Vuelta 2014 route rumours

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Diario del León would appear to confirm the Camperona rumours:

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Also it seems certain that Ancares will appear, though from which side is not yet known. The stage will probably start in Ponferrada. Camperona is supposed to be stage 14, which would then suggest either the Worlds circuit or Ancares to be stage 15, making for a tough weekend. This would then make it a very strange final week if Santiago de Compostela DOES host it as has been rumoured, as you'd have a whole week of Galicia and western Asturias to fill. The Camperona stage is likely to start in Torrelavega, which means there will likely be other climbs in the stage (almost definitely San Glorio, hopefully Pandetrave and Panderrueda too), however it's a long way from any real climbs to the base of Camperona, so this'll be a Unipublic Murito special. The most likely route is flat for 60km, San Glorio, then flat for 60km, then Camperona. Hardly a queen stage.

Another APM rumour has the final week as 14-Camperona, then 15 & 16 Covadonga & Gamoniteiro (in whichever order), 17 Ponferrada, 18 & 19 Galician stages, 20 Ancares, 21 Santiago de Compostela, possibly a chrono.

There's also a rumour of La Farrapona/Lagos de Somiedo hosting again if Gamoniteiro doesn't. Hopefully that means we get the true tappone with Cobertoria East, Ventana via Trobaniello (the unpaved side), San Lorenzo and then La Farrapona, but don't be surprised if we get an absolute carbon copy of the 2011 stage.

There's a big gap in the current ideas between stages 5 and 14 though, as it seems the Extremadura rumours could be incorrect. They could still be true if they go Andalucía-Extremadura-Comunidad de Madrid early in the race, because otherwise it'll be a very strange route looping around all the big mountains in the first half of the racegoing Andalucía-Extremadura-CyL-Galicia-Asturias-Cantabria-León with all of that in the first 14 stages, with then some hefty transfers needed to incorporate either the Pyrenean or Valencian rumours in just seven days as well as the Madrid ones (La Granja and Bola, as well as obviously there would be a flat stage in Madrid if that were the case).

On the other hand, the Valencian rumours would then pick up steam as it would then be feasible to do Andalucía then Murcía-Valencia and then head northwards to wind up in Cantabria by stage 14 (this could then place the La Granja stage around stage 11, which could work if they're finishing in Galicia) as they could then have Burgos in stage 12 and a stage into Cantabria in stage 13.

The Pyrenean rumours are becoming harder and harder to incorporate into the route without a pretty heavy transfer after the first week, so jensattacks' hopes for Cerler may go unanswered another year. Then again, it would otherwise lead to a 2012-esque cross country rest day transfer from Comunitat Valenciana to Galicia if those rumours were true and they didn't finish in Santiago.
 
That Camperona stage, Sabero, León, give the possibility, very likely, to put a long climb as San Glorio in the middle of the stage, as well that "the three Colladas" in the first part, including the last one, la Hoz, where Contador attacked.
But from San Glorio to the sort climb (really hard, that is true, similar to Ezaro but longer, 3 kms, and with another 3 kms before the real climb as well climbing) is a long road quite flat and quite wide... with a beautiful mountain landscape close to Riaño, that is true, but the stage will be the last climb anyway... at least would be quite long, almost 190 kms.

In finally the stage is like that, because there are another possibilities, harder and longer, very unlikely, or quite flat for the south.. I hope no.

Good things to be the Vuelta:

Quite long.
Hard overall with San Glorio.
Beautiful lanscape

But it is the same squeme that The Vuelta follows last years... ridiculous % for an "spectacular" fight among the leaders in the final part of the stage, to be on TV and be sure that something happens.

Anyway, if the stage is like this and the weather is bad, that stage could make big differences.
 
Zam_Olyas said:
2F52B73E9B3A523C4E7E39523C4AA8.jpg


from the work of sr.festina from a spanish forum.

Fiestina

Fiesta is party in spanish for those who dont know.

He is great usually in his humour (not always IMO). I have been as well part of his works, but we have a good relasionship anyway. I have humour sense.

The problem is that Giro and Tour are been influenced by the phillosophy of the Vuelta.

But if you talk with people in Spain, ocasional followers, they like this way.
 
If they finish in Santiago, then Faro de Vigo reporting Vilagarcia de Arousa hosting the long TT this year is either incorrect or there are likely to be two decent length TTs in the Vuelta next year, as it's hard to see even Javier Guillén having no TTs between day 1 and the last couple of days.
 
