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Vuelta a España 7th Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta, 2. - 5. September 2021.

The CERATIZIT Challenge by La Vuelta 21 will take off from the Province of Ourense on the 2nd of September and will cover the region of Galicia for the first time ever in its history. The race, one of the most important in the women’s WorldTour calendar, continues to make its mark and will be adding a new stage to its route this year, bringing the total competition days to four.

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Stage 1: Estación de Montaña de Manzaneda > A Rua, 118,7 km
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Stage2: Estación de Montaña de Manzaneda > Estación de Montaña de Manzaneda, 7,3 km
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Stage 3: Estación de Montaña de Manzaneda > Pereiro de Aguiar, 107,9 km
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Stage4: As Pontes > Santiago de Compostela,107,4 km
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SD Worx
  1. CANUEL Karol-Ann
  2. SHACKLEY Anna
  3. VAN DER BREGGEN Anna
  4. MOOLMAN Ashleigh
  5. FISHER-BLACK Niamh
  6. VAS Kata Blanka
DS: STAM Danny

Movistar Team
  1. GUTIÉRREZ Sheyla
  2. OYARBIDE Lourdes
  3. THOMAS Leah
  4. VAN VLEUTEN Annemiek
  5. MARTIN Sara
  6. PATIÑO Paula Andrea
DS: SANZ Jorge

Trek-Segafredo Women
  1. LONGO BORGHINI Elisa
  2. VAN DIJK Ellen
  3. CORDON-RAGOT Audrey
  4. DIDERIKSEN Amalie
  5. VAN ANROOIJ Shirin
  6. WILES Tayler
DS: BRONZINI Giorgia

FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine
Futuroscope

  1. CAVALLI Marta
  2. GUILMAN Victorie
  3. BORGLI Stine
  4. MUZIC Évita
  5. LE NET Marie
DS: BARRE Cédric

Liv Racing
  1. BERTIZZOLO Sofia
  2. JACKSON Alison
  3. KOPECKY Lotte
  4. KOREVAAR Jeanne
  5. DEMEY Valerie
  6. ROOIJAKKERS Pauliena
DS: BRENDERS Hugo

Alé BTC Ljubljana
  1. GUDERZO Tatiana
  2. GARCÍA Mavi
  3. PINTAR Urša
  4. BUJAK Eugenia
  5. REUSSER Marlen
DS: LACQUANITI Fortunato

Canyon SRAM Racing
  1. AMIALIUSIK Alena
  2. CROMWELL Tiffany
  3. HARVEY Mikayla
  4. NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna
  5. CHABBEY Elise
  6. LUDWIG Hannah
DS: LAUKE Ronny

Team Jumbo-Visma
Women

  1. MARKUS Riejanne
  2. SOET Aafke
  3. VAN DEN BOS Jip
  4. VAN DER BURG Nancy
  5. HENDERSON Anna
  6. KRAAK Amber
DS: POSTMA Marco

Team BikeExchange
  1. ENSING Janneke
  2. SANTESTEBAN Ane
  3. SPRATT Amanda
  4. ŽIGART Urška
  5. KENNEDY Lucy
DS: GONZALEZ-TABLAS Alejandro

Team DSM
  1. KIRCHMANN Leah
  2. LIPPERT Liane
  3. MACKAIJ Floortje
  4. RIVERA Coryn
  5. LABOUS Juliette
  6. JASTRAB Megan
DS: DUIJN Huub

Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling
101.BRENNAUER Lisa
103.HAMMES Kathrin
104.MAGNALDI Erica
106.ASENCIO Laura
DS: BALDINGER Dirk

Valcar - Travel & Service
111.BALSAMO Elisa
112.MALCOTTI Barbara
113.PIERGIOVANNI Federica
Damiana
114.PIRRONE Elena
115.SANGUINETI Ilaria
116.GUAZZINI Vittoria
DS: ARZENI Davide

Team TIBCO - SVB
121.KESSLER Nina
122.PEÑUELA Diana
123.ERATH Tanja
124.YONAMINE Eri
125.FAULKNER Kristen
126.SMITH Abi
DS: HEDDERMAN Rachel

