2016 Vuelta a España, Info & Discussion

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

If Valverde had seriously targetted the Vuelta this year, this would have been his best chance by far to add another Vuelta win to his palmares.

Yes, unfortunately Valverde loves the Tour like no other.

 

[May0maniac]

Re:

The problem was with the 64 km TTTs the Tour used to have two decades ago.

With smaller teams that would actually be a good idea to weaken the trains that control the race in the mountains, you'd need to choose between having roulers or climbers. If someone has a superdomestique like 2015 Geraint Thomas it wouldn't work, but what can you do when someone has a superdomestique that is able to wreck people on all kinds of terrain?
I agree, it would have been a great route for Valverde, but it's also almost perfect for Chaves, I think that it's probably going to be Chaves vs. Contador for the gc.

 

[roundabout]

probably the only rouleur team that won the Tour TTT in the 2000-2005 era were Credit Agricole.

although some would rightly point out that ONCE of 2000 were rouleurs as well, since they couldn't climb worth a damn in that Tour

 

[LeSensei]

I have to say I am ashamed of "our" race this year. Should be renamed to Vuelta a Galicia. Countless 1-climb-2kms-20% stages, one only real Mountain stage, and its in France. Come on. When Cavendish first said the Vuelta had become stupid I was angry, now I can see he was probably right.

 

[ice&fire]

Re:

I have to say I am ashamed of "our" race this year. Should be renamed to Vuelta a Galicia. Countless 1-climb-2kms-20% stages, one only real Mountain stage, and its in France. Come on. When Cavendish first said the Vuelta had become stupid I was angry, now I can see he was probably right.

The race design may be a disgrace, but at least we'll be spared of sprinters whining about GC teams fighting for position

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

I have to say I am ashamed of "our" race this year. Should be renamed to Vuelta a Galicia. Countless 1-climb-2kms-20% stages, one only real Mountain stage, and its in France. Come on. When Cavendish first said the Vuelta had become stupid I was angry, now I can see he was probably right.

The only reason why Cav said that was probably his possibilities were limited. In that aspect, I have absolutely no problem with it being ridiculous.

But its lame its all in the north west of Spain, then again, I think the stages are decent. An interesting point is also the 3 pure sprinter stages all are in the 3rd week, should be a good incitement to stay for as long as possible. Then again, not many pure sprinter will want to attend this race.

 

[Isaak-Gabriel]

Nairo Quintana lost the 2014 Vuelta due to 2 crashes and 2015 Vuelta due to illness, I think he will target the podium, he's keen to take his revenge in this race.

 

[LeSensei]

Guillen has turned the Vuelta into an abomination. Picture a 30% garaje ramp next to your house, thats esentially Guillen 's view of cycling: 20-min youtube videos rather than stages.

Looking closely at the route I can see 2 decent mountain stages, 4 disgraceful ones and thank God, or Froome, that there is a reasonably flat TT. The TTT is really interesting, 30kms. Vueltas are normally decided by small margings so it can be critical.

 

[Gigs_98]

Re:

Nairo Quintana lost the 2014 Vuelta due to 2 crashes and 2015 Vuelta due to illness, I think he will target the podium, he's keen to take his revenge in this race.

He definitely has a good chance. He theoretically would have won the race last year without the Andorra stage where he completely cracked and lost 3 minutes to Aru. (If I calculated correctly even if you don't consider stage 20 where Aru let him go because he wasn't really a danger Quintana would be exactly 1 second in front of Aru without stage 11 and stage 20)

 

[TMP402]

Re: Re:

An interesting point is also the 3 pure sprinter stages all are in the 3rd week, should be a good incitement to stay for as long as possible. Then again, not many pure sprinter will want to attend this race.

At this point it feels like most Vuelta sprint stages are won by sixth-tier sprinters. Last year Sbaragli, D van Poppel and Stuyven all won.

 

[Descender]

I once ate some fish and ended up getting food poisoning. I started getting dizzy and ended up vomiting the whole night. I ended up severely dehydrated and had to be taken to see a doctor.

It was still better than this Vuelta route.

 

[Taxus4a]

Re:

Nairo Quintana lost the 2014 Vuelta due to 2 crashes and 2015 Vuelta due to illness, I think he will target the podium, he's keen to take his revenge in this race.

There is just one good stage for Quintana, but he has now the age to be at his best in 2 GT in a row.

 

[Gigs_98]

Re: Re:

Nairo Quintana lost the 2014 Vuelta due to 2 crashes and 2015 Vuelta due to illness, I think he will target the podium, he's keen to take his revenge in this race.

There is just one good stage for Quintana, but he has now the age to be at his best in 2 GT in a row.

Last year many people (including me) basically said the same and at the end he lost the gc because of that stage.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

In 1987, the Peace Race featured a time trial that ended with a climb of this. Javier Guillén is probably cursing the lack of Nordic tradition in Spain, because he'd have loved this. Flat stage ending like this, perfect.

