Vuelta a España 2012

[airstream]

And why does this parcours remind you of 2004?

Well, as it were, the amount of MTF's that can give a real cycling show. There are no devalued Arcalis or crappy Velefique, Pla-de-Beret and Abantos. Sure, my point is based on emotional perception, but it is.

 

[The Hitch]

So 10 MTFs in this year Vuelta, I guess this is to counteract TdF's TTs. Are you happy now Libertine? Is this enough for you?

10 mtfs> 10 sprint stages

 

[Descender]

Well, as it were, the amount of MTF's that can give a real cycling show. There are no devalued Arcalis or crappy Velefique, Pla-de-Beret and Abantos. Sure, my point is based on emotional perception, but it is.

Your point makes no sense.



Arrate, Valdezcaray, Canolich (Coll de la Gallina) and Fuente Dé are all softer climbs than any of the ones you mentioned.

 

[Descender]

I am curious, when was the last well designed Vuelta? 2006? 1999?

Very few Vueltas deserved to be qualified as "well designed". In recent times, only those two.

The 2009 was decent though. No idea why the organisers abandoned the concept.

I think the best definition of the Vuelta was given by El Pistolero. A race based of one or two TTs and flat stages, occasionally ending uphill.

 

[LaFlorecita]

So 10 MTFs in this year Vuelta, I guess this is to counteract TdF's TTs. Are you happy now Libertine? Is this enough for you?

Yay!

 

[airstream]

Your point makes no sense.



Arrate, Valdezcaray, Canolich (Coll de la Gallina) and Fuente Dé are all softer climbs than any of the ones you mentioned.

Alright, probably. '2004 Vuelta was the first one I watched and wasn't keen on gradients and other stuff. But it was enjoyable. I can't say the same thing about '07, '08, '09 editions. It relates to '07 and '09 especially, when sometimes it seemed the final climbs were passed in the regime of slightly intensified training.

 

[Descender]

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.

The Ancares stage will not be good if it finishes on top of the Ancares climb itself. There are a thousand possibilites to make that stage an epic one, of course. I posted a personal proposal for a stage profile finishing downhill, taking advantage of the climb's four sides. The question is, why.the.f*ck do we need another MTF in this route? Why? WHY??

If I'm correct, we'll have five consecutive MTFs. Has that ever happened?

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

someone in another forum said that the bola del mundo stage will be ttt?? that can't be right?

edit: never mind is wrong info

 

[halamala]

Wow. It seems like they dared to remember the previous successful editions, like 2004 one, for example.

Vuelta a Espana 2004, mountain stages

9ª Xátiva - Alto de Aitana (Alicante) 162,0

10ª Alcoi - Xorret de Catí (Castalla-Alicante) 174,5

12ª Almería 2005 - Observatorio Astronómico de Calar Alto 145,0

 

[halamala]

14ª Málaga - Granada 167,0

15ª Granada - Sierra Nevada (C.R.I.) 29,6

17ª Plasencia - Estación de Esquí La Covatilla (Béjar) 169,8

 

[halamala]

18ª Béjar - Ávila 196,6

20ª La Vega de Alcobendas - Puerto de Navacerrada 178,0

 

[jens_attacks]

all what they need to do now is to revive santi perez and heras.game on!

 

[Mellow Velo]

Haha, I didn't think it was possible to have a GT and not go south of the nation's capital.

Probably as much to do with them pushing the race ever earlier into August as anything else.
Means they chose to avoid the worst of the Summer heat at the expense of going up an awful lot of hills.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

So 10 MTFs in this year Vuelta, I guess this is to counteract TdF's TTs. Are you happy now Libertine? Is this enough for you?

Firstly, "uphill finish" and MTF are not synonymous; the Mur de Huy, the Cauberg, Mont des Alouettes and Gouveia are all uphill, but mountaintop they are not.

Secondly, no. Where did I say it had to be all mountain stages all the time to be good? There were 7 MTFs in the 2011 Giro, and it was too much. Some of them served little purpose. I said I didn't want a TTT and I still don't. When I designed a fantasy Vuelta in the RDT, there were four MTFs, and one of those was only about 6km at 6% after several other bigger climbs. I like mountain stages, but they should by no means all be MTFs. Especially not when in likely otherwise utterly unchallenging stages like the Ezkarai one will be, which is likely to be a mountain stage only in the same way that Serfaus in the 2009 Tour de Suisse was a mountain stage.

Lagos de Covadonga is due a long, long layoff. It's becoming as overdone as Alpe d'Huez. Except it's usually less selective; not because it's less difficult but because they seldom put anything before it (not that it's the easiest climb to make a difficult lead-in to).

