Should the Vuelta change dates?

[craig1985]

No IMO.

Because I don't think it will strengthen the field, and if anything we would have riders using the race as training for the spring classics (not so much Flanders, Wevelgem, and Roubaix. More so for Amstel, Fleche and Liege) and the Giro. So I think the calendar would be quite crowded and would force teams to choose between classics or GT's. Plus I would imagine it would have an impact on the Tour of the Basque Country (I know most Basque's don't consider themselves Spanish) and see a weaker field. The weather wouldn't be too flash in April wouldn't it (if Pays Basque is anything to go by)?

Besides riding in sunshine >> riding in the rain (for me that is).

 

[ak-zaaf]

basque is prolly the most rainy part of spain and i can image some riders prefer 15c and rain over 40c in the shadows and 99% humidity.


but i agree, vuelta belongs in september now, the entire calendar is pretty ok as it is right now.

 

[ElChingon]

I think moving it to July would be awesome!

Then move the Tour to September. Lets see how that works out for a while, I mean the Tour is da bomb so it would be better suited for later in the year as a finali to the season. No? You know like a championship of sorts instead of in the middle of the season. Heck most riders season end after the Tour and there's still 3 solid months of racing!

 

[BroDeal]

The Vuelta occupies a choice location on the schedule for a non-TdF GT right now. Non-Spanish riders who were targeting the TdF but had something go wrong often try to salvage their season by doing the Vuelta. B contrast the Giro has remained largely an Italian affair.

 

[Wrecktangle]

Lessee, the ASO owns part of the Tour of California and has moved it on top of the Giro...

...Why not move the Vuelta to the same time slot? Then we can really have a hash?

...an even better mess? move all three Grand tours to July...

 

[khardung la]

basque is prolly the most rainy part of spain and i can image some riders prefer 15c and rain over 40c in the shadows and 99% humidity.
but i agree, vuelta belongs in september now, the entire calendar is pretty ok as it is right now.

"Basque" as you said is not the more rainy part of Spain, although it does rain quite a lot. In September maybe you can get 40 C in some shadows of the South/Southeast of Spain, but definitively 99% humidity with that heat is something just happening in some tropical areas. In September in many mountain ranges that Vuelta cross you can have pretty cool temperatures. Spain is quite a diverse country, also biogeographically.

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Because I don't think it will strengthen the field, and if anything we would have riders using the race as training for the spring classics (not so much Flanders, Wevelgem, and Roubaix. More so for Amstel, Fleche and Liege) and the Giro..... So I think the calendar would be quite crowded and would force teams to choose between classics or GT's.

People could run vuelta in April + Tour, while competing in some interesting classics in the middle and the Paris-Nice (for example). Vuelta in April could be a nice preparation for the Tour also (as it was before).

Choosing between clasics and GTs is not intrinsecally a bad thing. Sastre or Menchov are GT guys, they have few to do in a clasic in normal circumstances. There is scope for everyone.

Plus I would imagine it would have an impact on the Tour of the Basque Country (I know most Basque's don't consider themselves Spanish) and see a weaker field.

I wouldn´t make such a statement about how they consider themselves. Aside from the fact that the elected Government in Pais Vasco now is not nationalistic but of the two main spanish political parties (it was nationalistic before), it is easier to hear the people asking for independence than the people confortable with the situation. The first ones are very active in their public demonstrations, even violent as you probably have heard. Regardless of that there are many vasques living in the rest of Spain who had to leave their places of born under the extreme circumstances and the lack of law enforcement from the Spanish and Vasque governments. These things are seldom shown in the international media.

The weather wouldn't be too flash in April wouldn't it (if Pays Basque is anything to go by)? Besides riding in sunshine >> riding in the rain (for me that is).

Vuelta in April has been ridden the majority of the 63 editions, and I guess the weather has not changed much since it started. I have been following it live when it was in April, and of course it may rain or be cold, but April is trully spring time in most of Spain.

 

[Captain Chaos]

...an even better mess? move all three Grand tours to July...

I like the way you think Wrecktangle, Putting all 3 GTs would make a lot of sense for the Tour of Utah and Tour of Missouri. The US races need all the help they can get.

 

[Delicato]

...an even better mess? move all three Grand tours to July...

Awesome. Then somebody like Voeckler or Cunego can be a top favourites for, say, Vuelta-simply because all the big guns will be on Tour

 

[craig1985]

Cunego will still get dropped on the first mountain stage.