2015 Vuelta stage 1: Puerto Banús > Marbella 7.4km TTT

[Son of Amsterhammer]

Absolute shambles. I'm embarrassed for the organizers.

 

[sir fly]

Maybe they could apply some fixed time gaps based on placings, instead of full neutralization.
Would've been interesting to see teams' approach.

 

[BigMac]

This won't be a competitive team time trial. More like a group parade.

Originality ought to be applauded but this is just way too far-fetched.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

A showcase event in the sand which counts for nothing?
What a circus.

 

[Billie]

How will the winner be decided? 5th rider?

Any team that has 5 man with a pair of balls that go all out.

I could see Tinkoff going for it.

 

[Miburo]

Eh pussies, it doesn't look that bad. If you don't like the parcours then don't race the vuelta

 

[SafeBet]

A non competitive ride on the beach shore and maybe a margarita at the finish line.
Pippo must be very angry he wasn't selected.

 

[Taxus4a]

Re:

Eh pussies, it doesn't look that bad. If you don't like the parcours then don't race the vuelta

I agree.

 

[the sceptic]

might as well just cancel the stage then. who cares about a pointless parade?

 

[King Boonen]

Re:

might as well just cancel the stage then. who cares about a pointless parade?

Anyone who watches the Tour De France?

 

[BigMac]

My biggest problem with the parcours isn't the apparent danger in it, but rather the fact that it invalidates any sort of competitive racing whatsoever no matter how you look at it. Even if it hadn't been neutralized you'd have riders going very slowly not to wreck themselves (and rightly so), which as noted here a few posts back is nothing but another desperate attempt by La Vuelta to keep gaps as short as possible. It's down right moronic.

That said, it sure as hell looks dangerous for a TTT, not if it was a lone effort.

 

[Taxus4a]

Dirt road is fine, but what a stupid idea to have it on Stage 1 and as a TTT. What would they do if it's raining? Hitting the wet wooden section at 55km/h is just wrong.

it is the ideal stage for stage 1. short TTT to presents teams and show the city...
Maybe is becouse I just came to ride GP Canal de Castilla https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYSBWVPCBnE, that those dirty road looks like highways for me,

 

[Gigs_98]

I think the route is too dangerous but still I think that neutralizing the stage is nonsense. The organizers should decide if they want to make a TTT with big gaps because the teams take a different amount of risk, or a normal TTT. However, after deciding which kind of TTT they want to make they should stick to this decision. Now that the neutralized it they have neither a spectacular but dangerous TTT nor a normal TTT. We just have parade which is completely pointless and not interesting at all.

 

[barmaher]

Like how much time would you lose over this distance if you took it easy?

Maybe 30 seconds?

 

[Gigs_98]

Re:

Like how much time would you lose over this distance if you took it easy?

Maybe 30 seconds?

30 seconds can decide a gt. Moreover the time gaps in TTT's are normally much smaller, even on longer distances. Just think about the tour this year, where the fifth team (and the last one with a major favorite) also was only 35 seconds behind BMC.

 

[MatParker117]

Re:

might as well just cancel the stage then. who cares about a pointless parade?

Distinct possibility at one point apparently.

 

[DFA123]

Re:

Like how much time would you lose over this distance if you took it easy?

Maybe 30 seconds?

30 seconds if they stopped, got off and walked over the sand. It's only the last 300m that is the issue; and there is only sand/wood for about 100m of that. The rest of the course is on normal roads.

 

[TMP402]

Re: Re:

Like how much time would you lose over this distance if you took it easy?

Maybe 30 seconds?

30 seconds if they stopped, got off and walked over the sand. It's only the last 300m that is the issue; and there is only sand/wood for about 100m of that. The rest of the course is on normal roads.

And yet others say "normal roads" exist for only a few hundred metres. I don't know about anyone else but I'm more interested in tomorrow's stage/procession now than I was before just to see what the course is actually like.

 

[Eyeballs Out]

Will anyone wear the red jersey on sunday ?

 

[Flamin]

Re:

Will anyone wear the red jersey on sunday ?

Yes.

 

[shalgo]

Re: Re:

30 seconds if they stopped, got off and walked over the sand. It's only the last 300m that is the issue; and there is only sand/wood for about 100m of that. The rest of the course is on normal roads.

Look at this video of the course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpqaBOJNejI&feature=youtu.be I don't see any "normal road" at all.

 

[armchairclimber]

As I recall, very little of this route is on normal roads...in fact, even the little bit on Marbella front is not really much like a normal road. Re. the sand being a thin layer on top of concrete....it isn't as far as I remember. It's compacted sand/dirt which cuts up easily.

Neutralizing the stage is daft.

 

[Arredondo]

Anyone with a livestream of the team presentation?

ES as usually are not doing what they promised

 

[Billie]

Re:

Anyone with a livestream of the team presentation?

ES as usually are not doing what they promised

Eurosport broadcast starts in 15 minutes

 

[Arredondo]

Re: Re:

Anyone with a livestream of the team presentation?

ES as usually are not doing what they promised

Eurosport broadcast starts in 15 minutes

Not Dutch ES. Some French football instead. You can only watch it with the ES player, which i don't have.

But i've got a livestream of TDP now.