Massi - Tactic Women
Team

131.HEINE Vita
132.KERN Špela
133.BENITO Mireia
134.MORENO Martina
135.BARIL Olivia
136.COLJÉ Maaike
DS: GONZALEZ PASCUAL Angel

Eneicat - RBH Global
141.ZÚÑIGA Silvia
142.ISASI Ziortza
143.LAIZANE Lija
145.BIRIUKOVA Yuliia
146.MARTINEZ Katia
DS: ITURRIAGA Eneritz

Bepink
151.DRUMMOND Michaela
152.VALSECCHI Silvia
153.ZANARDI Silvia
154.CRESTANELLO Lara
155.VITILLO Matilde
156.SAVI Prisca
DS: ZINI Walter

InstaFund La Prima
161.BERTOLD Isabella
162.BAUR Caroline
163.HENRY Holly
164.JORDÁN Dorka
165.LANGDON Rachel
DS: SZABO Adam

Women Cycling Team
171.CHRISTOFOROU Antri
172.JASINSKA Małgorzata
173.NEUMANOVA Tereza
174.ROLAND Luciana
175.VIGILIA Alessia
176.MAOZ Nofar
DS: CUESTA Iñigo

Team Coop - Hitec
Products
181.GASKJENN Ingvild
182.KRÖGER Mieke
183.RIFFEL Christa
184.LUTRO Amalie
185.NELSON Josie
186.IVERSEN Ane
DS: LIMA Karl

Bizkaia Durango
191.GONZÁLEZ Lucía
192.ALONSO Sandra
193.CARMONA RAMOS Mercedes
194.GILABERT Ariana
195.LARTITEGI Amaia
196.GILL Nadine Michaela
DS: DURAN VEGA Luis Alberto

Team Farto - BTC
201.PUJOL Cristina
202.LOPEZ Enara
203.FERNANDEZ Carla
204.DOMINGUES JESUS Liliana
205.JIMENEZ Pilar
206.MAIA Melissa
DS: DACAL Brais

Sopela Women's Team
211.RODRÍGUEZ Sofia
212.AMONDARAIN Naia
213.SAIZ Natalia
214.STEELS Claire
215.CANTERA Ines
216.BANLLES Maria
DS: PLA GARCIA Francisco

Rio Miera - Cantabria
Deporte

221.MARTIN Isabel
222.ESTEBAN Carolina
223.NUÑO Aida
224.PEREZ Susana
225.ANGUELA YAGUEZ Eva
226.MENDEZ Irene
DS: SAN EMETRIO Cristina

Laboral Kutxa Fundación
Euskadi

231.LARRARTE Eukene
232.ERASO Idoia
233.BARRAINKUA AGIRRE Ainhize
234.BELOKI Irantzu
235.CALVO Tania
236.ESTEVEZ Garazi
DS: LAZKANO Ion

The race will be broadcast, but the schedule overlaps the men's version.
 
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I was in the middle of doing research for my own thread, but now I will just hijack yours, Sir ;)

Stages 1-3 will finish at around 2 PM local time. The final stage will finish a little bit earlier.

TV schedule
Stage 1 (2/9/21): 13:00 – 14:00
Stage 2 (3/9/21): 11:00 – 14:00
Stage 3 (4/9/21): 12:40 – 14:00
Stage 4 (5/9/21): 12:00 – 13:15

After having been held in and around Madrid for the first six editions; initally as a one-day race (2015-17), then with a TTT and a RR (2018), then with an ITT and a RR (2019) and finally with two road stages with an ITT in between in 2020, this year's edition will take place in the Wild West region of Galicia, where the final stages of the men's Vuelta will also be held.

The race has three road stages and a MTT on day 2, which will probably be pretty decisive for the final outcome.
The rest of the course is no picnic though, so some exciting racing could be in store. It will probably also be one of the last times we'll get to see Annemiek van Vleuten and Anna van der Breggen go head to head.

Former winners

Official startlist
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Now having looked at the profile for stage 4 more closely I feel less bad about gambling on Balsamo in the prediction game. I was debating whether she'd make it to the finish with the gang on stage 3 because she can climb pretty well for a sprinter, but these are long climbs.
 
Stage 1 starts with the descent from the Manzaneda ski station down to A Pobra de Trives. Hopefully there won't be any crashes. Then they will begin the first climb of the day; the Alto da Ermida (6.1 km, 4.1%). Not a difficult ascent at all, but it will presumably be where we'll see the first attempts to form a breakaway. The descent is a bit longer, but pretty easy.

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Then the riders will continue heading East and cross the finish line in A Rúa for the first time, then they'll ride through the town of Vilamartín de Valdeorras before they reach O Barco de Valdeorras, where they'll face the longest and only categorised climb of the day; the Alto da Portela (14.5 km, 5.4%).

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Following a short descent comes the next small climb. According to the LFR profile it's just under 2 km long with an approximately 3% avg. gradient. Not long after it they will turn left in the outskirts of Prada onto a narrower road, where the next climb begins.
I haven't found a name for it, but it is about 2.7 km long with some short parts at possibly more than 8%. It also includes a descent, so the avg. gradient isn't noteworthy, but the riders probably have to stay attentive here if they want to have a chance to win.

A stretch of ups and downs follows with a final descent into the town of A Veiga, where the road widens again. Now awaits the final longer climb; the Alto de Covela/Pico de San Bernabé. The Alto de Covela has been used in the Vuelta before, but not from this side. They have instead used the road from Petín, which will act as the final descent on this stage. The climb is approximately the first 10 km of the profile underneath. It doesn't look that hard, but the road seems to offer up some good opportunties for attacking, though some of the tougher sections will be evened out by short descents leading into them.
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When the riders reach the top, it's then mostly descending for the remaining 24 km. It doesn't look awfully difficult.
There seems to be a 40-50% chance of rain in the area, though, which of course might shake things up. The outcome of the stage will obviously also depend on how many and which riders will have made the final selection at this point.

PicodeSanBernab%C3%A9_AltodeCoveloporPet%C3%ADn106.gif
 
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A strong breakaway with Reusser, Chabbey, Rooijakkers, Kennedy and Magnaldi has 1:15 on the peloton close to the top of Alto da Portela. Coryn Rivera or a Trek rider is only 15 seconds behind.
Van der Breggen is pacing the peloton.
 
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A strong breakaway with Reusser, Chabbey, Rooijakkers, Kennedy and Magnaldi has 1:15 on the peloton close to the top of Alto da Portela. Coryn Rivera or a Trek rider is only 15 seconds behind.
Van der Breggen is pacing the peloton.
I literally considered all of those bar Rooijakkers as stage huntresses. And actually, Pauliena is probably my favourite rider of the 5, but she's a total Moncoutié - great climber, hates pélotons, and can be found on the back or hanging off the back of every péloton she meets.
 
I can't really understand why Movistar, SD Worx and Trek allowed Reusser to go in that break. She's tall and she's wearing the Suisse colours, so they definitely knew who it was. She did finish fourth on Norefjell in the Tour of Norway, although they only went full gas on the final few kilometers, but considering how good a TTer she is, it could prove hard to take back more than a minute on her, though we did see in the Giro that huge differences can be made in a MTT.

But now Reusser is tired of doing most of the work, which will help the peloton.
 
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Valcar finally got a WWT bunch sprint leadout right, but Balsamo had to settle for 5th; 1:45 or 48 behind Reusser.

Rivera playing the "I'm a sprinter" card, Rooijakkers and Chabbey playing the "we know you are" card.

With the form she has at the moment, I think she should just have fully commited to it there, unless she knew she didn't have it anyway. Chabbey isn't slow in a sprint, but a rider like Rivera should have anough confidence in her own abilities.


Reusser looks like Vino did after his crashes in the 2007 Tour de France, but we know that didn't slow him down on the ITT, so hopefully it won't bother her too much tomorrow either.


On the MTT they will be riding on the stretch of road between km 18.5 and 26 on the profile below.
CabezadeManzanedaporctral.hidr%C3%A1ulicadePontenovo142.gif
 
Spratt must have enjoyed her wedding - Finishing 8 minutes down on this kind of stage.

You can't really blame her, can you?
Kennedy getting dropped from the breakway wasn't great for BEX either.

Also a bad day for Ceratizit-WNT with Magnaldi who wasn't able to stay out front either, and Brennauer apparently coming back from a cold and losing 13 minutes. And on top of that they also had to start the race with only four riders.
 

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