2023 Vuelta a Espana Thread

The Sandbox Sports
21

Jesus wins!

One more mountain stage where Sepp didn’t lose any time. He does look good in red!

22

Remco just did a Landis lol

23

Nice article about Kuss:

The Vuelta is really special because I think it’s the race that I identify the most with. It was my first Grand Tour and I have more of a special connection with it than a lot of other races. For me, it’s nice to be in this position and feel the affection from the people and that gives me a lot of motivation.

24

Team UAE needs a new director sportif. They have a lot of strong riders but their tactics have always been bad.

25

How much of that is the director and how much is Tadej’s personality? I honestly don’t know the answer to that question but had a vague notion that it wasn’t solely the director.

26

Including the two times they won the Tour?

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27

Yeah, I don’t think they have good teamwork, and the two times Pog won, he was just ridiculously athletic. In the Vuelta, both this year and last, they can’t get Ayuso, Soler, and Almeida to work together, they all just ride for themselves.

Yesterday, Finn Fisher-Black tried to follow Jonas instead of helping out Ayuso and today Soler went on some weird attack and spent a long time in no-man’s land just to be dropped as soon as he got caught, so he wasn’t available to help Ayuso. Then Almeida attacked Ayuso instead of helping him limit his losses. I think if Pog wasn’t that much further ahead of his teammates, they’d be attacking him too.

For the most part, TJV is way better at sharing leadership across all of its superstars than UAE is.

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28

Wow this is going to be close. Can Sepp hold off his teammates? Agree about the team tactics. Jumbo is running away with this, and not just because they have the strongest riders. They have worked well together, and now they can have a friendly competition for the win.

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29

I agree that their tactics lately have been weird - they’re trying to out-Movistar Movistar.

30

Sepp might be able to squeak this one out. Tomorrow is the last mountain stage and it’s not a particularly difficult final climb. Jonas and Primoz may have permission to go all out to see who the best is (maybe attack on the second last climb). It’s 4 minutes back to the 4th rider so the team may be comfortable that a team civil war won’t prevent one of the three winning. If Remco was in contention they might still be wary, but Juan, Mikel and Enric haven’t really showed much of an attacking threat so far.

I’m using first names because I couldn’t be bothered looking up how to spell Jonas and Remco’s last names.

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31

I haven’t followed the Vuelta too much, but trying to out-Movistar Movistar made me :joy:

32

Well I hope Sepp becomes the first American to win a grand tour since Chris Horner.

33

It's Happening Hi Res

34

Going back to yesterday’s stage - which was the queen stage and most important for the overall - Kuss looked likely to lose the red, but Landa turned up just in a nick of time to pace him to the finish. Kuss owes Landa a beer! -

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35

Go Sepp!
:us::us::us:

36

So is Sepp Kuss going to spend time in the off-season learning how to ride a time trial bike in case he is ever again in a position in which he needs a good time trial? Only 5 days on a time trial bike this year, all in grand tours, none in practice.

37

ok now all he has to do is not fall down tomorrow

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38

Wow, what a crazy finish!

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39

Yay Sepp!!!
:us::us::us:

40

I think it was actually -

:us: :sweden: :slovenia: