Vuelta 2017, Stage 2: Nîmes - Gruissan. Grand Narbon 203.4km

[jaylew]

Re:

Main GC guys classification

TJVG -4
Kelderman -3
Froome
Poels
Jungels +2
Barguil +2
De la Cruz +2
Chaves +5
A Yates +8
Majka +12
S. Yates +13
Nibali +14
Betancur +15 (yes, I went there )
Zakarin +29
Contador +31
Aru +32
Kruijswick +36
Lopez +37
Pozzovivo +37
Bardet +42
Meintjes +43

Just going a bit deeper into the GC field, this being an odd year Vuelta

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Re: Re:

Tomorrow's stage should be fun. I would love to see contador doing damage in the peloton. A man can dream

No holding back tomorrow. We'll know who is NOT going to win the race.

4.3km at almost 9% avg can do a lot lot of damage to anyone not in good shape.
I expect a small group of GC guys to crest together and then bomb it down to the finish.

How technical is the final descent?

It's a little under 8%, not under 9%.

 

[Climbing]

This could do some proper damage if raced full gas, not sure how technical is the descent though.

 

[huge]

Took the info from La Vuelta website. There it says 4.3km - 8.6%

Either way, it is a tough climb, long enough to make some serious damage if anyone decides to attack at the bottom.

Let's not forget that it comes after 2 first cat climbs earlier on. Riders will not be that fresh when they hit it.

 

[Gigs_98]

Re: Vuelta 2017, Stage 2: Nîmes - Gruissan. Grand Narbon 203

I'm still a bit mad that Katusha didn't attack 4 kilometers earlier, this stage could have been superb. But seriously, why the hell would anyone wait for the crosswind section to end just to attack directly afterwards. I simply don't get it.

 

[klintE]

Re: Re:

Main GC guys classification

Froome
Chaves +5
A Yates +8
Majka +12
S. Yates +13
Nibali +14
Contador +31
Aru +32
Kruijswick +36
Pozzovivo +37
Bardet +42

Kelderman is 3 seconds in front of Froome.

Kelderman is not a main GC rider

Says who?

 

[Breh]

Re:

Can you believe this is the first Belgian GT victory this year?

On the other hand;

11th win in GT's for Quick Step this year.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Re:

Took the info from La Vuelta website. There it says 4.3km - 8.6%

Either way, it is a tough climb, long enough to make some serious damage if anyone decides to attack at the bottom.

Let's not forget that it comes after 2 first cat climbs earlier on. Riders will not be that fresh when they hit it.

First climb is cat.1 because of length rather than anything else. It's very much a tempo climb (I would rather they did Coll de la Llosa, parallel to the north). The Alt de La Rabassa is tough enough to make a difference though. The descent from La Comella is quite straight and not too testing (if you watch the stages to La Gallina in 2012 and 13 you'll see the descent there, as they climbed La Comella from the other side on the way), but the descent from La Rabassa through Aixirivall is very technical and features a lot of switchbacks.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Chaves attentive and probably in good shape. Thats good!

I don't like Froome at all (he seems to be a product of the Sky media strategy), but he said something that made a lot of sense: Some clown asked if it was to early to go into the mountains and Froome answered that it was great since it will take a lot of the stress away.

 

[Hayabusa]

Re: Re:

Main GC guys classification

Froome
Chaves +5
A Yates +8
Majka +12
S. Yates +13
Nibali +14
Contador +31
Aru +32
Kruijswick +36
Pozzovivo +37
Bardet +42

Kelderman is 3 seconds in front of Froome.

Kelderman is not a main GC rider

Says who?

Most people that have knowledge of cycling?

 

[Robert5091]

Good day for QS & Nibs - Bertie lost more time ...sad!

 

[Lequack]

23 Big Photos from the start, finish and podium for Stage 2 (more to come) — sirotti/flockton/aso:
http://www.steephill.tv/2017/vuelta-a-espana/photos/stage-02/

 

[klintE]

Re: Re:

Main GC guys classification

Froome
Chaves +5
A Yates +8
Majka +12
S. Yates +13
Nibali +14
Contador +31
Aru +32
Kruijswick +36
Pozzovivo +37
Bardet +42

Kelderman is 3 seconds in front of Froome.

Kelderman is not a main GC rider

Says who?

Most people that have knowledge of cycling?

So please quote one of them saying that. So I have something to laugh at later

 

[bambino]

Kelderman might be in kickass condition which we will see in coming 3 weeks, but I do understand that quite many people (including me) has difficult times to rate someone with single top 10 GT finish 3 year ago as a main GC contender. Especially among the field we have in this Vuelta. I find it fair projecting.

And I'm happy if Wilco proves all this wrong and demonstrates the ride of his life, but I don't see anything to laugh about at this stage.

 

[Brullnux]

Re:

Chaves attentive and probably in good shape. Thats good!

I don't like Froome at all (he seems to be a product of the Sky media strategy), but he said something that made a lot of sense: Some clown asked if it was to early to go into the mountains and Froome answered that it was great since it will take a lot of the stress away.

