2019 Vuelta; spoilers!

[Richard Fairhurst]

Valverde continues to be hilarious.

When Gary Imlach was doing his rundown of the contenders in the first programme and said that Valverde would be working as a domestique for Quintana, Anna and I just looked at each other and laughed.

True enough... yesterday Quintana was all set to take the red jersey until he was attacked by... Valverde. It happens every time and it never gets less funny.

I liked Imlach's quip at the end: "Maybe we can use the high-power telescope in the observatory to see if there's any signs of intelligent life on Team Movistar."

[Brucey]

yep, Movistar and well thought out tactics seem strangers to one another.... guaranteed entertainment for the punters, guaranteed disappointment if you are riding in team Movistar.

Quintana may have the last laugh yet; most of the money for team Movistar comes from south America and one wonders if they will still fund the team without him...?

cheers

[Debs]

Horrible crash today : (

<>

Who's out so far:

Stage six abandonments
Nicholas Roche (Sunweb) – DNF – crash
Rigoberto Uran (EF Education First) – DNF – crash
Hugh Carthy (EF Education First) – DNF – crash
Victor de la Parte (CCC Team) – DNF – crash

Stage five abandonments
Gregor Mühlberger (Bora-Hansgrohe) – DNF – injury/exhaustion

Stage four abandonments
Steven Kruijswijk (Team Jumbo-Visma) – DNF – injury

Stage three abandonments
Mickaël Delage (Groupama – FDJ) – DNF – illness

[cycleruk]

Uran and Carthy reported to both have broken collar bones. Young Hugh is a friend and hope he mends well. It makes a race a lot more interesting when you know a rider. Watched his progress for a few years now from being a school boy, who entered our local evening tens, and then on to going professional.

[Brucey]

hats off to TJvG; he finished yesterday despite being involved in a prang. Shame he had to pack today, but he was pretty knocked about after that prang.

Today's stage saw the cream rise to the top; the four riders who were strongest rode to the finish together and also lie in the top four places, less than 30 seconds apart. The fifth place rider is another minute and a half in arrears. Barring miracles, it is difficult to see the overall winner not being one of those four.

cheers

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Rain today and even the lead camera moto crashed.

[Brucey]

rest day today and Quintana holds the red jersey. Will he be able to retain it through the TT stage? - I doubt it. But there are plenty more mountains to come yet and he is looking as strong and as consistent as I ever recall seeing him.

cheers

[Brucey]

footage shown today of the near-apocalyptic weather conditions on the previous stage. Blimey! No wonder there were time gaps!

In todays stage, Quintana 3'-06" lost to Roglic. Enough to consign Quintana to fourth place, and he is now looking over his shoulder at Pogacar, just 5" behind him.

There's a lot of climbing to come, but not enough, surely? Valverde and Quintana can play the old 'one-two' but if history tells us anything, it is that it is as likely to hurt them as favour them.

cheers

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Still early days as to who will stay on top.
10 stages down 11 to go.
As the the first half has shown anything can happen.

[mjr]

Quintana may have the last laugh yet; most of the money for team Movistar comes from south America and one wonders if they will still fund the team without him...?

The Cycling Podcast reports the team have kept Movistar South American by hiring young South American replacements for the departing Quintana and Carapaz.

Has anyone seen how Pogacar lost time during the TT yet?

[RickH]

Has anyone seen how Pogacar lost time during the TT yet?

David Millar commented (on the ITV4ccoverage) that his bike with a number on, the one he'd started the TT on, was on the team car roof at the end so he must have had a bike change somewhere off camera. I'm guessing a mechanical or a puncture as there didn't seem to be any obvious sign of him having crashed.

[mattheus]

There's a lot of climbing to come, but not enough, surely? Valverde and Quintana can play the old 'one-two' but if history tells us anything, it is that it is as likely to hurt them as favour them.

There is no way those two will work together; but if they *did*, they have more than enough climbing ability to put serious time into Roglic.

It's an interesting 3-way tussle to observe! I had assumed Supérman would be favourite by this stage, but ... well ... He's taken his bad luck very well - amazingly reluctant to blame others #chapeau

Disapointed with Chavez, a VERY likeable fella!

[Postboxer]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/49581440

Not exactly a cycling story, a rooftop drugs farm has been raided after being spotted on the coverage.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
All still to play for after lead riders running out of gears (stage 13)
Top two are well placed to win.
Any of the Top five could be on the podium.
But still 7 stages to go so anything could happen.
Roglic Pogacar will take 1st & 2nd, but no particular order.
But there again any top five could win yet.
Quintana payed for the time trial to hang on.

[Brucey]

I think that almost anything could yet happen; in yesterday's stage the top three on GC went down in a crash about 1km from the finish, and were lucky not to be injured. Then again Valverde was saying his wrist was sore; it might turn out yet that there were serious injuries in that prang after all, but they just won't have sown until this morning.

If Pogecar pulls any more time on Roglic, he'll become the marked man. This means that if Quintana has a good day in the mountains, he may be able to pull time back. He won't show it, but I think he really, really wants this one, just to thumb his nose at Movistar as he departs.

cheers