2021 Vuelta

[Mrs Pingu]

Cor! The next 4 days profiles look nice and bastardy!

[andyoxon]

Some good scenery yesterday, like going around the conical Cerro Masatrigo...

[andyoxon]

"The tactics? The tactics are we need the legs today".   

[Mrs Pingu]

(click to show/hide)

Chimney boi is back!

[Legs]

Everyone's ability to resist making puns about the change in red jersey wearer is decidedly surprising.

As in, ‘Eiking the Biking Viking’?

[fd3]

... yes ... that was the obvious one.

[rogerzilla]

Migelangelopez doesn't fall off shock!

It was like dusk at the top of that mountaim in the fog.  Reminds me of Roche at La Bourboule in 1992.

[andyoxon]

Yes,  proper in-the-clouds foggy atmospheric conditions; quite a climb.

[spesh]

I think RZ jinxed Miguel Angel Lopez by praising him for staying upright.

I can understand packing it in if you're injured or ill, but Lopez having a BSOD moment and quitting near the end of Saturday's stage was just bizarre.

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/miguel-angel-lopez-storms-out-of-vuelta-a-espana-during-penultimate-stage/

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/movistar-manager-says-lopezs-head-disconnected-when-he-left-vuelta-a-espana/

[DuncanM]

Reading between the lines, it seems that Movistar wanted the small group to stay away because it looked after the second place of Enrique Mas, and were prepared to force "Superman" to soft pedal and watch his third place (and 4th, 5th, 6th) to ride away up the road.
You can understand how infuriating this would be - you fight for 3 weeks to get onto the podium and get the best result of your career, and then the team tell you to throw it away (not for the win, but to look after second place!).

[spesh]

Reading between the lines, it seems that Movistar wanted the small group to stay away because it looked after the second place of Enrique Mas, and were prepared to force "Superman" to soft pedal and watch his third place (and 4th, 5th, 6th) to ride away up the road.
You can understand how infuriating this would be - you fight for 3 weeks to get onto the podium and get the best result of your career, and then the team tell you to throw it away (not for the win, but to look after second place!).

I'd be massively pissed off too, but just packing like that was a tad unprofessional.

Oddly enough, I did note that CN appear to have taken down their article saying Lopez had been ordered to slow down (see the links to CN's previous reporting on the Lopez retirement in the piece on the manager's comments).

[giropaul]

Many moons ago I worked for some riders at the Copenhagen 6 Day.
A little after midnight , around the time of the last chase, a fair few women, rather provocatively dressed, came into the track centre.
I questioned this with a colleague who what worked this race many times. He told me that they were “ ladies of the night”. Apparently they mixed really well with the riders ( not in that way!). As my colleague said - they and the riders share a life style - you sell your soul and your performance.

[rogerzilla]

Well, that sort of thing would reduce testosterone levels for the next stage, so I believe there was no gettin' jiggy wit' it.