Vuelta 2015 rumours

[pink_jersey]

You mean Vallnord Sector Pal I assume, the Andorran climb like we normally see in the Vuelta? Coll de Pal is a different (and 100000x better) climb in Catalunya.

s**t!You're right...Vallnord Pal isn't that climb where Anton won back in 2010 after he was dropped on the flat by Katusha?That was also a pretty good stage.
Maybe,we'll see Coll de Pal if the Vuelta visits Catalunya.

 

[Dr. Juice]

Col de Pal is long and tough. A real TdF type of climb:

http://www.climbbybike.com/profile.asp?Climbprofile=Coll-de-Pal&MountainID=4294

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Coll de Pal was one of my 21 ESP climbs the Vuelta should be using (especially as it can be connected quite nicely to Coll de Pradell, which has either a two-stepped route where the second half is brutal, or the epic Fumanya-Pradell route, which is like Peyragudes but way better - 11km at 8%, then a short steep descent, then 3km at over 10% including some hormigón. Imagine Puerto de San Lorenzo, if less than 3km after the summit the riders had to do the last bit of Bola del Mundo, or the Côte de la Croix-Neuve).

Andorra Pal (Vallnord Sector Pal) is indeed the stage that was won by Igor Antón back in 2010 (what might have been *sob*) - it was a one-climb stage that was way better than it had any right to be, owing to Mosquera just trying to murder everybody on the front and grind them off his wheel and some people off form dropping time and the issue some riders had had on the false flat before the slopes.

 

[icefire]

Andorra will host the race for 3 nights:

First stage finish on Monday 31st of August, rest day on Tuesday and big mountain stage on Wednesday.

https://twitter.com/sergi_lopezegea/status/532885531055894528

If the race starts on the 22nd of August, this is mid of 2nd week. So I guess they'll go from there to the west (Aragon, Basque Country, Asturias)

 

[Red Rick]

I want

- Mountain stages in Andalucia
- Mountain stage in Pais Vasco
- Mountain stages in the Pyrenees
- No Covadonga, Angliru or Cuitu Negru in Asturias, preferably a new MTF
- Mountain stage in near Madrid, (no Bola del Mundo)
- 2 decent lenght tt's
- Descent finish (more than one being too greedy)
- max 8 uphill finishes


They'll probably do a maximum of 3 of those

These are probably out the window, but I do think could be looking good

 

[icefire]

These are probably out the window, but I do think could be looking good

I wouldn't rule out the mountain stage near Madrid with a MTF not seen before.

I'm just wondering what he race will look like if Andorra's big montain stage is on Wednesday in the second week following another finish in Andorra and a rest day. I can't see big mountains the weekends before and after unless they do long transfers.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

But what would that MTF never seen before near Madrid be? El Alto Rey? Bola is clearly the hardest climb overlooking Madrid unless some major repaving works are going to be going on. And if they are repaving things around there, can't they repave Abantos?

Jarosa is always the one that gets brought up, but in all honesty I don't know if it's really worth all the fuss.

 

[icefire]

Libertine, google for Navapelegrin

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Libertine, google for Navapelegrin

Don't see a feasible finish there. Way less space even than Cruz de Cespedosa and surrounded by forestry. Of course as it's in Segovia rather than Comunidad de Madrid it didn't spring to mind. I know where ludicrous slopes are involved Unipublic can MacGuyver a way, but I really don't understand how this one is going to be feasible. May as well start designing some fantasy stages with an MTF at Llano de las Ovejas or Coll de Pradell, if they're able to work out a finish at Navapelegrín, it's official, no MTF is off limits.

 

[Red Rick]

Don't see a feasible finish there. Way less space even than Cruz de Cespedosa and surrounded by forestry. Of course as it's in Segovia rather than Comunidad de Madrid it didn't spring to mind. I know where ludicrous slopes are involved Unipublic can MacGuyver a way, but I really don't understand how this one is going to be feasible. May as well start designing some fantasy stages with an MTF at Llano de las Ovejas or Coll de Pradell, if they're able to work out a finish at Navapelegrín, it's official, no MTF is off limits.

Wow looked it up, that Cruz de Cespedosa is one great climb

 

[icefire]

Don't see a feasible finish there. Way less space even than Cruz de Cespedosa and surrounded by forestry. Of course as it's in Segovia rather than Comunidad de Madrid it didn't spring to mind. I know where ludicrous slopes are involved Unipublic can MacGuyver a way, but I really don't understand how this one is going to be feasible. May as well start designing some fantasy stages with an MTF at Llano de las Ovejas or Coll de Pradell, if they're able to work out a finish at Navapelegrín, it's official, no MTF is off limits.

Alternatively, they might turn left instead of right after descending Navacerrada and finish at Fuente de la Reina, where there is a clearing. The problem in Navapelegrín is the dense forestry, but the mountain track that follows after the paved road can be used to set up some infrastructure.

On another tweet, there's a rumour of a stage in Extremadura. No clue of where and when.

https://twitter.com/Rodrigomoran100/status/533304177041346560

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Fuente de la Reina is short and steep, I put that in a stage in my most recent RDT Vuelta. Still think it would be better to do it then descent into La Granja though.

Extremadura... any suspicion of Camino de las Acebadillas? Presumably as far as Collado de los Ballesteros then descending into Guadalupe.

More realistically, Santuário de Nuestra Señora del Puerto in Plasencia would work as a finish after an intermediate mountain stage heading south (it would seem unlikely that they do Andalucía then head north through Extremadura and still get all the way to Andorra within the one week. Cáceres would offer a puncheur finish too. What I'd really love is a rolling flat stage with a finish on the cobbles in Badajóz, especially in Plaza Alta with its incredible Islamic architecture.

 

[icefire]

According to Biciclismo, there's a deal almost closed for having a stage departure from Vitoria on Saturday 5th of September.

http://www.biciciclismo.com/es/la-vuelta-ultima-una-salida-en-vitoria-gasteiz-18-11-2014

This means that the race will start the second week in Catalunya and will travel to Asturias.

A stage departing from Vitoria won't go beyond Cantabria, but there's plenty of hills there to put a finish line.

 

[icefire]

The stage that departs from Vitoria may finish at Alto Campoo

http://ciclismo.as.com/ciclismo/2014/11/18/vuelta_espana/1416335282_534124.html

The ski station of Alto Campoo already hosted Vuelta stage finishes three times. If Unipublic keeps his word to have uphill finishes not seen before they might set the finish line in the higher slopes of the ski domain.

The shortest path from start to finish would be around 200kms long with no serious climbing before. That ticks all the boxes in Unipublic stage design guidelines.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Damn, and there was me hoping for a stage with La Estranguada, Collao Espina and the Bustablado side of Alisas directly off the back of one another. Which would also fit the Unipublic criteria by having short-to-mid length climbs with stupidly steep ramps.

Here's how they look back to back:

 

[Red Rick]

The stage that departs from Vitoria may finish at Alto Campoo

http://ciclismo.as.com/ciclismo/2014/11/18/vuelta_espana/1416335282_534124.html

The ski station of Alto Campoo already hosted Vuelta stage finishes three times. If Unipublic keeps his word to have uphill finishes not seen before they might set the finish line in the higher slopes of the ski domain.

The shortest path from start to finish would be around 200kms long with no serious climbing before. That ticks all the boxes in Unipublic stage design guidelines.

Don't like that the steepest parts are so close to the top. But still 200km long stage (in the Vuelta, whaaat?), and a long climb instead of such a dumb short thing is better than another 1-5km wall climb

 

[icefire]

Murcia will host a stage finish.

https://twitter.com/DeportesCopeMur/status/534806404822216704

I presume they'll climb the usual Cresta del Gallo to add some spice to the finish.


And Burgos is bidding to host a stage after the second rest day

http://www.diariodeburgos.es/notici...68AA160959BC29/20141119/apuesta/vuelta/españa

 

[icefire]

AS gives today a general description of the parcourse without any significant news with respect to what we already know with the exception of an uphill finish in Alicante.

If they stay in Malaga for 3/4 days, I can only see them getting to Andorra before the first rest day with a few long transfers or going there directly after a stage finish in the region of Valencia the evening before the rest day. That would mean there isn't any stage in Catalunya.

Still no clue on the two Asturian stages or the final mountain stage in the surroundings of Madrid.

http://ciclismo.as.com/ciclismo/2014/11/27/vuelta_espana/1417053599_929541.html

 

[icefire]

Murcia is confirmed to host a stage finish on the 29th of August. The race will go through the Cresta del Gallo climb as in 2009 and 2010.

http://www.laopiniondemurcia.es/deportes/2014/11/27/vuelta-espana-2015-tendra-final/607281.html


Can't see a stage finish in Andorra before the rest day as stated in twitter by Sergi Lopez Egea:

http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showpost.php?p=1605349&postcount=104

 

[Red Rick]

What kind of uphill finish in Alicante? short length climb intermediate climb, wall or just a little drag to the finish?

