Movistar Starting List
Rafal Majka
Elia Viviani
Jasha Sutterlin
Eduard Korniets
Rafael Valls
Gorkha Izagirre
Eustaquio Sanchez
Josef Katzer
Rafal Majka leads Movistar in his home race. He was personally invited to ride here by the race organizers. The team have been close a couple of times to winning here but have never been on the top step of the podium. The competition would be hard this time too with the likes of Aru, Pinot, both Yates brothers and Geniez in the starting line-up. The climbs would favour punchers slightly more than the pure climbers. There were a couple of flat stages which should see a sprint finish.
The following is a summary of stages...
Stage 1 - Hilly with 4 major intermediate climbs
A 10 man early break was chased down. 5 riders formed another break which was allowed to build a 6 minute lead. The peloton chased earnestly byt the terrain did not favour them. In the end, they ran out of road to catch the breakaway fully, with Jan Hirt taking the win from the break, a few metres ahead of the charging peloton. There was no time gaps at the front of the pack.
Stage winner - Jan Hirt from breakaway
Stage 2 - Flat with 1 minor intermediate climb
An 11 man break weren't allowed to stretch their legs. After they were caught, a smaller 4 rider break got away. They held a small lead for most of the race. They were eventually caught with 10 km to go. The sprinters lined up the finish. Kris Boeckmans surprised the favourites and won the stage.
Stage 3 - Hilly with 2 major and 1 minor intermediate climbs
The breakaway was formed on the second attempt again, this time constituting of 3 riders and pulling out to a 4 minute lead. They were caught with 10 km to go. Viviani latched on to the Astana sprint train, and eventually outsprinted Kristoff for the stage win in driving rain.
Stage winner - Bryan Coquard
Stage 4 - Flat with 2 minor intermediate climbs
A stage without much incident as the breakaway was caught before the end. Movistar messed up their sprint train, while Boeckmans took another stage win.
Stage winner - Kris Boeckmans
Stage 5 - Hilly with 6 major intermediate climbs
A 6 man breakaway with Kruijswijk and Benedito built up a 7 minute lead. The pack split first on the fourth and further on the fifth climb. The group of leaders was down to 30 riders. The breakaway was caught with 11 km to go. Adam Yates and Herklotz attacked, followed by Majka and 7 others. The former trio stayed clear of the others but did not get time on each other. Yates was the strongest on the finishing straight, winning the stage.
Stage winner - Adam Yates Movistar - Rafal Majka 3rd, same time, Eduard Korniets 6th, 1' behind Other important results - Silvio Herklotz 2nd, same time, Thibaut Pinot 4th, Sebastien Reichenbach 5th, 1' behindAlexandre Geniez 7th, 1'26" behind
Stage 6 - Hilly with 10 major intermediate climbs
The most attritional stage of the race would also decide the GC. The early break of 4 was joined by 2 others on the first climb of the day. They got a big gap, of 11 minutes at its peak, over the pack. The pack split on the third climb and the favourites' group was down to 30 on the fourth. Movistar was cut in half, as only 4 of their riders were still in the peloton. 1 rider attack in an attempt to join the break on the 8th climb. The leaders' group was down to 15 by this time. The break was caught with 40 km to go. Herklotz was dropped on the penultimate climb as the group reduced to 10. Riders started dropping off and it was Ada Yates, Majka and Geniez who started the small climb to the finish together. Majka attacked with 1.5 km to go and no one had an answer. He was the GC leader in his home race.
Stage winner - Rafal Majka Movistar - Rafael Valls 6th, 1'8" behind, Gorkha Izagirre 10th, 3'18" behind Other important results - Adam Yates 2nd, 25" behind, Alexandre Geniez 3rd, 43" behind, Steven Kruijswijk 4th, 58" behind, Fabio Aru 5th, 1'8" behind, Sebastien Reichenbach 7th, 2'25" behind, Thibaut Pinot 9th, 3'18" behind
Stage 7 - Flat with 1 minor intermediate climb
The flat stage at the end was not expected to be a factor in the GC. A strong 7 man breakaway wasn't allowed to build up a very big gap. Movistar chased for the early part of the race and were then helped by Astana. As the pack approached the finish, Kennaugh attacked again from the break with 6 km left. The other riders in the break were caught by the pack. Kennaugh held on for an unlikely breakaway victory on a super-flat stage.
