Vuelta a España Vuelta a España 2021: Stage 18 (Salas - Alto d'El Gamoniteiru, 162.6 km)

[Libertine Seguros]

MAL certainly knows how to win big mtf's. Sierra Nevada, Col de la Loze, Alto de Gamoniteiru...that's not a bad collection.

Even in his smaller races, he is the king of the monumental MTF. Sierra de los Comechingones, Genting Highlands, Kitzbüheler Horn...

 

[Forever The Best]

MAL certainly knows how to win big mtf's. Sierra Nevada, Col de la Loze, Alto de Gamoniteiru...that's not a bad collection.

Also won at Calar Alto.

 

[RedheadDane]

Too bad Eiking is playing GC rider, so he couldn't join the Scandi-Gang!

84	CORT Magnus	EF Education - Nippo			31:28
85	KRON Andreas	Lotto Soudal			,,
86	LUDVIGSSON Tobias	Groupama - FDJ			,,

And yes, I know I notice weird like this!

 

[Danskebjerge]

I guess the Australian didn't STORE enough energy for the last climb. (Yeah, it's a bad one, I know.)

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I guess the Australian didn't STORE enough energy for the last climb. (Yeah, it's a bad one, I know.)

 

[Red Rick]

Also won at Calar Alto and La Pandera.

Didn't win La Pandera but got 2nd after Majka who won from the break.

 

[Cookster15]

Kudos for winning the stage he’s been looking good. But for MAL’s sake I hope he recovers better after today’s effort then he did after winning stage 17 of the 2020 TdF and then capitulating in the stage 20 ITT. A podium isn’t safe yet.

 

[sir fly]

I guess the Australian didn't STORE enough energy for the last climb. (Yeah, it's a bad one, I know.)

Pushed and popped the dots...

 

[ice&fire]

Also won at Calar Alto and La Pandera.

Sierra Nevada, not La Pandera

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Prestigious victory for Lopez, he's won the most difficult climbs in TdF history (Loze) and in Vuelta history. Storer with a long-range attack but the final climb was too hard. De La Cruz overtook him only to learn how it tastes just a few km later. As I expected, big guys were calm until last few km. Bernal and Roglic recovered well and the Colombian was attacking again! Small gaps despite such a hard climb - we've seen it before though. No big changes in the GC, Roglic's victory is virtually safe right now.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

not that hyped for this climb and it turned out to be rather unspectacular.

Nice win for Lopez.

Overall this whole Vuelta leaves a meh feeling. Still some stages to go but unlikely to change that. I had the feeling from day 1 Roglic was just gonna easily win this. Counter arguments were the race was long and the field was strong etc but I just didn't see how Bernal, Lopez, Mas, Yates were gonna challenge Roglic unless Jumbo were really weak. And they weren't. And then it was just waiting for that deciding stage.

Or maybe I just saw too many races/sports in a short period of time with TDF, Olympics etc to be hyped for this. It's just been, for me, one of the most boring and unhype Vuelta's of the last 20 years.

 

[jmdirt]

Congrats young man! You like these ramps huh?!

 

[Red Rick]

not that hyped for this climb and it turned out to be rather unspectacular.

Nice win for Lopez.

Overall this whole Vuelta leaves a meh feeling. Still some stages to go but unlikely to change that. I had the feeling from day 1 Roglic was just gonna easily win this. Counter arguments were the race was long and the field was strong etc but I just didn't see how Bernal, Lopez, Mas, Yates were gonna challenge Roglic unless Jumbo were really weak. And they weren't. And then it was just waiting for that deciding stage.

Or maybe I just saw too many races/sports in a short period of time with TDF, Olympics etc to be hyped for this. It's just been, for me, one of the most boring and unhype Vuelta's of the last 20 years.

There's been plenty of worse Vueltas that just get an inflated rep cause they were "close". In reality Roglic didn't have more than half a minute until he joined an attack at more than 60km to go in the third week. 2007-2011 were all worse from my memory.

 

[burning]

2009 edition was probably the most snoozefest of all ones that I can recall. The only highlights for me are de la Fuente hitting the brakes to gift Valverde 8 seconds and Cadel puncturing (and doing nothing whatsoever for ~10 days after that puncture).

2014 and 2017 editions were very barren in terms of GC action too.

 

[perico]

2009 edition was probably the most snoozefest of all ones that I can recall. The only highlights for me are de la Fuente hitting the brakes to gift Valverde 8 seconds and Cadel puncturing (and doing nothing whatsoever for ~10 days after that puncture).

2014 and 2017 editions were very barren in terms of GC action too.

2014 was pretty close. Froome made a late push and dropped everyone but Contador. It was very exciting especially since both were coming off of injuries and weren’t guaranteed to hit the form they did.

