Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana 2017 (01.02. - 05.02.)

[Max Rockatansky]

Stage 1 Orihuela › Orihuela TTT (38 km)

Stage 2 Alicante › Denia (181 km)

Stage 3 Canals › Riba-Roja de Túria (161 km)

Stage 4 Segorbe › Lucena del Cid (180 km)

Mas de la Costa

Stage 5 Paterna › Valencia (124 km)

Teams

Ag2r (Naesen, Riblon)
Astana (Fuglsang, Scarponi)
BMC (GvA, Roche)
Burgos BH (Belda)
Caja Rural (Pardilla, Arroyo)
Cannondale (Rolland, Vanmarcke)
CCC (Paterski, Hirt)
Cofidis (Bouhanni, Navarro)
Dimension Data (Anton, Kudus)
Direct Energie (Coquard, Sicard)
Euskadi Basque Country - Murias (Bravo)
FDJ (Pinot, Reichenbach)
Gazprom (Foliforov, Lagutin)
Inteja Dominican Cycling Team
Israel Cycling Academy
Movistar (Quintana, Moreno, Amador)
Orica (Yates, Yates, Albasini)
Quick Step (Martin, Gilbert, Stybar)
Roompot (Kreder, Weening)
Spain (National Team)
Team Katusha-Alpecin (Martin, Zakarin)
Team Lotto NL (Kruijswijk, Roglic)
Team Sky (Poels, Kwiatkowski, Kennaugh)
Team UKYO (Prades)
W52 / FC Porto (Veloso)

 

[GambadiLegno]

I like the route. What happens in the TTT will be crucial. Mas de la Costa is very steep but too short to make differences, the guy who wants to win there knows the good move is on the last kilometre, unless someone attacks on Puertomingalvo, it could be definitive as the rest of the stage before the climb is not a hard section and with many kms descending.

 

[Ricco']

I seriously don't know who thought that a 38km TTT was a good idea on a 5-day race. Even more with only a MTF and a very short one. Will kill the race completely in day 1.

 

[May0maniac]

Zakarin could do something, the Katusha team looks good and with Tony Martin and Mathis they shouldn't be underestimated in the TTT.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Pretty ridiculous route, pretty much only one relevant GC-stage outside of the big TTT. Don't get me wrong, I very much like long team time trials, but then you got to balance it out with the rest of the route (even tho thats really hard in just 5 stages). No matter what, it will be fun to watch that stage, Im expecting some pretty huge timegaps early on.

I think Quintana is the favourite, but Zakarin will be a good bet as well.

 

[ice&fire]

Re:

I seriously don't know who thought that a 38km TTT was a good idea on a 5-day race. Even more with only a MTF and a very short one. Will kill the race completely in day 1.

Name: Angel
Surname: Casero
Occupation: Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana Director

 

[Flamin]

Pretty cruel to start with a 38k TTT for whom it's the first race of the year.

 

[Ruudz0r]

Completely agree that the TTT is ridicilous and party kills the race.

I think Lotto NL Jumbo will do well in the TTT, they brought a very strong TTT team.

 

[yaco]

TTT will make a dfference, though being fairly lumpy and most teams have genuine GC contenders could lessen the time differences.

 

[damian13ster]

I like the TTT to be honest. It is something unique, interesting. Also, it will force teams to blow a race apart on those semi-hilly stages.
Or everyone will ride conservatively, race will suck, and will be decided by TTT. Who knows

 

[DFA123]

I like the TTT to be honest. It is something unique, interesting. Also, it will force teams to blow a race apart on those semi-hilly stages.
Or everyone will ride conservatively, race will suck, and will be decided by TTT. Who knows

I don't mind the TTT either; not every race has to follow the same script. It's not like it's a big WT race and most riders will just be there to get some kms in the legs. So at least the long TTT offers something different and unusual. The winner will probably have to put in an excellent team time trial and will also have to be good at muritos; that's an interesting combination and may open the GC up to riders who don't normally get a shot at the GC.

 

[DBotero]

The TTT looks too long and might give the winner of the race already.
Quintana vs SKY vs Orica and maybe Zakarin to battle for the overall.

 

[Jspear]

Wout Poels has a good chance to defend his title imo.

 

[Anderis]

What an unbalanced route.

Should have at least 2 selective stages with such a long TTT. There is a risk that a man who will have the best cumulative time of the 4 remaining stages won't even make top10 overall, something like Boasson Hagen in last year's Eneco. That's rather bad IMO.

 

[pablohidalgo7]

Roglic is my Dark Horse, I believe he will better than Kruijswijk.

 

[BigMac]

W52 should do their thing just for the lols.

 

[Tour_de_Calvados]

Is this on Eurosport? Good cycling territory, nice stages in the Vuelta last year and this...

 

[May0maniac]

Re:

W52 should do their thing just for the lols.

That would be quite a surprise and I wouldn't mind.
Oscar Pujol could surprise people (maybe).

 

[Tonton]

The TTT is way too long. I'd like to see FDJ show up with their A team. After last year's good performances, they could get their guys on top. Because if you win the TTT, you pretty much win the race.

Terrible design.

I'll be looking for Tibopino on the short MTF, if he can start it better than Malhao last year, he'll be a candidate for the stage win.

Terrible design...

Movistar, Quintana ftw.

 

[Max Rockatansky]

You people and your balance talk. Put in four mountain stages and an itt and everybody would be dancing around. Oh this is so good, no sprints, Zomegnan wanks to this, blablabla.

It's a prep race and digging deep for short periods of time, what you normally do in a ttt, seems like a good thing for riders to get in better shape. And it is something different. We don't get to see many ttt at this length and also on hilly courses. And if the overall race is decided after it, still nobody cares, because it's a prep race.

 

[SafeBet]

I kind of like the route. Stage 2 and especially 4 could end up being very entertaining if a team loses too much time in the TTT.

 

[rick james]

I like the look of this race, should be fun.

 

[Hedebooo]

Does anyone have stream for this race?

 

[johnymax]

LottoNL should take the win today.

 

[Maaaaaaaarten]

Not sure if they win but LottoNL actually has plenty of TT power in their squad. Wouldn't be a surprise if they compete for the win. Unpredictable early season shape and the fact that especially for a long TTT like this having practiced TTT together is important as well make the TTT very difficult to predictict, imo.