Stage winner - Peter Kennaugh Movistar - Elia Viviani 3rd
General Classification
1)Rafal Majka (Movistar)
2)Adam Yates (Sky)
3)Alexandre Geniez (Dexia)
Majka wins in his home country to keep Movistar's excellent run going. The GC, 2 stage wins and the U25s classification win makes for another successful race for the team. The team has been getting their tactics spot on in the past few races. This has to be carried into the Vuelta if they are to help Nairo overcome fatigue and win that race. Positive signs so far, as far as the team is concerned. Congratulations to Majka on picking up his first GC win for the team.
Stage 1 at Burgos gradually goes up. The climbs are not expected to reduce the peloton but the slight uphill finish will not completely favour the sprinters. A puncher might steal the win here.
Stage 2
Another relatively flat stage, surprisingly classified as Hilly! The ending too is flatter and the sprinters will prefer this stage over the previous one.
Stage 3
Another stage meant for the sprinters. Three climbs need to be crossed on the route, but they should not create much confusion in the peloton. The long gradual downhill to the line will ensure the oack gets back together even if there are small splits beforehand.
Stage 4
Classified as hilly, and yet this stage has absolutely no climbs before the finish! The punchers should enjoy this finish and it is expected for one of them to take the stage win.
Stage 5
The climbs on the Queen stage gradually increases in height and crests at the summit finish. The teams of the GC contenders will keep plugging away at the front of the peloton, reducing the field as much as possible till they deliver their leaders to the climb to the finish. From there, a battle for the GC is expected on the final slope.
Overall Assessment
The race will be decided by stage 5. The other stages should not see any upset results or any time gaps worth mentioning. A relatively weak field is expected to show up.
Movistar Starting List
Leopold Konig
Isidro Pintassilgo
J J Lobato
Pello Bilbao
Ruben Fernandez
Manuel Moreno Capitan
Alejandro Valverde
Carlos Artime
Always an important race for the team sponsors, Movistar had the best starting line-up of all teams here. They were taking no chances with this as they announced Konig and Pintassilgo as co-leaders. Lobato was also present to take advantage of the flat stages. The competition was weak. Anything other than a Movistar win here would be a significant upset.
The following is a summary of stages...
Stage 1 - Hilly with 2 minor intermediate climbs
The early breakaway saw their 4 minute lead gradually wiped out. The sprinters were caught out at the end with the spike in the profile at the finish. Dingchun Wei took the stage win. Movistar had five riders finish in the top 10, with Lobato the best in 5th place.
Stage winner - Dingchun Wei
Stage 2 - Hilly with 2 minor intermediate climbs
Another 4 man breakaway tried their luck but failed, being caught 6 km from the line. The sprinters were once again outfoxed by Wei, taking an unlikely stage win this time.
Stage 3 - Flat with 3 minor intermediate climbs
The 5 man break was reduced to 4 on the second climb. They stayed ahead of the pack till 4 km to go. The sprinters finally took a stage win. It was Che Massey who came out on top with Lobato getting on the podium again.
Stage winner - Che Massey Movistar - J J Lobato 3rd, took the lead in the GC
Stage 4 - Flat
The 3 man break had a lead of 5 minutes at most. They were caught before the finish. Dingchun Wei continued his scintilating form, taking his thrid stage win of the race. Movistar had 6 riders finish in the top 10!
