Relaxation Day Thread: The Un-Roglification and the O’Connor Chase

The written guidelines strike again:

Oh pricey. There’s an unwritten addendum to the written prohibition on drafting workforce vehicles: attempt to not do it on digicam. Primož Roglič is right here on the Vuelta a España attempting to win for the fourth time, which might equal the file of mega-doper Roberto Heras, so I assume all of us needs to be cheering him on. However, my dude, you’re Primož Roglič… on the Vuelta… you’re all the time on digicam!

Twenty seconds appears like quite a bit to these of us who, for a number of years now, have periodically felt imprisoned on Roglification Island. Roglič is undoubtedly a grasp of stage finishes, which often set him up with oodles of bonus seconds that may be downright decisive. A September Custom like no different! That doesn’t imply you or I’ve to love it — there are lots of traditions like struggle and illness and injustice and sunny climate on the Ronde van Vlaanderen that we completely don’t have to love. Anyway, this can be a lengthy and never totally coherent method of claiming that his punishment matches extra than simply the crime.

Dutch phrase of the day: fietswissel! The literal that means is bike alternate, and tijdstraf is time punishment, the actual operative time period right here. However I choose to think about the that means of Dutch phrases, and on this case I imagined a referee within the automobile subsequent to him blowing his whistle for an infraction. [Tweet! Tweet!] I FIETSWISSEL YOU, SCOFFLAW!

Anyway, it’s a lot ado about nothing, I believe? I used to be away on a seaside trip final week, and I’m nonetheless considerably unable to do issues like watch biking early within the day, for logistical causes. Subsequently I can’t attempt to provide a qualitative evaluation of the race, you guys are significantly better geared up for that. However GC chief Ben O’Connor did little right this moment to persuade me that he has “grand tour winner” in him abruptly, and this week’s schedule is completely murderous: Lagos de Covadonga, Altos de Moncalvillo, Picón Blanco, and a closing time trial in Madrid, in case there’s a lot as a scrap of flesh remaining on O’Connor’s bones.

Biking is humorous although, and Roglič has to execute the plan to some extent earlier than he can inherit the general lead. And whereas Enric Mas and Richard Carapaz are each greater than a minute again, neither is two minutes again, and these climbs are locations the place a rider on a giant day can discover a entire lot greater than that. And lord is aware of the Vuelta devours expectations like a lot thin-sliced jamón.

Wout Van Aert’s jersey assortment is likely to be one space the place he has it throughout Mathieu van der Poel, and nearly everybody else (post-Merckx). Is there somebody preserving observe of jerseys received, complete? On this wonderful information age you’d assume this could possibly be accomplished with a tool no bigger than a hardcover copy of The Iliad. However is it being accomplished? Someplace in Belgium a tech man nods vigorously… however I elevate this as a result of Wout has presumably donned his final KOM package. He’s tied with Jay Vine for the lead at 46, 9 forward of right this moment’s bike-thrashing stage winner Pablo Castrillo, with the bigs within the teenagers and twenties. Perhaps he’ll truly survive Lagos de Covadonga and the transitional levels forward. It might be form of ridiculous for not one of the GC guys to money in on the assorted factors stashes earlier than Madrid. Will they let sufficient riders up the highway every day to scatter the prizes? Will Wout or Vine or Castrillo use the circuits on stage 20 to pad their lead? That is simply the second-best competitors remaining. The factors comp is completely accomplished and dusted, except Kaden Groves begins crushing KOMs.

Entertaining week forward! I hope to hitch you alongside the way in which!