That was a masterclass performance. Sad to see Stannard go.

Ha, it’s 2020 after all. Nothing makes sense.

I really hope and think some teams are going to be forcing the action today. This is the Vuelta after all; bringith the attacks.

On one screen I have the Vuelta and the other screen is watching USA's election results. This is certainly the oddest pairing I've had for a bike race, but it is gripping none the less.

I would say it is quite like watching a final day ITT in a stage race and seeing the time gap on the GC decrease to zero and then flipping.

I was thinking it’s like stage 16 of the 2011 Tour into Gap. Lots of predictable action, surprise late move and edge-of-the-seat nail biter all the way to end.

haha and that is why I love you and this thread. :)

Also, I have to hand it to Cam Wurf. He has ridden a great Vuelta and wasn't just pack fodder, but a super valuable teammate however this turns out for Carapaz. There are zero other bikers in triathlon who could do that day in and day out, let alone the rigors of bike handling in a peloton, bidon duties, etc.

Can Roglic declare himself as the winner and walk away?

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10k - 30:48 / half - 1:06:40

Sure. Then explain how unfairly he has been treated by rivals, followed by firing a couple team staff and laying out his plan to win 2021 TdF.

You all have my laughing my ass off on my trainer right now. I'm sure its easier for me to crack a laugh than for you all though there is a strong possibility I will be re-locating to the USA for business so I have some relevant interests I suppose.

You guys are encyclopedias of race knowledge. I watched that Tour and can't for the life of me remember that stage off of the top of my head.

I want to know why the hell Sosa gets shelled out the back every flat and descent. Its hard to contribute much when you waste that much energy because you can't position yourself. Plenty of small guys get through these scenarios just fine with a bit of guile.

When the future of democracy is in the hands of Nevada you know we’re in deep sh*t.

And then there’s Florida

Plus most Colombians recently seem to punch above their weight on descents. E.g. Bernal, Higuita.

I say this on behalf of the world; everyone is enthralled, confused and horrified about Florida. We don't understand what exactly it is, but I will say Miami beach had a lot interesting sights, both wonderful and horrifying.

Agreed on both and Higgy is exceptional. I suspect it is partly his track background, but he positions wonderfully and has no issue bumping around in the peloton. I'd love to see his sprinting w/kg as his kick is outrageous for his size.

Contador attacked relentlessly until him, Evans and one other guy I can’t remember got away on hair-raising, rainy decent. Andy couldn’t follow and lost a bunch of time, then complained about the course after. Feels a lot like yesterday.

I, too, had the 2011 Tour in mind

Stage 18: Andy Schleck takes an daring stage win and sets himself for the overall win;
Stage 19: Andy Schleck now in the GC lead with a cushion of 57 seconds;
Stage 20:



Or perhaps the following: someone not above stiffing people and writing bad checks gets caught like a bad Czech (scroll to ~1:40, may want to watch on mute though).

Meanwhile, Cavagna is like Chucky here. I thought he was dead to rights a long time ago, but he keeps going.

I'm not DQS fan, but I love how Cavagna rides. What a massive motor and he descends so well.

Roglic is one hell of a complete rider.

EF having a great Vuelta.

Roglic is a crafty MFer. That was a great finish too for Cort and EF.

On GCN they were talking about how EF had won GT stages with 5 different riders this year, which was more than any other team. Make that 6 after today!

It was interesting to watch the replay of the last K. It looks like there are times in the last 500m where Cort is freewheeling about 10 riders back and just ambushes everyone at 200-250m to go. Great combination of skill, patience and luck.

That is pretty wild.

Indeed, Roglic’s all-around game for a GC rider is second to none. I can’t remember a recent GT rider as prolific a stage winner as he is, not to mention bagging a monument and being in the mix at worlds.