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2015 Vuelta a Espana Route Revealed
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| roturn |
Posted on 08-04-2015 18:16
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After the Giro route was revealed earlier, the Vuelta presentation is up next. It was dominated by the Spaniards a lot of times with the highlight surely being the all Spanish podium in 2012. Last year though it was the biggest hour of former "only PCT" climber Jose Alarcon as he surprised probably most managers with unknown GT skills to take the Vuelta GC.
It was also the the beating of the Santander domination in the previous 2 years. That said Madrazo and Tenorio, winners of 2012 and 2013 will most likely end riding within the same team and this way could ride against each other here in 2015, which could be a thrilling duel. But also veteran Contador (3x podium) could eventually look to his first Vuelta win to name the last big Spaniard.
Going through the MG Vuelta history we see a lot of Spanish flags. Schleck and Alarcon won here once and could be back again eventually.
| Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | | 2014 |  Alarcon |  Contador | Tenorio | | 2013 | Tenorio |  Nibali | Contador | | 2012 | Madrazo | Contador | Intxausti | | 2011 | Valverde |  A. Schleck | Rujano | | 2010 | A. Schleck | Intxausti | Gomez Marchante | | 2009 | Mancebo |  Gesink | Plaza | | 2008 |  Vinokourov | Gutierrez Catalana | Dekker | | 2007 | Mancebo | Kashechkin | Gomez Marchante |
But now let`s have a closer look on the most interesting part I guess. Here`s the 2015 route for the Vuelta a Espana:
It`s a calm start into the Vuelta for the GC riders. 3 pretty flat stages from Albacete to Valencia, which allow the sprinters some chances to get the leader jersey.
Moving onto Mallorca for a 4-day trip then will cause the first gaps. While the two hilly stages on the 4th and 6th day might not deliver the biggest gaps or see someone winning the Vuelta already, the time trial in Manacor surely could become crucial for many. Almost 50km of flat time trialing does not suit all stage racers.
The first week ends with another flat stage and this also ends the Mallorca trip. No mountain stage in the first week.
Those though are coming immediately with the start of the next week. A typical _______/ Vuelta stage ending on the Mont Caro gives the pure climbers a good chance to gain back some time, they have lost in the time trial or the hills. For the sprinters it`s about fighting over the climbs now to get another few chances later on.
Also the next stage is a mountain top finish. This time with some more climbing ahead. After 9 days the GC could slowly be moving towards the final result already and a first sign of the possible outcome is given.
While the 10th looks like a possible breakaway stage as the sprinters need to recover after the mountains and the GC riders have enough gap already, the 11th stage brings the 2nd individual time trial. This one having a hilly first half though. With a length of 38km it`s almost 90km ITT in the first two weeks! Surely an attempt to see a specific Spaniard going for a home win again after last years experience.
Back into the mountains next. A very climbing up and down stage with a tough double climb towards Fuente del Chivo. No time to recover on that stage really with barely any flat kilometer. Also the length of 211km could be a decider and surely this is a stage to lose everything.
Obviously the riders need a rest after the 12th stage. So back to the flat stages. It is looking good for the pure sprinters here as we see 2 more sprint stages without any notable climbs. Actually not a single KoM there.
The third week continues the flat trend even though the 15th stage could eventually be too hard for the pure sprinters. That said, it`s also their last chance and if anyone wants to finish the Vuelta or even play a role in the point jersey fight, very good legs are needed for them as we face a lot of tough stages now.
It starts with a tough hilly stage. 3 Cat.1 climbs though show the difficulty of this one. The finish is the last flat though after the descent to Mijares.
Stages 17 & 18 are the next mountain top finishes. So it`s 5/5 mountain top finishes now. The first with a prestigious finish on the Pla de Beret.
The 18th has the potential to be the queen stage of the race. 6 climbs. So yet another up and down stage. 3x Cat.1 and 3x HC category says enough. The finish in Luz Ardiden on the French side of the Pyrenees giving the country an appearance in all 3 GT`s this season. If you want to win the Vuelta, you must not have a weak day on this one for sure.
Stage 19 says to be hilly but by the look of it it`s not much easier than some mountain stages. Lots of high climbing early on and an easier finish though. Still an uphill finish (once more) and a chance to gain important seconds.
Second last day and the last huge mountain top finish. So all 6 mountain rated stages have a top finish plus the 19th half mountaineous stage. Knowing the L'Angliriu well could be important as it`s a hell of a climb and the riders need to save their energy well until the top. It`s the last chance for the mountain goats to attack the GC.
The last stage is the 3rd time trial. Yet another individual one. So surely not the best route for mountain goats despite getting a lot of mountain top finishes. With 41km it`s again a quite long ITT. 130km ITT in total is almost a whole stage riding alone against the clock.
Stage racers with a strength in those ITT`s surely will love the course and it will be interesting to see the final start list here as it offers a lot for different types of riders.
Sprinting wise quite a few opportunities for the sprinters but it`s highly unlikely that many will see the finish in Alcala de Henares.
8 flat
4 hill (1 uphill finish)
6 mountain (6 MTF)
3 ITT (2 flat, 1 hilly, 130km in total)
Route compiled by SN using a combination of stages from Leon40, ricardo123, nathounet87 and Cyanide. |
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| FroomeDog99 |
Posted on 08-04-2015 18:21
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Lots of TT kilometres there. Looks like a race suiting riders like Phinney or Tenorio, so it will be interesting to see who picks them up on the free agent market as they could well win here.
