Vuelta a Espana 2016

Parcel Force.

run over by other team ds

I think Canyons just do that every so often. There's a thread on it somewhere.

Hang on, HoKe is racing?

Genuine LOL

Hurtful

@Hovis can confirm this ;)

Flecha riding Gokiso hubs on his Passoni = £££££££

Massive respect for Alberto Contador. Embodiment of fighting spirit

https://twitter.com/friebos/status/769528651327107072

Carlton Kirby really is strange. I am becoming increasingly of the view that he is oblivious to the fact that people are actually listening to him.

Oh the irony.

Yesterday's finish was fun. The break looked like they were pedalling through treacle. I love slow-mo finishes like that; makes me identify with the pros a lot more.

Wow that was good... De la Cruz in red?

Edit: yes he is, like Brambilla on the Giro, I assume it requires a big effort to pull something like that... stage and GC.

I was quite enjoying Carlton and Sean taking the piss out of Rolland. But he's obviously nervy on the descents now, and keeps trying to tell the motorbike to get back, which it's not doing. Can't be very pleasant for him out there.

Quintana and Contador, what a fight! Afraid it will cost Gesink the chance of a stage win but I'm loving it.

Best stage of the year.

Quintana, wow.

Great finish.

Froome is a zombie as well, he never dies. Just slowly but surely grinds his way right back into contention to the dismay of the others.

Belter.

That was nuts.

Froome fecking smashed it up. Quintana had full control though.

the best bit was Valverde being dropped. Only by 2 seconds but made me smile none the less.

Did anyone see Froome get dropped? Was it a mechanical of was he caught napping? Can't imagine how he would ship a gap like that given his ability to limit his losses with a majestic charge up that lump today

Last thing I saw he was sniffing some kind of white powder off his stem, then him and Kennaugh were holding hands and the next thing you know everyone else was up the road.
By his own account he rode it at his own pace rather than risk going too hard at the start. I think he doesn't have the same zip as in the Tour but is still good enough to beat everyone else apart from Quintana. It's a long way to Paris, though.

Maybe it was tactical.

He did today what Contador etc did to him the other day when he got caught at the line. He probably knew how much he had today and that the others' efforts were not sustainable.

I just hope froome doesn't ship too much time before the TT. However I still can't see him (or anyone else) beating Quintana

I'm not that fussed about Froome. He's done enough winning lately.

This one has looked from the start like Movistar are in control, running the peloton and attacking, while Sky seem to be gritting their teeth a bit more.

Respect to Etixx Quick-Step too, their Tour didn't go as they wanted, but they've had a great Vuelta so far and definitely done a job for their sponsors. I like that they're sponsored by Lidl.

Contador has said it was error was following Quintana and not Froome. El Pistolero saying he should have got on the wheel of someone rioding tempo up a mountain, who would have thunk it.

But given his crashes him attacking presumably put him into the red and caused him to ship more time rather than if he had ridden with Froome, as Valverde did effectively.