I'm not kidding. This actually happened. 2/3 of the péloton had to get off and walk. The East Germans stopped at the base and changed their tyres to fatter, grippier ones. Even better, nobody knew that it was going to happen until the night before. They knew the TT would finish at the Nordic stadium on the edge of town, but when they got there and saw the paved outrun from the jumping table, there was pandemonium.

 

[Gigs_98]

Re:

In 1987, the Peace Race featured a time trial that ended with a climb of this. Javier Guillén is probably cursing the lack of Nordic tradition in Spain, because he'd have loved this. Flat stage ending like this, perfect.

I'm not kidding. This actually happened. 2/3 of the péloton had to get off and walk. The East Germans stopped at the base and changed their tyres to fatter, grippier ones. Even better, nobody knew that it was going to happen until the night before. They knew the TT would finish at the Nordic stadium on the edge of town, but when they got there and saw the paved outrun from the jumping table, there was pandemonium.

Where was that? It's neither Oberstdorf, nor Garmisch, nor Titisee, nor Klingenthal nor Willingen. I don't know any more german ski jumping hills. Anyway I'm sure there has to be a ski jumping hill anywhere in Spain, right?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

That's Harrachov, the ski flying hill in the Czech Republic. There are very few ski jumps in Spain, the biggest one according to www.skisprungschanzen.com is a HS91 at Astún, near the biathlon facilities at Candanchú and the Puerto de Somport.

 

[jsem94]

The max gradient on the landing hills can reach over 30 degrees or over 60-65%. No one can get up that...

 

[LeSensei]

Re:

The max gradient on the landing hills can reach over 30 degrees or over 60-65%. No one can get up that...

60%? Guaranteed show. Perfect for Guillen.

 

[CheckMyPecs]

Gimmicky gimmicky.

 

[Red Rick]

Re:

I once ate some fish and ended up getting food poisoning. I started getting dizzy and ended up vomiting the whole night. I ended up severely dehydrated and had to be taken to see a doctor.

It was still better than this Vuelta route.

Was waiting for this

 

[DFA123]

Re:

I have to say I am ashamed of "our" race this year. Should be renamed to Vuelta a Galicia. Countless 1-climb-2kms-20% stages, one only real Mountain stage, and its in France. Come on. When Cavendish first said the Vuelta had become stupid I was angry, now I can see he was probably right.

Not sure why there are so many complaints about the route not covering enough of Spain. It goes through 9 of the 15 mainland communities as well as France. Last year only went through 11 communities. I don't think anyone is going to miss the lack of stages in La Mancha or Extremadura anyway, and Andalucia/Murcia have hosted about 30 stages in the last five years, so no shame having a break from there either.

 

[CheckMyPecs]

It's basically a Vuelta a Galicia, a Vuelta a Asturias and a Vuelta a la Comunidad Valenciana bolted together with a sprint finish in Madrid.

 

[Gigs_98]

Re:

That's Harrachov, the ski flying hill in the Czech Republic. There are very few ski jumps in Spain, the biggest one according to http://www.skisprungschanzen.com is a HS91 at Astún, near the biathlon facilities at Candanchú and the Puerto de Somport.

Damnit, I even thought this would be Harachov but I thought it's German because you mentioned East Germany.
Anyway, I don't see a problem. Vuelta just starts with 3 days in Austria of which the first day is a 300 meters mountain prologue up the Kulm. Guillén is happy because he has 60% gradients, I am happy because there is a gt start in Austria and everyone else is happy because they can watch a cycling race on a freakin ski flying hill

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

That's Harrachov, the ski flying hill in the Czech Republic. There are very few ski jumps in Spain, the biggest one according to http://www.skisprungschanzen.com is a HS91 at Astún, near the biathlon facilities at Candanchú and the Puerto de Somport.

Damnit, I even thought this would be Harachov but I thought it's German because you mentioned East Germany.
Anyway, I don't see a problem. Vuelta just starts with 3 days in Austria of which the first day is a 300 meters mountain prologue up the Kulm. Guillén is happy because he has 60% gradients, I am happy because there is a gt start in Austria and everyone else is happy because they can watch a cycling race on a freakin ski flying hill

I think they should do a downhill prologue from the top of the jumping ramp. Roglic wouldn't have to do a recon I'm sure

 

[PremierAndrew]

Re: Re:

An interesting point is also the 3 pure sprinter stages all are in the 3rd week, should be a good incitement to stay for as long as possible. Then again, not many pure sprinter will want to attend this race.

At this point it feels like most Vuelta sprint stages are won by sixth-tier sprinters. Last year Sbaragli, D van Poppel and Stuyven all won.

Hopefully Cav will turn up to use the first week as prep for the worlds as well as closing in on Cipo and Merckx's tallies of total GT stage wins