Vuelta a España 2012

[Señor_Contador]

The problem, if any, with the Vuelta is not the climbs, it's more of a logistical/organizational problem. I don't understand why people keep beating this dead horse to death.

The Vuelta has become sort of a last ditch effort when option 1 (Giro) and/or option 2 (Tour) goes down the drain. On top of this, the organisers want the best cyclists of the moment, and they will not come if you put together a climb-heavy Vuelta. It's just as mind-numbingly easy as that.

The only option is to have the Vuelta in March, but you will lose the people going to the Giro.

 

[airstream]

The only option is to have the Vuelta in March, but you will lose the people going to the Giro.

It would be death of the Vuelta. No one would go there.

 

[Señor_Contador]

It would be death of the Vuelta. No one would go there.

And why would that be?

 

[roundabout]

No, the problem is that the Vuelta is badly designed.

What is rumored/semi-confirmed now

Arrate, Valdezcaray, Canolich, Covadonga, Pajares, Bola

Possibly

Pena Cabarga/Soplao, possibly Escorial, also an uphill finish in Galicia (?)

And why? Why is there a need for 6 (7,8,9) mountain/uphill finishes to the neglect of the rest of the route.

Valdezcaray is group sprint of a climb but on the stage to Canolich they won't climb Rabassa because it's too difficult. Why add mountain finishes for the sake of them and avoid the climbs that could have turned other stages into more of a spectacle than the last 30 minutes?

If you want to keep the overall difficulty of 21 days more or less the same ditch 1 or 2 needless mountain top finishes that have nothing preceding them and focus on making GT-worthy mountain stages.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Soplao could be good - you can have three or four small climbs before it, that would be way better than doing Peña Cabarga for the third year running. Pajares is a poor MTF. Valdezcaray could be OK depending on direction (if they come from the south and do Lagunas de Neila-Pasil de Rozavientos and Pico de la Doruela then descend down to the base of Valdezcaray, it could make a pretty decent stage). But it just sounds like too much, and the solution to tiny gaps in Unipublic's mind is more mountaintop finishes, rather than more difficult climbs before those mountaintop finishes, or more difficult climbs further out.

 

[El Pistolero]

And why would that be?

Because of the classics.

 

[Descender]

Oh come on man, you can't leave us hanging like this. Do spill the beans

Yeah, Descender, please post more if you can.

roundabout has advanced some stuff.

Stage 3 to Alto de Arrate, with easy and short climbs first.

Stage 4 to Valdezcaray ski resort, most probably a one-climb stage.

Valdezcaray was a popular climb in the 1980s and 1990s at the Vuelta. It was usually raced as a Mountain Time-Trial, which is actually not a bad idea considering the characteristics of the climb. The only time it was raced en ligne was in 1988. The winner of that stage? Sean Kelly. Tells you all you need to know about the climb.


Then at the first weekend a MTF to the Coll de la Gallina in Andorra, but finishing halfway through, on the Santuari de la mare de Déu del Canolich. Aprox. 7kms at 8%.

Perhaps another mountain stage after that one, talks about Coll de Pradell and Turo de l'Home. We'll see about that.

Most probably though they'll just go straight to Barcelona from Andorra, finishing right next to the Olympic Stadium.

Then quite possibly transfer to Galicia (WTF??) with three stages: two flat ones and an ITT. I'm skeptical about the rumoured MTF there.

After that, perhaps another stage through Ancares, my bet is it'll be similar to this year's stage finishing in Ponferrada.

Then possibly easy stage to Lagos de Covadonga, and the organiser's master card for this year's route: the queen stage to the Cueto Negro (Cuitu Negru in Asturian), which is basically the Puerto de Pajares + Brañillín ski resort + last 3kms at 12% to Cuitu Negru.

Hard? Yes. But the hardest bit is right at the end, so we're not likely to see any action before the last 3kms. To make things worse, I bet it'll be preceded by San Lorenzo W and Cobertoria W, which means tons of flat kms between climbs.

It's so similar to Bola del Mundo it's scary... that is why we need to climb Bola del Mundo as well! ...

The last week will probably feature a stage to the Burgos castle as well, perhaps another stage to San Lorenzo del Escorial before Bola and a stage in Cantabria. If they climb Peña Cabarga again instead of Cueva el Soplao I'm outta here.

 

[roundabout]

Soplao could be good - you can have three or four small climbs before it, that would be way better than doing Peña Cabarga for the third year running. Pajares is a poor MTF. Valdezcaray could be OK depending on direction (if they come from the south and do Lagunas de Neila-Pasil de Rozavientos and Pico de la Doruela then descend down to the base of Valdezcaray, it could make a pretty decent stage). But it just sounds like too much, and the solution to tiny gaps in Unipublic's mind is more mountaintop finishes, rather than more difficult climbs before those mountaintop finishes, or more difficult climbs further out.

http://www.elcorreo.com/vizcaya/v/2...rte/vuelta-2012-desde-barakaldo-20111201.html

Valdezcaray will be from the north in a short stage with probably only Orduña before it and Orduña is pretty far from the finish.