Stage 5 - Mountain with mountain top finish, including 5 major and 1 minor intermediate climbs
The early breakaway consisted of 8 riders. Their lead initially went up to 7 minutes, before Movistar started chasing and brought it down to 3. The pack slowed down again and break got the lead back up to 8 minutes. On the fifth climb of the day, the break was down to 4 riders with a pack of 20 riders chasing them. The break was caught on the descent with 14 kn to go. The lead group kept getting smaller as the went up the last two climbs. With 5 km to go, the lead group was down to three - Konig, Pintassilgo and youngster Iniesta Romo. Konig attacked, followed by Pintassilgo. They left the youngster behind, with Konig having better legs, taking the stage win and the GC.
Burgos went with the script with Movistar picking up a 1-2 on the last stage and consequently the GC. A good showing from the up and coming Romo to beat the likes of Foliforov and get onto the podium. Not a lot to say about this race. Lobato would feel disappointed having not won a stage despite three podium spots.
The prologue is absolutely flat, giving the TT specialists the chance to get a stage win and take the leader's jersey.
Stage 2
The sprinters will be licking their lips as they should take an easy win here.
Stage 3
Another stage where the sprinters are expected to have their fun. Not much chances for anyone to upset the odds.
Stage 4
A tricky stage which could see some time gaps. The punchers will love the series of short climbs at the end.
Stage 5
The main ITT of this race features two uphill sections which will make it hard for the specialists to dominate. Time gaps, although not very big, are expected and a change in the GC is also possible.
Stage 6
The last stage officially meant for the sprinters. The end sees a couple of small uphill sections which is not expected to affect the sprinters too much.
Stage 7
The cobbled stage could turn out to be a spanner in the works for a lot of the GC aspirants. Quite unusual in a week-long race, this would be a differnet sort of challenge to the riders. If time gaps at the top of the GC are small, there is a chance of the standings being impacted by this stage.
Overall Assessment
The Eneco tour traditionally favours a TT specialist who can hold his own in the cobbles. The sprinters usually enjot the flat stages but cannot hold on in the others. Also, stage 4 would be interesting as it might see some attacks by riders who aren't very well equipped in TTs and/or cobbles. A race which is always difficult to call.
The top two were not really troubled as they raced up the climbs. Lobato did well but should've gotten the better of Wei in at least one of the stages. Wei's acceleration was pretty scary actually.
Movistar Starting List
Bryan Coquard
Tiejs Benoot
Ion Izagirre
Adriano Malori
Gorkha Izagirre
Eustaquio Sanchez
Sergei Vovchuk
Josef Katzer
The Eneco Tour has never been a happy hunting ground for Movistar. The team have always struggled to have a rider challenging for the GC in this race. They were hoping to have better luck this time around. Their team was an all-round affair with Coquard leading the sprints, Benoot in for the cobbles and the hills and Malori to go for the TTs. They were hoping someone from these three would do good in disciplines other than their strongest and accomplish a high GC finish. It wsa a very difficult race to call and to pin point who the favourites were. Riders with better than average TT skills along with strength in the cobbles should be favourites, as no one was expected to lose time in the flat stages.
The following is a summary of important stages...
Stage 1 - Individual Time Trial - Flat - 5.8 km
The prologue gave a chance to the specialists in take the stage win and get the lead in the GC. Movistar led for a long time through Malori. His time was finally beaten by Damien Howson by less than a second, and then by Durbridge and Cavendish. Luke Durbridge took the stage win. Some of the GC favourites like Kwiatkowski and Stybar lost some time, along with Ion.
Stage 2 - Flat
The four man early break stood almost no chance of holding on for the stage win on this flat stage. They built up a 6 minute lead but were eventually with 10 km to go. Movistar organized their sprint train well, but Coquard transferred over to Kittel's tail with 3 km remaining. The Frenchman followed Kittel's sprint admirably and pipped the German at the line to take a brilliant stage win.
Stage winner - Bryan Coquard
Stage 3 - Flat
A couple of early breaks were unsuccessful. Eventually, after the first intermediate sprint, a 2 man break went away. They were kept at an arm's length and were caught some distance before the finish. This time, Coquard left the sprint too late, only getting 9th place, even being out-sprinted by his own lead-out Benoot. Degenkolb won the stage.
