Finally a flat stage. 188 kilometres between Guadix and Lorca.
Finish
Only a short report today, as the mas sprint was unevitable. Mark Cavendish is dominant, taking a very, very easy win, his 2nd of this Vuelta. JJ Rojas finishes 2nd and EB Hagen in 3rd. The best from our team is Andy Schleck, taking 6th in a mass sprint...
Seriously, both Sagan (lead out man) and our main sprinter Kittel faded even before the red banner, and Schleck, who was in the wheel of Kittel, easily passed him, reaching the same max. speed as riders as Hagen and Rojas....
Miguel98 wrote:
Wow, you and sprints can't get along.
I think it's just your average PCM who bugs the sprints, sometimes my GC leader finishes higher than my main sprinter who gets completely empty before the line...
Edited by FreitasPCM on 09-09-2012 11:56
Though I've never posted here, I've been following this story for a long time (read everything). And I must say, it's really entertaining especially because everything is really neat and sophisticated. It's well presented, very well. Keep it up!
And another flat stage from Caraveca de Cruz to Murcia. Well, not entirely flat, as 18km before the finish, the ascend of the Alto de la Cresta del Gallo awaits. 3.9km at 8.5%, with max. gradients of 14%, will cause some difficulties for the sprinters and their trains.
17km to go
The BOTD makes it untill the ascend of the Alto de la Cresta del Gallo. Kohler, Fischer, De la Parte, Flens, Kireyev, Krivtsov, Kump, Santoro, Rabon, Rollin and Kondrut had a maximum margin of 7'30, but with 17km to go, only 1'40 is remaining.
14km to go
About 1km before the summit, Igor Antón attacks out of the peloton, and the attack is countered by Fränk Schleck and Vincenzo Nibali! Andy Schleck doesn't react and sticks to the team's tactic: setting a high pace in the ascend, and thereby dropping many sprinters, so Marcel Kittel has a bigger chance to win the stage.
6km to go
Antón, Nibali and Schleck join with the 9 leaders and they try to stay out of reach of the raging peloton, with our guys doing the pace. 6km before the finish in Murcia, the margin is '43, and it is decreasing! The 3 GC-contenders have to do the work, as the 9 others are too exhausted. And fighting against a peloton is probably too much.
2km to go
The margin melts as snow for the sun, and with 2km to go, only Nibali is in the lead. But the peloton follows at 10 seconds, with the Monster Energy-train in the lead (Sagan-Kittel-Schleck). And our tactic has seem to worked, as the main sprinters (Cavendish, EB Hagen, JJ Rojas) are still pretty far behind, still making up the ground they lost in the climb!
Finish Marcel Kittel (with Andy Schleck in his wheel) is leading into the final kilometre. But whereas Cavendish, Hagen and friends are rushing to the first places with about 70km/h, Kittel is struggling with only 60 km/h. But the earlier gap is enough, and Marcel Kittel wins in Murcia, his 4th GT-stage win this season (remember the 3 wins in the Giro). The 2nd place goes to Schleck, thus gaining 12 bonus seconds, with Cav in 3rd.
Results
1
Marcel Kittel
Monster Energy - Subway
3h21'58
2
Andy Schleck
Monster Energy - Subway
s.t.
3
Mark Cavendish
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
4
Vincenzo Nibali
Radio Shack - Nissan
s.t.
5
Heinrich Haussler
Rabobank Cycling Team
s.t.
6
Igor Antón
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
7
Edvald Boasson Hagen
Lotto - Belisol
s.t.
8
Peter Sagan
Monster Energy - Subway
s.t.
9
José Joaquín Rojas
Garmin - Barracuda
s.t.
10
Nick Nuyens
Saxo Bank SunGard
s.t.
GC
1
Andy Schleck
Monster Energy - Subway
21h51'17
2
Fränk Schleck
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step
+ 20
3
Vincenzo Nibali
Radio Shack - Nissan
+ 21
4
Miguel Rubiano
Radio Shack - Nissan
s.t.
5
Igor Antón
Euskaltel - Euskadi
+ 30
6
Carlos Barredo
Movistar Team
+ 35
7
Samuel Sánchez
Lampre - Generali
s.t.
8
Giovanni Visconti
BMC Racing Team
+ 42
9
Daniel Moreno
Katusha Team
+ 49
10
José Herrada
Caja Rural
+ 50
Points
1
Andy Schleck
Monster Energy - Subway
76
2
Mark Cavendish
Sky ProCycling
67
3
Edvald Boasson Hagen
Lotto - Belisol
45
4
José Joaquín Rojas
Garmin - Barracuda
36
5
Marcel Kittel
Monster Energy - Subway
31
KOTM
1
Paolo Tiralongo
Pro Team Astana
38
2
Andy Schleck
Monster Energy - Subway
21
3
Frantisek Rabon
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step
20
4
Sandy Casar
FDJ
14
5
Cameron Meyer
Qantas Airways
12
Today's winner
Word from the DS
Now this was unexpected, and a strange sprint after an interesting final. Think we did the right job, staying calm and chasing Antón, Fränk and Nibali. And because of it, we brought the sprinters in trouble, so Kittel was able to win this stage!