Looks like another great route. Thanks for all the hard work behind the scenes SN and roturn. |
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| roturn |
Posted on 08-04-2015 18:31
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This would have been a nice route for Keizer. Unfortunately wrong season for me. 
Probably he would have lost a lot on the climbs but with 130km ITT I would have sent him here I guess. |
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| dev4ever |
Posted on 08-04-2015 18:37
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Thats a pretty cool route. Incredibly hard route with very few chances for the sprinters and puncheurs. Although it got so much TT-kilometres in it I somehow highly doubt a TT-heavy stageracer will win it, but more if a mountain-heavy one instead like Madrazo would be the top-top favourite in my eyes.
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| Heine |
Posted on 08-04-2015 19:33
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Interesting route, strange to see a so TT-heavy Vuelta, I see the logic from the organizers side. They want a prefect route for home hero Tenorio AND most likely get Phinney to race. A winwin for the Vuelta
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| Gustavovskiy |
Posted on 08-04-2015 20:16
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Ahah well said.
The last couple of weeks look brutal. I'm glad I'll be able to spare my boys from this massacre. Or perhaps not... who knows?
It's going to be interesting to see how will the former Santander leaders fare on this route. If they get to race it, that is!
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Posted on 22-11-2024 03:15
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| SportingNonsense |
Posted on 08-04-2015 20:32
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dev4ever wrote:
Thats a pretty cool route. Incredibly hard route with very few chances for the sprinters and puncheurs. Although it got so much TT-kilometres in it I somehow highly doubt a TT-heavy stageracer will win it, but more if a mountain-heavy one instead like Madrazo would be the top-top favourite in my eyes.
Plenty of sprinters opportunities imo
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| Kami |
Posted on 08-04-2015 21:04
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A nice route with plenty of mountains and TT'ing. Unfortunately, i can't really send Intxausti (if he ends up staying) due to the hilly stages, as they look quite risky to lose a lot of time. Overall still a nice balanced course though!
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| Bushwackers |
Posted on 08-04-2015 21:13
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Looks fun, but that's a very intense final week. Stage 19 is suspicious. There's a lot of chances for sprinters too.
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| jph27 |
Posted on 08-04-2015 21:29
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Well, looking at this route and my two main targets for stage race leaders I think I know which one would lead here. Won't please the French sponsors, but with so few hilly stages and a lot of TTing it would be the obvious call. Many ifs though  |
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| Mresuperstar |
Posted on 08-04-2015 21:37
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Great route for my team that I'm going to assembly *fingers crossed*.
One thing is certain, good luck repeating Alarcon.
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| alexkr00 |
Posted on 08-04-2015 21:42
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I feel like somebody is trying to force me to send Gesink to a Grand Tour
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| ember |
Posted on 08-04-2015 21:48
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I'd say it's a good thing to see so many mountain stages being balanced with lots of kilometers on the time trial bike. A nice amount of opportunities for sprinters as well, but you must question if they'll ever reach Alcala de Henares with that brutal looking stage 18, which is also relatively short.
I can imagine there will be some tough choices for the managers with top GC riders with the two revealed GT routes and another one to come. Definitely not lacking in the MTF department so far!  |
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| wackojackohighcliffe |
Posted on 08-04-2015 22:28
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Proper stage-racing this, top route, thanks
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| Scorchio |
Posted on 08-04-2015 23:14
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Another GT route to drool over. Nice to see a different option in terms of lots of ITT kms here for 2015.
Hard to see any sprinters making it through all 21 stages (didn't I say that for Giro as well?!), and even if one or two do, green jersey bound to go to an overall contender on this route imo. First 2 weeks offers plenty of opportunities for sprint stages though.
With the TdeF still to come, the biggest questions in my mind at PT level will then be which top GT threats end up on which team, and then where do their managers send them! Start-lists will be crucial.
Manager of ISA - Hexacta in the MG |
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| Avin Wargunnson |
Posted on 09-04-2015 06:23
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Great Vuelta profile, unlike Giro this is for all around stage racers and also with enough decent stages for sprinters. Lets see who will join Metinvest during transfers, we need leaders foall GTs.
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| jandal7 |
Posted on 09-04-2015 06:59
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Wow intense Vuelta, it'll take a very complete rider to take out top honours!
24/02/21 - kandesbunzler said “I don't drink famous people."
15/08/22 - SotD said "Your [jandal's] humour is overrated"
11/06/24 - knockout said "Winning is fine I guess. Truth be told this felt completely unimportant."
[ICL] Santos-Euskadi | [PT]  Xero Racing
5x  x5
2x  x2
2x  x2 |
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| Smowz |
Posted on 09-04-2015 07:42
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No doubt this is a reaction from last years Vuelta - would certainly suit a couple of free agents and this will make the rush for their signitures even more frantic.
For last years winner there is those high numbers of MTF's, though packed in the last week it shouldn't really suit him. That said Jose will always have a certain love for this race.
Very interesting route though - with such hard stages at the end the race should be open until then!
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| The Rider |
Posted on 09-04-2015 10:33
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That could be the first GT for Bonsucro. If our squad is anything like it was this season gone we should rustle some feathers. Yes, the TDF is the grand-daddy of them all but I'd say we will go for/get a Vuelta wildcard.
Interesting that there are plenty of stages for the sprinters but none in the mountainous final week, unique set-up there. Very well done with this route Roturn & SN. |
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| valverde321 |
Posted on 10-04-2015 22:21
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The first week looks nice but Im pretty sure the sprinters will be fearing the final week for sure. That looks really tough!
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