Stage winner - John Degenkolb Movistar - Tiejs Benoot 8th, Bryan Coquard 9th, Ion Izagirre 10th
Stage 4 - Hilly
A 2 man got 10 minutes to the pack. Sagan and Kwiatkowski launched the first attacks in the peloton among the favourites. They caught the break. A handful of other strong riders attacked one after the other, completely splitting up the peloton. The Movistar riders held back and preffered to chase instead. They lost time to their rivals eventually. Greg van Avermaet pulled away from his fellow attackers and took the stage win, with a breakaway rider holding on for 2nd place.
Stage winner - Greg van Avermaet Movistar - Tiejs Benoot 10th, 1'32" Other important results - Silvio Herklotz 3rd, 24", Peter Sagan 4th, 52", Michal Kwiatlowski 5th, Zdenek Stybar 6th, Simon Spilak 7th, Bauke Mollema 8th, all 1'3" behind
Stage 5 - Individual Time Trial - Hilly - 11 km
A challenging time trial was expected to make it difficult for the TT specialists. Incredibly, the rookie Katzer set the fastest time when he crossed the line. A nice moment for him. Then started the Movistar parade. Gorkha took 1st place when he crossed the line. Malori went one better. Ion took 2nd when he crossed the line. Benoot went 3rd. The higher-ups in the GC crossed the line, but none of them could get near the Movistar riders. They took 1-2-3-4.
Stage winner - Adriano Malori Movistar - Ion Izagirre 2nd, losing 4", Tiejs Benoot 3rd, losing 14", Gorkha Izagirre 4th, losing 15" Other important results - Bauke Mollema 5th, losing 18", Simon Spilak 7th, losing 25", Greg van Avermaet lost 37", Michal Kwiatkowski 38", Silvio Herklotz lost 49"
Stage 6 - Flat
A 5 break with Mikel Nieve built up a 6 minute lead over the pack. The stage was without any significant incidents. The break wasn't caught either. Jelle Wallays won the stage.
Stage 7 - Flat with cobbles
A 15 man break meant there were a few frowns in the teams of the leaders. Both the break and the peloton split on the first cobbled section. The break was caught with 20 km to go. Just then, Degenkolb, Sagan, Coquard and Debusschere attacked. With 10 km to go, Degenkolb was at the front solo with Sagan and Debusschere behind. Coquard was now with a couple of teammates in the form of Benoot and Malori. This is pretty how it stayed till the end, with Degenkolb winning solo, followed by Sagan and Debusschere. Coquard won the sprint of the small pack behind the leading trio.
Stage winner - John Degenkolb Movistar - Bryan Coquard 4th, Tiejs Benoot 5th, Adriano Malori 6th, 1'47" behind Other important results - Peter Sagan 2nd, 49" behind, Jens Debusschere 3rd, Greg van Avermaet 8th, 1'47" behind
General Classification
1)Greg van Avermaet (Telenet)
2)Peter Sagan (Astana)
3)John Degenkolb (Orange)
Young Riders' Classification
1)Eustaquio Sanchez (Movistar)
2)Sonny Hoegee (Carmeuse)
3)Leoncio De la Paz (Aeroflot)
Team Classification
1)Movistar
2)Sky
3)Orange
4th, 5th and 6th on the last stage produced a 4th, 5th and 6th in the GC. A much improved showing in Eneco from the team. Stage 5 was a showpiece event as they claimed the top 4 positions. Two classification wins, a stage win for Coquard and two top 5 placing is more than satisfactory.
Updates from races held in the week before La Vuelta...
Arctic Race of Norway
Viviani won the last stage to ensure a top 10 finish.
USA Pro Cycling Challenge
Gorkha Izagirre won stage 2. He faded away in the latter stages while Rafal Majka gradually made his way up the GC into the last podium position.