For most teams it is too early to go in the mountains - if someone like Nibali gets the leaders jersey then Bahrain will not be able to hold it at all.

Edit: oh you mean literally go not go as in attack

 

[Urbi27]

Great Alaphillipe ride. It was a key rider in Lampaert win. Probably the team will give him back today effort supporting him in more punchy stages.

 

[Escarabajo]

Re:

Took the info from La Vuelta website. There it says 4.3km - 8.6%

Either way, it is a tough climb, long enough to make some serious damage if anyone decides to attack at the bottom.

Let's not forget that it comes after 2 first cat climbs earlier on. Riders will not be that fresh when they hit it.

I put the numbers in my computer and I got 8.28% exactly.

 

[Valv.Piti]

I will be watching the Vuelta from tomorrow. How long time since we have seen such a demanding stage on stage 3? (thinking of climbing-wise here, I am aware some stages have been super tough with rain, cobbles, echelons etc. etc.)

Its nice to get a quick little sort out. Looks like an goodie!

 

[Arredondo]

Re:

I will be watching the Vuelta from tomorrow. How long time since we have seen such a demanding stage on stage 3? (thinking of climbing-wise here, I am aware some stages have been super tough with rain, cobbles, echelons etc. etc.)

Its nice to get a quick little sort out. Looks like an goodie!

I think it's quite unique. I know the Vuelta of '02 had Sierra Nevada and Pandera as summit finishes on stages 5 and 6. But i can't recall which GT also had a proper mountain stage on day three.

Edit: the Vuelta of '07 had Lagos de Covadonga on day four

 

[Mayo from Mayo]

Did anyone watch this stage from start to finish? If so could you please enlighten Markel Irizar as to why he was awarded the combativity award?
He seems a tad confused by this.
https://twitter.com/Markelirizar

 

[Netserk]

Re: Re:

I will be watching the Vuelta from tomorrow. How long time since we have seen such a demanding stage on stage 3? (thinking of climbing-wise here, I am aware some stages have been super tough with rain, cobbles, echelons etc. etc.)

Its nice to get a quick little sort out. Looks like an goodie!

I think it's quite unique. I know the Vuelta of '02 had Sierra Nevada and Pandera as summit finishes on stages 5 and 6. But i can't recall which GT also had a proper mountain stage on day three.

Edit: the Vuelta of '07 had Lagos de Covadonga on day four

If you go for stage 4, you only have to look as far back as May.

I don't remember any third day of racing in a GT with a proper mountain in it.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Re:

I will be watching the Vuelta from tomorrow. How long time since we have seen such a demanding stage on stage 3? (thinking of climbing-wise here, I am aware some stages have been super tough with rain, cobbles, echelons etc. etc.)

Its nice to get a quick little sort out. Looks like an goodie!

There was an MTF on stage 2 of the 2013 Vuelta at Monte da Groba, though it was an otherwise fairly featureless stage.

2012 had what was a fairly easy stage compared to what it could have been leading in to the legendary Arrate climb, but still the Alto de Arrate is sufficient to create some GC gaps.

2010 originally had a double pass of the Puerto del León on stage 3, but eventually they only had one time over the climb as well as a longer run-in between the climb and the final puncheur finish at Gibrálfaro. This is the original stage proposal:

 

[Tank Engine]

Re: Re:

I will be watching the Vuelta from tomorrow. How long time since we have seen such a demanding stage on stage 3? (thinking of climbing-wise here, I am aware some stages have been super tough with rain, cobbles, echelons etc. etc.)

Its nice to get a quick little sort out. Looks like an goodie!

I think it's quite unique. I know the Vuelta of '02 had Sierra Nevada and Pandera as summit finishes on stages 5 and 6. But i can't recall which GT also had a proper mountain stage on day three.

Edit: the Vuelta of '07 had Lagos de Covadonga on day four

If you go for stage 4, you only have to look as far back as May.
I don't remember any third day of racing in a GT with a proper mountain in it.

Stage 2 of the 1992 Tour went over the Col d'Aubisque and the Marie-Blanc. 255km in all . It was the third day after a relatively long prologue. Virenque took the yellow jersey.

Of course in 2014 they went over the Cote de Holme Moss on the second day

Great victory by Quick-Step. It reminded me a bit of the stage to Reims in 2014 when they blew a lot of the peloton out of the back (including Kittel) in the final 3km. However, they didn't finish off the job on that day, although it was a harder call (Greipel won)

 

[Red Rick]

Cat 2 MTF early on in the Vuelta isn't unheard of in the Vuelta, but this is actually a legit good mountain stage, though you could make way better if you go to Andorra later in the race.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

Cat 2 MTF early on in the Vuelta isn't unheard of in the Vuelta, but this is actually a legit good mountain stage, though you could make way better if you go to Andorra later in the race.

But history shows that Purito gonna design the stage for it be good since the guys in Unipublic or the TdF organization apparantly arent capable of designing something that doesnt totally suck or including Arcalis.

Thanks for the answers!