Vuelta a España 2017 Rumours

[ice&fire]

Maps and profiles have been posted on la flamme rouge forum. They are best guesses based on the low resolution route from AS, although the Asturian stages are a bit off IMHO.

http://www.la-flamme-rouge.eu/maps/tours/view/4391

 

[Flamin]

Great work, but someone actually took the time to make these... a few hours before the actual presentation?

 

[ice&fire]

I don't think so. I found it yesterday and there have been some changes since then after the route map was leaked by AS. I guess it was a work in the making for several days.

 

[Descender]

I will withdraw judgment on those descent finishes. I'd be very surprised if Guillen doesn't go out of his way to bypass them.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Will the live presentation be streamed?

 

[ice&fire]

Teledeporte is broadcasting the last minutes of an intersting handball game between Tunisia and Macedonia. They've rescheduled the event at 19:15

They're starting live now at 19:17

 

[TromleTromle]

Re:

Teledeporte is broadcasting the last minutes of an intersting handball game between Tunisia and Macedonia. They've rescheduled the event at 19:15

You can see it live on vuelta Facebook page

 

[jens_attacks]

Not really^

 

[TromleTromle]

Re:

Not really^

Seems like 1900 in spain means 20-something-ish... manana manana

 

[capuldemetal]

can't find any working links for either rtve or teledeporte.

ps:someone has got the profiles right! awsome job!

 

[Valv.Piti]

So far, the best GT in 2017. Many stages to like here and the ITT is 42 km and completely flat.

 

[KyoGrey]

http://ciclismo.as.com/ciclismo/2017/01/12/vuelta_espana/1484228188_437968.html

Thanks to the speed of kokogua (Spanish forums).

IMO its a very interesting and hard parcours.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

So far, the best GT in 2017. Many stages to like here and the ITT is 42 km and completely flat.

Yes, definitely the best parcours IMO. Very interesting!

 

[Gigs_98]

This looks like a pretty good route. I haven't looked at the details but I think it could be the best gt route of the year.

 

[DFA123]

It looks like Garbi from Segart has made it in! That's an insanely tough climb to sneak in towards the end of a medium mountain stage. In Valencia, in august as well. Definitely will be some GC fireworks there.

 

[yaco]

- Will check the parcours of the Giro to see which one is harder - Like there are interesting stages on the second and third weekens - Like the ITT is stage 16 - Feel that if you have it later in the race the strong TT riders sit back and hold on in the mountains - This should make for more aggressive racing. Thumbs up from me.

 

[Red Rick]

Very good for Vuelta standard. Missing a true queen stage, a 2nd TT and a few true medium mountain stages. Also disappointed Sierra Nevada is regular Sierra Nevada, now nothing will happen on Hazallanas. Garbi and Barrejo too far from the finish line sadly.

 

[KyoGrey]

A lot of hilly terrain and multiple mountain passes to add flavour and interest to the Vuelta a los Muritos de España. A great step forward.

Also, we have finally passed from the hilly 37km ITT of these past years to 42km flat. At least is something.

 

[ice&fire]

I've counted five downhill finishes, not including Cuenca and Xorret de Catí. Descender, come out!!!

 

[DFA123]

There surely can't be a harder 50km stretch in grand tour history than the Cobertoria, Cordal and Angliru. Isn't that enough to make it a queen stage?

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

There surely can't be a harder 50km stretch in grand tour history than the Cobertoria, Cordal and Angliru. Isn't that enough to make it a queen stage?

Its up there. Cordal, hard side Cobortoria and Alba was also pretty brutal... at least on paper. Gosh, that was a bad stage. :lol:

 

[TromleTromle]

Re:

There surely can't be a harder 50km stretch in grand tour history than the Cobertoria, Cordal and Angliru. Isn't that enough to make it a queen stage?

It's quite solid at least - not harder than Sella Ronda - but the gradiants are LOCO.

Overall this a 8-9 in a Vuelta world. and perhaps a lucky 7-ish overall.
+: ITT
+: Stage 3
+: Last week
+: Downhill kings be alert
+: Lots of small annoying mountains everyday

-: Sierra Nevada ???
-: B/C-class sprinters incoming
-: Transfer heavy
-: Last year had ALL NEW MTF's - this year we reuse too many classics, sets up a weird 2018, unless the Canaries........

 

[ice&fire]

There's a significant improvement in the mid-mountain stages, but they've spoiled the downhill finishes on the way to Sagunto and Alhama (El Pozo) by choosing the loops that place the last summit further from the finish.
The lack of a hard queen stage and the 3-in-a-row MTFs is attributed to the effect the Aubisque stage had on Urdax the day before. But having both Sierra Nevada and Angliru 120 km short is a bit too much.

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

There surely can't be a harder 50km stretch in grand tour history than the Cobertoria, Cordal and Angliru. Isn't that enough to make it a queen stage?

It's quite solid at least - not harder than Sella Ronda - but the gradiants are LOCO.

It's way, way harder than Sella Ronda. Its 15km shorter and has about 800m more of climbing. Angliru alone is harder than the entire Sella Ronda.

 

[Red Rick]

Re:

There surely can't be a harder 50km stretch in grand tour history than the Cobertoria, Cordal and Angliru. Isn't that enough to make it a queen stage?

A cat 1, a cat 2, and an HC climb (not using Unipublic measures) in a stage under 120km? Hell *** no.

Also, Sierra Nevada stage of 120km? ***

Somebody tell Contador to please go full *** in a 220km+ stage the next time he does it