Tour du Limousin
Julian Alaphilippe won two stages (stages 2 and 3), which went a long way in getting him to the top of the GC. Consistent performances from Rafael Valls ensured a Movistar 1-2.
Spoiler
A lot of my free time now is being eaten up in following the European Championship of football. Not really getting a lot of time to play PCM. Posts in this story will not be very regular for this month. Will try to keep the pace up as far as possible.
The TTT will pit the teams against each to see who has the best riders against the clock. The objective here is to ensure the leaders of respective teams don't lose time.
Stage 2
The first of not too many opportunities for the sprinters at the Vuelta. They'll be looking to take this opportunity and one of them should win.
Stage 3
The first hill top finish is expected to see small time gaps among the leaders. The jostling for GC advantage starts from as early as this stage itself.
Stage 4
A 1st category climb followed by a long uphill section will test the GC contenders early on in this race. Anyone struggling for rhythm in the early part of this GT might get caught out here.
Stage 5
Another flat classified but the undulations will motivate some of the barouders and punchers to attack from distance. The sprinters are favourites but they might not have it easy here.
Stage 6
Another finish at the top of a hill. The climb before the ascent to the finish is likely to reduce the pack. The climb to be finish might again see some small time differences. There's a chance a breakaway could win here too.
Stage 7
The sprinters are favourites to win this stage and any other result will be a surprise.
Stage 8
This stage could well have been classified as a mountain stage given the final ascent to the finish that awaits the riders. The first big gaps in the peloton are likely to open up here.
Stage 9
A good stage for the sprinters is ruined by the sharp climb right before the finish. The sprinters might not have the legs to launch a full throttle even if they hang on to the peloton on the climb.
Stage 10
The sprinters should be back to winning ways on this stage and only a very good ride by someone else can cause an upset.
Stage 11
A third category climb bang in the middle of the stage rules out the chances of the specialists. The GC specialists should finish high up in the standings, but time differences should not be too large.
Stage 12
Another perfect stage for the sprinters ruined! The spike like climb at the finish is tailor-made for a puncher.
Stage 13
Stage 13 is a transition stage from the foothills to the mountains. It should see a sprinter winning.
Stage 14
The first of four summit finishes sees the riders ride to Puerto de Ancares. The GC leaders will seriously come out to play for the first time in this race.
Stage 15
Another influential stage in the GC. The climb to the finish will see more battles among the leaders, as they tackle and even steeper gradient than the last stage.
Stage 16
The Queen stage takes the riders past 3 climbs before reaching the highest point of this years' Vuelta at the summit finish. Expected to be a very hard finish.
Stage 17
The last of the quadruple summit finishes in the mildest of the lot. The question of recovery will come into play at this stage of the GT. The GC favourites will again look to take time off each other. This is another stage where the breakaway will fancy their chances.
Stage 18
The sprinters will be jumping for joy when they reach this stage after crossing four gruelling mountain stages. A breakaway win is also a possibility.
Stage 19
The sprinters will be looking to take another win here despite the various undulations on the course.
Stage 20
Four difficult climbs followed by a harder climb to the finish! Just when the peloton thought they were past the worst, the penultimate stage waits as a cruel challenge. The GC could be decided here, if it is still close at this point. Expect attacks and shoulder-to-shoulder battles among the leaders on the climb to the summit.
Stage 21
The traditional ride into Madrid signals the end of the last GT of the year. The GC would have been decided by now, barring something outrageous and it'll be up to the sprinters to put a show.
Overall Assessment
The Vuelta a Espana never fails to provide lots of climbing for the peloton. The organisers have been harsh on the riders in that a couple of the hilly classified stages could well have been classified as mountainous. The five summit finishes are likely to decide the GC and it should render the stage 11 ITT not very consequential.