Edited by dienblad on 11-09-2012 21:51
The 3rd of 3 flat stages in a row is 168 kilometres from Murcia to Orihuela. But a flat stage in the Vuelta, is almost never entirely flat. This stage consists 1 categorized climb, the Alto de Hondón de los Frailes (11.5km at 4.4%, max 14%, summit 49km before the finish), but a mass sprint is to be expected.
49km to go
We have a fairly small BOTD today, with only 6 riders in it. These 6, Jacques-Maynes, Haddou, Ignatiev, Phinney, Delage and good old Robbie McEwen have a maximum margin of 9 minutes. At the summit of the Alto de Hondón de los Frailes, the margin has been decreased to 5 minutes, and with Lotto - Belisol and Team Sky doing the pace once again, a mass sprint is uninevitable.
6km to go
When the BOTD has been caught, and the peloton has almost arrived in Orihuela, in the province of Alicante, a crash occurs in the mid of the peloton. Kevin Seeldraeyers, Martin Kohler and Ezequiel Mosquera collide and hit the tarmac, causing a massive pile up. Only 78 riders manage to continue in the first part of the peloton. Some GC-contenders loose 2'41 here and besides Mosquera, Mollema, Duarte, Wiggins and Joaquim Rodríguez, are the most important ones! But the biggest victim is Garmins Robert Kiserlovski, who fractures a wrist and has to abandon.
Finish
But back to the mass sprint. Lotto - Belisol does a perfect job, with Matthew Gss being the last lead out man for Edvald Boasson Hagen. The 2 create a small gap before the last corner, and none of the opponents are able to close it again. The Norwegian maillot verde-winner takes the stage win, with Mark Cavendish at a fairly distance in 2nd, and JJ Haedo in 3rd.
We had a very bad day, with both Sagan and Kittel having bad legs (daily form -4). Kittel was the best ranked in 11th place.
Results
1
Edvald Boasson Hagen
Lotto - Belisol
3h55'00
2
Mark Cavendish
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
3
Juan José Haedo
Saxo Bank SunGard
s.t.
4
José Joaquín Rojas
Garmin - Barracuda
s.t.
5
Giovanni Visconti
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
6
André Greipel
Red Bull - Cervélo
s.t.
7
Christopher Sutton
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
8
Leigh Howard
Qantas Airways
s.t.
9
Matthew Goss
Lotto - Belisol
s.t.
10
Francesco Gavazzi
Rabobank Cycling Team
s.t.
11
Marcel Kittel
Monster Energy - Subway
s.t.
GC
1
Andy Schleck
Monster Energy - Subway
25h46'17
2
Fränk Schleck
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step
+ 20
3
Vincenzo Nibali
Radio Shack - Nissan
+ 21
4
Igor Antón
Euskaltel - Euskadi
+ 30
5
Carlos Barredo
Movistar Team
+ 35
6
Samuel Sánchez
Lampre - Generali
s.t.
7
Giovanni Visconti
BMC Racing Team
+ 42
8
Daniel Moreno
Katusha Team
+ 49
9
José Herrada
Caja Rural
+ 50
10
Jelle Vanendert
Monster Energy - Subway
+ 1'14
Points
1
Mark Cavendish
Sky ProCycling
87
2
Andy Schleck
Monster Energy - Subway
80
3
Edvald Boasson Hagen
Lotto - Belisol
70
4
José Joaquín Rojas
Garmin - Barracuda
50
5
Marcel Kittel
Monster Energy - Subway
36
Points, U25, Teams
No changes.
Today's winner
Word from the DS
Apparantly, we can't perform in mass sprints at a consistent level.... Also, a cross can be set through some names of GC-contenders. Tomorrow: Xorret del Catí!
Edited by dienblad on 12-09-2012 14:24
The GC will be shaken up in the 8th stage. After the start in Villena, 5 categorized climbs and 3739 height metres await in 180 kilometres before the finish in Xorret del Catí. The last climb of the day, the Alto Xorret del Catí is 3.8km long and has an average gradient of 11.5% with a maximum gradient of 22%!
91km to go
May I present you the BOTD! 8 riders (Santoro, Nepomnyachshiy, Malacarne, Meersman, Houanard, Wren, Clement and Horrach) who are stupid enough to attack today, knowing that the peloton will catch them.
At the 2nd climb of the day, the Puerto de Tudons, they have a margin of 7'17 to the peloton.
