Transfer news!!
Diego Johnson announces that he will not be riding for Astana next season as he wishes to have an opportunity to ride with his brother, and Astanas manager(ME) refused to sign Jamel who is yet to make a decision for next year.Because of that we have 2 custom slots right now.If you want to join to our team PM me and we can discuss right now.
The user formerly known as 'The Schleck Fan' Gracias Alberto.
Now it is time for Le Tour.With a hard route a climber is going to win the Tour.
TOUR DE FRANCE 2013
Running from Saturday June 29th to Sunday July 21th 2013, the 100th Tour de France will be made up of 21 stages and will cover a total distance of 3,404 kilometres.
These stages have the following profiles:
7 flat stages
5 hilly stages
6 mountain stages with 4 summit finishes
2 individual time trial stages
1 team time trial stage
2 rest days
10 new stage towns:
Porto-Vecchio, Bastia, Ajaccio, Calvi, Cagnes-sur-Mer, Saint-Gildas-des-Bois, Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule, Givors, Chorges, Annecy-Semnoz
The route
Running from Saturday June 29th to Sunday July 21th 2013, the 100th Tour de France will be made up of 21 stages and will cover a total distance of 3,404 kilometres.
7 flat stages
5 hilly stages
6 mountain stages with 4 summit finishes
2 individual time trial stages
1 team time trial stage
2 rest days
Distinctive aspects of the race
First up Corsica... then nothing but the French mainland
Corse-du-Sud and Haute-Corse were the only two departments in metropolitan France that had never before hosted the Tour. The Grand Départ of 2013 will put an end to that. Once back on the mainland, the race will continue entirely within France and not take in any foreign countries – a concept last applied in 2003.
IndividuaL and team time-trials
The 4th stage, contested at Nice across 25 km, will represent the team time trial challenge, last carried out in 2011. Two individual time trials are also scheduled over a distance of 33 km between Avranches and Mont-Saint-Michel on stage 11, then over 32 km between Embrun and Chorges, on stage 17.
Alpe-d’Huez 1 and 2
The most significant change and, without a shadow of a doubt one of the highlights of this 100th edition: the Alpe-d’Huez will be climbed twice on the 18th stage. The first passage at the top of Alpe-d’Huez 1 will take place 50 kilometres before the finish at Alpe-d’Huez 2. Three further summit finishes are planned: Ax 3 Domaines(where Schleck and Contador slowed down in 2010 after attacking and allowed Sanchez,Menchov and co. to pass them.As they rode together and caught the others while Riblon won the stage from the BOTD and Sanchez and Menchov gained 14 seconds on Contador and Schleck), Mont Ventoux (in 2000 Armstrong gifted the stage to Pantani)and Annecy-Semnoz, a new venue on the Tour map.
10 first-time city stages
Porto-Vecchio (start of 1st stage)
Bastia (end of 1st stage and start of 2nd stage)
Ajaccio (end of 2nd stage and start of 3rd stage)
Calvi (end of 3rd stage)
Cagnes-sur-Mer (start of 5th stage)
Saint-Gildas-des-Bois (start of 10th stage)
Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule (start of 14th stage)
Givors (start of 15th stage)
Chorges (end of 17th stage)
Annecy-Semnoz (end of 20th stage)
The stages
STAGE TYPE DATE START AND FINISH DISTANCE DETAILS
1 On-line Saturday, June 29th Porto-Vecchio > Bastia 213 km
2 Hilly Sunday, June 30th Bastia > Ajaccio 156 km
3 Hilly Monday, July 1st Ajaccio > Calvi 145.5 km
4 Team time-trial Tuesday, July 2nd Nice > Nice 25 km
5 On-line Wednesday, July 3rd Cagnes-sur-Mer > Marseille 228.5 km
6 On-line Thursday, July 4th Aix-en-Provence > Montpellier 176.5 km
7 Hilly Friday, July 5th Montpellier > Albi 205.5 km
8 H.Mountain/Summit Finish Saturday, July 6th Castres > Ax 3 Domaines 195 km
9 H.Mountain Sunday, July 7th Saint-Girons > Bagnères-de-Bigorre 168.5 km
- Rest day Monday, July 8th Saint-Nazaire - Loire-Atlantique
10 On-line Tuesday, July 9th Saint-Gildas-des-Bois > Saint-Malo 197 km
11 Individual time-trial Wednesday, July 10th Avranches > Mont-Saint-Michel 33 km
12 On-line Thursday, July 11th Fougères > Tours 218 km
13 On-line Friday, July 12th Tours > Saint-Amand-Montrond 173 km
14 Hilly Saturday, July 13th Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule > Lyon 191 km
15 H.Mountain/Summit Finish Sunday, July 14th Givors > Mont Ventoux 242.5 km
- Rest day Monday, July 15th Vaucluse
16 Medium Mountain/Hilly Tuesday, July 16th Vaison-la-Romaine > Gap 168 km
17 Individual Mountain time-trial Wednesday, July 17th Embrun > Chorges 32 km
18 H.Mountain/Summit Finish Thursday, July 18th Gap > Alpe-d’Huez 172.5 km
19 H.Mountain Friday, July 19th Bourg-d’Oisans > Le Grand-Bornand 204.5 km
20 H.Mountain/Summit Finish Saturday, July 20th Annecy > Annecy - Semnoz 125 km
21 On-line Sunday, July 21st Versailles > Paris Champs-Élysées 133,5 km
Stage 1
In Corsica in the 1st stage the riders just rode normal.