Movistar Starting List
Nairo Quintana
Roman Kreuziger
Bryan Coquard
Julian Arredondo
Benat Intxausti
Ion Izagirre
Dayer Quintana
Jash Sutterlin
Eustaquio Sanchez
Step 3 in Nairo's quest for ultimate glory. If he wins the Vuelta, his name will forever be written in shining letters in cycling folklore. His supporting cast would be super strong. Roman Kreuziger, riding his last GT, would be Nairo's super-dometique. Julain Arredondo and kid brother Dayer would take up the regular domestique duties. Add to that the skills of Intxausti and Ion, and the Movistar team was looking formidable. Bryan Coquard was targeting stage wins on the flat stages. The competition was not absolutely top drawer, with only Uran and Zakarin the ones expected to challenge for the GC. The absence of both Aru and Kelderman was a big surprise. Nairo was the favourite again, but could he keep his fitness at the required level, given his gruelling attempt across three GTs? Only time will tell!
Number of starters: 198 Number of finishers: TBU
The following is a summary of important stages...
Part 1: Positive Early Signs
Stage 1 - Team Time Trial - Flat - 16.4 km
Movistar's strong lineup put Nairo into the best position possible at the start of the Vuelta by taking first place on the stage. Intxausti wore the leader's jersey by crossing the line first.
Stage winner - Movistar Other important results - American Express (Uran) 48", Aeroflot (Zakarin) 51", Telenet (Tejay van Garderen) 1'2"
Stage 3 - Hilly with uphill finish including 1 major and 3 minor intermediate climbs
Bryan Coquard had taken over the leader's jersey after a 2nd place finish on stage 2. A 4 man break was formed at the second attempt. They built up a lead of 7 minutes over the pack. 2 more riders attacked on the 3rd climb. 5 of the break was caught with 7 km to go while the lone remaining breakaway rider was caught with 4 km to go. The reduced pack sprinted to the line with Dan Martin taking the stage win. Martin and Uran took 12 seconds off the others while Nairo took the GC lead.
Stage winner - Dan Martin
Stage 4 - Hilly with hill top finish including 1 major intermediate climb
A man break built a lead of 7 minutes. There was a pack split on the intermediate climb. 3 riders attacked with 35 km left, 2 of whom were caught with 15 km left. Uran, Adam Yates, Reichenbach, Geniez and Dan Martin attacked next. Movistar chased for a while before Nairo went solo at the 3 km mark. He could not catch them, as Geniez took the stage win after the favourites had caught and passed the breakaway in the final kilometres. Nairo lost time but held on to the GC lead.
Stage winner - Alexandre Geniez Movistar - Nairo Quintana 5th, 50" behind, Julian Arredondo 8th 2'2" behind Other important results - Rigoberto Uran 2nd, Sebastien Reichenbach 3rd, 32" behind, Adam Yates 4th, 50" behind, Dan Martin 6th, 1'19" behind, Ilnur Zakarin 9th, 2'2" behind
GC status...
Spoiler
Stage 6 - Hilly with uphill finish including 1 minor intermediate climb
A 5 man break had an oscillating lead over the peloton; from 8 minutes to 5 minutes back up to 12 minutes. The lead proved too much for the peloton to chase down. In the pack, though, Nairo went off the front, following the wheels of his teammates Arredondo and Ion, who were setting an incredible pace. Nairo would be caught by the four man attack group of Dan Martin, Jesus Ezquerra, Favilli and Slagter. Up ahead, Allesandro de Marchi won the stage. Nairo attacked 4 km from the finish and only Dan Martin could keep up. He took time over all his rivals.
Stage winner - Allesandro de Marchi from breakaway. Up to 7th in the GC Movistar - Nairo Quintana 6th, 8'31" behind Other important results - Dan Martin 7th, 8'31" behind, Tom Slagter 8th, Adam Yates 9th, 8'49" behind
The GC after this stage...
Spoiler
The best possible start for Nairo in the Vuelta. Let's see how it goes. To be continued...
A nasty Vuelta, unless off course you are a top climber. Looks like there will be some huge time grabs in this race.
