Vuelta a España 2011

[Descender]

Well if they were complaining about transfers in the Giro, this Vuelta doesn't look too great. Couple of 300km+ ones there.

Both of them are on rest days, unlike the one before the Großglockner for instance.

 

[dlwssonic]

Bring on the Angliru!

 

[Descender]

My favourite stage, with the long-awaited unveiling of what ought to become a classic Vuelta mountain pass (and what will be the hardest mountain pass ever to be ridden in the Vuelta in Spain... despite it not being raced up its hardest side):

GC riders will probably ignore it since there are two hard stages right after this one and Ancares is far from the finish line, this should have been the last stage of the triptic... but still it's great to see the Vuelta has finally discovered this climb.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Gesink said he discovered a new climb via google maps that went up to 3300m on unpaved roads at the top, he then did the climb at training and he said he wanted to notify the Vuelta organisation of it to be used for a future edition.

Imagine that, a finish at 3300m. That would be the highest finish ever used in Europe??

 

[Parrulo]

Gesink said he discovered a new climb via google maps that went up to 3300m on unpaved roads at the top, he then did the climb at training and he said he wanted to notify the Vuelta organisation of it to be used for a future edition.

Imagine that, a finish at 3300m. That would be the highest finish ever used in Europe??

ty gesink

also THERE IS A STAGE ENDING IN PONTERAREAS!!!!! THATS ONLY 20K AWAY FROM MY HOMETOWN!!!!!!!!!!!! I AM SO GOING TO WATCH IT IN PERSON

 

[jobiwan]

Gesink said he discovered a new climb via google maps that went up to 3300m on unpaved roads at the top, he then did the climb at training and he said he wanted to notify the Vuelta organisation of it to be used for a future edition.

Imagine that, a finish at 3300m. That would be the highest finish ever used in Europe??

Zomengan might make the Giro take an 2 day trip to Spain, as he'd want to do something like that first!!

Seriously though, that climb would be amazing; it would take a strong, strong man with some good lungs to win at that altitude.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Has to be around the Sierra Nevada area since that's where they were training. I just got to find it on google maps too.
Then I can make a profile to see what it looks like

 

[Liquigas]

Gesink said he discovered a new climb via google maps that went up to 3300m on unpaved roads at the top, he then did the climb at training and he said he wanted to notify the Vuelta organisation of it to be used for a future edition.

Imagine that, a finish at 3300m. That would be the highest finish ever used in Europe??

Sierra Nevada - Pico Veleta??

It's summit is at 3367m above sea level. A climb of 44km long at the avrage gradient of 5,77%.

Profile from altimetrias.com

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Sierra Nevada - Pico Veleta??

It's summit is at 3367m above sea level. A climb of 44km long at the gradient of 5,77%.

Must be it. Although not steep, I can imagine dead people after 44km climbing at finishing altituude of 3367m

 

[jobiwan]

Sierra Nevada - Pico Veleta??

It's summit is at 3367m above sea level. A climb of 44km long at the avrage gradient of 5,77%.

I'm hurting just looking at it.
I'd see 12 riders surviving at the end of it.

 

[just some guy]

I'm hurting just looking at it.
I'd see 12 riders surviving at the end of it.

out of 186 who started

 

[Descender]

Pico Veleta is paved all the way up though (actually it's the highest paved road in Europe).

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Gesink was talking about a unpaved part in the final kilometers. So it must be some side road then?

 

[Descender]

Gesink was talking about a unpaved part in the final kilometers. So it must be some side road then?

Possibly, there are loads of them.

Or else he was in the Canary Islands.

 

[khardung la]

Must be it. Although not steep, I can imagine dead people after 44km climbing at finishing altituude of 3367m

"Not steep" is a very relative concept. Try percentages steadily at the 9-10% (last kilometers) while at more than 3000 m in a rough semi-asphalt and in an open windy space....It means an unbelievable possibility for the Vuelta that has been talked about for almost a decade. However it is difficult to organize the finish up there, not to talk about environmental concerns in such a fragile and valuable ecosystem, which is also a Biosphere Reserve and in some parts a National Park (the highest endemic index of vascular plants in all continental Europe is found in Sierra Nevada)

http://www.altimetrias.net/aspbk/verPuerto.asp?id=399

 

[Parrulo]

Possibly, there are loads of them.

Or else he was in the Canary Islands.

you should be more carefull with your posts!!! that is enough material for 2 new clinic threads about gesink

 

[Descender]

you should be more carefull with your posts!!! that is enough material for 2 new clinic threads about gesink

BTW isn't there a way to make that climb even harder now? Taking the new Haza Llana road after Güejar Sierra?

This is a mountain pass btw, the hardest in peninsular Spain in my view. They should do this and finish right after the descent in Granada.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

While it would be great, there are a whole bunch of other unused or seldom used climbs they could use that would be more immediately feasible. Coll de Pal, for example. Or Haza del Lino. Or Collado Trevinca.

 

[nvpacchi]

@ Descender or Libertine, are they climbing the side of Ancares that begins right after Alto de Sierra Morela?

 

[icefire]

Gesink said he discovered a new climb via google maps that went up to 3300m on unpaved roads at the top, he then did the climb at training and he said he wanted to notify the Vuelta organisation of it to be used for a future edition.

Imagine that, a finish at 3300m. That would be the highest finish ever used in Europe??

The road is paved (although in bad condition) almost to the summit of Mt Veleta but it is closed to cars at the altitude mark of 2500m because of environmental protection reasons.

It is used in a cyclosportive. The second edition will be next July:
http://www.sierranevadalimiteroad.es/eng/tree/2011_SNL.html

I'm sure the Vuelta organiser will pat Robert at the back for the discovery

Watch yourself:
http://apmforo.mforos.com/570933/6704347-hasta-el-infinito-y-mas-alla/

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

like I said, Gesink talked about an unpaved road so it isn't the same climb as you said, probably a side-road he took which also goes to 3300m

 

[El Pistolero]

More riders should go hunting for new mountain climbs Although some probably know some good climbs, but are too afraid to tell. Like with the Koppenberg in the Ronde.

 

[icefire]

like I said, Gesink talked about an unpaved road so it isn't the same climb as you said, probably a side-road he took which also goes to 3300m

AFAIK that's the only road going above the ski resort to the summit. The climb from the south side is unpaved above 1800m. Plans to pave it and make it a road through were abandoned long ago for environmental reasons.

I'd be more than happy if instead of going higher they used the hardest approach to the ski resort posted by Descender.

 

[Descender]

@ Descender or Libertine, are they climbing the side of Ancares that begins right after Alto de Sierra Morela?

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:

 

[just some guy]

stage 1 TTT Saturday 20 August Benidorm > Benidorm 16,0 km

stage 2 Sunday 21 August La Nucía > Playas de Orihuela 171,5 km

stage 3 Monday 22 August Petrer > Totana 164,0 km