2016 Vuelta, stage 6: Monforte de Lemos > Luintra/Ribeira

[Flamin]

Km 93 - Alto de Marcelle / A Estrada – 7,8 km – 4 % (uncategorized)
Km 115.9 - Alto Alenza - 10.9 km - 5.1% - categoría 2 -> click to see profile
Km 145,5 Mirador de Cabezoá - 15,1 km – 3,6 % (uncategorized)
Km 160 Cota de Pombar – 2,2 km – 7,5 % (uncategorized)

Nice medium mountain stage (yeah, I had to squeeze myself too if I was dreaming or not) which has break away written all over it. It kind of reminds me of the stage to Le Lioran in this year's Tour (won by the great GVA), of course not the steepness but the set-up: 3 consecutive climbs (well, maybe 3,5 here) with no flat in between and the hardest one first, then a less hard one, then the easiest/shortest climb. And also the top of the last climb at 3km from the finish.

Official start at 13h36 CEST.

Top-10 GC:
1. ATAPUMA Darwin 32 BMC RACING TEAM 17h 39' 52''
2. VALVERDE Alejandro 1 MOVISTAR TEAM 17h 40' 20'' + 00' 28''
3. FROOME Christopher 21 TEAM SKY 17h 40' 24'' + 00' 32''
4. QUINTANA Nairo 7 MOVISTAR TEAM 17h 40' 30'' + 00' 38''
5. CHAVES Johan Esteban 51 ORICA BIKEEXCHANGE 17h 40' 30'' + 00' 38''
6. SANCHEZ GONZALEZ Samuel 37 BMC RACING TEAM 17h 40' 59'' + 01' 07''
7. FERNANDEZ ANDUJAR Ruben 4 MOVISTAR TEAM 17h 41' 02'' + 01' 10''
8. KONIG Leopold 26 TEAM SKY 17h 41' 04'' + 01' 12''
9. KENNAUGH Peter 24 TEAM SKY 17h 41' 06'' + 01' 14''
10. BRAMBILLA Gianluca 131 ETIXX - QUICK STEP 17h 41' 14'' + 01' 22''

Abandons
Warren Barguil (Giant)- stage 3 DNF
Vicente Reynes (IAM) - stage 4 DNF
Federico Zurlo (Lampre)- stage 4 DNF
Luis Mas (Caja Rural) - stage 5 DNS
Murilo Fischer (FDJ) - stage 5 DNF
Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNL) - stage 5 DNF

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Ben King vs Andrey Zeits vs Zdenek Stybar

 

[Brullnux]

Nice transitional stage, one of the nicest of the Vuelta. I'd prefer it if we'd get a fight off between the best classics riders, but I expect the break to take it. Maybe those riders like Gilbert, Stybar, Trentin, Clarke, Felline, JP Drucker and the like get in the break and we witness another great finish like the Pinerolo one at the Giro. I expect absolute nada from the GC contenders though.

 

[Escarabajo]

Nice stage. Breakaway foe the win.

 

[Lexman]

Re:

Nice transitional stage, one of the nicest of the Vuelta. . I expect absolute nada from the GC contenders though.

Normally not but if one shows signs of fatigue, dropping at the second cat climb the hammer might be put down...

 

[DanielSong39]

Any chance Brambilla tries to get into a break? Would be a ninja move, for sure.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Well designed stage, its good that BMC has the jersey since they likely will try to defend it, so fingers crossed for some high placed GC-riders to get in the break. I wanna see some classics/GC-action in the finale and not some useless break.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Unipublic seem to have borrowed the GPM categorization algorithm of the Giro, with some of the uncategorized climbs in this race.

Stage 2 was the most ridiculous though, with 5km @ 7,8% uncategorized, then the gradual false flat on top of it given cat.3.

 

[filipepc]

Re: 2016 Vuelta, stage 6: Monforte de Lemos > Luintra/Ribeir

That final can make a seconds between de Leaders.
Too much climbs without classifications. Why?

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Can the modern GC riders actually avoid racing this? If the roads are narrow and twisty but still provides zero GC action we really do have a rather sorry lot imo.

Perfect opportunity for Valverde.

