• The Cycling News forum is still looking to add volunteer moderators with. If you're interested in helping keep our discussions on track, send a direct message to @SHaines here on the forum, or use the Contact Us form to message the Community Team.

    In the meanwhile, please use the Report option if you see a post that doesn't fit within the forum rules.

    Thanks!

Vuelta 2018 Stage 5:Granada - Roquetas de Mar 188.7km

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
Robert5091

Robert5091

Mar 29, 2016
6,974
2
9,485
Wednesday's stage - Vuelta 2018 Stage 5:Granada - Roquetas de Mar 188.7km

Following the start in Granada it’s clear what kind of day this is going to be. Not a flat metre a sight. No inhumanly steep ramps though, so chances are the race will come down to a bunch sprint.

With 38 kilometres done the riders move through Lanjarón, a spa-town in the Alpujarras. Yearly, on the 23rd of June, a huge water fight rages here for one hour. Starting at midnight until 1 am, the streets are packed with people and their buckets and water pistols.

The riders could use some of these refreshments underway, as they are still racing Andalusia, the southernmost province of Spain. Riding on the flanks of the Sierra Nevada, they head for the toughest climb of the day on Alto El Marchal. Yet, the Marchal is definitely not the hardest climb of Spain as it is 14.9 kilometres and averaging merely 3.8%. (Edit- Vuelta stage details have it as a 10.8 km climb with 4.1% average) A 19 kilometres drop leads to the last 8 kilometres on the flat.

Roquetas de Mar was the arrival place of the last editions of the Clásica Almería. In 2017, Magnus Cort Nielsen sprinted to victory, while Caleb Ewan bested Danny van Poppel last February.

stage-5-profile.jpg
 
42x16ss

42x16ss

May 23, 2009
10,240
1,426
25,680
If LLS were here I’d say give him the stage win and don’t even bother riding it, but now? I think a small group in a break, or a reduced field sprint with someone like Sagan or Nizzolo taking it.
 
Gigs_98

Gigs_98

Feb 18, 2015
13,389
8,773
28,180
My guess is another one for the break. Quickstep probably won't be confident enough in getting Viviani over that climb to go all in for a stage win, while the breakaway will probably be a relatively strong one.
Then again I tend to overrate the chances of breaks so it might as well be win #2 for Viviani (and just #2 for Nizzolo :D)
 
Koronin

Koronin

Oct 14, 2017
12,196
3,228
23,180
Well it is la Vuelta, so the break has a chance.
Not sure what the descent looks like. If it's technical someone like Izagirre could try something there. Just like LLS not being here, Alaphilippe isn't here to go all in on either the break or the descent to try to win.
 
Red Rick

Red Rick

Feb 20, 2012
49,278
35,632
28,180
Breakaway.

Never mind the final climb. The terrain is hard all day. Sprinters are gonna be empty at the start of that climb or in a peloton that's 15 minutes behind the break

I'd like to see the profile of the final climb, but I can't imagine it's hard enough to solo away from the breakaway and bring it home solo
 
Tonton

Tonton

May 17, 2013
7,482
2,245
20,680
Re:

Red Rick said:
Breakaway.

Never mind the final climb. The terrain is hard all day. Sprinters are gonna be empty at the start of that climb or in a peloton that's 15 minutes behind the break

I'd like to see the profile of the final climb, but I can't imagine it's hard enough to solo away from the breakaway and bring it home solo
Click to expand...
...for lesser sprinters, it's a gamble worth taking, as the best ones may, as you suggest, pass on this one.

30-40 guys unless the break goes all the way. A chance for Nacer: he won't beat the likes of Viviani on a flat one. Sagan may hang on or make up ground in the descent, be there, but he doesn't look that good at this moment. The Don has to be mentioned.

It could be a meh stage, but this Vuelta is shaping up to be hectic. Giro lessons learned, Yates is very strong, will he and Pinot survive the heat and week 3? Zakarin is done, Nibali, Porte, Dennis no-menace, and some showed signs of weakness today (FFS what's wrong with Aru?), I'm starting to think that Valverde will win this bike race...
 
Koronin

Koronin

Oct 14, 2017
12,196
3,228
23,180
Re: Re:

Tonton said:
Red Rick said:
Breakaway.

Never mind the final climb. The terrain is hard all day. Sprinters are gonna be empty at the start of that climb or in a peloton that's 15 minutes behind the break

I'd like to see the profile of the final climb, but I can't imagine it's hard enough to solo away from the breakaway and bring it home solo
Click to expand...
...for lesser sprinters, it's a gamble worth taking, as the best ones may, as you suggest, pass on this one.

30-40 guys unless the break goes all the way. A chance for Nacer: he won't beat the likes of Viviani on a flat one. Sagan may hang on or make up ground in the descent, be there, but he doesn't look that good at this moment. The Don has to be mentioned.

It could be a meh stage, but this Vuelta is shaping up to be hectic. Giro lessons learned, Yates is very strong, will he and Pinot survive the heat and week 3? Zakarin is done, Nibali, Porte, Dennis no-menace, and some showed signs of weakness today (FFS what's wrong with Aru?), I'm starting to think that Valverde will win this bike race...
Click to expand...


In likely with a reduced field sprint that Valverde would sprint. He's always shown a willingness to sprint in reduced field sprints anyway and this year's he's shown a new interest in full field sprints that we haven't seen from him in years. Rather he'll win or not will just depend on which actual sprinters made it to into the final group (unless the break stays away). He could win it overall as it's a great route for him. Although I do remember Contador saying that he's never seen a race and rider more perfectly matched to each other than la Vuelta and Valverde. (However, Fleche Wallone may be as perfectly matched with Valverde as la Vuelta is.)
 
A

Amazinmets87

May 12, 2015
1,229
457
11,580
Re:

SHAD0W93 said:
Valverde or break to win.
Click to expand...

Bala win is unlikely but not infeasible. Here's how it could play out: Attacks on climb lead to a select group cresting the summit and holding off the chasers until the finale. Valverde obviously has the best sprint amongst the specialist climbers.

I must say I don't forsee a select group of climbers holding off a hard-charging peloton through 6km of pan flat parcours. Ideally the peloton is scattered throughout the climb and is unable to adequately coalesce into an adequate chase group on the descent.
 
T

The Barb

Apr 14, 2009
1,702
203
10,880
Re: Re:

Koronin said:
movingtarget said:
Probably a break. If it's another hot day the bunch will probably do what they did yesterday.
Click to expand...

It's supposed to be another hot day.
Click to expand...

Yes, I see it'll again be in the mid to high 30s. Hard stuff.

Somewhat similar, both in weather and stage profile, to the blazingly hot stage that Valerio Conti won two years ago. He's my pick.
 
Midnightfright

Midnightfright

Mar 6, 2011
1,677
0
10,480
That 5k of flat at the end will be unappealing for anyone looking to gain time on the descent. I suspect those saying the break will be allowed to go are right.

Having a punt at picking who might stick from the breakaway I'm going to go with Cataldo to win.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom