Vuelta a España 2011

[Dekker_Tifosi]

angliru in stage 15

epic

 

[just some guy]

stage 4 Tuesday 23 August Baza > Sierra Nevada 172,0 km

stage 5 Wednesday 24 August Sierra Nevada > Valdepeñas de Jaén 200,0 km

stage 6 Thursday 25 August Úbeda > Córdoba 185,7 km

stage 7 Friday 26 August Almadén > Talavera de la Reina 185,0 km

 

[just some guy]

stage 8 Saturday 27 August Talavera de la Reina > San Lorenzo de El Escorial 182,0 km

stage 9 Sunday 28 August Villacastín > Sierra de Bejar. La Covatilla 179,5 km

stage 10 Monday 29 August Salamanca > Salamanca 40,0 km - pretty sure this is 46 km now

rest day

stage 11 Wednesday 31 August Verín > Estación de Esquí Alto de la Manzaneda 171,0 km

 

[Skip Madness]

The last I saw of it (in photos, I've never seen it in person) the top kilometre of the Veleta was gravel road, otherwise it's surfaced to above 3200m at least. I don't know if that's changed.

There is an awesome profile here plus loads of photos below that will blow your mind the higher in altitude they get. This is via the Monachil ascent, Descender mentioned the Haza Llana side which is actually harder. You can see it here. That profile is to the IRAM telescope, the turn off to go all the way up to Veleta is just above 2600m.

David De La Cruz of the Caja Rural team pointed out on Twitter that if there were only eight riders per team, there could be 24 teams instead of 22.

 

[just some guy]

stage 12 Thursday 01 September Ponteareas > Pontevedra 160,0 km

stage 13 Friday 02 September Sarria > Ponferrada 150,0 km

stage 14 Saturday 03 September Astorga > La Farrapona. Lagos de Somiedo

stage 15 Sunday 04 September Avilés > Anglirú 144,0 km

Rest day 2

 

[Kwibus]

This Vuelta looks like a whole lot of fun and I've only seen till stage 11 so far

And now till stage 15 and it only gets better!

I hope a lot of TdF riders will give it a shot as well. A stronger line up compared to last year would be awesome.

 

[just some guy]

stage 16 Tuesday 06 September Villa Romana La Olmeda (Palencia) > Haro

stage 17 Wednesday - 07 September Faustino V > Peña Cabarga 212,5 km

stage 18 Thursday 08 September Solares > Noja 169,7 km

stage 19 Plain Friday 09 September Noja > Bilbao 157,9 km

 

[just some guy]

stage 20 Saturday 10 September Bilbao > Vitoria 187,0 km

stage 21 Sunday 11 September Circuito del Jarama > Madrid 94,0 km

Looks like fun ....

 

[jens_attacks]

it will be important to know the guys who will do after le tour,vuelta.one of them maybe can fight here too.
otherwise,we'll have scarponi-di luca-anton-purito-nibali-menchov-sastre.who else will focus just on vuelta?

and yes,the wildcards are crap(with all due respect to kittel and moncoutie)

 

[just some guy]

it will be important to know the guys who will do after le tour,vuelta.one of them maybe can fight here too.
otherwise,we'll have scarponi-di luca-anton-purito-nibali-menchov-sastre.who else will focus just on vuelta?

and yes,the wildcards are crap(with all due respect to kittel and moncoutie)

Evans will be riding

I would guess Basso will a lead a 2 headed green monster.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Gesink will normally also start this year

 

[nvpacchi]

Two of the four sides go right after Sierra Morela, which is actually Folgueiras de Aigas in that profile by the Vuelta (who just chose to name the climb after the village at the top). They will then climb the Balouta side this summer:

But the Pan de Zarco side is even harder:

Thanks! I was really hoping they were gonna do Pan de Zarco, gonna be awesome anyway!

 

[Skip Madness]

Two of the four sides go right after Sierra Morela, which is actually Folgueiras de Aigas in that profile by the Vuelta (who just chose to name the climb after the village at the top).