 

[Flamin]

Re:

Can the modern GC riders actually avoid racing this? If the roads are narrow and twisty but still provides zero GC action we really do have a rather sorry lot imo.

Perfect opportunity for Valverde.

Have you looked at the gradients? Of course they won't race this.

Regardless, it's the most interesting stage in the first week. Likely a very hard pace in the first hour because everyone wants to be in the break and then the last 50-60k is perfect for good racing in the break.

 

[Gigs_98]

Re: 2016 Vuelta, stage 6: Monforte de Lemos > Luintra/Ribeir

I think Gilbert will take it. Attacks from gc contenders would be great, but I absolutely can't see it happening.

 

[Escarabajo]

Re:

Any chance Brambilla tries to get into a break? Would be a ninja move, for sure.

No way!

Brambilla will have the helicopter camera on his back if tries to break away. Besides all Latin and Spanish commentators will have a field day trying to pronounce his name 1000 times . Not sure about the Anglo-Saxon world.

 

[carton]

Re:

Stage 2 was the most ridiculous though, with 5km @ 7,8% uncategorized, then the gradual false flat on top of it given cat.3.

It's not quite the same thing, but I think listing Saturday stage, with it's Cat 1 MTF, as a flat stage is the most ridiculous classification decision of this year's Vuelta. Maybe whoever was in charge of making that decision was looking at the profile on a mirror.

 

[diego721]

Breakaway for the win, leaders to look to each other, Valverde sprinting in the final kilometer.

 

[jsem94]

Will be fairly uneventful probably. Breakaway for the win, no team is motivated enough to control this type of a stage. Except maybe BMC to keep the jersey. Could actually see Gilbert winning from a reduced bunch if so.

 

[Jungle Cycle]

Fraile ftw...

 

[search]

Re: Re:

Stage 2 was the most ridiculous though, with 5km @ 7,8% uncategorized, then the gradual false flat on top of it given cat.3.

It's not quite the same thing, but I think listing Saturday stage, with it's Cat 1 MTF, as a flat stage is the most ridiculous classification decision of this year's Vuelta. Maybe whoever was in charge of making that decision was looking at the profile on a mirror.

that's not the case though, it's a "GROUP 2" stage, a stage "with some difficulties", which is correct, from my point of view. Especially as those categorizations are only used to measure the time cut anyway - and in that regard, it is a stage with very few difficulties.

 

[carton]

Re: Re:

Stage 2 was the most ridiculous though, with 5km @ 7,8% uncategorized, then the gradual false flat on top of it given cat.3.

It's not quite the same thing, but I think listing Saturday stage, with it's Cat 1 MTF, as a flat stage is the most ridiculous classification decision of this year's Vuelta. Maybe whoever was in charge of making that decision was looking at the profile on a mirror.

that's not the case though, it's a "GROUP 2" stage, a stage "with some difficulties", which is correct, from my point of view. Especially as those categorizations are only used to measure the time cut anyway - and in that regard, it is a stage with very few difficulties.

I was talking about the overall route stage classifications. Interesting that they don't line up with the road book, then.

 

[Robert5091]

Interesting to see who'll make the break - Sky & Tinkov will try to get a man up the road I reckon. Just get those friggin' posts off the route or marked!

 

[Zoophonic]

Re: 2016 Vuelta, stage 6: Monforte de Lemos > Luintra/Ribeir

Can't see Felline in the break if he's in GC contention. Likewise Valverde.

Now Kruiswuijk is out may free one of his team (Battaglin) to do something?

 

[Popchu]

Re: 2016 Vuelta, stage 6: Monforte de Lemos > Luintra/Ribeir

Can't see Felline in the break if he's in GC contention. Likewise Valverde.

Now Kruiswuijk is out may free one of his team (Battaglin) to do something?

Felline? GC contention?

 

[Vroome.exe]

Re: 2016 Vuelta, stage 6: Monforte de Lemos > Luintra/Ribeir

Can't see Felline in the break if he's in GC contention. Likewise Valverde.

Now Kruiswuijk is out may free one of his team (Battaglin) to do something?

Felline? GC contention?

Why not. Maybe Knees can target GC too?

 

[ThePirate81]

1 Gilbert
2 Felline
3 LL Sanchez

 

[Miburo]

I expect a Contador attack