2016 Vuelta, stage 4: Betanzos > San Andrés de Teixido

[Flamin]

Km 28.0 - Alto Da Serra Capela.6.5 km de subida a 4.6% - categoría 3
Km 58.3 - Alto Monte Caxado.7.3 km de subida a 4.5% - categoría 3
Km 163.5 - Meta San Andrés de Texeido. Alto Mirador de Veixia. 11.2 km de subida a 4.8% - categoría 2

Oh look, an uphill finish. Not much to expect I guess now that Alberto's shape ain't very good. He was the main hope for action on that 10% km. On the positive side, the finish is a beautiful place, near one of the highest cliffs in Europe.

Anyway, a pretty cool day in the saddle in Galicia, with temperatures around 24°C and with a 3 bft wind blowing from the sea.

Official start at 13h29 CEST.

Top-10 GC:
1. FERNANDEZ ANDUJAR Ruben 4 MOVISTAR TEAM 09h 16' 07''
2. VALVERDE Alejandro 1 MOVISTAR TEAM 09h 16' 14'' + 00' 07''
3. FROOME Christopher 21 TEAM SKY 09h 16' 18'' + 00' 11''
4. CHAVES Johan Esteban 51 ORICA BIKEEXCHANGE 09h 16' 24'' + 00' 17''
5. QUINTANA Nairo 7 MOVISTAR TEAM 09h 16' 24'' + 00' 17''
6. SANCHEZ GONZALEZ Samuel 37 BMC RACING TEAM 09h 16' 53'' + 00' 46''
7. KENNAUGH Peter 24 TEAM SKY 09h 16' 54'' + 00' 47''
8. KONIG Leopold 26 TEAM SKY 09h 16' 58'' + 00' 51''
9. MORENO FERNANDEZ Daniel 6 MOVISTAR TEAM 09h 17' 05'' + 00' 58''
10. BRAMBILLA Gianluca 131 ETIXX - QUICK STEP 09h 17' 08'' + 01' 01''

 

[Brullnux]

This looks almost perfect for Valverde is Movistar can control it. Chaves will be good too.

 

[Red Rick]

2km battle max. Final km's are flat enough for Contador not to lose a minute if he goes kaboom. GC guy's to fight for the win. We're 3 stages in right now, and Valverde hasn't won a stage yet, so I'm guessing he'll win tomorrow.

 

[sir fly]

Should be exciting finish. There's already quite a few riders needing to make up some time, and I believe those who gained time today will want to gain some more.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Yippee, more time loss for Berto

 

[Escarabajo]

Valverde will annihilate everyone on the sprint.

...Not much to expect I guess now that Alberto's shape ain't very good. He was the main hope for action on that 10% km

Not just because Contador is bad every race should be bad. Need to move on from this please. It could be getting old.

 

[Amazinmets87]

Valverde in red?

 

[Mr.White]

Re:

Valverde in red?

Only if he wins the stage. Ruben is going to be up there to the end

 

[Domulec]

Breakaway to win this, they started chasing way too late today, and that was the trend as well in the Giro and Tour. Seems like teams can't be bothered with GC stage wins anymore. Maybe Movistar will want to protect the red jersey though.

 

[Flamin]

Re:

Valverde will annihilate everyone on the sprint.

...Not much to expect I guess now that Alberto's shape ain't very good. He was the main hope for action on that 10% km

Not just because Contador is bad every race should be bad. Need to move on from this please. It could be getting old.

Who do you expect to attack then? Just being realistic here, Alberto would have for sure.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Part of that's that some teams are afraid of others' leaders taking time bonuses, part of that's that in a race with a billion uphill finishes, there's no rush, no incentive to chase hard today, because you've got another chance tomorrow.

This stage would be so much better if instead of the long zig-zag around San Sadurniño, they went straight from A Ponte de Mera up the more tricky side of the climb (that will be climbed by the race caravan), descended for the intermediate sprint in Cedeira then took the cut-through road back to A Ponte de Mera and climbed the same side again before finishing in Cedeira, similar to the El Vivero Bilbao stages or a tougher version of the Cresta del Gallo stages. The climb from that side is 8km at 7,1%, so longer than El Vivero but only slightly less steep, although less inconsistent.

 

[Escarabajo]

This is an open race. And Sky is not so strong so it looks good on paper.

 

[Poursuivant]

Hugh Carthy from the break

 

[yaco]

Doubt we'll see much change in GC - This seems a more temperate climbing day.

 

[PremierAndrew]

Re:

Doubt we'll see much change in GC - This seems a more temperate climbing day.

There will certainly be gaps tomorrow

 

[Breh]

Re:

Breakaway to win this, they started chasing way too late today, and that was the trend as well in the Giro and Tour. Seems like teams can't be bothered with GC stage wins anymore. Maybe Movistar will want to protect the red jersey though.

Giro was pretty ok iirc. Can only name Wellens, Ciccone, Nieve and Trentin from the top of my head

 

[CheckMyPecs]

It might make sense for teams with a second GC man to send him up the road from the bottom of the climb and see if the other teams call their bluff.

 

[search]

Re: Re:

Breakaway to win this, they started chasing way too late today, and that was the trend as well in the Giro and Tour. Seems like teams can't be bothered with GC stage wins anymore. Maybe Movistar will want to protect the red jersey though.

Giro was pretty ok iirc. Can only name Wellens, Ciccone, Nieve and Trentin from the top of my head

Brambilla and Taaramäe are the remaining two

 

[Gigs_98]

Movistar should try something similar to what they did last year with Quintana on the first mtf. Attack early on the last climb and look how the others will react.

 

[rick james]

will be fun seeing how Movistar control the race

 

[classicomano]

Re:

will be fun seeing how Movistar control the race

It will not be fun. It will be another horror show.

 

[Thepirateisgood]

Re:

This is an open race. And Sky is not so strong so it looks good on paper.

There is another team taking up Skys tactics from TdF in Spain here you know (and in my mind as dominant "on paper"). Looking at today, maybe they should have taken out the notes from July instead of going bananas, though.

Break for the win, unless Movistar forgets the rest of the notes too and go crazy to defend red.

HZ, if he's riding.

 

[Sykes]

I'm betting in the breakaway for this stage

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Ben Hermans for sure.

 

[Robert5091]

Movistar won't worry who's up the road - they'll be watching Froome all day long. Break away again to win - Tinkoff or Sky to try to get someone in brekaway to see what happens.