Vuelta

market

http://www.oddschecker.com/cycling/vuelta-a-espana/winner

any life about this yet?

Horner out because of MPCC rules. Bet he's rueing the day he turned up at Lampre.

What do people feel about rigoberto uran to make the podium in this...had a great giro and although broken by quitana in that race is progressing nicely and wouldn't of been beaten as far as he was, if he hadn't eased off when he thought the stage was over and losing big time to quintana.

His time trailing has improved so he should gain time there. Contador is expected to just go for stage wins and froome hasn't had the altitude training uran has had and rodriguez a man i respect and always thought can win this race looked quite leggy towards the end of the tour so thought uran has a good chance of getting in the places here after a good preparation. I expect quintana to win quite easy but if uran can at least stay within touching distance his time trailing should at least give him a good chance of making the top 3.

My main doubts are whether he will be broken on the steep climbs here but when he was broken by quintana on stage 14/15 casn't remember he didn't loose massive time and hung in quite well against the superb climber quintana and there isn't a montain time trail in this for quintana to take massive time, i'm not saying he can win but top 3 isn't out the question imo

any thoughts on the bet??? or whether you believe it is out the question he will be out the money

Only negative I can see is his season seems to be mirroring last year's so on that basis he'd be better at the Worlds than in this race.  If I was going to back him I'd back him to win rather than for a place

how do you mean mirroring last season go ballistic he was a domestique last year??

I am on Uran
Top6  @2,70
Top 3 @ 7

I mean his results / calendar are very similar up to this point. He rode the Vuelta as if it was a warm up. I've no idea if that's his plan again but it would not be surprising to me if it was ... given that he was on for a medal before crashing in Firenze last year

Domestique ? I can only think you're talking about the first week of the Giro and it obviously didn't change his final result

go ballistic he was riding for wiggins and stopped to help him in last years giro

he is now team leader at omega so don't understand your previous comment in mirroring last year when he was a domestique for sky and not a team leader

I could see the domestique argument if he was riding for someone else at Sky in last year's vuelta ... but he wasn't.  If you think he was a domestique in other races that season then the fact that his results have been basically the same this year would either say that he hasn't been as good this year or it would say that it didn't make any difference whether he was team leader or not ... either way I'm not sure how it helps.  I don't really want to put you off your bet harry - if you don't see a negative then do it

bouhanni stage 8 gift

Bouhanni is absolutely nailed on, will be my biggest bet of the weekend.

Whats your overall view of the first week MC? As regards the GC, who do you think is looking the strongest right now?

I think the first 6 home on stage 6 are undoubtedly the riders who are going to be competing for the podium spots, but probably not in the order they finished that stage.
I was surprised how good Valverde was there though he still looked like he was riding for Quintana, it just panned out that he ended up the stronger rider there. It was definitely a climb that suited Valverde and Rodriguez more than say Froome, Contador and Quintana, and i would expect the latter 3 to get stronger and stronger as the race goes on, and the climbs get longer and harder.
It never looked like Froome was that comfortable, but no one was ever able to ride away from him, and he looks like he is really up for the fight here. I was surprised how good Contador looked and he is sure to be right there challenging but i can't help feeling his injury still may catch up with him in the final week. The other surprise was Quintana losing a bit of time but he is a rider who always seems to get stronger as the tour goes on and so i still expect him to be the strongest of all in the third week.

I have a feeling Froome will be in red come tomorrow night and could have a decent lead by tuesday evening, but i still think Quintana will be  at least pushing him very close in the final week.

Tomorrows stage really should give us a much clearer insight to who really has got the climbing legs here.

I agree that the climb suited Valverde more than the big boys who prefer the Alpine style climbs. And you're right, tomorrow's climb should give us more clues. Having said that, tomorrow's climb looks like it flattens right out at the end as well, and I would expect to see Valverde and possibly Froome fighting it out for the stage win, as those two seem most capable of a quick finish to pinch some seconds and time bonuses, and the other quicker finishes will be well cooked by the end.

The other thing to watch out for tomorrow is the weather change. It should be colder tomorrow and there could be rain.

With regards to the GC I have to be honest and say I don't know. My only position so far is a small bet on Contador which I plan to trade. I think any of the main three could win. I don't think Valverde will be strong enough on the big climbs. I think all three of the others will get stronger as the race goes on. I can't split the three of them and I can see very good arguments for and against all three.

valverde to do a cobo?

Win a Grand Tour in slightly suspicious circumstances and then never be heard of again?

Hope you haven't traded  out of your Contador bet MC? He is certainly the man to beat now and looks in a very strong position.

I backed Rodriguez last night  at 10/1 just after the TT, as it now looks like a straight battle  between the 2. You know with Purito he will be very strong in the final week as he always is at grand tours, and that maybe where Contadors injury may just catch up  with him. There are plenty of testing summit finishes to come and Purito will now be trying to take time in every one of them, starting today stage 11!

the amazing contador

despite breaking his leg
and
being off the bike more than anyone else in preparation for this
and
being a last minute inclusion

nothing suss


but i suppose the race is in spain

froome into 3.5 nice

common sense fellas

I do worry about Froome playing rope a dope. Are those in front easing up?

Although I'm not sure anyone can back against Douglas Bader in this, there's always another blood bag and there's no chance of him being popped in Spain.

are those in front easing up? good question

strange way of riding up @Covadonga

Brambilla excluded for punching with under 20k of the stage to go. Don't see that very often.

contador asleep on the bike

the best since lance

Sadly, I agree.
It's almost comical how, after apparently having had no time on the bike in preparation, he floats up the mountains without so much as a grimace of discomfort. Amusingly, he seems capable of even more, the way he went past Froome yesterday, after Froome had ridden everybody else into oblivion, was an indication of how much he has been 'dialling it down'.

Have to wonder if he even broke his leg at all. Been ruours of him flying past punters on training climbs as early as late July

Sep 8, 2014 -- 5:07PM, nugget wrote:

the best since lance

In fairness to Lance he probably worked his arse off to get to Europe and compete in those first few years. I was watching an old TDF copy from the early 90s(93/4?) and Phil came out with the immortal line "Lance Armstrong never has been comfortable in a TT until today" If only he knew what was coming.

Contador has doped his whole career and we'll never know how good he could/would have been naturally.

I see the big attack from Froome coming on Sat, will AC stand it or fold?

definitely the most decisive stage of the race
should be very similar to stage 16, froome to attack and drop everyone bar contador
the only difference being the final climb on this stage(20) is much harder. so if froome is stronger on the day he has some chance of gapping contador.
sky and katusha are the only ones with incentive to ride hard throughout the stage so i give a strong rider from the break a good chance to stay away, if not there is only two possible winners

btw wtf happened to froome in the itt on stage 10?

lack of form on the climb and lack of confidence on the descent, he was seen misjudging a turn and losing time once

I didn't watch it, so this could well be racecraft.. Froome said he went out to hard and by the time he got to the climb he was feeling cooked.

victory for Spanish medicine

He's flying with no legs. Let's see if he can also part the waters.

which clowns wants to back froome to be in the first three at 5/1.
no chance in these conditions.

There is no such thing like free money, but the 1.06 you could have on malori still 10 minutes ago is close to free money.

Annoying.. Didn't even bother looking at it as I assumed it would be a dead market.