 

[icefire]

What kind of uphill finish in Alicante? short length climb intermediate climb, wall or just a little drag to the finish?

It's the first time I see Alicante mentioned as part of the route, and there isn't any reference in local news media nor any rumour in the Spanish forums about it. There are a few climbs in the style of Xorret de Catí in the region but road condition isn't very good AFAIK.

So far, most rumours/fantasies are focused on the Asturian stages. A member of the APM forums posted a rumour from undisclosed sources a few days/weeks ago about Trobaniello. Today's article in AS mentioned the possibility of unpaved roads, so everybody is going nuts about it. I'd take it with a bit of caution, though. It might just be the AS writer is reading the rumours in the APM forums

 

[Libertine Seguros]

5 years since the last time on Aitana (2009) - that would make a perfectly good week 1 mountaintop in the vein of Montevergine di Mercogliano, something the Vuelta has been missing in recent years. Miserat-Pico Xilibre would be the most Unipublic option.

As for the talk about Trobaniello, this had been as allegedly Guillén had been spotted in the area but I know no more.

 

[icefire]

5 years since the last time on Aitana (2009) - that would make a perfectly good week 1 mountaintop in the vein of Montevergine di Mercogliano, something the Vuelta has been missing in recent years. Miserat-Pico Xilibre would be the most Unipublic option.

As for the talk about Trobaniello, this had been as allegedly Guillén had been spotted in the area but I know no more.

If Guillén's keeps his word to have all new uphill finishes Aitana is not an option, but Miserat and Guixop are. Guixop is actually longer than Xorret de Catí (5.4km @ 10.4%) and very close to it. So we might be back to our old staple diet of Tudons, Torremanzanas and Carrasqueta to finish at Guixop instead of Xorret de Catí.

Regarding Trobaniello, I think I read that Guillén did the climb some time ago with the guy that discovered Cuitu Negru. According to the guy's words Guillén did like it but wasn't convinced about including an unpaved climb in the race. I don't know where the current rumour comes from but it looks it's from people in the region connected with someone involved in negotiations with Unipublic.

 

[icefire]

Today's news:

Castellón will host a stage finish departing from Valencia. This will probably be just before the first rest day and the transfer to Andorra. Will they climb Desierto de las Palmas and have a descent finish?
http://www.elperiodicomediterraneo....ma-vuelta-espana-pasara-castellon_907171.html

Burgos will host the ITT in the 3rd week. They talk about 35-40kms. This is supposed to be a flat ITT, but I wonder if they'll resist the temptation to ride up the castle.
The link also mentions a mountain stage in Madrid (with no details) and a stage the day before in Avila.
http://www.diariodeburgos.es/notici...rgos/acogera/crono/vuelta/españa/9/septiembre

Other rumors not yet in the news media:
* There's a probable stage finish in Cordoba
* If Trobaniello is done, it won't be stage finish
* Asturian authorities wanted a stage finish in Pola de Somiedo (downhill after San Lorenzo) but Guillen wasn't convinced and suggested a MTF on San Lorenzo In any case, the stage looks like it could include Cobertoria+Trobaniello+San Lorenzo+ whatever they throw at the start, which to me looks harder and better connected combo than the Cobertoria+San Lorenzo+Farrapona we saw this year.

From one of the AS editors' twitter:
https://twitter.com/JAEzquerro/status/538053516271812610

* Unpaved roads may be in the mountains or in the flat. And then everyone goes nuts thinking at this
* People start throwing baits about summit finishes at Gamoniteiro and Casielles and he does neither confirm nor deny but he says those options are under Unipublic's consideration.

EDIT: the twitter chat goes on and JAEzquerro hints that including the climb to the castle in the ITT isn't a far fetched guess. No flat ITT, then. It'd be more like the 2013 Giro ITT that Dowsett won but shorter.

 

[Red Rick]

Once again, all of these are rumours I like. Only thing is that maybe there should be a mid lenght tt in the first week also to balance the mountain stages a bit more.

Thanks for the updates btw