La Vuelta 2017 **SPOILERS**

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Location
Spain
I'd forgotten that Uran could do the double too!
Orica would be wise to rest Simon and let Adam do it. I think!
Doubling up on the Tour and Vuelta doesn't seem to have caused many problems over the last three or four years, it's the Giro Tour double that seems to be the killer.
 

smutchin

Cat 6 Racer
Location
The Red Enclave
the ITT is too long

And too flat...

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Supersuperleeds

Legendary Member
Location
Leicester
I don't think Froome was saving himself in the Tour - Sky were effective at controlling the race but he just wasn't at his best, as he hasn't been all season. Still good enough to win, obviously - largely thanks to his main rivals all being rubbish at time trials and/or going down mountains - but I doubt he has another grand tour in him this season. Sky ought to be backing Rosa or Poels. Or even Landa, who looks like he still has three more GTs in him this season.

I'm with @Crackle - my money is on Zakarin. Nibali and Kruijswijk are obvious contenders. And Jungels. Lopez could be worth watching too.

Leo Konig is an unknown quantity - he'll be fresh, at least.



Surely they'll be backing Kelderman? Assuming he's over his injuries from the Giro crash.

With him going to Movistar I'd be surprised to see Sky giving Landa the chance, though he probably deserves it after his support of Froome at the Tour.

I'd like to see the Yates boys have a serious challenge, but maybe it is to earlier for them.
 

Fight.The.Power

Well-Known Member
Think Poels is the dark horse winner for me. Difficult if not impossible to know his form, but a definite contender IMO. :reading:
 

Starchivore

I don't know much about Cinco de Mayo
I vow to follow La vuelta this time, being very very guilty of only ever really watching Le tour. I'd like to see some more of Spain, having never been there despite speaking a decent amount of Spanish. I'll be reliant on watching ITV4's highlights on catch-up though.
 

Buddfox

Veteran
Location
London
I vow to follow La vuelta this time, being very very guilty of only ever really watching Le tour. I'd like to see some more of Spain, having never been there despite speaking a decent amount of Spanish. I'll be reliant on watching ITV4's highlights on catch-up though.

Don't get your hopes up. Some of the scenery will be great, but often the Vuelta is beset with long stages mostly run on dual carriageways with very little by way of background. It's just the way the landscape is in the interior of some parts of Spain. It suffers in this regard vs both France and Italy. For my money this is made up by the numerous ridiculously steep tracks / paths which are often used as mountaintop finishes. A casual 20% gradient seems to come far more often than I would expect.
 

SWSteve

Guru
Location
Bristol...ish
I'm with @Crackle - my money is on Zakarin.

But he'll have to go downhill at some point, and that isn't a strength, nor is his time trialling - those 40km could be his undoing
 

smutchin

Cat 6 Racer
Location
The Red Enclave
I thought Zakarin was a decent time triallist, but a quick check over his record suggests he's good at time trials in the same way that Uran is. He is current Russian TT champion though, for what that's worth (standard of competition for that title doesn't seem so high).

I presume the comment about his descending was meant to be facetious.
 

brommers

Years beyond my wisdom
Location
Clacton-on-Sea
I thought Zakarin was a decent time triallist, but a quick check over his record suggests he's good at time trials in the same way that Uran is. He is current Russian TT champion though, for what that's worth (standard of competition for that title doesn't seem so high)
He generally is a good TTer - the times he's finished lower down the order is when he has come off his bike. :ohmy:
 

SWSteve

Guru
Location
Bristol...ish
I thought Zakarin was a decent time triallist, but a quick check over his record suggests he's good at time trials in the same way that Uran is. He is current Russian TT champion though, for what that's worth (standard of competition for that title doesn't seem so high).

I presume the comment about his descending was meant to be facetious.

Comment on his TT skills were because he binned it (possibly twice) the last time I saw him do one, and everyone else seemed to remain upright
 
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