 

[Forever The Best]

Didn't win La Pandera but got 2nd after Majka who won from the break.

Yeah you are right.

 

[Mayomaniac]

2009 edition was probably the most snoozefest of all ones that I can recall. The only highlights for me are de la Fuente hitting the brakes to gift Valverde 8 seconds and Cadel puncturing (and doing nothing whatsoever for ~10 days after that puncture).

2014 and 2017 editions were very barren in terms of GC action too.

2009 is a strange one, the route was not that bad (once you got past the first 7 stages), but the race was just boooring.

There's been plenty of worse Vueltas that just get an inflated rep cause they were "close". In reality Roglic didn't have more than half a minute until he joined an attack at more than 60km to go in the third week. 2007-2011 were all worse from my memory.

2011 wasn't bad. At least you didn't write 2006-2011, that would have been heresy.

 

[Forever The Best]

Sierra Nevada, not La Pandera

He actually finished 2nd after Majka ( who won from break ) on La Pandera. I thought he won that one too.

 

[Cookster15]

Bernal could probably have gotten on the podium if the had raced differently yesterday...
But he would never have caught Roglic anyway. So it's just nice (for me at least) to see he's better than in the beginning of the race, that his back doesn't seem to be bothering him too much, and that he does something worth watching in the race.
About results, I'm just looking forward to 2022 and hope he has a good year then. He's still quite young and he already has a Giro win this year.

I agree but it was a courageous racing risk and Egan earned big respect for trying the almost impossible. I watched the end of that stage today and I think it was driving on the front in the valley that sapped his strength for the final climb to Lagos de Covadonga.

On his back, no signs it is causing the type of problem that forced his withdrawal in 2020 TdF. He's still only 24 and I think his performance in less than ideal circumstances has enhanced his reputation. Covid was a setback to his preparation but I too am looking forward to what an uninterrupted preparation might bring Bernal in 2022.

 

[Red Rick]

2009 is a strange one, the route was not that bad (once you got past the first 7 stages), but the race was just boooring.


2011 wasn't bad. At least you didn't write 2006-2011, that would have been heresy.

Sierra Nevada had 40 guys finishing together, Manzaneda had 0 action, it had the Ancares stage that went to a break with 15 minutes to spare and it had the GC locked up after 14 stages cause literally the final 7 stages didn't have any real mountains.

 

[Lequack]

not that hyped for this climb and it turned out to be rather unspectacular.

I think these steep climbs are always promising but often times fail to make big gaps. Just like Angliru last year I think, with only a few dozens seconds differences. It seems that everyone starts coping and no ones wants to attack these climbs. And since they're so slow you're always in view of followers.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Sierra Nevada had 40 guys finishing together, Manzaneda had 0 action, it had the Ancares stage that went to a break with 15 minutes to spare and it had the GC locked up after 14 stages cause literally the final 7 stages didn't have any real mountains.

That Sierra Nevada stage was really bad, but who in the hell would use that side of the climb when you can replace the first part of the climb with an actually steep climb?

 

[Red Rick]

That Sierra Nevada stage was really bad, but who in the hell would use that side of the climb when you can replace the first part of the climb with an actually steep climb?

Seems to have been a change remnant of old Vuelta routes IMO. 2011 and 2008 and 2009 all had a bunch of grinder finishes. 2008 was like 3 weak MTFs, Angliru, big ITT and Navacerrada MTT. Contador attacked and dropped Leipi every single MTF and still only won by bonis despite getting 5th and 3rd in ITTs.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

That Sierra Nevada stage was really bad, but who in the hell would use that side of the climb when you can replace the first part of the climb with an actually steep climb?

Especially as they'd discovered the Las Sabinas route from El Dornajo to Pradollano in 2009 too.

I guess since unlike in 2009 when it was the queen stage they wanted it to be in a Montevergine di Mercogliano type role as it was only on stage 4 (notwithstanding that in 2007 - a pretty tame race otherwise - they had Covadonga on stage 4). Let's also remember that 2011 had just about the tamest ever Montevergine stage (and think of the ground that covers) too.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Especially as they'd discovered the Las Sabinas route from El Dornajo to Pradollano in 2009 too.

I guess since unlike in 2009 when it was the queen stage they wanted it to be in a Montevergine di Mercogliano type role as it was only on stage 4 (notwithstanding that in 2007 - a pretty tame race otherwise - they had Covadonga on stage 4). Let's also remember that 2011 had just about the tamest ever Montevergine stage (and think of the ground that covers) too.

Montevergine would actually be fine, if they used it in a MTT with a few kms of flat at the start early on. It's the sam withh most of those tempogrinders, you can have a MTT that favours the strong rouleurs over the lightweight climbers and creates some actual gaps, but as a MTF they are rather useless.