It's likely to be a group sprint like the finish to Sierra Nevada this year (behind Moreno and CAS)

 

[Libertine Seguros]

http://www.elcorreo.com/vizcaya/v/2...rte/vuelta-2012-desde-barakaldo-20111201.html

Valdezcaray will be from the north in a short stage with probably only Orduña before it and Orduña is pretty far from the finish.

It's likely to be a group sprint like the finish to Sierra Nevada this year (behind Moreno and CAS)

I was hoping for Eibar - Burgos, Burgos - Valdezcaray, allowing those options.

Are they going to even go south of Madrid at all? This sounds crazy, if they're going right up to the edge of Burgos by going west in week 1, then going east around where they already were, then flying west and going all eastward until they get to where they were already.

Bizarre. I mean, I know that flat stages in the south of the country get pretty dull, and that there's more passion for the sport (and more chance to actually get out and enjoy the race) in the north, but this just seems like crazy talk.

The finish on the climb up to the castle in Burgos is good though. That's a big improvement on the usual flat finish in Burgos. And the thing is, it's not actually especially steep; yes J-Rod won it in the Vuelta a Burgos, but with a Grand Tour's crowd and the type of people who may be around considering the Worlds parcours this year, it could be good. I can see the likes of Visconti and even Rojas being interested in it, as opposed to a San Lorenzo de El Escorial type of stage.

 

[craig1985]

Looks like it will be the Tour of Northern Spain (no idea what would be in Spanish).

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I don't know that they can put anything any closer than Cobertoria to Cuitu Negru, unless the other side of Cotobello is passable, which I don't think it is.

 

[Descender]

I don't know that they can put anything any closer than Cobertoria to Cuitu Negru, unless the other side of Cotobello is passable, which I don't think it is.

Cobertoria is indeed the closest meaningful climb to Pajares. The best option would be to climb it twice, using the Collado Puerco side.

 

[gregrowlerson]

The Vuelta has it's climbs at the end of stages, but the climbs are too easy.

The TDF has climbs that are (generally) hard enough, but these climbs come too early in the stages.

Vuelta in March seems like a decent idea.

 

[Lupetto]

Ézaro also confirmed as a stage arrival.

 

[roundabout]

After an almost completely flat stage. Hell yeah...

 

[roundabout]

To add to the previous post

http://media.lavozdegalicia.es/defa...64790268/Fichero/recorrido_etapas_12_y_13.pdf

Hope it will be windy because otherwise it will probably be an almost complete field fighting for positions before the last climb

 

[Ferminal]

To add to the previous post

http://media.lavozdegalicia.es/defa...64790268/Fichero/recorrido_etapas_12_y_13.pdf

Hope it will be windy because otherwise it will probably be an almost complete field fighting for positions before the last climb

+1 Purito finish, how many more to come?

 

[Ferminal]

http://www.biciciclismo.com/cas/site/noticias-ficha.asp?id=46456

If I read it correctly it's MTFs:

Stage 3: Arrate
Stage 4: Valdezcaray
Stage 8: Gallina
Stage 14: Ancares
Stage 15: Covadonga
Stage 16: Cuitu Negro
Stage 20: Bola del Mundo

Plus uphill finishes at:

Stage 6: El Fuerte del Rapitán
Stage 12: El Mirador de Ézaro
Stage 17: Fuente Dé

 

[the asian]

Bola Del Mundo again !

 

[Ferminal]

Valdezcaray looks pathetic... hopefully Anton can survive

Gallina seems like a nice climb, but not if they aren't going to the top.

Descender will have a better idea of how the Ancares stage might work, could make or break the entire route.

I'm unimpressed by what seems a continuation of a tired formula, but will reserve final judgement until the full profiles... Hopefully we get them tomorrow.

 

[Descender]

Just like I said, a huge pile of stinking ****. Unreal stuff.

 

[Eshnar]

It seems the Bola Del Mundo stage will be a MTT, not a MTF.
http://www.eladelantado.com/noticia/deportes/140188/la_vuelta_a_espana_2012_decidira_su_ganador_final_en_las_carreteras_segovianas

 

[craig1985]

Well, that is something different.

 

[Eshnar]

Well, that is something different.

well, it is.
I can't say I like a MTT as stage 20, though.

 

[gregrowlerson]

It seems the Bola Del Mundo stage will be a MTT, not a MTF.
http://www.eladelantado.com/noticia/deportes/140188/la_vuelta_a_espana_2012_decidira_su_ganador_final_en_las_carreteras_segovianas

Does this mean that there will be at least 2 ITT's or am I being too optimistic?