Chasing Red - La Vuelta 2018

[stavros]

Yeah, that was a stunning jump from Gallopin.

 

[Hollis]

Good stage - couldn't really work out what was happening tbh.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Good stage - couldn't really work out what was happening tbh.

It's quite nice to have a GT here there's no obvious winner after a week of racing.

 

[Nigel Irritable]

It's quite nice to have a GT here there's no obvious winner after a week of racing.

There was an obvious winner in the Giro at this point who then didn’t win.

 

[Hollis]

My Eurosport 'live' coverage of stage 8 appears to have ended with 10km to go. While other programmes on Eurosport are now showing the highlights. What a shower of useless fucks they are sometimes..

[As you were. ]

 

[stavros]

Does Simon Yates wear particularly large sunglasses, or does he just have a very small face?

 

[hash tag]

Looked like a tough stage today and all I managed was to catch the last 10k. Bennie king again. Good lad and Yates in top spot
I see Quintana is thereabouts by a few seconds.

 

[Hollis]

There wasn't much focus on the GC battle in the TV coverage. Honours even it seems.. I assume it will start to sort itself out in Asturias. Decent win by this American guy.. he's 29 years old, and I can't say i've heard of him before this race.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

*bump*

Into 3 back to back mountain stages today, with a Cofidis rider wearing the red jersey

 

[Hollis]

Good day today. A break with Kwiatkowski which seems unlikely to survive. Amazing scenary... I think this part of Spain - Asturias and surroundings - has to be my favourite part of the 3 grand tours.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Kwiato rolled the dice there, guess he had to. Didn’t work mind

Great win for Yates, Quintana either didn’t have the legs or just blew it with his “wait for others to do something” approach.

Valverde is looking more and more like he can win it though.

 

[Hollis]

I figure its Yates or Valverde...my money is on Yates. Quintana is really annoying to watch.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Quintana is really annoying to watch.

Yeah. I may have shouted “get the fuck on with it” at the telly

 

[Hollis]

Grand Tours without the Skytrain are odd... It's kind of like learning a new sport... I'm less clear what the fuck is going on

 

[hash tag]

It's great isn't it. What odds on Yates winning which would mean Brit's are the holders of the 3 GT's?

 

[Nigel Irritable]

It's great isn't it. What odds on Yates winning which would mean Brit's are the holders of the 3 GT's?

I don’t think that three different riders of the same nationality have ever held the three GTs simultaneously.

Simon Yates, by the way, is the most entertaining GC rider in the sport. Sometimes he goes from range, sometimes he does the last km puncheur’s charge, but if he has any kind of legs and there is climbing he will attack.

 

[hash tag]

As of last night no sky rider was in top ten

 

[stavros]

Grand Tours without the Skytrain are odd... It's kind of like learning a new sport... I'm less clear what the fuck is going on

Much, much better, in my opinion. I think the TdF tried to neutralise them a little this year, decreasing team sizes and shorter TTs, but it didn't really work.

 

[hash tag]

Yates helmet today Quintana Not good.
Trust it to be a tt on one of my days off

 

[twistedAM]

Fuck yeah, Enric Mas. Good ITT lad. Three under-23 Quickies in the top ten!

 

[Nigel Irritable]

Simon “the good brother” Yates now entering into the same he can only lose if he explodes situation he was in just before his engine died entirely in the Giro. I reckon he has paced himself better this time around. He didn’t arrive at the race already at his absolutely maximum peak and didn’t blow his own doors off trying to win every stage. But part of the fun is just not knowing if he can handle three weeks at the sharp end. He’s certainly the best two week racer in the world.

 

[Hollis]

Nicely set for the final week...

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Oooof, that was brutal, both the gradient of that final climb and the way in which Valverde utterly outclassed Quintana

 

[twistedAM]

Simon “the good brother” Yates now entering into the same he can only lose if he explodes situation he was in just before his engine died entirely in the Giro. I reckon he has paced himself better this time around. He didn’t arrive at the race already at his absolutely maximum peak and didn’t blow his own doors off trying to win every stage. But part of the fun is just not knowing if he can handle three weeks at the sharp end. He’s certainly the best two week racer in the world.

This time around it seems he has focussed on the last two weeks which is probably a better idea.

Enric Mas into 3rd now. Seems that that Contador bloke knows a thing or two. De la Cruz was supposed to be the big Spanish hope but a 23 year old is bashing him.

Contador says Enric Mas is Spain's 'next big thing' | VeloNews.com

 

[hash tag]

A punishing finish today; Quintana sowly sliping backwards

PS. I thought Aru left himself rather exposed today (sorry).

 

[Hollis]

Great sprint stage today!

 

[stavros]

Good job too, as ITV4 were really struggling to fill an hour with the preceding 180km.

 

[Hollis]

With sprint stages i tend to only watch the last 20-30km now..

Spoiler: In case you haven't watched..

A breakaway surviving like this lot did today is a rarity though - I still thought they'd be caught up to about 2-3km out...

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

That was a fantastic finish

I really thought Sagan was gonna make it at one point, the distance he clawed back was ridiculous.

 

[Nigel Irritable]

Great stage today. A great winner in Pinot and a great performance by the GC leader, Yates. The only way Yates knows to defend is to attack first.