2016 Vuelta a España, stage 3: Marín > Mirador de Ézaro

[Flamin]

Km 118.0 - Alto Lestaio.8.3 km de subida a 5.3% - categoría 3
Km 155.4 - Alto Das Paxareiras.9.3 km de subida a 5.4% - categoría 2
Km 176.4 - Meta. Dumbría. Mirador de Ézaro.1.8 km de subida a 13.8% - categoría 3

Here we go, the first test for the gc guys, on a typical Vuelta wall. It's still early but this climb will surely not lie about the riders' current shape.

Also used as a HTF in 2012 (though with a totally flat run-in), this climb takes us back to the heydays of Purito's career. Therefore this thread deserves to serve as kind of a tribute to this great little man.

Purito attacked with 1km to go on the steepest sections, with only Contador able to follow. They shared the work until with 150m to, Purito put out one of his amazing trademark burst of explosions, second to none on those extreme gradients. He celebrated his 2nd stage win of that Vuelta, extending his lead in the gc again to 13" after barely holding the leader's jersey by a single second after the ITT the previous day.

Top-10 of that stage:
1 Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Katusha Team 4:24:32
2 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Saxo Bank - Tinkoff Bank 0:00:08
3 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Movistar Team 0:00:13
4 Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:00:20
5 Christopher Froome (GBr) Sky Procycling 0:00:23
6 Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) Katusha Team
7 Igor Anton Hernandez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 0:00:27
8 Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale 0:00:31
9 Przemyslaw Niemiec (Pol) Lampre - ISD 0:00:33
10 Gorka Verdugo Marcotegui (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 0:00:36

You'll be missed, grande.

From jens' blog:

Mirador de Ezaro
2012:1,8 km@13,9%---6:46---average speed 15.96 km/h(Joaquim Rodriguez)

 

[BigMac]

Ken doll to lose red.

Chaves for the stage win.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

These gradients, oouuuuch I can feel my knees just looking at the profile

 

[Gigs_98]

Does anyone have a profile of the penultimate climb? The last section looks incredibly steep.

Anyway, no idea who will win. Maybe Chaves, he won two similar finishes in the Vuelta last year, although that was rather because nobody wanted to chase him.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Top 3 of Chaves, Froome, Valverde, don't know what order though.

 

[MacBAir]

29%... On shape Kwiatkowsky to smoke the field and then disappear for 7 months without results.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

29%... On shape Kwiatkowsky to smoke the field and then disappear for 7 months without results.

29% is way way way too steep for Kwiatkowski.

 

[Pantani Attacks]

It begins for MAL.

 

[Red Rick]

Not sure if long enough for effective yoyo

 

[Laplaz]

Really looking forward to see how Lopez handles this muritos

 

[MacBAir]

Re: Re:

29%... On shape Kwiatkowsky to smoke the field and then disappear for 7 months without results.

29% is way way way too steep for Kwiatkowski.

Not when Froome is 32 and G always disappoints going up. Sky needs a successor and now it's the time for Kwiatkowsky to make a Froome, or a Lance.

Get ready. 4th today on the bunch sprint.

 

[BigMac]

Does anyone have a profile of the penultimate climb? The last section looks incredibly steep.

Anyway, no idea who will win. Maybe Chaves, he won two similar finishes in the Vuelta last year, although that was rather because nobody wanted to chase him.

Hover over profile to see streetview with gradients.

http://www.cronoescalada.com/index.php/puertos/view/8621

 

[pastronef]

Re:

Ken doll to lose red.

Chaves for the stage win.

Ken doll isnt in red, Kwiato is

 

[Cance > TheRest]

Time to claw back some of the lost time for Berto - at least on Froome. I expect Valve to be in red after tomorrow.

 

[jens_attacks]

i hope alberto can stay in froome's wheel.

 

[Ricco']

El Pelotón ‏@ElPeloton 6 hHá 6 horas
#LV2016 Igor Antón: Ézaro es un final que me gusta. Intentaré probarlo y sino, estar en la selección"

Come on Fuji, it's 2010 all over again, VAMOS!

 

[DFA123]

I hope Dani Moreno is given free reign to go for it. Or at least allowed to attack early like he used to at Katusha - think he could take this. Or maybe Simon Yates if the favourites all look at each other a bit and ride too cautiously.

 

[TMP402]

Re:

Not sure if long enough for effective yoyo

Well, if he's in good enough form, he won't yo-yo.

 

[Miburo]

Contador should win this easily. Wont be hard enough to get the roja though

 

[DFA123]

Re:

Contador should win this easily. Wont be hard enough to get the roja though

Is there really the need to go through this before every stage with some kind of a climb. Contador hasn't won any normal stage easily since about 2011.

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

Contador should win this easily. Wont be hard enough to get the roja though

Is there really the need to go through this before every stage with some kind of a climb. Contador hasn't won any normal stage easily since about 2011.

2014 just called. It says hello. That while the 2016 spring is texting me begging for attention

That said. Contador won't win easily tomorrow, though he should top 5 imo.

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

Contador should win this easily. Wont be hard enough to get the roja though

Is there really the need to go through this before every stage with some kind of a climb. Contador hasn't won any normal stage easily since about 2011.

2014 just called. It says hello. That while the 2016 spring is texting me begging for attention

Fair point, if he wheel sucks Froome for 90% of the climb and then sprints away at the end he might win.
Spring 2016? 'Normal stages' exclude TTs

Seriously though, I think he has a good chance of winning and it would be great to see him make a statement early in the race. But these predictions before every single stage where he has the remote possibility of doing well are pretty tiresome.

 

[Põhja Konn]

1. Chaves
2. Valverde
3. Contador

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Re: Re:

Contador should win this easily. Wont be hard enough to get the roja though

Is there really the need to go through this before every stage with some kind of a climb. Contador hasn't won any normal stage easily since about 2011.

He's just trolling, it's pretty easy to spot the sarcasm in the post. Anyway, as jens_attack says, hopefully Contador will be able to follow Froome, but either way the differences won't be big. Valverde should take the stage win.

 

[saganboss]

Re: Re:

Contador should win this easily. Wont be hard enough to get the roja though

Is there really the need to go through this before every stage with some kind of a climb. Contador hasn't won any normal stage easily since about 2011.

2014 just called. It says hello. That while the 2016 spring is texting me begging for attention

Fair point, if he wheel sucks Froome for 90% of the climb and then sprints away at the end he might win.
Spring 2016? 'Normal stages' exclude TTs

Seriously though, I think he has a good chance of winning and it would be great to see him make a statement early in the race. But these predictions before every single stage where he has the remote possibility of doing well are pretty tiresome.

well, in tirreno 2014 he won that hard stage with a very steep climb on the end , where is the wheelsucking there?