Gasparotto 21st st.
Stage 2
Same thing again as the breakaway succeded.
Kangert 18th +2'04''
Stage 3
We werern't anonymous today.We even chased Contador-Quintana attack as the breakaway again won the stage
Nibali 11th +43''
Stage 4
Today's stage was a Team Time Trial as we were having a strong team and managed to win the stage.Perfect.
14 seconds on Contador,20 on Horner,29 on Froome and 47 on Valverde and Quintana.
Stage 5 Flat stage.Nothing to say.
Gasparotto 13th st.
Stage 6.Another flat stage.Move on
Nibali 33rd st.
Stage 7
Gasparotto did a good job on being the breakaway today.And he also took the combativity award that day.
Cycleman didn't have exported results.So we don't know who was the best finisher today in my team.
Stage 8.Finally a mountain stage.
Firstly we will climb the very hard Port de Paliheres.Then after the descent we will climb the Ax 3 Domaines.
Brajkovic was in the 9 man BOTD today.
Here we see Froome and Quintana attacked and caught and passed Brajkovic but Brajkovic is hanging on with them.Nibali has missed the move though.
A demoralized Nibbles gets 4th +1'05'' behind of the stage winner Chris Froome.
Nibali 4th +1'05''
Brajkovic 6th +1'14''
Johnson 15th +2'36''
Kangert 22nd +3'36''
In GC Vincenzo Nibali sits 3rd +36''
Stage 9 Aru is in a break of 8 riders as he finishesthe stage 5th as Niemiec gets the maillot jaune.
Aru 5th st.
Stage 10.Flat stage.Move on
Nibali 14th st.
Stage 11.An ITT.Nibbles has to limit his losses.
This photo is Kessiakoff's becausse Cycleman didn't had a screenshot of Nibali.
A perfect 3rd place for Nibali and even finishing ahead of Froome.With that results he is 3rd in GC behind Froome and TVG who won the stage.
Nibali 3rd +40
Kangert 7th +1'19
Johnson 8th +1'20
Kessiakoff 9th +1'22
Brajkovic 15th +1'34
Stage 12..Flat.Boring
Iglinskiy 16th st.
Stage 13.Flat.Boring.
Nibali 20th st.
Stage 14.Hilly but no action.Move on.
Nibali 9th +1'15''
Stage 15.The mythical Mont Ventoux
This AI is a huge garbage.Nibbles finishes 3rd +3'38'' behind of Quintana.Tour chances are gone now.
Nibali 3rd +3'38''
GC
1Nairo Quintana 58h54'14''
..
3 Vincenzo Nibali Astana Pro Team + 2'41
19 Diego Johnson Astana Pro Team + 12'18
20 Tanel Kangert Astana Pro Team + 12'27
36 Fabio Aru Astana Pro Team + 22'34
41 Fredrik Kessiakoff Astana Pro Team + 29'05
44 Janez Brajkovič Astana Pro Team + 30'47
58 Alexsandr Dyachenko Astana Pro Team + 46'41
59 Maxim Iglinskiy Astana Pro Team + 46'42
99 Enrico Gasparotto Astana Pro Team + 1h13'23
And ASTANA is leading the team classification at the moment.
We haven't gave up on winning Le Tour yet.See you later!!
