2014 Vuelta a España, stage 8: Baeza - Albacete (207 km)

[icefire]

2014 Vuelta a España, stage 8: Baeza - Albacete (207 km)

This is one of the few remaining opportunities for the pure sprinters. The last 70 kms are sligthly downhill and the last 30 kms are totally exposed to the wind. Will it be strong enough to have some echelons like the last three visits to Albacete?

PRC includes in its analysis of the stage links to the results of these last visits of the Vuelta

Vuelta 2000
Vuelta 2001
Vuelta 2003

The last visit of the pro peloton to Albacete was during the 2010 Spanish Nationals, with the peloton shattered to pieces in echelons as well.

 

[Alcanelo]

Guardini or Sagan

 

[Geraint Too Fast]

Wind direction is great. I just hope it's strong enough.

 

[Stromeon]

Degenkolb finished dead last today... Saving himself for tomorrow perhaps? Should be flat enough for Guardini (though you can never be sure ) to be in the mix but he'll probably succumb to echelons or find some other way not to be up there. Hope the weather/wind forecast is correct, if so could be interesting.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Degenkolb finished dead last today... Saving himself for tomorrow perhaps? Should be flat enough for Guardini (though you can never be sure ) to be in the mix but he'll probably succumb to echelons or find some other way not to be up there. Hope the weather/wind forecast is correct, if so could be interesting.

Rarely do riders finish dead last without some sort of problem imo.
I seem to recall he visited the race doctor as well. No sure however.

 

[burning]

If the roads are exposed to wind, it is great for echelons but I think teams will save themselves for the next day

 

[Helvellyn]

Bouhanni's angry and he'll get his revenge.

 

[Afrank]

Rarely do riders finish dead last without some sort of problem imo.
I seem to recall he visited the race doctor as well. No sure however.

with a quick search on twitter.

Veloropa ‏@veloropa 3h
John Degenkolb was also involved in a crash earlier in today's stage. But he's still in the peloton. #LaVuelta

Sadhbh O'Shea ‏@SadhbhOS 3h
Busy day for the Vuelta medics. Froome, Verona, Kudus and Degenkolb all paying visits to the medical car. #LaVuelta

VueltaUpdates ‏@CyclingUptodate 4h
#LaVuelta Froome, Degenkolb and Kudus are at the doctors car.

Morabito back in the peloton.

The 4 leaders have a 4.14 advantage.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Why is this a weekend stage

 

[pigoonse]

Why is this a weekend stage

Thats what I was thinking...
very disappointing.

 

[No_Balls]

So, another stage in the baking heat of the spanish south it seems. There are more then just Dan Martin who will pray for really strong winds here:

Martin was not the only rider to struggle with the high temperatures in which the Vuelta peloton has basked for successive days since leaving Jerez de la Frontera on Saturday. Nairo Quintana (Movistar) and Roberto Gesink (Belkin) also confirmed that they had suffered due to the heat, though Martin was reluctant to place too much emphasis on the conditions.

http://m.cyclingnews.com/news/dan-m...-zubia-but-overall-hopes-have-not-cooled#next

 

[Rollthedice]

There are two intermediate sprints plus the finale, this time they won't let Froome get away with it.

 

[Arredondo]

Why is this a weekend stage

If we get a classic echelon stage like Saint-Amand Montrond, you be happy it was a weekend stage

 

[Roude Leiw]

Why is this a weekend stage

Because we hope for echelons.... Which would make great racing. Now if i could have cobbles on top, that would be heaven....

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Very bizarre that in the Vuelta, the race where every single stage but about two have to finish uphill, they stick a sprint stage at the weekend. That's very unlike Unipublic, who in recent years have tended to play it safe with weekend stages after the first week using big mountain stages & other GC stages (e.g. 2009 with Aitana and Xorret del Catí on weekend 2, Sierra Nevada and La Pandera on weekend 3, or 2008 with La Rabassa and Pla de Beret on weekend 2 and Angliru and Fuentes de Invierno on weekend 3).

That said, if the wind DOES play ball, this could be a really good stage. If it doesn't this could be a real letdown.

 

[cineteq]

Because we hope for echelons.... Which would make great racing. Now if i could have cobbles on top, that would be heaven....

RTVE reported no or very little wind for tomorrow.

 

[Jspear]

1st Bouhanni - 2nd Degenkolb.

 

[Fzotrlool]

Wild guess: Tom Boonen.

It's almost impossible, but you have to gamble sometimes.

 

[PirazziAttacksVino]

Guardini to take it Langkawi style

 

[manafana]

the degenkolb thing would worry me for sure, be nice to get a left field winner but if winds arn't that bad then hard not to see a sprint.

 

[yespatterns]

RTVE reported no or very little wind for tomorrow.

Why must you destroy our dreams? OTOH, I get to sleep in now if the kids let me.

Also: Guardini to finally show a smidgen of form? ::fingers-crossed::

 

[VeloHuman]

Why must you destroy our dreams? OTOH, I get to sleep in now if the kids let me.

Also: Guardini to finally show a smidgen of form? ::fingers-crossed::

Stage this flat, have to think we'll finally see Guardini, Debusschere, Ferrari, etc., guys who have been dropped at the slightest hint of climbs so far in this race but who do have the sprinting ability to get in the mix when there's no hills to worry about.

 

[yespatterns]

Stage this flat, have to think we'll finally see Guardini, Debusschere, Ferrari, etc., guys who have been dropped at the slightest hint of climbs so far in this race but who do have the sprinting ability to get in the mix when there's no hills to worry about.

I think the less technical straight finish will see some new faces contending. Well, hopefully.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

Why is this a weekend stage

Yeah, I'm wondering the same thing. What a waste of a stage.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

Wild guess: Tom Boonen.

It's almost impossible, but you have to gamble sometimes.

Last I heard of Tom Boonen, he crashed his ridiculously painted Lamborghini. Is the guy still racing bikes?