The ultimate preparation race for the hilly classics, the Vuelta al Pais Vasco is here. This race usually has some very exciting stages, where the favourites go all out. So this is definately a race to follow.
Last year's winner, Alberto Contador, isn't participating sadly, but there's still plenty of quality in the field with last year's Giro d'Italia winner Nairo Quintana, former winner Samuel Sánchez, superpuncher JoaquÃm RodrÃguez and many others.
First stage is a hilly stage, even though it's one of the lighter stages. The final climb, with the summit at roughly 13 kilometres from the finish, will probably be deciding. Will there be a sprint with a thinned out peloton, will a group of favourites escape, or will an earlier breakaway make it?
Edited by Wilier on 06-04-2015 14:43
My favourite weeklong stage race which unfortunately gets caught up in the classics a bit. This years route seems tougher than previous editions and I am especially looking forward to the Aia-stage.
I hope for a great showing of Wellens and Gallopin ahead of the Ardennes, maybe with a stage win. Kwiatek should be another great contender in the hilly stages that is sorta an automatic Top 3 contender in this race. Purito, Pinot, Mollema, Rui Costa and Van Garderen, lots of good names to challenge Quintana and make it a tough race for Movistar.
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
Terrible camera work all round in the last few km there - showing a non zoomed-in helicopter shot with the road hidden by buildings with about 500m to go isn't very helpful Edited by Stromeon on 06-04-2015 16:26
Terrible camera work all round in the last few km there - showing a non zoomed-in helicopter shot with the road hidden by buildings with about 500m to go isn't very helpful
That is much better than giving your viewers headaches and epileptic seizures as it was the case whenever they switched to the moto on the climb and the run-in.
Edited by cio93 on 06-04-2015 16:28
Terrible camera work all round in the last few km there - showing a non zoomed-in helicopter shot with the road hidden by buildings with about 500m to go isn't very helpful
That is much better than giving your viewers headaches and epileptic seizures as it was the case whenever they switched to the moto on the climb and the run-in.
True; only tuned in for the last 3km or so but that was enough to get the picture you described
Anyway, excited for this race as a whole, usually is quite interesting and has a varied parcours (no overabundance of MTFs/HTFs; well designed hilly stages etc), and of course because Nairo is in with a great chance of winning
Stromeon wrote:
True; only tuned in for the last 3km or so but that was enough to get the picture you described
While I even understand a slightly shaking camera at 80km/h downhill or inside the last k, it was even worse on the hill which was taken at 15km/h at most, and the roads didn't look that horribe.
Kirchen_75 wrote:
The moto camera was headbanging like Degenstache during sprint.
You mean Ciolek.
I've seen better moto camera video from the Arenberg Trench than from the last 10k of Pais Vasco.
The crash was caused because there apparently were some posts (in basically the middle of the road for sprint circumstances) that they only flagged with safety cones on top of it instead of putting the barriers further in and around them...
That is unacceptable.
We can discuss about bad camera operators all day, that's optional.
But if you can't ensure the safety of the riders and leave such a blatant hazard in the middle of the road with 500m to go, you don't deserve to organize a cycling race ever again.
Edited by cio93 on 06-04-2015 19:26