Edited by Forever the Best on 03-09-2014 15:04
The user formerly known as 'The Schleck Fan' Gracias Alberto.
Easy:Top 10 Vuelta a Espana(Fuglsang will be here):
With Jakob Fuglsang we hope to get the easy goal of Vuelta top 10.And he can pass the mountains in top 10 as well as he can gain time on TT for top 10.The hardest terrain will be hills.If Jakob minimilizes his losses in the hills our top 10 chances are very good
Chances:%65
Medium:Top 5 Giro di Lombardia:
With
Vincenzo Nibali
Enrico Gasparotto
and Maxim Iglinskiy we hope to have a top 5
Chances:%40
Hard:Top 3 Tour De France(Nibali will be here)With placing everything behind Nibbles on this hard goal he is looking well for a top 3 goal.He sits in 3rd place approximately 1'40'' ahead of Valverde.
Chances:%70
Countered goals:
Easy goal: Top 5 Emilia:
With
Vincenzo Nibali
Enrico Gasparotto
and Maxim Iglinskiy we hope to have a top 5 here.
Chances:%80
Medium goal: Stage Win Eneco Tour
With Guardini for sprints and Gasparotto for hills we have a decent chance on getting a stage win.
Chances:%35
Hard goal: Win Montreal
With
Vincenzo Nibali
Enrico Gasparotto
and Maxim Iglinskiy we hope to win this race.But it will be hard.
Chances:%10
Edited by Forever the Best on 10-09-2014 11:49
The user formerly known as 'The Schleck Fan' Gracias Alberto.
I know that I posted very late but these are our official startlists for the Part 3 races.
Tour De France:
In the 100th edition of the biggest race of the cycling calendar,Vincenzo Nibali is trying to show here that he is still fresh after his Giro victory.
With Johnson,Kangert,Brajkovic and others he would be protected a lot.
Aru Fabio
Brajkovic Janez
Dyachenko Alexsandr
Grivko Andriy
Iglinskiy Maxim
Johnson Diego
Kangert Tanel
Kessiakoff Fredrik
Nibali Vincenzo
Clasica de San Sebastian:
The World Tour returns to some sort of normality after the chaos of the Tour de France with the Basque one-day race around San Sebastian. The route has always favoured the puncheurs in good shape, usually returning from France.Here,Gasparotto,Iglinskiy(even though he wasn't in France) and Nibali are the 3 co-leaders for this race.
Aru Fabio
Brajkovic Janez
Gasparotto Enrico
Iglinskiy Maxim
Johnson Diego
Kangert Tanel
Kessiakoff Fredrik
Nibali Vincenzo
Tour de Pologne:
The Tour de Pologne is next on the agenda and this year starts in the mountains of Italy, naturally. The week-long stage race finishes with an ITT, which adds a new dimension to the race this year.In this race we want some stage wins with Guardini who will lead the team for the sprint stages because we haven't got any GC ambition here.Maybe Gavazzi might do something in the hills if he is on form.
Bozic Borut
Gavazzi Francesco
Guardini Andrea
Huffman Evan
Lutsenko Alexey
Tleubayev Ruslan
Eneco Tour:
With sprints,TT,hilly stage to La Redoute and a cobbled stage to Geraardsbergen a rider should be very good in on cobble or hills and should keep up in TT or the other terrain which he isn't very well.In this race we hope to have at least 1 stage win.Our best hopes for this are Andrea Guardini and Enrico Gasparotto.
Agnoli Valerio
Bozic Borut
Gasparotto Enrico
Gavazzi Francesco
Guardini Andrea
Guarnieri Jacopo
Huffman Evan
Seeldraeyers Kevin
La Vuelta a Espana:
Without Nibali this will be the time for Jakob to shine and we are hoping to complete our easy goal of top 10 here. with Jakob Fuglsang.But it will be hard.
Bazayev Assan
Fuglsang Jakob
Gruzdev Dmitriy
Kascheckin Andrey
Muravyev Dimitriy
Seeldraeyers Kevin
Silin Egor
Tiralongo Paolo
Zeits Andrey
Vattenfall:
In Germany this race has usually finished with either a bunch sprint or with a massive sprint.Guardini will be our leader.But if he can't pass the hills then we will try to sprint with Bozic or Gavazzi.
