Can definitely see him going for it today, a stage where he can arguably put a lot more time into his closest GC rival (Almeida) than Angliru. Stage is tricky for João, made worse with the dysfunctional UAE support. Where do you see Jonas going, the 2nd Vivero ascent or a stinging attack on Pike?
Pike, Vivero is too soft imo
Yes far more likely imo, all of course depends on the race situation. The 1st kilometre of Vivero really can set the tone as it’s pretty steep. 1st time up Visma hard pace, put pressure on UAE. 2nd time round, string it out further and open gaps. Pike offers the chance to strike the killer blow.
Depends how will Joao is positioned and how many teammates he has If UAE are weak and Visma launch a surprise he'll get a gap
Of all the stages in this year’s La Vuelta, this is the one where UAE have to be 100% switched on and be in absolute support of João. If he’s out of position at a crucial moment he could ship a lot of time to Jonas today.
Plus if Almieda decided he wants to try and follow directly rather than just chug along at his own tempo
It’s not Joao’s style to try and follow an all in Jonas attack (+ I don’t think he has an answer for such explosivity even with choice), this is why this stage is so dangerous for him, because he doesn’t have much time to try and bring it back & a steep, technical descent follows. Nightmare terrain.
Pike is obvious, but an attack there will not be race-ending. 30-60 sec gap. For a big gap, Visma will have to split the race earlier.