Vuelta 2014 route rumours

[Netserk]

More like an epilogue

edit: redundant :O

 

[icefire]

It's a pity that the new bridge in the Bay of Cádiz won't be finished next summer. Riding through it upto 70m above sea level just before stage 2 finish would have been amazing.

 

[Arredondo]

That last tt stage..... why!??

Boring route, the only stages i like are the stage to Valdelinares, and the stage to Monte Castrove. And i'm wondering Le Camperona, but not for the epic GC fight.

 

[jens_attacks]

only now i see the presentation

man those highlights of 2013 are freakin epic. papy horner 4 life!

 

[Descender]

Terrible route as expected. It seems like only the TdF knows how to make decent routes these days...


I'll try to pick out some positives:

- Queen stage is a very good stage. Not too long, but Cordal + the hard, never climbed before eastern side of Cobertoria + San Lorenzo + Farrapona are a very hard combination.

- As icefire mentioned, the last two stages before Ancares (hard side unveiled, I'm ok with that) are good stages. One of them is (OMGOMGOMGOMG) a decent descent finish.

- I was surprised and pleased to find out about this stage:

As it is, it's just a boring breakaway stage. But they missed the chance to include this just 20kms from the finish:

The hilarious 10km final ITT is hilarious and very revealing.

 

[icefire]

The hilarious 10km final ITT is hilarious and very revealing.

Hilarious was Delgado's question to Guillén: Do you have anything against sprinters?

 

[dlcmagazine]

Vuelta 2014: What's your mark? Vote on the poll!

My opinion is that there are some good stages, another ones not that good. Specially, I think the first week is just a deception, with most of the climbs too far from finish line. In all the cases they could have chosen better options.

On the positive side, very good stages the ones who finish in La Zubia, Camperona, Farrapona, Castrove and Morrazo. Ancares is a good stage and really hard, but repetitive, though the last summit is a new Mortirolo.

 

[Descender]

Vuelta 2014: What's your mark? Vote on the poll!

My opinion is that there are some good stages, another ones not that good. Specially, I think the first week is just a deception, with most of the climbs too far from finish line. In all the cases they could have chosen better options.

On the positive side, very good stages the ones who finish in La Zubia, Camperona, Farrapona, Castrove and Morrazo. Ancares is a good stage and really hard, but repetitive, though the last summit is a new Mortirolo.

Disappointment.

 

[Ferminal]

Erm... two HC climbs in the whole race? Ok maybe Covadonga/Cobertoria are borderline.

Longest stage of the race 207km dead flat.

There are a few random stages which may be ok though, a bit like some of the action we got in 2011, and no I don't mean the one or two vintage ASO break days.

Not sure I like this at all... Even as an Amaurypublic special it's ugly.

 

[Descender]

Erm... two HC climbs in the whole race? Ok maybe Covadonga/Cobertoria are borderline.

If Balès is HC, so are San Lorenzo and the eastern side of Cobertoria. San Miguel de Aralar is a hard 1st Cat, as is Farrapona.

Lagos de Covadonga is definitely HC, or else we need to start questioning the categorisation of climbs like Alpe d'Huez.

I've seen worse editions of the Vuelta in terms of lack of hard climbs. The problem is rather the lack of long, winding hard climbs (apart from San Glorio, which is sadly irrelevant). All these climbs are basically the same.

 

[The Hitch]

man those highlights of 2013 are freakin epic. papy horner 4 life!

Where can I see these?

 

[jens_attacks]

full presentation

http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/videos/ciclismo/ciclismo-presentacion-vuelta-espana-2014/2301168/

sastre with a puffy face included

 

[Bavarianrider]

Is that final TT supposed to be funy

 

[Ferminal]

If Balès is HC, so are San Lorenzo and the eastern side of Cobertoria. San Miguel de Aralar is a hard 1st Cat, as is Farrapona.

Lagos de Covadonga is definitely HC, or else we need to start questioning the categorisation of climbs like Alpe d'Huez.

I've seen worse editions of the Vuelta in terms of lack of hard climbs. The problem is rather the lack of long, winding hard climbs (apart from San Glorio, which is sadly irrelevant). All these climbs are basically the same.

Yeh my bad, of course Covadonga is HC.

 

[sensations]

There's about a handful of good stages in there. (Farrapona, the last two coastal Galacia stages and a few other ones that are ok-ish)

But none of that helps when you pace a race like that. Shambolic.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I am especially fond of the weekends. First weekend: TTT, flat stage. Second weekend: flat stage, Valdelinares. But the coup de gras is the penultimate weekend.

Saturday: stage with San Glorio then about 70km flat before a 5km mountaintop finish
Sunday: stage which is mostly flat before Lagos de Covadonga, the last 3 times it was climbed the break took it and it means a maximum of 14km of action
Monday: the queen stage featuring four major climbs including one of the hardest in Spain.

Spectacular.

 

[42x16ss]

That stage 16 looks murderous. You don't need a HC climb on a profile like that

 

[Descender]

http://www.lavuelta.com/14pr/imgrecorrido/16_perfil.png

Honestly, what the hell is wrong with the Vuelta and their categorisation of climbs? I feel like they just go "**** it, we'll just label everything 1st cat".

This:

And this:

With the same category as this:

And this:

 

[icefire]

http://www.lavuelta.com/14pr/imgrecorrido/16_perfil.png

Honestly, what the hell is wrong with the Vuelta and their categorisation of climbs? I feel like they just go "**** it, we'll just label everything 1st cat".

You're right; I wouldn't be surprised to see climb categories updated before the race starts. But I feel like just go **** it, I can't even remember who won the KOM last year, and I don't ******* care

However, I'm still wondering why they didn't go through this instead of La Colladona:

 

[jens_attacks]

You're right; I wouldn't be surprised to see climb categories updated before the race starts. But I feel like just go **** it, I can't even remember who won the KOM last year, and I don't ******* care

However, I'm still wondering why they didn't go through this instead of La Colladona:

because menchov probably made a special request.


same here with the categorie. don't freakin care at all. who won it by the way? horner? the kom?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Nicolas Edet won the GPM.

What's of most concern is that I knew that off the top of my head but had to look up to find out Valverde was 3rd.

 

[icefire]

because menchov probably made a special request.

same here with the categorie. don't freakin care at all. who won it by the way? horner? the kom?

Actually Unipublic got help for the stage design from the guy who writes the blog of Asturian climbs from where Descender (and me as well) take the profiles. That guy told Unipublic about Cuitu Negru two years ago, so maybe it's just a matter of time that get this in the near future:

http://www.39x28altimetrias.com/trobaniello.html

 

[Libertine Seguros]

In that case, can you ask that guy to push a Colledoria-Maravio-San Lorenzo combination, or an MTF at Puerto de la Cubilla?

Cubilla <3

 

[roundabout]

Actually Unipublic got help for the stage design from the guy who writes the blog of Asturian climbs from where Descender (and me as well) take the profiles. That guy told Unipublic about Cuitu Negru two years ago, so maybe it's just a matter of time that get this in the near future:

http://www.39x28altimetrias.com/trobaniello.html

Still won't fit into the 90 minutes of coverage if Farrapona is the finish

 

[hfer07]

http://www.lavuelta.com/14pr/imgrecorrido/16_perfil.png

Honestly, what the hell is wrong with the Vuelta and their categorisation of climbs? I feel like they just go "**** it, we'll just label everything 1st cat".

bear in mind Unipublic is associated with ASO, which in its own world a Horse cat is a 7K climb at 7.5% to begin with. If the climbs where under RCS, they would certainly be a mere 3rd cat at best...