2008 Vuelta Espana : Stage 14 : Oviedo - Fuentes de Invierno : 158kms

Stage 14 : another hard Spanish climbing stage.

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.."But finally the last thing I’ll say to the people who don’t believe in cycling, the cynics and the sceptics. I'm sorry for you. I’m sorry that you can’t dream big. [I]I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles. You should believe in these athletes, and you should believe in these people. I'll be a fan of the Tour de France for as long as I live. And there are no secrets - this is a hard sporting event and hard work wins it" - Armstrong 2005 TDF
morelike hypocrisy.

So Contador takes another and is almost guaranteed a win. Leipheimer won't be able to overhall him in that final TT and Sastre won't be able to overhaul Leipheimer. So that's it, game over, Astana take one two whoop dee doo. This has, with the brief exception of the Angliru, been the most boring grand tour I have ever seen. Or maybe the Giro's of recents years have been raising my expectations a bit too much and so I get dissapointed when the Tour and Vuelta are much less inventive and turn out to be dead boring (ok, so the Tour was good this year but pretty much every one of LA victories was a big pile of yawn).

Bruyneel and AC will find much satisfaction from both winning the Vuelta and also beating (not with one rider, but two) this year's Tour de France winner (if Sastre can keep third and stay on the podium). BRAVO

And what team unity and singularity of purpose were displayed when Levi was leading AC on yesterday's climb. That's teamwork for you, as opposed to certain other teams' past and current problems.

It's been a strange Vuelta, I agree.

Unlike the previous few years, this years Vuelta has lacked something.

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.."But finally the last thing I’ll say to the people who don’t believe in cycling, the cynics and the sceptics. I'm sorry for you. I’m sorry that you can’t dream big. [I]I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles. You should believe in these athletes, and you should believe in these people. I'll be a fan of the Tour de France for as long as I live. And there are no secrets - this is a hard sporting event and hard work wins it" - Armstrong 2005 TDF
morelike hypocrisy.

It lacks the aggravator. The guy that keeps jumping off the front all the time. Sanchez played that role last year to get on teh podium, in 06 it was Vino. This year has boiled down to Astana pile driving the field into submission until COntador decides its time to attack. (Sounds familiar). Watching the Angilru climb, within 1 km into it we all knew what would happen, because everyone was just content to let Astana hammer away, instead of taking the bull by the horns.

maybe like the blue train the astana team are going at such a high speed that no one can take the bull by the horns........ dope my friend always wins in the end.... i mean fark me ruburia riding on the front to the final climb ? what is he 49 now ? and what the fark has he been doing for past 3 years to make him so strong again ?