Vuelta: All change at the top
Published by Halverde on 9/14/2006 at 09:47.
Stages with the final summit still 20km from the finish are supposed to be rubbish. All the favourites go over the top together, a couple of other people rejoin them and there's a half-hearted sprint at the end.
But not yesterday, when everything stopped making the slightest bit of sense. The main contenders were spread across the final mountain, with rapidly increasing gaps between each. Valverde dug deep to cut the gap back from the Vinokourov group to 7 seconds at the summit, but Vino flew the nest on the descent and opened up a gap wide enough for him to take the race lead. What's going on there, then?
Here's the renewed odds, because otherwise we're going to look hopelessly out of date:
Alexandr Vinokourov
If we'd known that one of Vino's ridiculous attacks would actually work and lead to him taking over the maillot oro from Valverde, we'd have been advocating that he be thrown out when he missed that dope test. To make matters worse, his attack was so optimistic and ruthlessly efficient that we can't even begrudge him the jersey. Damn you, Vino.
Odds for the overall win: 2/5
Alejandro Valverde
Ah, Valverde. Before yesterday's stage we called his race lead insurmountable, and implied he was invincible. Now we know the truth: good looking men cannot ride bikes. A similar rule plagues women's cycling, but with Landis's sort of win over Pereiro in the Tour and Valverde's dramatic loss of the race lead here, it seems apparent that the top step of the podium is reserved for the uglies, regardless of gender. (And don't mention the Giro -- all Italians are naturally good looking, so it doesn't count.)
Odds for the overall win: 2/1
Carlos Sastre
CSC think that they can still win this race, even though Sastre has looked hopelessly ineffective against Valverde and Vino in the mountains AND against the clock. He might've been the best climber in the Tour this year, but that's looking increasingly likely to stand as evidence of how much better that race could've been with Valverde and Vino in it.
Odds for the overall win: 54/1
If you agree with Team CSC that Sastre can win the race, those 54/1 odds must look tempting. Follow this link and sign up with Betfair and you could put us in our place when you've won hundreds of pounds betting on someone we said had no chance. Tempting, no? Winners always welcome at Betfair!
But not yesterday, when everything stopped making the slightest bit of sense. The main contenders were spread across the final mountain, with rapidly increasing gaps between each. Valverde dug deep to cut the gap back from the Vinokourov group to 7 seconds at the summit, but Vino flew the nest on the descent and opened up a gap wide enough for him to take the race lead. What's going on there, then?
Here's the renewed odds, because otherwise we're going to look hopelessly out of date:
Alexandr Vinokourov
If we'd known that one of Vino's ridiculous attacks would actually work and lead to him taking over the maillot oro from Valverde, we'd have been advocating that he be thrown out when he missed that dope test. To make matters worse, his attack was so optimistic and ruthlessly efficient that we can't even begrudge him the jersey. Damn you, Vino.
Odds for the overall win: 2/5
Alejandro Valverde
Ah, Valverde. Before yesterday's stage we called his race lead insurmountable, and implied he was invincible. Now we know the truth: good looking men cannot ride bikes. A similar rule plagues women's cycling, but with Landis's sort of win over Pereiro in the Tour and Valverde's dramatic loss of the race lead here, it seems apparent that the top step of the podium is reserved for the uglies, regardless of gender. (And don't mention the Giro -- all Italians are naturally good looking, so it doesn't count.)
Odds for the overall win: 2/1
Carlos Sastre
CSC think that they can still win this race, even though Sastre has looked hopelessly ineffective against Valverde and Vino in the mountains AND against the clock. He might've been the best climber in the Tour this year, but that's looking increasingly likely to stand as evidence of how much better that race could've been with Valverde and Vino in it.
Odds for the overall win: 54/1
If you agree with Team CSC that Sastre can win the race, those 54/1 odds must look tempting. Follow this link and sign up with Betfair and you could put us in our place when you've won hundreds of pounds betting on someone we said had no chance. Tempting, no? Winners always welcome at Betfair!
