Random news: Cipo not racing this Vuelta which I guess means that Domina Vacanze isn't welcome.

Iban Mayo and Haimar Zubeldia will not be riding for Euskaltel-Euskadi. Seems like this will hurt them a lot more than those in the now are saying it will.

Zuelle and Phonak will be there. It'll be interesting to see how Zuelle performs as he claims it may determine if he retires or not.

I can't wait.

isn't pantani supposed to be there also?

bummer about cipo though... I liked watching him in the tour of italy this year.

I think he doesn't want to lose any more sprints to Patacchi!

Honestly I bet that is the reason

Do we think that we'll ever see another Petacchi/Chipo showdown again, or will Cipo retire again?

He just signed with Domina Vacanze for two more years...

/Csson

Really? I guessed I missed that. Does that mean much when it comes to the Lion King, though?

2 more years of speculation regarding whether he will make it the full 2 years without retiring ....

He makes racing exciting enough that I think it's worth it.

Too bad about Cipo, I really was hoping he'd be there. Last year was his first Vuelta! ANd too bad Ullrich isn't doing it. I thought that Pantani's team was supposed to be there, maybe they'll stick them in for Domina. Pantani was great in the giro until that crash.

As for Zuelle, he was thinking of retiring this year anyways, I remember reading this a few months back. But I guess he wants to do the Vuelta one last time, since he didn't get to do the tour for three years in a row! What a shame about that, I was always a fan of his. He had a pretty good season last year, winning the Tour de Suisse, and he's always done great in Spain. But he's 34 now, so retirement isn't an impossibility. I do hope he does well in the vuelta, though. He's won twice! It'd be great if he won one of the TT.

Cipollini started the 2000 Vuelta de Espana but was tossed out of the race after he assaulted another rider who made insinuations about Cipollini's parentage after Cipollini berated him for his riding skills.

Cipollini was subsequently suspended for a period of time, but since it was late in the season, it went largely unnoticed.

Cipollini's mother:

I'm wondering who to pick for my fantasy team on https://www.fantasylavuelta.com . I don't know who to pick among sprinters, especially.
Is Zuelle 'Alex Zuelle'? Or is that someone else? I'm confused because I thought his name was Zulle. (finished on the podium in the 99 TDF)

Alex Zulle.

My sense of spelling is awful.

Pantani has just been suspended by his team because "they don't know where he is"... Whatever that means:confused: I thought he was done with his rehab/psych treatment.

I thought that was kind of funny when I read that. "For one thing, we dont know where he is."
I think he was released from treatment a month or two ago.
He has a court hearing in a week also, I think.

Guys, check this out: https://www.fantasylavuelta.com Fantasy cycling! I set up a team for the Vuelta.

to me it seems that spanish cycling is in a crisis.
After the end of Once and Banesto it is even almost dead !

In addition to this, Téléfonica (main sponsor of the Vuelta) also quits sponsoring...
What will be next ?

Predictions, anyone?

There is a 1st cat. climb that ends 18km before the finish of stage 2. I'm guessing there won't be a bunch sprint that stage, will there?
Who do you guys think will win the first stage? ONCE? USPS?

Nozal is on fire. Wins the ITT by 1.20 and maintains 1st.

It's also great to see Beltran having a good tour.

ONCE's having a great tour. One wonders if they'll burn themselves out too soon. The other day they were pulling the peloton along at 50 km/h in an attempt to reel in 3 riders who don't really matter.

Yeah, I wonder how they will hold out. They often show themselves to be the dominant team in the first week.

I wonder how Beltran will do in comparison to Heras for these next three stages?