Bozic Borut
Dyachenko Alexsandr
Gavazzi Francesco
Grivko Andriy
Guardini Andrea
Huffman Evan
Lutsenko Alexey
Vanotti Alessandro
GP Plouay:
On the hills of Plouay our leader will be Gasparotto here.Also Gavazzi and Bozic are here.But if Guardini passes the hills he will be the leader for the sprint.
Aru Fabio
Bozic Borut
Dyachenko Alexsandr
Gasparotto Enrico
Gavazzi Francesco
Guardini Andrea
Huffman Evan
Lutsenko Alexey
GP Quebec:
.ın the hills of Quebec;Gasparotto,Iglinskiy and Nibali are the 3 co-leaders for this race.
Aru Fabio
Brajkovic Janez
Gasparotto Enrico
Iglinskiy Maxim
Johnson Diego
Kangert Tanel
Kessiakoff Fredrik
Nibali Vincenzo
GP Montreal:
On the hills of Montreal;Gasparotto,Iglinskiy and Nibali are the 3 co-leaders for this race to achieve our win goal.
Aru Fabio
Brajkovic Janez
Gasparotto Enrico
Iglinskiy Maxim
Johnson Diego
Kangert Tanel
Kessiakoff Fredrik
Nibali Vincenzo
GP Wallonie:
In the hills of Wallonie Bozic and Gavazzi are our leaders to get a good result here.
Giro dell Emilia:
Here,Gasparotto,Iglinskiy and Nibali are the 3 co-leaders for this race to achieve our top 5 goal.
Aru Fabio
Fuglsang Jakob
Gasparotto Enrico
Iglinskiy Maxim
Johnson Diego
Kangert Tanel
Kessiakoff Fredrik
Nibali Vincenzo
Paris-Tours:
In France Guardini will be our leader.But if he can't pass the hills then we will try to sprint with Bozic or Gavazzi.Also Gasparotto and Iglinskiy will attack in the hills to get a good result.
Bozic Borut
Gasparotto Enrico
Gavazzi Francesco
Guardini Andrea
Guarnieri Jacopo
Iglinskiy Maxim
Ponzi Simone
Edited by Forever the Best on 07-12-2014 17:11
The user formerly known as 'The Schleck Fan' Gracias Alberto.
The last week of Le Tour De France
Well,let's see the stages.
Stage 16.
Breakaway wins on Gap while Nibali gains 24 seconds on Quintana and Froome despite losing 1 min.to Valverde
Nibali 9th +2'53''
Stage 17.
The stage profile.Almopst no flat meters.Only climb and descend.this suits perfect for Nibbles.
And he wins it with 50'49''
Nibali 1st 50'49''
Stage 18.
Here,we are seeing one of the most beatiful pictures of the year in the fog descending from Col de Sarenne.
And we couldn't do it.Nibbles cracked again today and is without a chance for the victory.
Nibali 5th +1'34''
Stage 19.
Nibbles shows he doesn't give up on winning le Tour.
But somebody has to tell him that he won't win Le Tour
And right now Contador is close to the podium.bad day for us.
Stage 20.
Froome.exe settled in Annecy-Semnoz to win the Tour.
Nibbles 7th +4'24''
Stage 21.Break got.
1 Chris Froome Sky Procycling 81h00'58
2 Nairo Quintana Movistar Team + 1'19
3 Vincenzo Nibali Astana Pro Team + 5'50
16 Diego Johnson Astana Pro Team + 28'23
36 Janez Brajkovič Astana Pro Team + 55'06
41 Fabio Aru Astana Pro Team + 1h00'41
48 Steven Kruijswijk Belkin Pro Cycling Team + 1h10'00
49 Fredrik Kessiakoff Astana Pro Team + 1h10'56
108 Enrico Gasparotto Astana Pro Team + 2h50'24
The user formerly known as 'The Schleck Fan' Gracias Alberto.
Silvio Herklotz wrote:
You're quite nicely keeping up with everything.
But maybe you could try to spend a little more time on layout, then probably people would appreciate it more
+1
Thanks for the comments guys.
And can someone explain what is layout?My English is not that good.
And San Sebastian update probably coming Monday.I am trying to have a girlfriend so I didn't had time
The user formerly known as 'The Schleck Fan' Gracias Alberto.
Here we are seeing riders attacking including Nibali.
Nibali was on the group which sprinted for 3rd place but he made a horrible sprint and only finished 14th.
Results
1 Peter Sagan Cannondale Pro Cycling 5h49'47
2 Philippe Gilbert BMC Racing Team s.t.
3 Joaquím Rodríguez Katusha Team + 1'06
..
