Vuelta a España - Stage 4 Málaga - Valdepeñas de Jaén 183.8km

[icefire]

Don't be mislead by the elevation. Weather in Jaén is very hot in the summer. Forecast for today's stage:

Only 1 degree difference between start at see level and finish at 1000 m.

 

[Jamsque]

The profile has 'fun stage' written all over it.

 

[theyoungest]

Only 1 degree difference between start at see level and finish at 1000 m.

Usually it gets hotter once you travel inland, but this is counterbalanced by the elevation.

 

[roundabout]

I personally find the inland climate a lot more tolerable. Maybe it's drier or something.

 

[icefire]

Official live feed is on:

http://www.lavuelta.com/10/en/online/index.html?e=4

 

[Sophistic]

What about the 2nd cat climb before the finish?There is a flat section in the middle but then its like 4k at ~5,5%, followed by a descend and just about 1 flat km before the final climb...so thats actually a good opportunity to attack for someone who doesnt have the explosiveness and anaerobic capacity to stay with guys like Gilbert and Rodriguez in an 800m affair.

 

[Frosty]

Group of 4 look like they have got away.

Bonnafond 2:59 down
Cataldo 11:26 down
Carrasco 20:33 down
Roels 20:35 down

 

[Frosty]

What about the 2nd cat climb before the finish?There is a flat section in the middle but then its like 4k at ~5,5%, followed by a descend and just about 1 flat km before the final climb...so thats actually a good opportunity to attack for someone who doesnt have the explosiveness and anaerobic capacity to stay with guys like Gilbert and Rodriguez in an 800m affair.

Gilbert said he got dropped on the big climb yesterday so maybe we'll see Katusha setting a high pace there to see if they can send him out the back. Could make it difficult for an attacker to stay away.

 

[Bumeington]

this finish has rodriguez's name written over it...it's a bit higher elevation and should be cooler fitting his light frame.

Heat will actually play to J Rod's favour, as a "light frame" (i.e. being small) means the body is more efficient at keeping itself cool in hot surroundings, if it was cooler at the finish that would play into the hands of the slightly bigger riders like Gilbert...

 

[icefire]

Eisel withdraws. Wasn't he the last man in HTC train for Cav in this Vuelta?

 

[Anonymous]

Moncoutie to win in memory of Fignon

 

[nvpacchi]

giro 2010.

Of course, but the mundanity of the TDF made the Giro seem like it took place eons ago.

 

[Frosty]

Eisel withdraws. Wasn't he the last man in HTC train for Cav in this Vuelta?

Matt Goss according to this article (fifth paragraph).

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cavendish-suffers-in-the-heat-but-holds-vuelta-lead

Would imagine that Eisel is one of the last men in the train though.

 

[Jamsque]

Eisel withdraws. Wasn't he the last man in HTC train for Cav in this Vuelta?

I would assume that Matt Goss is filling that role.

 

[sublimit]

Cav really missed Renshaw on stage 2, he looked lost and then he got jumped by an inferior rider. Goss is a finisher not a lead out rider but I think he's the guy getting him up to the front and looking out for him at the end.

 

[Jamsque]

Renshaw would certainly have helped Cav avoid the wind a bit more in the finale, but he got dropped off on Farrar's wheel pretty neatly and ought to have won from there. He just didn't have his usual kick, I would speculate due to some combination of not racing in the lead-up to the Vuelta and the hilly profile of the stage.

 

[sublimit]

It was an odd finish with so many riders in contention, Cav was in good position But Tyler didnt kick like he can either but the speed at the end didn't look particularly high.. Renshaw would of pulled him through at pace and possibly grabbed a top 5 for himself.

Losing Eisel is a blow though.

 

[icefire]

From the Vuelta official text feed:

We will let a breakaway to leave with riders far away from the general. That might be the best way to keep the leader's jersey. I think the hardest thing will stand through the last port. It seems that the end will be tougher than yesterdays but I think I can still win.

Don't know what to think of time bonuses

 

[Francois the Postman]

Official live feed is on:

http://www.lavuelta.com/10/en/online/index.html?e=4

With informative and timely updates like....

Riding towards the supplies control and then to the end of the stage.

That's my "pointless line of the day", I think. Although the day is long enough for Boardhanger to post another one of his inspirational daily threads and challenge it.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Actually both the Giro and the Vuelta typically have a couple of stages like this in the first week. Some mountains, but not many, just enough to spice things up.

yes.

but this year's giro didn't have a dire stage in the first week -- in fact there weren't many on a whole.
It was the most 'full on' GT I have seen in a very long time.
T'was quite the ride

 

[Jamsque]

Hutarovich spitting MAD YANG about Freire and Petacchi at the start this morning:

Yesterday many sprinters came and congratulate me but Petacchi and Freire didn't.

Shocking!

 

[icefire]

Freire doesn't even know who Hutarovich is. He was a bit behind and couldn't see what happened

 

[hrotha]

Rumour has it Freire congratulated Offredo instead.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Eurosport show the hill. Bloody hell!
Now doing a Fignon piece.
JC interviews Kelly about "the man".

 

[Carl0880]

Eurosport show the hill. Bloody hell!
Now doing a Fignon piece.

Yea looking at that makes me hard to think that anyone but Rodriguez will win. I think it will be important to see if other teams maybe set a high pace just to deaden his legs a little. WIth his bad TT skills he needs to pick up time on these type of hills to put time on Menchov. He wont make much time on Menchov on the big mountains because he may have the acceleration, but Menchov has the power to reel in the accelerations. With these short steep hills Menchov dont have the kms to claw back the explosive burst. The Time bonus being another key. I can see Rodriguez gaining 45-50 (Including time Bonuses) over some contenders.