, it's a simple numbers game and there is one number that counts: 41. He's already the oldest rider ever to wear a GT leader's jersey, and yesterday easily distanced a clutch of the world's best climbers. Whether he can continue this extraordinary form is another thing, but the bottom line is a rider that old being in this position in a GT really pushes the boundaries of credibility.

He does have the build of a great climber, looks tiny, and seems to be missing a neck. Defenders say he's won everything going in the States, but I'll say again I find it difficult to look at an American rider of that generation and not see Lance grinning back at me. It's a Roy-of-the-Rovers-esque fairytale, him going for a GT win, just hope it's legit.

Can't have it that virtually every time I witness an extraordinary performance, the question of performance enhancing drugs pops up in my head... I wouldn't say that it has ruined pro cycling for me from a spectators perspective, but it sure as hell hasn't helped. I wonder if the doping ghost will ever go away?

Anyway, Vuelta a España - Tour of Spain. Cancellara will take the individual time trial Wednesday in front of Martin. Nibali will be back in the leader's jersey with Roche a close second having ridden his best TT ever. Go Nico!

To stir the shit just a bit, an interview with an Azevedo gives me the impression Horner might pull something just as spectacular out of the bag in the TT, what with it being just a big hill and all

41 year old rides away from some of the best climbers in the world at the peak of their career - please..

Rest Day interrogation coming soon...

Rest Day interrogation coming soon...

Cue Sky sitting by eating popcorn.

On a tangent I found this interesting, F1's Alonso buying Euskaltel Euskadi: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/23936407

fucking brilliant blog and title! have some rep. hope to see you on a ride soon (falling leaves?) i owe you a drink

Thanks Si. Been doing quite a bit of writing this week on holiday so will be posting more stuff up when I get back (and do some fact checking!). You can sign up to get auto-notifications when things are added..

Yeah, I am doing ROTFL (off around 9am) - hoping to actually finish this time around. I had to abandon last year as the dose of Cairo Belly I had brought back from a mid-week work trip struck me down mid-race. Hoping for a less demoralising outing this year.

Horner's clearly a rank amateur. Has no-one told him that you shouldn't lean?

Diary of a Grand Tour Addict, or Going Cold Turkey in a Hot Country:
A Bad Case of the Vuelta Blues

http://wp.me/p3EEKP-7D

Disclaimer - I haven't seen a minute since Stage 3 so all the above is probably bollocks.

have some bumpage, my friend.

Lovely writing, as always.

At the risk of appearing naive, Horner was always touted for greatness in an era of doping, but failed to deliver. He didn't have a certain 'edge'.

Might it be that the playing field is level enough for him to excel now, in a similar vein to Evans, Gilbert, et al?

Either way, I'm loving this race. Some cracking attacks, unpredictable finishes and I like watching Nico Roche giving a truly gutsy performance.

Such naivety.

Evans is dirty, yeah right he went to consult Ferrari about whether he should move from Mountain biking or not...yeah right!

41 year old rides away from some of the best climbers in the world at the peak of their career - please..

Indeed. Anyone see Roger Hammond's pointed comments on the ITV highlights?

Good to see Horner rolling back the years - unfortunately for cycling he seems to have rolled back to the 1998 TDF.... Ridunculous climbing! Riding away from Nibbles et al at 41?! Really?! Nibbles is having the season of his life, is only 27 AND rides for a team I've had good reason to be suspicious of in the past (Vino as DS anyone?). I honestly thought the 'grinding a big gear, out of the saddle, not breathing and carrying on beyond the line as if NOTHING happened on a MAJOR mountain stage' style of victory was a thing of the past. I think I might have to give up watching this sport - again.

Obviously I have no proof so Horner must be innocent etc.......

from Cillian Kelly's twitter feed - Number of riders older than Chris Horner to have finished the Vuelta: ONE -- Manuel Costa, 35th in 1964, aged 42y, 6m, 2d.

At the risk of appearing naive, Horner was always touted for greatness in an era of doping, but failed to deliver. He didn't have a certain 'edge'.

Might it be that the playing field is level enough for him to excel now, in a similar vein to Evans, Gilbert, et al?

Either way, I'm loving this race. Some cracking attacks, unpredictable finishes and I like watching Nico Roche giving a truly gutsy performance.

This is the narrative most in the sport would want you to believe. The simple fact, as pointed out above, only one rider has actually finished the Vuelta at Horner's age, is a very damning statistic. The level playing field might work if speeds were down but they're not really, and the races aren't any easier.

Plus the team he rides for.

Truely hate saying all of this. Really, really want to give him the benefit of the doubt, that he's some freakish outlier capable of mixing it with the younger riders, but watching the stage yesterday....I guess I saw what others have been seeing in Froome and Wiggins. Depressing, although the Vuelta has been a great race despite that.

Rest Day interrogation coming soon...

Doubt it - it's the Vuelta, not the tour. No-one cares.

I'm all for innocent until proven guilty... and I will happily believe in a reasonably credible performance like Froome's (he looked human at times, has previous form / plausible career arc, and is coming of age etc etc) - but a 41 year old from that era, embarrassing some of the best pure climbers in the world. No fucking way.

If Horner looked completely fucked in interviews after stages then I MIGHT just believe him, but he just looks totally wired - like he's just done a big line. I'm sorry, but I don't buy it one bit.

Hinault should get back in training. He is closer in age to Horner than, for example, Nairo Quintana.

Btw - Jens Voigt is also a doper.

He raced under brunyeel.
He rode with Lance
Neen on the same teams as the schlecks

Mans is dirty!

Hinault should get back in training. He is closer in age to Horner than, for example, Nairo Quintana.

Btw - Jens Voigt is also a doper.

Every couple of years everyone rolls out the Indurain is coming back thing.. so why not. Let's get a Masters pro peloton going - they can all take fizzy NOS drugs (the proper old strong shit) and race on crap old bikes.. then they can eat steaks and smoke fags after.

I'd rather watch that than the Vuelta.