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Vuelta a España 2022 Vuelta route rumors

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Libertine Seguros

Libertine Seguros

Feb 20, 2010
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ice&fire said:
There are trains that go from Granada to Madrid in about 3h30, just 1h more than from Leon, but the station would be closer to the stage finish. The problem might be not having trains with a departure time late in the evening. But evacuation of the finish is much easier in Sierra Nevada and the road trip from stage finish to Madrid for the team cars and buses and the race caravan is about the same distance.

Actually, they did a transfer from Andorra in 2018 that surely was more challenging than a potential transfer from Sierra Nevada and I believe riders travelled by plane from La Seu d'Urgell.

Anyway, 18-Valve. (pithy) was suggesting having Sierra Nevada on Friday and a mid mountain stage on Saturday. That would be much easier.

Finally, there's a detail that I don't know if it was picked up by the audience during the route presentation. The stage on the 6th of September HAD to depart from Sanlucar de Barrameda, and that sets a constraint to the route in the 2nd and 3rd week if they want to visit Extremadura, Andalucia, Murcia and Alicante. History nerds migth be interested in looking for what happened in Sanlucar de Barrameda on the 6th of September 499 years ago.
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Might depend on how practical getting those trains is as you say, and more for the logistics of the race caravan than the riders. Andorra will have been a bigger challenge, no doubt. Presume that would have had to be chartered aircraft as well. I'd actually prefer they do a Granada descent finish, especially if they're climbing through Hazallanas and Las Sabinas, they could descend into Granada on the A-395 and maybe have the uphill finish at the Alhambra, and that would make things much easier - would have to follow on from something like La Pandera or La Ragua or Calar Alto on stage 19 I guess, as you'd need a finish hard enough that Sierra Nevada wouldn't scare the action out of the riders.
 
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MADRAZO

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Devil's Elbow said:
So the Vuelta received dispensation to invite three wildcard teams... and then proceeded to leave out Caja Rural (and Uno-X which is unfortunately less surprising).
https://twitter.com/x/status/1503325068792795140
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Very understabable they pick 3 spanish teams, but Im surpriced they dropped Caja Rural. They definetly have a better team than Burgos , but I am glad Equipo Kern got a ticket instead, Their team is the most interesting of the 4 teams.
 
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ice&fire

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They're still in talks with the authorities of the National Park. But they've talked to them almost every time they've gone there. My expectations are only 2500m high.

In any case, I believe this would be the profile if they go above my expectations..


iramhazallana07.gif
 
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staubsauger

staubsauger

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houtdffan said:
why don't they finish at the very top, at the Pico Veleta?
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There's a parking slot close to the Veleta top. Dunno whether the tarmac has been repaved there as well though. If so, theoretically it would be possible to finish there. Only missing the last kilometer to the top or so? That final meters are gravel and not rideable. But they don't add much anyway, despite the gimmick of being atop fully for cyclo tourists.

The route to the observatory has been freshly paved some years ago.

Both would be great though. The route only really gets tough after Prado Llano and the gate.

I had a feeling they would either go up to Veleta or at least to the observatory. Frankly, they didn't design Sierra Nevada as the 1 big mountain stage to simply finish at Prado Llano.

LLet's hope they finish it off. If not Veleta top than at least the observatory.
 
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Red Rick

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staubsauger said:
There's a parking slot close to the Veleta top. Dunno whether the tarmac has been repaved there as well though. If so, theoretically it would be possible to finish there. Only missing the last kilometer to the top or so?

The route to the observatory has been freshly paved some years ago.

Both would be great though. The route only really gets tough after Prado Llano and the gate.

I had a feeling they would either go up to Veleta or at least to the observatory. Frankly, they didn't design Sierra Nevada as the 1 big mountain stage to simply finish at Prado Llano.

LLet's hope they finish it off. If not Veleta top than at least the observatory.
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I think the peak is part of a national park or something, like @ice&fire said, which is why they haven't finished there before.

It would really seem in tandem with the sort of novelties the Vuelta likes to seek.
 
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staubsauger

staubsauger

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Red Rick said:
I think the peak is part of a national park or something, like @ice&fire said, which is why they haven't finished there before.

It would really seem in tandem with the sort of novelties the Vuelta likes to seek.
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Bike tourists are allowed to go up there. Plus there's a ski piste.

So a bit weird the Vuelta a Espana isn't allowed, because of some vehicles.

Let's see whether they can sort things out.
 
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ice&fire

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Red Rick said:
I think the peak is part of a national park or something, like @ice&fire said, which is why they haven't finished there before.

It would really seem in tandem with the sort of novelties the Vuelta likes to seek.
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The road is closed to motor traffic from Hoya de la Mora (~2500m), which is the highest point the race has ever gone. Only service vehicles are allowed from that point.

The area is divided into two zones (Natural Park and National Park) with different protection levels. The ski slopes, the telescope and the road are in the Natural Park (lowest protection) and everything else in the National Park.

For comparison, the full climb to Lagos de Covadonga is inside a National Park. Access to private motor vehicles was closed a few years ago but that had more to do with traffic jams than protecting the environment.
 
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Sciatic

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staubsauger said:
Bike tourists are allowed to go up there. Plus there's a ski piste.

So a bit weird the Vuelta a Espana isn't allowed, because of some vehicles.

Let's see whether they can sort things out.
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That’s the case in almost all U.S. national parks: even where recreational riders (or runners) regularly go, they strongly discourage competitive events. And when they do allow them it’s via negotiation re: what is permitted and what is not.
 
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staubsauger

staubsauger

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Sciatic said:
That’s the case in almost all U.S. national parks: even where recreational riders (or runners) regularly go, they strongly discourage competitive events. And when they do allow them it’s via negotiation re: what is permitted and what is not.
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Is that part of the reason why there were very few proper mountain stages in the Rocky Mountains & Sierra Nevada? Or are mountain passes in the US simply very long and regular cols with 4-6%?
 
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Mayomaniac

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staubsauger said:
Is that part of the reason why there were very few proper mountain stages in the Rocky Mountains & Sierra Nevada? Or are mountain passes in the US simply very long and regular cols with 4-6%?
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Nah, Pikes Peak in Colorado for example is a monster of a climb.
2421.gif

The thing is that they actually have a hillclimb with cars on it, but they somehow never used it in a pro race...
Other than that Utah has probably the steepest longer climbs in the Rocky Mountains.
 
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