Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana 2021 (April 14-18)

[Devil's Elbow]

The first time this year that a delayed race does actually take place. Also the first Spanish stage race of the year, depending who you ask.

Startlist
Perhaps unsurprisingly, much weaker than we're used to, very little depth with only 15 teams starting the race. Démare and Ewan are there for the sprints, Mas is leading Movistar, and that's about it as far as big names go.

Stage profiles
They don't match up with the stage distances on the official site, which hasn't been updated with the route for Covid reasons, so not entirely sure if this is correct.

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Stage 4 (ITT)

Stage 5

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Climbs

Stage 1
Maigmó

Alcalali

Cuatretondeta (the profile below minus the final 300 meters)

Sa Creueta (final 6k only)

Coll de Rates (final 7k only)

Alto de Llosa de Camacho

Stage 2
Hondón de los Frailes

El Algarrobo (from the junction to Barinas onwards)

Collado de Abril

Stage 3

Rio Juanes

Tabarta

Alto del Embarcadero

Otonel

Alto de la Reina

 

[BlueRoads]

Wow, is there any way Mas is not going to win the GC?

For the Pro-Teams it's great this race is happening, but for me as a viewer this race might just as well have been cancelled.

 

[Koronin]

No reason to even bother with this race.

 

[Lequack]

Anything is better than Tour of Turkey at this point.

 

[RedheadDane]

No reason to even bother with this race.

Why? Because Valverde isn't riding? You know there are other riders, right?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

No reason to even bother with this race.

I know doing little more than standing pat at the trade deadline sucks, but Carter still has some wheels left and there are almost no assets remaining. Don't take it out on the cyclists. Though the race is hardly the best designed out there, the TT is a good length for the difficulty of the climb - it's a pretty easy climb so in order for the riders to counter that before the ITT they're going to have to try to attack, besides with the weaker péloton here, getting some escapes in is more likely to succeed. I'm hoping to see a good showing from one of the young Kern Pharma guys and Abner González.

 

[Koronin]

Why? Because Valverde isn't riding? You know there are other riders, right?

Again this race isn't worth bothering with. Heck my friends in Spain have looked at what is going on with this one and have said it's not worth their time or energy to bother watching it either.

I know doing little more than standing pat at the trade deadline sucks, but Carter still has some wheels left and there are almost no assets remaining. Don't take it out on the cyclists. Though the race is hardly the best designed out there, the TT is a good length for the difficulty of the climb - it's a pretty easy climb so in order for the riders to counter that before the ITT they're going to have to try to attack, besides with the weaker péloton here, getting some escapes in is more likely to succeed. I'm hoping to see a good showing from one of the young Kern Pharma guys and Abner González.

This race isn't worth the time or energy to bother with. No one is going to care enough to bother even trying to control it so breaks should win most if not all stages.

Enric Mas has nothing resembling any form at the moment so there is no good reason for Movistar to do anything other than put someone out in breaks if they can even manage to do that correctly.

 

[RedheadDane]

But why is there no reason to bother with this race?

 

[Koronin]

But why is there no reason to bother with this race?

It's at best a bad field that has no value to pay attention to at all. I wouldn't actually be surprised if someone no one's ever heard of before ends up winning the race from a break on some stage.

 

[RedheadDane]

I wouldn't actually be surprised if someone no one's ever heard of before ends up winning the race from a break on some stage.

And would that be such a bad thing? Races can't all be the big names duking it out.

 

[Koronin]

And would that be such a bad thing? Races can't all be the big names duking it out.

When it's likely someone from some Continental team wins, it's not exactly helpful.

 

[Blanco]

When it's likely someone from some Continental team wins, it's not exactly helpful.

And you still think Valverde should've ride this race?!

 

[Koronin]

And you still think Valverde should've ride this race?!

I think it would be better than Amstel. Also he had promised to race it and the organizers were planning on honoring him during the race.

 

[tobydawq]

This is hilarious. I could understand if you thought there was no reason to bother with that Vietnamese race that LS keeps writing novels about but this race would have been bad if Valverde went because it would be a given who would win it and his wins wouldn't really have been sorth much. Now that he doesn't go, the reasonable conclusion would be that the race is more exciting but no, suddenly this race sucks, he sucks and Amstel sucks. Fleche and Liege too, probably.

 

[Blanco]

I think it would be better than Amstel. Also he had promised to race it and the organizers were planning on honoring him during the race.

So basically, if Valverde shows in this race, this race suddenly becomes worth watching, and with much better field?

 

[Koronin]

So basically, if Valverde shows in this race, this race suddenly becomes worth watching, and with much better field?

Not much more.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

No one is going to care enough to bother even trying to control it so breaks should win most if not all stages.

You say that like it's a bad thing. Plenty of hungry young riders who'll be looking for a chance to earn some bigger starts and try to get some attention and maybe a win or two, and less predictable as a result.

There's people like Juan Diego Alba, Abner González, Mathias Norsgaard, Filippo Conca, Thibault Guernalec, Oier Lazkano, Alejandro Osorio, Laurens Huys, Alan Boileau, Roger Adrià, Savva Novikov, and plenty of other young riders (those are just a few of the more obvious ones 23 or under) to keep an eye on at least.

 

[Koronin]

You say that like it's a bad thing. Plenty of hungry young riders who'll be looking for a chance to earn some bigger starts and try to get some attention and maybe a win or two, and less predictable as a result.

There's people like Juan Diego Alba, Abner González, Mathias Norsgaard, Filippo Conca, Thibault Guernalec, Oier Lazkano, Alejandro Osorio, Laurens Huys, Alan Boileau, Roger Adrià, Savva Novikov, and plenty of other young riders (those are just a few of the more obvious ones 23 or under) to keep an eye on at least.

Ignore the Movistar riders because they are supposed to race for Mas, who has no form that anyone has seen yet.

People in Spain don't want to watch this race with this useless field, why should anyone else care about the race? This includes a few people who actually know a few of the riders who are racing this race saying they have better things to do with their time than watch.

 

[tobydawq]

Oh, God.

 

[Escarabajo]

I thought it was going to be cancelled. I guess they will have it then. Opportunity for the youngsters.

 

[RedheadDane]

When it's likely someone from some Continental team wins, it's not exactly helpful.

And that guy from a Continental team could go on to become a big name. Let me tell you something; back in 2008 a guy from a Continental team won Tour of Denmark, he's done pretty well for himself since then.

 

[RedheadDane]

Sorry about the double post...

People in Spain don't want to watch this race with this useless field, why should anyone else care about the race? This includes a few people who actually know a few of the riders who are racing this race saying they have better things to do with their time than watch.

So... people in Spain don't care about up-and-coming riders?

 

[yaco]

Again this race isn't worth bothering with. Heck my friends in Spain have looked at what is going on with this one and have said it's not worth their time or energy to bother watching it either.




This race isn't worth the time or energy to bother with. No one is going to care enough to bother even trying to control it so breaks should win most if not all stages.

Enric Mas has nothing resembling any form at the moment so there is no good reason for Movistar to do anything other than put someone out in breaks if they can even manage to do that correctly.

Do you think the break will be allowed to go ahead in the two sprint stages with Demare and Ewan present - It's fantastic the race is going ahead because it gives an opportunity to young developing riders.

 

[SafeBet]

I'm not sure Mas is Movistar best option on this route.