14 Vincenzo Nibali Astana Pro Team s.t.
20 Enrico Gasparotto Astana Pro Team +4'45
30 Fredrik Kessiakoff Astana Pro Team +13'39
35 Maxim Iglinskiy Astana Pro Team + 15'59
56 Tanel Kangert Astana Pro Team s.t.
64 Fabio Aru Astana Pro Team s.t.
114 Diego Johnson Astana Pro Team s.t.
The user formerly known as 'The Schleck Fan' Gracias Alberto.
Here we are seeing riders attacking including Nibali.
Nibali was on the group which sprinted for 3rd place but he made a horrible sprint and only finished 14th.
Results
1 Peter Sagan Cannondale Pro Cycling 5h49'47
2 Philippe Gilbert BMC Racing Team s.t.
3 Joaquím Rodríguez Katusha Team + 1'06
..
14 Vincenzo Nibali Astana Pro Team s.t.
20 Enrico Gasparotto Astana Pro Team +4'45
30 Fredrik Kessiakoff Astana Pro Team +13'39
35 Maxim Iglinskiy Astana Pro Team + 15'59
56 Tanel Kangert Astana Pro Team s.t.
64 Fabio Aru Astana Pro Team s.t.
114 Diego Johnson Astana Pro Team s.t.
The user formerly known as 'The Schleck Fan' Gracias Alberto.
Stage 1:A horrible sprint by Guardini
Guardini 16th st.
Stage 2:Lumpy day.
Guardini 19th +1'58''
Stage 3:Flat day:Not bad 5th but we should get a win
Guardini 5th st.
Stage 4:Flat day.Guardini got drpopped in the wind and couldn't contest in sprint.
Gasparotto 40th st.
Stage 5:ITT
Gasparotto 34th +44''
Stage 6:La Redoute;a chance for the win.But Phil was like a monster
Gasparotto 4th +1'56''
Stage 7:Geraardsbergen.but not a very hard stage.Nothing happens
Gasparotto 23rd +47''
GC
1 Philippe Gilbert BMC Racing Team 23h44'51
..
7 Enrico Gasparotto Astana Pro Team + 2'31
77 Kevin Seeldraeyers Astana Pro Team + 17'46
99 Francesco Gavazzi Astana Pro Team + 21'52
107 Borut Božic Astana Pro Team + 23'15
108 Valerio Agnoli Astana Pro Team + 23'18
120 Jacopo Guarnieri Astana Pro Team + 25'15
121 Andrea Guardini Astana Pro Team + 25'17
We failed our goal.
Edited by Forever the Best on 08-10-2014 16:32
The user formerly known as 'The Schleck Fan' Gracias Alberto.
With Froome,Valverde and Rodriguez being favourites we will try to chase Fuglsang's top 10 and our sponsor goal.
Stage 1
A TTT.We don't have our best squad there so we will limit our losses.
Stage 2
.A very early mountain stage
It's the first of 10 summit finishes in the Vuelta this year.We hope Jakob does well.
Stage 3
The third stage's uphill finish is easier then yesterday’s but still hard enough that pure sprinters won’t be able to win today. The small bump before the final hill is able to prevent a bunch sprint. Look out for the punchers.And Fuglsang shouldn't lose time.
Stage 4
The only real difficulty today is the Alto del Mirador de Ezaro that’s in the last quarter of the race. That being said it should also be noteworthy that the almost the whole stage is going up and down all day. The small bump before the finish could also be a deciding factor in today’s stage.And Fuglsang shouldn't lose time.
Stage 5
With an ascent of the Alto de Covelo before the halfpoint the sprinters are likely to not be in the peloton anymore, some daring riders could try to go on the Alto del Pademelo. Good descenders could potentially take a little time today. And Fuglsang shouldn't lose time.
Stage 6
We finally have a flat finish.Look for a pure sprint.
Stage 7
Another easy stage so the sprinters get another chance to win a stage.
Stage 8
Peñas Blancas is a category 1 climb and the 14.5 km towards the top have an average gradient of 6.6 %. The first couple of kilometers are very steep with parts over 12 %. The next part is not very steep but it’s constantly up and down and it will be very difficult to keep a steady rhythm. The last 8 km, however, have a steady gradient of 7-8 % and contrary to the beginning of the stage, the riders now have a tailwind all the way to the line. The change of wind favors the opportunistic riders but in the end, it’s all about having the best legs.Fuglsang will try to do well.