I suppose it should not be a surprise that Galicia has taken a number of stages in the last 2 editions now they're no longer part-bankrolling a team, and unlike many other provinces they do not have a pro race of their own; but we could also see this as the result of some of the financial problems in Spain; much as the Volta a Portugal rarely ventures south of Lisboa as most of the support for the sport is in the north, the same applies in Spain.

 

[Descender]

Firstly, "uphill finish" and MTF are not synonymous; the Mur de Huy, the Cauberg, Mont des Alouettes and Gouveia are all uphill, but mountaintop they are not.

Secondly, no. Where did I say it had to be all mountain stages all the time to be good? There were 7 MTFs in the 2011 Giro, and it was too much. Some of them served little purpose. I said I didn't want a TTT and I still don't. When I designed a fantasy Vuelta in the RDT, there were four MTFs, and one of those was only about 6km at 6% after several other bigger climbs. I like mountain stages, but they should by no means all be MTFs. Especially not when in likely otherwise utterly unchallenging stages like the Ezkarai one will be, which is likely to be a mountain stage only in the same way that Serfaus in the 2009 Tour de Suisse was a mountain stage.

Lagos de Covadonga is due a long, long layoff. It's becoming as overdone as Alpe d'Huez. Except it's usually less selective; not because it's less difficult but because they seldom put anything before it (not that it's the easiest climb to make a difficult lead-in to).

I suppose it should not be a surprise that Galicia has taken a number of stages in the last 2 editions now they're no longer part-bankrolling a team, and unlike many other provinces they do not have a pro race of their own; but we could also see this as the result of some of the financial problems in Spain; much as the Volta a Portugal rarely ventures south of Lisboa as most of the support for the sport is in the north, the same applies in Spain.

Careful. As Basque as the name sounds, it's in La Rioja.

Good post.

 

[cineteq]

Secondly, no. Where did I say it had to be all mountain stages all the time to be good? There were 7 MTFs in the 2011 Giro, and it was too much. Some of them served little purpose. I said I didn't want a TTT and I still don't. When I designed a fantasy Vuelta in the RDT, there were four MTFs, and one of those was only about 6km at 6% after several other bigger climbs. I like mountain stages, but they should by no means all be MTFs. Especially not when in likely otherwise utterly unchallenging stages like the Ezkarai one will be, which is likely to be a mountain stage only in the same way that Serfaus in the 2009 Tour de Suisse was a mountain stage.

There are officially 6 MTFs and 4 "uphill finishes". The main thing is that there will be time gaps and bonus points at stake. And riders like Purito and Anton will have the opportunity of a lifetime to win La Vuelta at least once. Actually, I'd love to see that happening

 

[Descender]

Like I said, I'm not buying the MTT to Bola del Mundo thing just yet. I'll believe it when I see it. Let's hope it's true, but I'm cautious.

 

[Anonymous]

Greenedge are overjoyed with the route.. reckon they have a good chance of a high gc position..

 

[airstream]

Are there any possibilities to include other climbs before Lagos di Cavadonga or it will one more foot march?

 

[Skip Madness]

Are there any possibilities to include other climbs before Lagos di Cavadonga or it will one more foot march?

From La Robla and going via the Puerto de Pontón, you can put the (tough) Llomena, Mohandi and 3rd category Alto de Bada in the final 80 km of the stage, but there would still be considerable false flat in between the four climbs. But they'd help to tire the riders before Lagos and create bigger differences come the end:

 

[roundabout]

http://www.leonoticias.com/frontend...Y-Los-Ancares-Seran-Protagonis-vn88798-vst279

Dormirá en tierras leonesas el pelotón porque el domingo 2 de septiembre tomará la salida en La Robla, que abonará unos 3.000 euros por esa salida y desde donde 'tirarán' hacia la mítica cima de Los Lagos de Covadonga.

lolwut

 

[Parrulo]

http://www.leonoticias.com/frontend...Y-Los-Ancares-Seran-Protagonis-vn88798-vst279



lolwut

seems like vuelta departures were on sale for this year's edition

 

[roundabout]

It's normal for arrival and departure cities/towns to pay.

What's not normal is the low price. An average departure city in the Tour has to pay 20 times as much.

 

[hfer07]

Lagos de Covadonga is due a long, long layoff. It's becoming as overdone as Alpe d'Huez.

According to whom?

 

[gregrowlerson]

Why wouldn't they balance out the parcours at least a bit by having one of the numerous MTF's as an ITT? And why are they so against descent finishers?