2015 Vuelta stage 6: Córdoba > Sierra de Cazorla 200.3km

[manafana]

Re: Re:

Am I the only one thinking this is very similar to yesterday's stage?
Pretty much the same set of skills required.

Same set of skills required in about a thousand Vuelta stages in the past 5 years?

There wasn't a thousand stages in the past 5 years. Just 105.
Yes, Vuelta presents these kind of stages frequently, but 2 in 3 days is notable.
Pretty much the same from energetic point of view and regarding strength management.

people moan no matter what the stage anyway, can't win.

 

[LosBrolin]

Re: Re:

 

[hrotha]

Re:

For all the complainers here..what kind of stage would you prefer? A flat stage to a bunch sprint, one of those not worth watching until the final km stages?

Surely this is EXACTLY what we're getting, except with uphill sprints?

 

[Juan Pelota]

Re: Re:

For all the complainers here..what kind of stage would you prefer? A flat stage to a bunch sprint, one of those not worth watching until the final km stages?

Surely this is EXACTLY what we're getting, except with uphill sprints?

Was stage 2 an uphill sprint? No..And that was a real exciting final climb. Tomorrow should be similar to that, with leg breaking rolling hills all the way to the finish.

 

[Sasquatch]

With tomorrows climb in mind, this goes to the break.

 

[jaylew]

Another boring uphill sprint

No such thing.

 

[Andre.J]

I love the uphill sprints....I wish Gilbert was in this Vuelta...it would make it really interesting.

 

[mikez]

Re: Re:

Am I the only one thinking this is very similar to yesterday's stage?
Pretty much the same set of skills required.

Same set of skills required in about a thousand Vuelta stages in the past 5 years?

There wasn't a thousand stages in the past 5 years. Just 105.
Yes, Vuelta presents these kind of stages frequently, but 2 in 3 days is notable.
Pretty much the same from energetic point of view and regarding strength management.

people moan no matter what the stage anyway, can't win.

There is no preferred stage because each stage is an opportunity to complain. Nothing will ever satisfy the lofty expectations of all the true cycling fans here.

 

[aarononymous]

Wouldn't mind see JJ Lobato in some of these uphill sprints

 

[gregrowlerson]

Re: Re:

Am I the only one thinking this is very similar to yesterday's stage?
Pretty much the same set of skills required.

Same set of skills required in about a thousand Vuelta stages in the past 5 years?

There wasn't a thousand stages in the past 5 years. Just 105.
Yes, Vuelta presents these kind of stages frequently, but 2 in 3 days is notable.
Pretty much the same from energetic point of view and regarding strength management.

people moan no matter what the stage anyway, can't win.

There is no preferred stage because each stage is an opportunity to complain. Nothing will ever satisfy the lofty expectations of all the true cycling fans here.

Very true. You could throw in a HC climb here, and people would complain that the Vuelta is settling the GC too early.

I think this is a pretty good stage for this early in the Vuelta.

And it's over (just) 200kms! I didn't think they did that these days

 

[greenedge]

I'm hoping for Chaves to get the win. If not JROD who I'd like to see get some bonus seconds to have in hand over Froome.

 

[42x16ss]

Re:

I'm hoping for Chaves to get the win. If not JROD who I'd like to see get some bonus seconds to have in hand over Froome.

Chaves will be doing well to contest this one. The big names will be fighting this one out. There will be a group of about 10-12 riders left at the finish, max.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Katusha should really play it more offensively than they have done so far. Let Rodriguez attack with a few km's to go on the steep part - he should be the strongest here. If it all comes back together they'll still have Moreno who's probably even more explosive than Rodriguez and better in a sprint.

 

[Tank Engine]

Re:

For all the complainers here..what kind of stage would you prefer? A flat stage to a bunch sprint, one of those not worth watching until the final km stages?

These stages are much better, and is what makes the Vuelta such an exciting race.

This stage doesn't look bad. I would say that a break stands a slither of a chance (if it were later it the race, it would be an obvious stage for a break). There's not a lot of flat (especially in the second half). It will be difficult to control the race, but probably be more of a war of attrition than a day for attacking.

I'm not a fan of _________________/ stages, but they're better than _______________
Having said that the Vuelta seems to have done a pretty good job so far
The two (hard) uphill finishes they have had so far have been really nice. The first was spectacular and harder than expected. The second was interesting with the main climb coming 4k out, so it gave the early attackers a platform.

The one problem with such stages though is that everything is concentrated at the end.
However, GC riders aren't going to attack from a long way out early in the race, so you could argue that hill top finishes allow them to get into the flow, while keeping things happening in the GC early on.

As for what stages I like the most, the cinqueterre stage in the Giro was glorious. Beautiful scenery, a string of hills, it is difficult to predict what will happen. But you can't have that every day.

 

[Lil_Tommy_V]

Day for the break I think, GC teams will conserve energy for tomorrow where likelihood of time gaps is far more significant

 

[McLovin]

Just wait for LS and she'll tell you how it would have been much better with throwing the Alto de Chupacabra before the final climb preceded by Alto de Sancho Panza or Alto de Ameriqo Vespuci or Alto de UngaBunga or why not Alto de Alto or any other Altos and this Alto used is garbage.

 

[DBotero]

Valverde ftw! as Katusha looks unable to use their dynamic duo strength.Roche might try again,maybe this time he'll get it right.

 

[Broccolidwarf]

Tomorrow the overall classification steps up for real - today is just a prelude.

Can't wait for the 11th stage, which has exactly ZERO kilometres that are not either serious climb or serious downhill

Not to mention the 16th stage, which finishes on a climb that is 30 % in spots.... for some it would be faster to get off the bike and jog there

 

[SafeBet]

Re: Re:

There is no preferred stage because each stage is an opportunity to complain. Nothing will ever satisfy the lofty expectations of all the true cycling fans here.

How many posters complained about the stages in the Giro?

 

[Red Rick]

Just wait for LS and she'll tell you how it would have been much better with throwing the Alto de Chupacabra before the final climb preceded by Alto de Sancho Panza or Alto de Ameriqo Vespuci or Alto de UngaBunga or why not Alto de Alto or any other Altos and this Alto used is garbage.

Lol, only from Alto de UngaBunga onwards I started to suspect they weren't real

 

[Flamin]

Another boring uphill sprint

No such thing.

You don't think we should be lucky if anything happened before the final k?

 

[Taxus4a]

Hard and nice stage today, always up and down, righ and left with finish in a mediterranean forest, natural park of Sierra de Cazorla, a place where the naturalist from Burgos who was so important for all my generation in Spain, Félix Rodriguez de la Fuente, rode a lot of videos, specially with deers and muflons (Ovis musimon)

http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/videos/el-hombre-y-la-tierra/hombre-tierra-fauna-iberica-sierras-cazorla-segura-1/1488920/

 

[Arredondo]

Valverde ftw! as Katusha looks unable to use their dynamic duo strength.Roche might try again,maybe this time he'll get it right.

They never do the past years. Purito would have won already a stage this Vuelta without Moreno, i'm sure about that.

But Bala on a more difficult climb? I don't know, he's not that good atm. Froome is stronger.

 

[Taxus4a]

Yes, today is a perfect day for Valverde. Hot weather, long stage, up and dow, uphill finish (Freire won the same finish in andalucia) and very close to Murcia /the main river of Murcia, Segura, born there).

If Valverde get some seconds here, some seconds there, that he didnt do last year, he become a very important candidate for the victory (he need a good day in Burgos, a everybody who want to win la Vuelta this year)

 

[Flamin]

Crazy start of the stage. 48k in the first hour and all together after 57k.