Stage 9
Stage 9 is one I’ve personally been looking forward too. On paper, this is not a very demanding stage but the final 45 km are very tough. There aren’t any big climbs on the menu but with just 22 km to, the peloton faces Alto de la Frailes. The 6.2 km towards the top have an average gradient of 5.8 % and we can expect Katusha and Movistar to set a furious pace. Coming down from the top, the first 7 km are flat before the final kilometer rises towards the line. In 2010 and 2011 we had a single rider in front at this point (Uran in 2010 & Moncoutie in 2011) but you need almost a minute before the final kilometer if you want to make it all the way.
The final 1000 meters up to the finishing line is extremely steep. There are gradients of nearly 30 % and not surprisingly, Joaquim ‘Purito’ Rodriguez is the big favorite. In 2010, he attacked too early and ran out of gas as Igor Antón went away on the final 300 meters. In 2011, Purito took no chances. His teammate Dani Moreno hit the front as soon as the steep gradients started and only Purito, Vincenzo Nibali and Wout Poels managed to follow. Nibali couldn’t keep up the pace and like Antón the year before, Purito put in his final attack with 300 meters to go.Fuglsang will try to do well.
Stage 10
Stage 10 is the last day to overcome before the first rest day of the race. On paper, this is a good stage for a breakaway to make it but it has to be a break of very strong riders. The first 74 km don’t include any categorized climbs but there are several long hills which will make for a hard start of this stage. Everybody knows the breakaway has a chance today and therefore we can expect a fast start with many attacks.
Alto de Monachil. 8.5 km / 7.7 % avg.
The first part of the stage is tough but it’s nothing compared to the final 36 km. Alto de Monachil starts after 150 km in the saddle. The 8.5 km towards the top have an average gradient of 7.7 % and the first four kilometers are very steep. There are just 27.8 to go from the top of Alto de Monachil and after a descent, which is not easy at all, Alto de Hazallanas starts right away.
The first 5 kilometers have an average gradient of 5 %. The following 3-4 km are more or less flat and after a descent through Güéjar Sierra, the actually climb begins. The final 7 km kick up with 8.5 % and there are numerous parts of over 15 %. With two kilometers to go the gradients almost reach 20 % and this will be a perfect place for the pure climbers to put in a strong attack. The final km is not very steep and the stage actually ends with a little descent towards the line.Fuglsang will try to do well.
Stage 11
After a well-deserved rest day, the Vuelta continues with a time trial. This has already been a very tough race and it will be interesting to see how the legs of the GC riders will respond after a day off the bike. We have often seen riders having an off-day after a rest day and alone against the clock, you can really lose some time if you’re not ready.
This year’s Vuelta is one for the climbers and that shows on the time trial too. The 38.8 km around Tarazona include a long category 3 climb. The road book has Alto del Moncayo to be 9 km long but actually, it’s already been uphill for a while before the official start of the climb. Compared to the last time trial in the Tour de France this year, this isn’t as tough. It’s definitely a hard course but with an average gradient of just 4.1 % and no steep parts, Alto del Moncayo won’t kill the hopes of the time trial experts.
In fact, the second part of the route favors the big engines.Most of the final 20 km are downhill and we can expect a fast finish with a tailwind on this second part.Fuglsang might gain time.
Alto del Rat Penat comes after 114.8 km and even though this category 1 climb is only 4.3 km long, its average (!) gradient of 10.6 % will definitely stretch out and split up the peloton. The following descent is very technical and on small roads, it won’t be easy to get to the front if you’re already dropped on the climb. However, it won’t be easy to keep the peloton behind you either, should you attack on the climb. The final 15 km next to beach are flat and we can expect the peloton to set a high pace at this point. It’s a short stage of only 169 km and that means it will be fast stage as well. Many of the usual sprinters will be dropped and even those remaining won’t have it easy.
Alto del Rat Penat. 4.3 km / avg. 10.6 %
With 3 km to go, the riders turn left, away from the beach. From here, they continue straight out for about two kilometers. The final kilometer includes a couple of turns and with 500 meters to go, the peloton have to overcome a rather large roundabout. Coming out of the roundabout, he final 400 meters are uphill and especially the final 150 meters are steep. It’s very important to have something left in the legs for this final part. It’s not as steep as Alto del Rat Penat but it’s enough to make a significant selection.Fuglsang will try to not lose time.
Stage 14
The Vuelta enters Andorra this Saturday and that means it’s time to start climbing. However, the first 40 km are downhill and we can expect another fast start. On paper, a breakaway could make it again but this is a short and extremely hard stage and the favorites will be eager to test each other.
Port de Envalira is the highest point of this year’s race, the so-called Cima Alberto Fernández. The 26.7 km towards the top have an average gradient of 5.2 % and start after 60 km. There are steep parts of 15 % near the top and we can expect a very reduced peloton already at this early point of the stage. If you have a bad day today, you will end up losing a of time and with many strong teams, I doubt the pace won’t be high on Port de Envalira.
The following two climbs, Coll de Ordino and Alto de la Comella, both have an average gradient of about 5 % with steep parts near the top. They will tire out the peloton but they won’t be decisive. After 148.5 km in the saddle, the riders arrive to the bottom of the final struggle of the day. Collada de la Gallina is 7.2 km long and has an average gradient of 8 %. It was on this climb that Alberto Contador was caught on the final meters last year.
In 2010, Joaquim ‘Purito’ Rodriguez did everything he could to wear the Red Jersey when the Vuelta entered Catalunya. He wanted to show off the jersey on home soil and he managed to do it. Now we are in Andorra and once again, Purito is home. Confused? Don’t be. Purito is now living in Andorra and he knows this climb better than anyone does. He wanted to win here last year but after closing the gap to Contador, Valverde came around him on the final meters. This year, Purito is out for revenge. On Sunday the 8th, it’s the national holiday in Andorra and according to Purito; “it would be the bomb to win here the day before the national holiday. Especially after what happened last year”. A breakaway has good chances of making it all the way but I think Katusha will be eager to control the race. Fuglsang will try to do well.
Stage 15
The riders start climbing after just 7 km of the stage when Puerto del Cantó starts. The 24.4 km towards the top have an average gradient of 4.2 %. It’s steepest in the beginning and we can expect a lot of attacks right from the start. From the top of Puerto del Cantó, there are still 50 km until the next climb starts and in tailwind, the breakaway has time to get a good gap.
The final 16.7 km of stage 15 up to Peyragudes.
After 81 km it’s time for Puerto de la Bonaigua. It’s another long climb - 20 km - and with an average gradient of 5,5 %, there won’t be many riders left in the peloton at the top. The descent is almost 65 km long and it’s extremely important to be wearing enough clothes. It will be a very cold day and if you forget to eat and stay warm, you probably won’t be able to cope with the tough final in France.
The last 50 km are the same as when Alejandro Valverde won on Peyragudes in the Tour de France last year. First Col du Port de Balés, then Col de Peyresourde and after a short descent it’s time for the final 4 uphill kilometers towards the finishing line. I think a breakaway will make it all the way again, especially with the tough start of the stage in the mind. There are still many hard climbs left in this Vuelta and the GC riders have to save as much energy as possible.Fuglsang will try to do well.
Stage 16
Monday’s stage is another hard day in the Pyrenees but not nearly as hard the last two days. The stage is only 146 km long.Everybody is tired and it won’t be a surprise if an early breakaway manages to stay away.
Most likely, we will see a break getting away on Puerto de la Foradada. It’s only a category 3 climb but the 5.9 km towards the top still have an average gradient of 5.9 %. There are a lot of tired legs in the peloton after the last two days and it will be interesting who has something left in the tank.From the top of Puerto de la Foradada, the riders will have 60 km to cover in a light crosswind before the they start on the next climb. Puerto de Cotéfablo is 12.5 km long and has an average gradient of 4 %. It’s not a very steep climb but after the last two days, it won’t be a walk in the park either.
The ascent up to Aramón Formigal is 15.8 km long and has an average gradient of only 4 %. However, most of the first 6 km are either flat or downhill. The road start to kick up with 10 km to go and the following 3.5 km are steep with parts of nearly 10 %. The climbs then evens out for about 4 km before it gets steep again. The final 3.5 km have an average gradient of 7 % and this is where you can make the difference.Fuglsang will try to do well.
Stage 17
.A flat stage.
Stage 18
Stage 18 provides the first opportunity to change the overall classification. The 186.5 km include no less than five categorized climbs and the last one, Peña Cabarga, is one of the toughest in this year’s Vuelta a España. The day starts in Burgos where the riders head north. A light headwind will accompany the peloton for most of the day and we can expect another hard day in the saddle.
The breakaway has a good chance of making it all the way again and it will be a furious fight to get into that final break. There are no real climbs the first 75 km it won’t be a surprise if the break doesn’t get away for good until they hit the first climb. Alto de Bocos is only 3 km long but its average gradient of 6.6 % will show who has the legs to be in front today.
The following three climbs come right after each other and the penultimate one, Alto del Caracol, has its top just 40 km from the finishing line. The run-in towards the final climb is up and down at all the time and nobody will arrive at the bottom of Peña Cabarga with fresh legs. There is an intermediate sprint in Solares with just 10 km to go and in case the break is caught, we may see the GC riders sprint for the three bonus seconds.
Peña Cabarga. 5.9 km / avg. 9.2 %
As the riders gets close to the final ascent, the roads turns 180° which means the peloton will start the last climb with a light tailwind. Peña Cabarga is 5.9 km long and has an average gradient of 9.2 %. There are even parts of over 20 % on the last kilometer. In 2011, Chris Froome took his first GrandTour stage win, when he outsprinted Juanjo Cobo on the final meters. Back then, Cobo attack with 1 km to go and at this point, they were still 10 riders left in front group. This time we may see attacks a bit earlier. Fuglsang willl try to stick.
Stage 19
Stage 19 is another one for a breakaway. The GC riders are focusing on Angliru and I doubt they want to use up their teams already.
The first 100 km of stage 19 take place next to the sea.
Usually the big favorites want to go for the stage win on the mythical Angliru climb and that means this is the last day for a breakaway to make it. Therefore, we can expect another very fast with half of peloton trying to get away.
The final 5 km of stage 19 on Alto de Naranco.
The final 40 km of stage 19 are the hardest. There are three categorized climbs on the menu but actually, the intermediate sprint is also placed on top of a hill with an average of nearly 5 %. Typical for the Vuelta. The penultimate climb of the day, Alto de la Manzaneda, is the steepest one. It’s only 3.6 km long but has an average gradient of 6.2 %.
After entering Oviedo the final 5.7 km are uphill towards the finishing line. Alto del Naranco has average gradient of just 4.2 % but there are a steep kilometer of nearly 10 % with 3 km to go. The final two kilometers have an average gradient of 6.5 % and take place in headwind. The last 300 meters are straight out with a tailwind and should a couple of riders arrive together, it may be an idea to try an early sprint out of the final corner.
If the peloton catches the breakaway, Alejando Valverde is the big favorite but the chances of that aren’t very good. I think the GC riders will be saving a little energy for Angliru and that means we - once again - should look to riders down out of the general classification.Fuglsang will try to stick.
Stage 20
In the past, the big favorites have won here and I doubt that will change this time. The bonus seconds on the line can prove to be very important and the prestige alone of winning on Angliru should mean we won’t see the peloton let the early break get too far away.
It’s a short stage of only 142.2 km but it won’t be an easy day in the saddle. Even though the chances of a breakaway making it aren’t great, half the peloton will try to make it into that break anyway.
There are three categorized climbs on the menu before taking on Alto de l’Angliru and all three of them are very steep. The first one, Alto de la Cabruñana, is the easiest one. It comes after 40 km and has an average gradient of 6.6 %. From the top, there are only 30 km to Alto de Tenebredo starts. This climb is only 3.4 km long but it has an average gradient of over 10 %! The GC favorites won’t be dropped here but the steep gradients will hurt their legs before the final two climbs of the day.
Alto de l'Angliru. 12.2 km / avg. 10.2 %
With 26.6 km to go, it’s time to climb Alto del Cordal. This is a category 1 climb and the 5.3 km towards the top has an average gradient of 9.6 %. There won’t be many riders left in the peloton when reaching the top and those who are dropped won’t see the front of the peloton again today. After the fast decent, the riders start on Angliru right away. This climb is said to be the hardest one ever done in a bike race and its 12.2 km with an average of 10.2 % confirm that.
This is only the 6th time a stage finishes on Angliru and looking at some of the past winners, it’s clear this is one for the pure climbers. Jimenez, Simoni, Heras and Contador were all best in the world when they won here. Juanjo Cobo was the last winner on Angliru (in 2011).
Stage 21
A flat satge to finish the race. Edited by Forever the Best on 01-10-2014 15:14
The user formerly known as 'The Schleck Fan' Gracias Alberto.
