Vuelta 2012, Stage 14: Palas de Rei > Puerto de Ancares (149,2 kms)

[Descender]

Last two climbs (except last 3kms)

 

[SafeBet]

It was about goddam time.
Berto with his first win of the season. A memorable one.

 

[Red Rick]

Finally, this thread
Finally, the big mountains
Long story short, can't really see past AC for the win (barring breaks ofcourse)

 

[Geraint Too Fast]

Moncoutie time!

 

[Red Rick]

Why don't they do the last 3 km of the Ancares

 

[airstream]

Alberto is on the increase. Let's have a look what increase Purito will be able to offer. I wouldn't write off Alex and Froomy for good and all too. They may not win, but they can affect on who will win.

 

[icefire]

Why don't they do the last 3 km of the Ancares

Oh man, that's a discussion that has been running for long in Spanish forums with many possible answers. Most likely is the organiser was scared of opening big gaps in the first real mountain.

 

[barmaher]

Chris Froome or Gesink for the win. It'll suit both.

 

[jens_attacks]

i hope it will be the day of truth
it will be a fast stage,i think the breakaway will take it,hopefully cobo in it,moncoutie also i hope

 

[Descender]

Why don't they do the last 3 km of the Ancares

Unipublic say there's no space at the top (which is bs) so they're finishing at a crossroads 3kms from the top.

 

[barmaher]

i hope it will be the day of truth
it will be a fast stage,i think the breakaway will take it,hopefully cobo in it,moncoutie also i hope

De Gendt should be in the break.

 

[Descender]

Don't be fooled, this is not a big mountains stage. None of the climbs is particularly hard, not even Ancares, which isn't climbed through its hardest side and is capped.

To top it off, it's not even 150km long.

My prediction, and I hope I'm wrong: any significant action will remain within the holy "last 5kms" boundary.

 

[airstream]

i hope it will be the day of truth
it will be a fast stage,i think the breakaway will take it,hopefully cobo in it,moncoutie also i hope

Juanjo can easily take it from the main pack.

Don't be fooled, this is not a big mountains stage.

Out of my scant monitoring of Vuelta parcours, there are not really multi mountain 'picket fence' stages, no?

 

[Miburo]

Alberto is on the increase. Let's have a look what increase Purito will be able to offer. I wouldn't write off Alex and Froomy for good and all too. They may not win, but they can affect on who will win.

I haven't read many smart things of you but this time I agree with you unless Contador is getting on Giro-form. It's an old story i know but when he's on that form it just doesn't matter.

Anyway the first win of AC.

I predict that on the first mountain of first categorie Saxo is going to pull an amazing pass. They're going to make purito exhausted.

Will we see an Etna/Verbier attack from Contador? If so, damn...

AC takes the jersey and that way pressures purito to do something back which is a good thing. Cause then Contador doesn't have to attack anymore and will break him more easily in the next 2 mountain stages.

 

[Miburo]

i hope it will be the day of truth
it will be a fast stage,i think the breakaway will take it,hopefully cobo in it,moncoutie also i hope

No way a break will survive, Contador wants to win so badly. His team will ride. Sky probably aswell, Froome needs to do something back.

I see euskatel riding aswell, Anton is getting better after all.

 

[airstream]

I haven't read many smart things of you but this time I agree with you unless Contador is getting on Giro-form. It's an old story i know but when he's on that form it just doesn't matter.

Anyway the first win of AC.

I predict that on the first mountain of first categorie Saxo is going to pull an amazing pass. They're going to make purito exhausted.

Will we see an Etna/Verbier attack from Contador? If so, damn...

AC takes the jersey and that way pressures purito to do something back which is a good thing. Cause then Contador doesn't have to attack anymore and will break him more easily in the next 2 mountain stages.

Hard to gather 'smart things' from the posts each of which contains the only thing "Contador will win and it doesn't matter" you know. But there won't be Saxo train obviously. Sky will try to put the hammer down even if Froome's goal is quite defensive.

 

[Afrank]

I see Contador going for the jersey here, and Purito trying to stay with him.

Sky will probably try to set something up for Froome. Froome hasn't been looking so great the last couple stages. This stage should tell us whether Froome has the form to challenge for the win any more, or if he is too fatigued to win the vuelta.

 

[icefire]

Don't be fooled, this is not a big mountains stage. None of the climbs is particularly hard, not even Ancares, which isn't climbed through its hardest side and is capped.

To top it off, it's not even 150km long.

My prediction, and I hope I'm wrong: any significant action will remain within the holy "last 5kms" boundary.

You're surprisingly generous. There's a flat/descent section just 4kms before the finish

BTW, do you know if Unipublic has made any comment regarding the road of the hardest side for future visits?

 

[Descender]

You're surprisingly generous. There's a flat/descent section just 4kms before the finish

BTW, do you know if Unipublic has made any comment regarding the road of the hardest side for future visits?

Not that I know, no.

 

[Miburo]

Hard to gather 'smart things' from the posts each of which contains the only thing "Contador will win and it doesn't matter" you know. But there won't be Saxo train obviously. Sky will try to put the hammer down even if Froome's goal is quite defensive.

You got me there lol nice one

But I don't see who can defeat him in this current vuelta when he's in that shape but i'm not sure if he'll reach that in this vuelta.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Yeah.
Time for Dave Moncoutie and Jurgen Van Den Broke to swap ends of the peloton.

 

[Red Rick]

What's the hardest side of the Ancares then? I thought the "Spanish Galibier" side was the hardest

 

[icefire]

TV coverage starts tomorrow 1 hour earlier than usual (15:00 CET). According to the predicted schedule riders should be then just before the Cat 2 climb, with 90 kms to the finish.

 

[icefire]

What's the hardest side of the Ancares then? I thought the "Spanish Galibier" side was the hardest

After the village of Murias, this:

The Spanish Larrau

 

[Lexman]

De Gendt should be in the break.

he was today, will have sore legs tomorrow