62km to go
Euskaltel has taken over control of the pace of the peloton, and 1 climb later (the Puerto de Torremanzanos), the margin has been decreased to 4'51. Only 83 riders are left in the peloton.
7km to go
The 8 escapees have been caught before the foot of the Xorret del Catí and immediately when the road is ascending, we are setting the pace. But we know that attacks will take place....
6km to go
And within 1 kilometre, Basque Igor Antón attacks, showing why his team mates worked so hard. We decide not to counter immediately, but keep n setting a high pace.
5km to go
Antón creates a margin of 30 seconds, and then Vincenzo Nibai attacks. As we see him as the biggest threat in the GC, Andy Schleck counters, being the only 1 to do so.
3km to go
Both Nibali and Andy close the gap to Antón, who still manages to crest the summit in first place. The others are over 1 minute behind at the summit. But Andy has a bad daily form (-1) and is struggling to stay in touch with them.
Finish
Vincenzo Nibali has the most energy left, and wins the sprint. Antón and Andy finish in the same time as 2nd and 3rd. Then it lasts 1'24 before a big group with Sánchez, Visconti, F. Schleck, Barredo, Frank, Vanendert and others finish the stage.
For 6 riders, the Vuelta is over, as they finish outside the time limit. Among them Robbie McEwen, probably the last race in his long career, and Coen Vermeltfoort.
Results
1
Vincenzo Nibali
Radio Shack - Nissan
5h05'10
2
Igor Antón
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
3
Andy Schleck
Monster Energy - Subway
s.t.
4
Samuel Sánchez
Lampre - Generali
+ 1'24
5
Giovanni Visconti
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
6
Fränk Schleck
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step
s.t.
7
Carlos Barredo
Movistar Team
s.t.
8
Matthias Frank
Red Bull - Cervélo
s.t.
9
José Herrada
Caja Rural
s.t.
10
Miguel Rubiano
Radio Shack - Nissan
s.t.
GC
After today, it looks like the battle for the GC-win is between 3 guys.
1
Andy Schleck
Monster Energy - Subway
30h51'19
2
Vincenzo Nibali
Radio Shack - Nissan
+ 9
3
Igor Antón
Euskaltel - Euskadi
+ 26
4
Fränk Schleck
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step
+ 1'52
5
Carlos Barredo
Movistar Team
+ 2'07
6
Samuel Sánchez
Lampre - Generali
s.t.
7
Giovanni Visconti
BMC Racing Team
+ 2'14
8
Daniel Moreno
Katusha Team
+ 2'21
9
José Herrada
Caja Rural
+ 2'22
10
Jelle Vanendert
Monster Energy - Subway
+ 2'46
Points
1
Andy Schleck
Monster Energy - Subway
96
2
Mark Cavendish
Sky ProCycling
87
3
Edvald Boasson Hagen
Lotto - Belisol
70
4
Vincenzo Nibali
Radio Shack - Nissan
51
5
Igor Antón
Euskaltel - Euskadi
50
KOTM
1
Paolo Tiralongo
Pro Team Astana
38
2
Andy Schleck
Monster Energy - Subway
31
3
Antonio Santoro
Androni Giocattoli
30
4
Igor Antón
Euskaltel - Euskadi
26
5
Davide Malacarne
Team Europcar
22
U25
1
Andrew Talansky
Radio Shack - Nissan
30h57'07
2
Jonathan Monsalve
Androni Giocattoli
+ 1'43
3
Ángel Madrazo
Movistar Team
+ 4'56
4
Sep Vanmarcke
Monster Energy - Subway
+ 7'00
5
Peter Sagan
Monster Energy - Subway
+ 12'30
Teams
1
Monster Energy - Subway
91h58'49
2
Radio Shack - Nissan
+ 1'34
3
Caja Rural
+ 3'26
4
Euskaltel - Euskadi
+ 4'31
5
Saxo Bank SunGard
+ 6'18
Today's winner
Word from the DS
This was a though stage.... We're happy that Andy could minimize the loss (only bonus seconds), has he suffered a bad day. Too bad for Coen that his Vuelta is over, but for sure he has learned a lot from these 8 stages.
ventoux wrote:
Anton is phenomenal.With 70 days of racing he still can hang on in mountains with Andy Schleck and Nibali.A little overrated I think.
Why would he be overrated? It's a save game, it's in 2014, he just evolved this way. I think there is no need to complain about stats, when a career is in 2014.
Great racing, Dienblad, Andy looks really good, but beating Nibbles will be tough.
Hope he can keep his form during the Vuelta.
Edvald Boasson Hagen
Mark Cavendish
Juan José Haedo
José Joaquín Rojas
Giovanni Visconti
André Greipel
Christopher Sutton
Matthias Frank
Miguel Rubiano
Andrew Talansky
Jonathan Monsalve
Saxo Bank SunGard
