Vuelta a España Vuelta a España 2020: Stage 17 (Sequeros > Alto de la Covatilla , 178.2 km)

[Lequack]

Well this is it! The last GC day, where any meaningful differences can be made. Also the penultimate day of racing in 2020, after Vuelta there are no races left
Everything is still open, the fight for the win as well as podium places. Even Dan Martin can do something if he's feeling good. Hopefully it will be as entertaining to watch.

Weather:

Profile:

Penultimate climb:

Climb to the finish:

GC:

Points:

Youth:

KOM:

 

[Lequack]

Alternative profile

 

[Netserk]

Last ~11.7 km of this:

 

[Lequack]

Photos from Covatilla in 2018 - Ben King wins — unipublic/corvos
http://www.steephill.tv/2018/vuelta-a-espana/photos/stage-09/

 

[red_flanders]

I just don't see enough difficulty here to change the GC results in any significant way.

 

[Lequack]

Photos from Covatilla in 2011 - Dan Martin wins — sirotti/reuters
http://www.steephill.tv/2011/vuelta-a-espana/photos/stage-09/

 

[Red Rick]

Honestly it's a good climb for some tussle but not hard enough for a final weak.

 

[Earns1985]

To do something against the Jumbo train here earlier then 8 km to go is difficult.
Roglic hasn't been untouchable in the last mountain stages. Is 8 km enough for Carthy or Carapaz?

 

[ice&fire]

La Covatilla is a climb totally exposed to downward wind. I see echelons more likely than one-man attacks.

 

[SafeBet]

Froome with his last monster attack in the Ineos jersey, dragging Carapaz up to the rojo.

 

[Lequack]

Froome with his last monster attack in the Ineos jersey, dragging Carapaz up to the rojo.

Afterwards he takes off his sunglasses and says: "It was me all along, the vintage Froome. Fooled you!"

 

[Red Rick]

La Covatilla is a climb totally exposed to downward wind. I see echelons more likely than one-man attacks.

Yeah doesn't it alternate between cross and headwind usually?

 

[ice&fire]

Yeah doesn't it alternate between cross and headwind usually?

Yes. The dominant wind direction is descending from the summit to the plains (SE to NW). That makes it crosswind in most of the climb and headwind in the last km.

 

[bob.a.feet]

Carapaz still has a chance - slight as it may be - of taking the jersey.

He needs his team to make it as hard as possible to reduce Jumbo's numbers - though I think Jumbo will still have 3 or 4 doms heading into the climb. Then he needs to attack on La Covatilla and not look back. If Roglic is weak, Carapaz can get a gap and he just needs to keep pushing. Roglic will probably have Bennet and Kuss to pace him but if Carapaz is stronger then the gap will just keep growing.

Of course if Roglic is on a good day he simply crushes them all. Anything but an Ineos win would be nice.

 

[Red Rick]

Yes. The dominant wind direction is descending from the summit to the plains (SE to NW). That makes it crosswind in most of the climb and headwind in the last km.

Can't find a better climb for a choochoo train then.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I hope Jumbo let Vingegaard fly. Kuss and Gesink should be enough help for Roglic.

It's the last chance for Guillaume Martin to gain 5 minutes on Gaudu. I expect to see a Cofidis train taking off right out of the neutral zone.

 

[ice&fire]

Can't find a better climb for a choochoo train then.

The question is, do Kuss and Vinegaard know how to make an echelon and how to avoid getting off one?

 

[Red Rick]

The question is, do Kuss and Vinegaard know how to make an echelon and how to avoid getting off one?

M O N G O L E N W A A I E R

 

[Luthor]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1324773237973225474

View: https://twitter.com/ammattipyoraily/status/1324773237973225474

Rog has it in the bag

 

[Leinster]

Honestly it's a good climb for some tussle but not hard enough for a final weak.

Definitely not a final week that hasn't had any other GC action since the TT. Needed yesterday or today to be a lot harder.

 

[Lequack]

Alberto Contador: Ineos have let Richard Caparaz down
"Carapaz is playing his role and I don't think he can do much more with what his colleagues are doing. In the end when you don't achieve the goal you set out to achieve you start to question and look for explanations. Jumbo is winning without any problems and almost without any effort and that has to be analysed. ."

La Vuelta - Alberto Contador: Ineos have let Richard Caparaz down, nobody is testing Primoz Roglic

Alberto Contador believes Ineos Grenadiers have not been strong enough in their support of Richard Carapaz’s general classification challenge at La Vuelta.

www.eurosport.co.uk

 

[Escarabajo]

Honestly it's a good climb for some tussle but not hard enough for a final weak.

The organizers must be hitting their heads and saying: "What have we done?"
Simply horrible final week of the Vuelta.

 

[BlackWhiteEagle]

Carthy to win the stage, the race and my sympathy (most important).

 

[Red Rick]

The organizers must be hitting their heads and saying: "What have we done?"
Simply horrible final week of the Vuelta.

I guess the finishing town/regions offers must've been dire? But then why not go the other way aruond?

 

[Pinot's goat]

I guess the finishing town/regions offers must've been dire? But then why not go the other way aruond?

The route was front loaded due to the olympics as more riders would carry their form and go to la vuelta