UCI WorldTour and other pro cycling nonsense 2011

Wow Wiggins!

yes that was enormously impressive. yr spindly little climber types aren't so hot when a mountain stage finishes with cross and headwinds!

Chris Froome! WTF?

Not looking good for Bertie:
http://road.cc/content/news/25390-contadors-management-threaten-sue-media-after-latest-doping-allegations

Joaquin Rodriguez big-ringing it up the final few k of this climb at the Vuelta...wow

Whoa he only took seven seconds...looked like he was way faster than that. Never mind.

Can't see wiggins holding off Nibali all the way to Madrid. Even if they stay together on climbs, descents and time bonuses should see Nibali go top.

Very pleased for Wiggins. I'd agree, it will be difficult for him to hold on to the red jersey, but I don't think it's impossible in the form he's in. He beat Nibali in the Tour in 2009 and he's looking stronger now: actually leading up the final kilometres of the summit finishes and burning rivals (including Nibali) off his wheel. Also Nibali is quite similar to Wiggins in that he hasn't got that explosive kick that a Contador or Rodriguez can use, so he's unlikely to drop him if they climb at a fast but steady pace. Nibali is definitely a better descender - are there any stages where this can be used to his advantage? There are still a lot of riders in contention and Wiggins is not really suited to a brutally steep climb like the Angliru.

You might be right. I don't think there is a technical enough descent (like the Zoncolan) to make descending an issue. Stage 14 could see Nibali descending to Arrive at the bottom of the final climb before wiggins but I'm not sure. I think it ay well come down to bonus seconds on mountain finishes. Sky ought to be working to keep the breaks away.

Wouter Weylandt's widow Anne Sophie gave birth to their daughter Alizée this morning

Everyone apart from wiggins went backwards. Proves me wrong.

Except Froome, you mean. Only 7s between them... Could get interesting.

stoked for the ANGLIRU madness tonite. *rubs hands*

http://www.climbbybike.com/profile/Angliru-Gamonal_profile.jpg

We've had every stage so far live on Eurosport *and* ITV4 here in Britain, but for some reason today is the only day when *neither* channel is providing live coverage - despite this being the most iconic/important one in the whole race. Apparently you can stream it live on the ITV website though.

If Wiggins is still in red after the Angliru I think he'll win.

here's a better chart with all the sharp ramps picked out:

http://www.ratpack.biz/sports-cycling/images/angliru-gradient-original.gif

anton or rodriguez for stage win? sky have to sacrifice froome surely, if they put him on the front and keep the pace up then wiggo might not be as exposed to the really sharp accelerations.

Here we go: Angliru time!

god, i just want to see it go BOOM!

nice asturias flag-themed shoes being sported by barredo here.

Sastre off the front (for Cobo later on?), Barredo a little off the front too (for Mollema?), Wiggins & Froome sitting comfortably near the front, just behind two Liquigas (presumably one of them is Nibali).

Anton goes for it, passes Sastre...

ugh, 19%, Wiggins surging forward...

23%

Cobo breaks away

would love it if igor could win on the two rawest grand tour mountains in 2011!

cobo e-reader looking good.

Cobo catching Anton, Nibali getting dropped

Cobo 13 secs clear, 5km to go

cobo's rolling the shoulders a bit - froome and wiggo still looking quite comfortable even though there's a gap.

did y'all hear about that story where froome enquired when the kenyan road championship was being held when he was younger and showing some promise - there wasn't one - got told that if he designed and sewed the jersey himself that HE could be the kenyan champion!

The gap's going out: 30s with 4km to go - with time bonus Cobo could take the lead

aye, Cobo in virtual red.

J-Rod dropped

Those crowds look dangerous

Froome gapping Wiggo. Go Froome! Take it!

Froome looks fucked

Wiggins done.

now Wiggins does

Show what's happening behind Cobo FFS!

did the camera following gruppe wiggo get knocked off the moto? it looked like it crashed to the ground before they cut back to cobo that last time!

Yes, think so, I wasn't sure if it took Wiggins out too

Dang, 1:10 plus bonification could be insurmountable.

Wiggo was paperboying well before any moto issues.

wouter poels!

48s Poels, Menchov, Froome

1:20 Wiggins, Anton

geox looking surprisingly solid - duarte wasn't that far back, sastre, menchov can all offer support. bit different to how they were at the giro.

Wow. That was brutal. Is Cobo assumed to be clean or not? (I ask because the only time I can remember him doing anything before was when him and (team mate) Piepoli flew off the front together in the Tour, shortly before Piepoli and Ricco were booted out)

This one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Dk1KC9DDBQ&feature=player_detailpage#t=328s

It will be interesting to see how this one plays out now. It could get very tactical with Sky still having 2nd and 3rd.

...and Geox having 1st and 6th (but I don't see the winner coming from outside of the current top four now, unless there's a major fuck up)

Is Cobo assumed to be clean or not?

smdh

Steve is that a:

-smdh at your naivety - of course he's not clean!

or

-smdh at a Brit casting aspersions on someone taking the red jersey off a British rider while assuming the Brits are clean

?

haha... column a + column b