I believe Unipublic's final name for the climb will be the Alto de Puerto de Sierra de Folgueiras de Aigas.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

More important than the meaningless GC (heck, if Nibali can win, it can't be important...), when will Cav & Co. leave for Copenhagen?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I still hate the amount of flat from Urkiola to Gasteiz. I'll be there on Urkiola to cheer the riders on, but I get the distinct feeling nothing after Peña Cabarga is really going to affect the GC and so the Basque stages will be a bit of a tame ending. Looking forward to Lagos de Somiedo though.

I expect some kind of tribute to Xavier Tondó in stage 4 as well - there are higher climbs on the Sierra Nevada that have been used - to 2380 and 2520m in recent memory; instead they will finish at the resort of Pradollano, on the Cima Alberto Fernández, at 2126m, as in the ITT of 2004. Pradollano is the place where Tondó's tragic accident took place, so I expect to see some kind of commemoration.

 

[just some guy]

More important than the meaningless GC (heck, if Nibali can win, it can't be important...), when will Cav & Co. leave for Copenhagen?

I looks a good race to me and a lot of the GC riders will be finishing their seasons at the Vuelta.


As or when the sprinters will leave 1st rest day but stage 4 might cause a few to complain a lot.

 

[nvpacchi]

I still hate the amount of flat from Urkiola to Gasteiz. I'll be there on Urkiola to cheer the riders on, but I get the distinct feeling nothing after Peña Cabarga is really going to affect the GC and so the Basque stages will be a bit of a tame ending. Looking forward to Lagos de Somiedo though.

I expect some kind of tribute to Xavier Tondó in stage 4 as well - there are higher climbs on the Sierra Nevada that have been used - to 2380 and 2520m in recent memory; instead they will finish at the resort of Pradollano, on the Cima Alberto Fernández, at 2126m, as in the ITT of 2004. Pradollano is the place where Tondó's tragic accident took place, so I expect to see some kind of commemoration.

Agreed. Are there any climbs closer to Vitoria that could potentially be game changers that they chose to ignore?

I'm debating whether to watch the stage live on the Urkiola or down in Vitoria... any suggestions?

 

[Havetts]

This was the climb Gesink tweeted about:
http://maps.google.com/?q=http://sh.../4d65/e1fe/Cyclemeter-Cycle-20110524-1011.kml

So from km 40 till 50 new climb

RGUpdate
Robert Gesink

De training van gister: km 40-50 nieuwe klim: 10km,10% en km 93-99 de klim tot 1km voor de top v.d. Veleta (3300m) http://t.co/hIUECMN

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Agreed. Are there any climbs closer to Vitoria that could potentially be game changers that they chose to ignore?

I'm debating whether to watch the stage live on the Urkiola or down in Vitoria... any suggestions?

Gasteiz is in a relatively flat area (about the flattest area in País Vasco). There are a few climbs that crest closer to the city, but I don't think many are as tough as Urkiola. Parallel to Urkiola you have the Alto del Barazar, but that's not much closer and an easier climb; south of Zuia you have the Puerto de Aiurdin but that's not a very difficult climb at all; you could probably loop around and use one either the Puerto de Cruceta or the smaller, but closer to Gasteiz, Arlabán climbs - but even then none of them are really particularly close to the city and there would be some flat. There would have been much better opportunities if they'd chosen to do Bilbao and Donostia instead.

 

[Parrulo]

guys the vuelta will pass like 100 meters away from my place(salvaterra de minho)

u jelly?

 

[craig1985]

guys the vuelta will pass like 100 meters away from my place(salvaterra de minho)

u jelly?

(You mean jealous, right? Unless it was an obvious joke that I missed, then carry on)

Going back a few pages, I do like this climb, I bet the Colombians would as well.

 

[The Hitch]

guys the vuelta will pass like 100 meters away from my place(salvaterra de minho)

u jelly?

You live 100m from the Spanish - Portugese border?

Or as i call it, the border between the developed and the undeveloped world


just joking

 

[greenedge]

They should go to Tenerife

 

[auscyclefan94]

guys the vuelta will pass like 100 meters away from my place(salvaterra de minho)

u jelly?

Yes. You should make yourself noticable so we can see you on tv!

 

[Kwibus]

Biggest flaw of this Vuelta is that the last week doesn't seem to affect the GC at all.