Vuelta a España La Vuelta Femenina 2023 (1st-7th May)

[RedheadDane]

Advertised start time: 2:20pm. First images of the race: 2:45pm. You know its exciting & kicking off, so why not show us instead of the waffle? & if you can't show anything until 2.45pm, at least tell us what is happening instead of pretending you don't know!

Again, your local broadcaster might have set the start time to 2:20, but the host broadcaster might only provide images from 2:45.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

So, we still have to wait a little?
My main argument was that you couldn't say Van Vleuten did it last year.

Nor Wiebes, who also completed the trouble in 2022.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

So, we still have to wait a little?
My main argument was that you couldn't say Van Vleuten did it last year.

Key operator being 'if'. If we consider a GT to be defined as a race of three weeks, then no woman has won a GT stage yet. If we consider a GT to be any of Giro, Tour or Vuelta, then it doesn't matter whether the Vuelta is five or seven days long, a stage win is a GT stage win in both cases. So the only reason to consider Vos to have won a GT stage today but not Van Vleuten last year, would be to think of a stage race called the Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta as not being a Vuelta. And I wouldn't say that that was the prevailing opinion last year.

And as for what we consider to be a GT, and therefore who (if anyone) we consider to be the first woman to complete the hattrick of GT stages, I don't think there's a clear answer to that, and I also don't think there's going to be consensus on that. I suspect that, if we reach a point where the women's GTs are three weeks in length, we will think of records in this era like we think of records in tennis prior to the open era, in that they count in some ways but not in others. But at the same time, I don't see how the value of a stage win is lower when the GT is shorter - if anything, it makes it harder to get one. So I would argue that the first GT stage triples in women's cycling were completed last year, and not by Vos today.

 

[RedheadDane]

Key operator being 'if'. If we consider a GT to be defined as a race of three weeks, then no woman has won a GT stage yet. If we consider a GT to be any of Giro, Tour or Vuelta, then it doesn't matter whether the Vuelta is five or seven days long, a stage win is a GT stage win in both cases.

Maybe if they all three grew to 10 stages?
I suspect it's too far into the future for any three-weeks stage races for the women...

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I suspect it's too far into the future for any three-weeks stage races for the women...

And I'm not sure how many people apart from Kathryn Bertine actually wants that.

 

[RedheadDane]

And I'm not sure how many people apart from Kathryn Bertine actually wants that.

Maybe in time, when it's practically possible. But, probably not in the first couple of years.

 

[Red Rick]

Might be the fastest average speed I've ever seen on a womens race.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Well, for most of the last few years it's been the "Ceratizit Challenge" rather than the Vuelta, so I think we should not count it until it actually started claiming to be a Vuelta, same as we shouldn't count the weird edition of La Course with the pursuit race as a Tour de France.

 

[yaco]

At the end of the day, a women's GT will never go past 12 to 14 days for the TDF, 10 to 12 days for the Giro and 7 to 9 days for the Vuelta.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

At the end of the day, a women's GT will never go past 12 to 14 days for the TDF, 10 to 12 days for the Giro and 7 to 9 days for the Vuelta.

I would be happy enough with Volta a Portugal format of 11 stages across 12 days as a reasonable mid-term goal. If long term they could get to 15 stages (2 weeks with a rest day) like the Vuelta a Colombia used to be that would be great.

 

[BR2]

At the end of the day, a women's GT will never go past 12 to 14 days for the TDF, 10 to 12 days for the Giro and 7 to 9 days for the Vuelta.

What do you mean by never? I hope to see that in the next ten years.

 

[RedheadDane]

At the end of the day, a women's GT will never go past 12 to 14 days for the TDF, 10 to 12 days for the Giro and 7 to 9 days for the Vuelta.

Why not at least the same number of days for all three?

 

[awavey]

Advertised start time: 2:20pm. First images of the race: 2:45pm. You know its exciting & kicking off, so why not show us instead of the waffle? & if you can't show anything until 2.45pm, at least tell us what is happening instead of pretending you don't know!

I just tune in 30mins later on that basis now (not today because I was busy so will watch the highlights instead), did they carry on with their mid race Giro promos too ? just in case you miss the perma logo, endless adverts and promo shows for it.

 

[awavey]

So I would argue that the first GT stage triples in women's cycling were completed last year, and not by Vos today.

first for Vos though you can only race in the races they put on for you, Im not going to stress about calling them GTs, we know what they are, and know only a select few of the pro womens peloton will ever feature in such a stat, which helps promote the interest in it.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

What we saw today, it is worth noting, was basically old school 70s-80s Vuelta action. Back in those days the race was established but clearly not at the same level as the Tour and Giro, and also cycling was in the midst of professionalising but there was a pretty sizable gap between the strongest and weakest riders. And the Vuelta used to be in April and into early May. And stages that went through the Albacete area were notorious for being trials by wind with often unexpected teams making the hard yards, and that's what we saw very much today.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Barbieri is doing a Cipo and will return home before the longer climbs appear.

Since today's stage became as tough as it did (for some at least), things could get interesting tomorrow. The climbs are not the hardest in the world, but they might still be a challenge for riders with tired legs. With an uphill finish coming up on Friday, it could also be a stage where a break might succeed.

She sadly doesn't seem to have the form at all, but this could otherwise have been a perfect day for Kiesenhofer. The same goes for Faulkner, but they probably won't give her too big of a gap.

 

[Izzyeviel]

So, will stage 4 see the Kisenhofer breakaway or will she be saving her legs for the final stage? She has won on Ventoux of all places after all...

 

[Mayomaniac]

So, will stage 4 see the Kisenhofer breakaway or will she be saving her legs for the final stage? She has won on Ventoux of all places after all...

She was involved in the big crash on stage 2, shortly after the start.

 

[ice&fire]

Weather forecast has wind at different points of the route from the W / WSW in the 15-20 km/h range and the race course goes to the NW / WNW direction.
I'm not sure if that wind speed will be enough for some action before or combined with the hills but the forecast for yesterday I saw two days ago had wind speeds below 10 km/h. I know, wind forecasts are cr6p.

 

[yaco]

You can split it with 15kms wind and definitely with 20kms wind. It depends on what part of the stage the winds occur - If it comes early in the stage then it will probably come back together, however, if it's in the last 50kms then all gloves are off.

 

[EddyMazzoleni]

I doubt that the race will take place if the wind blows at 15-20 km/s , it seems very dangerous.

 

[ice&fire]

You can split it with 15kms wind and definitely with 20kms wind. It depends on what part of the stage the winds occur - If it comes early in the stage then it will probably come back together, however, if it's in the last 50kms then all gloves are off.

They are traveling on a plateau carved by a few rivers, Wind is expected everywhere, with speed picking up a bit until 17:00 local time (CEST)
First split yesterday was with more than 90km to go. I guess it will depend on whether they have the legs and the will to party two days in a row.

 

[Izzyeviel]

I doubt that the race will take place if the wind blows at 15-20 km/s , it seems very dangerous.

Don't worry, these are women not white males. They're used to riding in shitty & dangerous conditions.

 

[RedheadDane]

So, will stage 4 see the Kisenhofer breakaway or will she be saving her legs for the final stage? She has won on Ventoux of all places after all...

Well, there you have it:

Situation​

• 1
  
  

  1		125	KIESENHOFER Anna	12:46
  2		145	VARENYK Maryna	14:24
  3		153	MAGALHÃES Ana Vitória	14:59
  4		186	ORTEGA Patricia	11:30

• 2
  +1:23
  

  1

  173

  JENČUŠOVÁ Nora

  6:36

• P
  
  +2:46

 

[Izzyeviel]

*smug face*