So I canceled my Peacock Premium at the end of July (costing me $10 a month for the Premium Plus which has NO commercials!), which I was using to watch le Tour the last few years. I saw a comment on Strava a few days back by a guy over in Spain right now road-touring with his wife (on Mt bikes, doing almost all dirt roads) and he mentioned watching the Vuelta Hilights on Peacock...didn't know that was an option. So I logged into my 'free' Peacock account and sure enough, there is a 20 minute daily Highlights that I can see with my free account!!! I had NO IDEA!! It's commentated by Bobke and CVV too! They haven't shown them in person so I'm assuming they are in a room (or rooms, not certain they are even actually in the same room) and obviously not in Spain.
ANYWAY, as good as the race is, turn on your Closed Caption and watch the text as the video unfolds each day...OMG! Whatever speech-recognition software they are using is attempting to convert real-time audio-commentating into text is SO overwhelmed with the names of the riders, and the things it comes up with is just HILARIOUS! Roman Bardet is mentioned a LOT in the first few stage highlights, and holy smokes, each time it converts it into something else (most of the names come across as at least two words). If it wouldn't be so time-consuming I'd start a log of each rider and the attempts at his name throughout the Vuelta...seriously, it's as entertaining as the race! I'm only up thru Stage 6 so far.
I won't talk about any of the race in case you want to start going thru the highlights (in case you already aren't)...but I will talk briefly about Stage 1...a Team Time Trial in Barcelona. It started late in the afternoon if not in the actual evening. The first few teams got daylight, but it started to rain, and then was raining pretty hard as it got dark, and the final teams finishing in utter darkness in the rain. That was just INSANE! It's not like the riders have lights on their helmets and/or handlebars like recreational riders do. LOTS of crashes as the guy in front sets the pace and the guys behind can't see anything and try to take the line of the guy in front of him...which is difficult to do even in daylight on a dry road (thus the crashes in the descending turns we see all the time in races). Everybody has different turning skills and confidence...some guys are born descenders and just FLY thru the turns...others without the skills and confidence are much more tentative descenders (such as myself). If I were to TRY to follow a fast descender thru a twisty descent and hold the same speed on the same line, I'd be crashed out in no-time. You'd think it would be easy to just take the same exact line as the guy in front of you, but it doesn't work that way.
Anyway...Stage 1 has a pretty surprising result and a lot of angry racers after. And being the Vuelta, after that things start to go UP pretty quickly (much like this years Tour)...I know the Vuelta and the Giro both are notorious for a LOT of huge days.
OK...I'll end this for now but hope to see you come back here and there to talk about the race...I will say that Jumbo has BOTH Roglic and Vingegaard (just watch the CC text whenever either of those names are mentioned...you'd think Roglic wouldn't be too bad...NOT SO! But Vingegaard...that's usually a three word concoction of whatever words the software can come up with).
I've been meaning to drop in since the Vuelta started - but I've only seen a few stages so far. It sure was a crazy 1st week, so hard with such bad weather! Hope to see more this weekend and the final week.
ReplyDeleteIf you like climbing duels, La Vuelta is always the race to watch!
SEPP KUSS! How awesome that he is FINALLY in a position to be the one in the leader's jersey, and not just holding it since stage 8, but has INCREASED his lead!!! Go SEPP!
So I'm current with Stage 14, and I'm still flabbergasted in an AWESOME WAY that Sepp is still in the leaders jersey! I would have thought he would lose it in the Time Trial, but NO! He did GREAT! And now suddenly he's doing what a GC leader does...staying with his main rivals and letting his teammates do the shadowboxing. Tho I have to say that it doesn't seem like Roglic and Vingo are truly committed to Sepp winning...But every day in the Red for Sepp means that sooner or later the entire TEAM will be working for Sepp. At least I hope so. Think about it...in the same year, Roglic wins the Giro, Vingo wins the Tour, and Kuss wins the Vuelta??? Holy catsickles, how amazing (and unprecedented) would THAT BE! I don't think any team has ever won all 3 Grand Tours in the same Calendar year, let-alone with three different riders! I'd think after this Vuelta (however it ends) his team will put a bit more emphasis on Sepp developing his ITT skills...OK, got to get to bed, just wanted a quick update...GO SEPP GO!!!
ReplyDeleteOh, that was me btw...stupid Blogspot won't let me sign in tonight so I had to comment as anonymous...
DeleteI have to agree, especially after today's stage, it doesn't look at all like Roglic and Vingo are interested in Sepp winning, and in fact are playing out their own rivalry for team leader! 4 stages to go, and tomorrow is another hard one - I hope that Sepp can have a good recovery tonight, good enough to stay with them both tomorrow. Doesn't this remind you of the drama on Sky a few years ago, when Froome was called back from what looked like a victory to help Wiggins?
ReplyDeletePS did you see that it is official - Sagan is retiring from Road racing after his last race this year. It's been kind of sad to see him struggling this year and last - sometimes almost getting into contention, but usually nowhere near - if he was even trying.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I just want to complain about the racing schedule - having the Vuelta at the same time as the Tour of Britain and the 2 Canadian Gran Prix races is disappointing (not that I could watch either these days). I just think that Montreal and Quebec are cool races.
Wow, a MONTH gone by...sorry it took me SO LONG to get back here...just finished watching the last 3 stages...boy, back on 18 I was thinking Vingo was an ASS...looked to me like he was trying to win the overall (and Riggo with him)...at the end of that stage he was only 8 seconds behind Sepp! And I have no idea what happened or what was said (on the team), but the next stage Vingo and Riggo were both the consummate teammates looking for all the world like that was the plan. So even tho I am still a 'bit' ticked, at least the last few stages they worked for Sepp...especially on 20, that was a beast, and the day before Madrid...WOW! And in the end, Jumbo Visma, won all THREE Grand Tours this year, with THREE different riders! Holy guacamole! (and don't take anything away from Remco...they said he's only 23 years old, he is going to be a force for years to come!) I'm quite jazzed that Sepp got the win, nobody in the peleton is MORE deserving! Where does his career go from here? Does he continue to work for Vingo and Riggo for the next few years? How will it be decided who gets the nod for le Tour every year for the next few years? The Giro and Vuelta are obviously 2nd tier compared to Paris. As for Cycling, what a future Jumbo has! Just wow, and congrats to the entire team...just amazing!
ReplyDeleteJust popped in to say Merry Christmas to any and all who may look in!
ReplyDeleteWell HAPPY NEW YEAR! Dang, 2023 is GONE! I was MIA (work travel) again from the beginning of Nov until a week before Christmas. Hopefully my LAST mission, that was a long one! Managed to slip in 3 bike rides over the Holiday break, but our rainy season is upon us and my riding time will be slim until the rains leave and it drys out (I mostly ride on dirt nowdays on my MTB or Gravel bike). Anyway, today is the big game for me: the Rose Bowl! Michigan vs Alabama...I REALLY hope Big Blue shows up ready to play...in recent years they haven't done so great in the post-season. Susie, your Terps really did great the other day in their Bowl game...Whipped up pretty good on Auburn! and HOLY MOLY, did Georgia absolutely DEMOLIS Florida State! Boy, all that whining that they belonged in the playoff, whoo-EEEEE! I guess that settled THAT...I still think Georgia should have been in even after their loss. I really wanted to see how Michigan matched up with Georgia, who IMO Is STILL the best team in College Football, despite their 1-game in the entire season they didn't play their best...they really should have beat Bama...but they didn't and this is the reality of that loss. I have no idea who will win the Texas/Washington game...anyway, today will be a good football day! Stay warm and dry and hope your New Year is off to a good start!
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