Aug 16, 2013
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Taxus4a said:
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Maybe the hardest Km ever in a race?
Right now is Sormano, I think, but close is 1 Km in Angliru. Anyway would be very similar.

Next year's finish at the wall of Guardiagrele in Tirreno (800 meter at 25%) is perhaps the hardest km around.
 
Libertine Seguros said:
Until then, Aia still has it. Then Guardiagrele takes over until País Vasco decides to have a finish at Iondogorta.

Aia? I asked Purito once if for him was hardest Aia or Montelupone and he didnt hesitate to tell me that Montelupone, and he added, Aia maybe has more % max, but Montelupone is longer.

Till now this is the list, it is in spanish but you can understand the important.

http://plataformarecorridosciclistas.org/2009/12/13/los-km-enteros-mas-duros-en-competicion/

c1007d1b39fb0240b4a18f93e780e60co.jpg


Aia is really hard, but it has a rest.


Anyway with the list Aia has 1 km hardest than Montelupone, so Purito was wrong, but Montelupone has a ultrahard longer part than Aia maybe and is a longer climb.
 
Libertine Seguros said:
Until then, Aia still has it. Then Guardiagrele takes over until País Vasco decides to have a finish at Iondogorta.

Aia? I asked Purito once if for him was hardest Aia or Montelupone and he didnt hesitate to tell me that Montelupone, and he added, Aia maybe has more % max, but Montelupone is longer.

Till now this is the list, it is in spanish but you can understand the important.

http://plataformarecorridosciclistas.org/2009/12/13/los-km-enteros-mas-duros-en-competicion/

c1007d1b39fb0240b4a18f93e780e60co.jpg


Aia is really hard, but it has a rest.
 
Aug 16, 2013
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Taxus4a said:
I dont like this kind of route, and so repetitive with 2011, but Cobertoria, San Lorenzo an Farrapona is a very tought stage, similar to a Dolomite stage of the Giro.

Yeah, but the outcome of that stage was very disappointing.
 
Arredondo said:
Yeah, but the outcome of that stage was very disappointing.

Was? it is the first time this stage is done.

It was done with Ventana, a second climb category, instead Cobertoria, an HC for that side, two years ago, I enyoed that stage in a VIP car of the organization and San Lorenzo by helicopter, and Farrapona in the finish line, so, I dont remember details as if I would be waching the stage on TV as usually, but Taaramae won in an amazing way, and Geox did a good play waiting De La Fuente for Cobo, that that day did an important step to win the Vuelta. There were some attacks in San Lorenzo, I dont remember who now, but from the helicopter everything lookes exploid to pieces there.

Anyway the most amazing for me of that unforgeteable experience,was the high speed in the first flat kms, and the big amount of attacks before the breakaway was done.

But with Cobertoria, the stage is clearly harder.

This picture I took before landing, it is amazing all the things that are able to be put in a place you think it is impossible.

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This was that stage:

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And this could be the stage in 2014:

cangas-farrapona.png


The problem are the false flats betwen the climbs, today with good roads, but are nor too longs, and it is not the same as the stage of Cuitu Negro, with San Lorenzo and Cobertoria as well.

First becouse Cobertoria is harder by this side (east)

Second becouse the flat betwen San Lorenzo and farrapone is write shorter than the flat between Cobertoria and Pajares (Cuitu Negru)

Third becouse the last 3 kms of Cuitu Negro are ridiculous hard. Las Kms of Farrapona are hard, but not extreme, so you dont have to keep all your energy for the,-
 
roundabout said:
There were 50+ people together starting the last climb in 2011.

And Farrapona is a real climb only in the last 5-6 km.

50 is not a lot.

But I say that with Cobertoria is a different stage, and they could put more climbs before.

I see some climb before the last 5-6 kms.

Farrapona1.gif
 
Aug 16, 2013
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Taxus4a said:
50 is not a lot.

But I say that with Cobertoria is a different stage, and they could put more climbs before.

I see some climb before the last 5-6 kms.

Farrapona1.gif

Last year, you had a stage with San Lorenzo, Cobertoria and Pajares/Cuitu Negru. How many people hit the bottom of the last climb? Some 40 guys.

In current cycling, way more climbs doesn't mean more/more attractive racing. Sadly enough:(