[Closed] Vuelta a España 2013 [Spoilers]

Done!

Given that I've got Henao, Uran, Betancur, Rodriguez, Dan Martin and EBH I've had to make some serious savings elsewhere...

Serious lack of decent sprinters makes it quite interesting.

Any RealMan threads at all will be the awesomez! Looking forward to this, shame we're not seeing a battle between Froome and Nibali though.

Uran, Martin, Sanchez..

This and the Giro are my faves.

*dofts cap to RealMan for taking this on again

RealMan - the bar can not be raised any higher! You really do a terrific job. 😀

Now ... the billion dollar question ... what TV channel? Certainly last year I watched it on terrestrial.

Eurosport for me again... I will try to fit some work in over the coming days 😆

I expect Euskatel to do a few breaks off the front since they're disbanding 😥 one of my all time favourite teams, Eva.

Recording on ITV for me, now doubt I'll want to send a massive bag of my own excrement to the commentators for there hideous bullshit but I just can't trust Eurosport to record it properly 🙁

Are we having a shithouse league as well ? - for some reason I'm better at low-scoring than high

why, yes we are:

League Name: stw lowscore losers
League Code: 20212526

Nice one scaredypants 🙂

In for Velogames

But I think this is a very hard race to call for GC and for each day's stage win.

The whole thing could go to three or four riders and as for stages have you seen the profile for the the first three... crazy 😯

Three summit finishes ... but they are flat unitl the last couple of kms then a sprinters stage that is up and down all day ???

Has to be Eurosport... ITV only watchable with the sound off!

Will be interesting as suspect a lot of the top riders will be using it to pick up some form for the Worlds. Great chance for some of the top domestiques to do some proper team leading. Can't look far past Purito though if he's going for it. Gilbert for some stage wins again?

Not studied the course yet. Plenty of the usual stupid steep climbs?

Looking forward to this, as above hope the hombres in orange go out in style.

Double post

I'm in 😀
I'm not sure the OH is happy about another 3 weeks of highlights though 😉
Should be a fascinating race.

Ultra slow motion style "sprint" finishes on 20% climbs are where it's at.

I did really badly at the TdF fantasy leagues so not sure whether to try harder for the Vuelta or just jack it in.
In any case I'm looking forward to the Vuelta. It has to be Nibali or Rodiriguez doesn't it. I'm thinking Purito is edging it at the moment based on form, but has Nibali been holding himself back for this? Exciting.

I love the super-steep rough climbs of the Vuelta, and the helicopter shots are the best of all the Grand Tours.

Nibali has an eye on the worlds as well so may not do as well as expected. I'm expecting Henao to get at last a podium but I'm hoping he gets the win.

I'm in, perhaps home territory advantage will help me? Certainly can't do much worse than the Tour 🙂

I'm in. Might have a better balanced team compared to the TdF!

The Jinkers are in.

It's started!

And that start ramp is begging for some sort of incident. Please.

Edit - Arse, just seen the safety glass.

how do points work with TTTs? does everyone in the team get points for a win?

EDIT: ok, it's like this.

TEAM TIME TRIAL SCORES

The opening stage of the 2013 Vuelta is a Team Time Trial. The only points awarded for the Team Time Trial stage are for each team's finishing position. Individual classificiation points are not included.

Points are awarded to all team members in the Top 6 teams, based on the following table. Riders do not have to finish alongside their leading team members to receive points. However, they do have to finish the stage as a classified finisher. Stage assists.

Position Points
1st 30
2nd 20
3rd 16
4th 12
5th 8
6th 4

58 tooth chainring.... FFS!

Okay, dropping Nibali so I could afford both Henao and Betancur might have been a mistake. Can't believe they're both effectively out after the first proper stage.

Movistar look very, very impressive so far.

Okay, dropping Nibali so I could afford both Henao and Betancur might have been a mistake. Can't believe they're both effectively out after the first proper stage.

Watching Samu get dropped off the back of the lead group yesterday didn't do much for my league standings either 😀

Yeah same here.

Hoping they were paying for the TTT and after a bit of a rest day today they're back on form.

I really don't want Nibali to win but I'm starting to think I'll be disappointed.

I'd like to think that it's early doors and that a lot can still happen, but there were some surprises yesterday. Sanchez, Henao, EBH all dropping back was disappointing.
What was amazing was that according to Cycling News, Gilbert managed to come both 77th and 87th in the stage...

Movistar using the bollard debacle to repay Belkin's Tour attack...

Is it just me or did Horners bars look way to wide for him, like he'd borrowed a bike?

So proud to be top of the league. Viva la Team CC

Anyone else struggling with itv's coverage? Am finding it quite disjointed and not easy to follow.

Last year I didn't have this problem and was completely hooked. Not sure of the tv company involved though.

Live on eurosport every day, android/iPad app is only £3 a month.

Need to watch on a big screen, may check Eurosport's prices.

I run a HDMI lead from whichever mobile device to the tv so I can watch henao go backwards on the big screen.

I have Eurosport on my Samsung TV as well so I can get HD over the net (as I can't via cable).

Interested to see whether Sky do what they usually do and insist the more in-form rider supports the nominated team leader. Unless Uran falls off the pace today and tomorrow, they need to have Henao support him

What a stage!!!!!! incredible

anyone see this?

No, I'll be watching the highlights though.

yep, shouting at the screen for the last 100m...

Good effort!

I reckon Wiggo might have just gone out for an extra training session after watching that...

On a separate note, EBH needs to sort out his positioning - in every stage with a potential win he's been about 30 riders back as the sprint kicks off and gets nowhere. (Yes he's in my team)

poor bugger

Hero.

Gutted for him. As per the commentary I feel a bit empty for him, god only knows how he must feel!

Just watched it. Heroic. But God that's tough.

Out of interest, given that he lost it 15 meters from the line on a 175k, pancake flat, stage, would he have won if he had a set of clip on tri bars? Against 'the rules' I know, but winning is winning, as I'm sure a Texan once said.

Just watched the last few k's again and still thought he may just do it! Amazing effort and definitely a psychological point scored in the run up to the worlds TT. Must be gutted but sounds from the interviews that he took a lot of positives from it regarding his form.

He defo would have one it if he had tri bars.

He might have won it if he'd stopped looking around in the last 500m....(I knew the result but was still shouting at the tele... stopping looking round get your head down)

And that's gotta be the hardest part for him. He knows somewhere...over the almost 4 odd hours that he was out front.. he let up just a little bit.

Cruel ... so cruel... but what a ride.

I think it was closer than 15m in 175km. More like 5m! 😯

Like the commentators I was speechless. Turning out to be a great Vuelta.

Absolutely f'ing epic. Needed to go to sleep, but I couldn't miss it. Loved it. Screeming at the telly late at night. Tony Martin rules... 😀

gutted, Tony Martin is in my team.
so close to one of the greatest stage victories this year, and there have been a few.
Jeremy Clarkson couldn't have orchestrated that one better himself!

haven't shouted at the TV like I did last night in years, what a ride.

Have replied to stybars tweet asking if "great to ride with Gilbert" is lost in translation. Nobody loves a wheel sucker.

Crap phone double posting

What a strange win today?

At least Roche moved up!

3 seconds in it and two mountain stages to go inc Angrilu, epic stuff, c'mon Chris do it for the old gits!