Vuelta a España Vuelta a España 2021: Stage 8 (Santa Pola - La Manga del Mar Menor, 173.7 km)

[Roku]

Final ks will be as exposed as it could be. A little bit of wind will create some echelons.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Unless the wind blows this will be a candidate for worst weekend stage of any Grand Tour this century.

I'm dead set against this type of stage on any weekend, but the penultimate weekend flat stage is a special brand of evil. It's improved significantly in the last few years but for a while the Tour was a particularly bad offender in this respect.

2009, penultimate Saturday:

2010, penultimate Saturday (at least offering a little, and salvaged because VINO):

The 2011 Tour, with pretty much nothing but decisive stages remaining, served up this on its penultimate Sunday:

2012, penultimate Saturday:

2014, penultimate Sunday:

2015, penultimate Sunday - this was listed as a medium mountain stage and was won by that vaunted baroudeur... André Greipel:

2016, penultimate Saturday:

 

[ice&fire]

That's a tourist destination with lots of constructions. Coastal roads -surely the last 10km- will be mostly protected from the wind. Perhaps there'll find some exposed roads in the inland loops when they go through farm lands.

Regarding complaints about the flat stage on a weekend... action yesterday was killed by Valverde's crash. If they had today a mountain stage, yesterday we would have had no action at all.

 

[Netserk]

Don't diss the 2015 stage, Libertine. It was as nice as a sprint stage without echelons could be.

Final ks will be as exposed as it could be. A little bit of wind will create some echelons.

Watch it on streetview. The roads are not exposed.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

I'm dead set against this type of stage on any weekend, but the penultimate weekend flat stage is a special brand of evil. It's improved significantly in the last few years but for a while the Tour was a particularly bad offender in this respect.

2009, penultimate Saturday:

2010, penultimate Saturday (at least offering a little, and salvaged because VINO):

The 2011 Tour, with pretty much nothing but decisive stages remaining, served up this on its penultimate Sunday:

2012, penultimate Saturday:

2014, penultimate Sunday:

2015, penultimate Sunday - this was listed as a medium mountain stage and was won by that vaunted baroudeur... André Greipel:

2016, penultimate Saturday:

Interesting selection of stages that should not have been on at the weekend, but would have been more ad rem if this were the penultimate weekend.

Do you have a collection of pre-penultimate aberrations?

 

[ice&fire]

This is what the "sandbar" that hosts the final kms looks like. Definitely not exposed.

 

[Red Rick]

Don't worry guys we'll have all the echelons in the first 50km.

 

[ice&fire]

Don't worry guys we'll have all the echelons in the first 50km.

The first 50km look like the picture I posted above, with the only difference that the sea is only on one side

 

[Red Rick]

The first 50km look like the picture I posted above, with the only difference that the sea is only on one side

Should be cross/tail here

 

[ice&fire]

Should be cross/tail here

I'd say buildings are agnostic about wind direction

 

[sir fly]

There has to be a promotional stage and this is it.
... Last minute offer.

 

[roundabout]

I still hope that putting a flat stage without even a murito at the end on a weekend surely was done with some echelon possibility in mind which means that there are exposed sections somewhere on the route.

 

[Rackham]

Oh look, the 3 man Spanish breakaway of the day forms at km 0.

We haven't seen anything like this before.

 

[ice&fire]

I still hope that putting a flat stage without even a murito at the end on a weekend surely was done with some echelon possibility in mind which means that there are exposed sections somewhere on the route.

Anyone who looks at tomoorow's stage knows they would smoke today's whatever the route, so that's it.

That being said, there are some exposed roads going through farm lands when they get away from the coast line. The constant change of direction make sure they'll pick the right wind direction somewhere, but weather forecast gives wind speed of 15km/h with bursts of 20-25km/h. I'm not sure that's strong enough.

There has to be a promotional stage and this is it.
... Last minute offer.

Check the news before booking your holiday. Most beaches at the Mar Menor lagoon may be closed due to a sudden burst of mass dead fish.

 

[sir fly]

Anyone who looks at tomoorow's stage knows they would smoke today's whatever the route, so that's it.

That being said, there are some exposed roads going through farm lands when they get away from the coast line. The constant change of direction make sure they'll pick the right wind direction somewhere, but weather forecast gives wind speed of 15km/h with bursts of 20-25km/h. I'm not sure that's strong enough.


Check the news before booking your holiday. Most beaches at the Mar Menor lagoon may be closed due to a sudden burst of mass dead fish.

Wind farmlands?

 

[ice&fire]

Wind farmlands?

Last time I visited the area wind farmlands were not a thing, so I don't know.
Surely they grow some veggies there, too.

 

[sir fly]

Last time I visited the area wind farmlands were not a thing, so I don't know.
Surely they grow some veggies there, too.

So the wind there still wanders in the wilderness?

 

[Red Rick]

Stage would probably be much better if we could mic up Roglic to hear what's cracking up Gesink

 

[Red Rick]

The broadcast has just dropped Carlton Kirby

 

[Tim Cahill]

Kelly having to call it on his own because of technical difficulties.

"Errr...."

 

[bigcog]

Kelly having to call it on his own because of technical difficulties.

"Errr...."

Probably better than Kirby, at least he knows what he's talking about.

 

[sir fly]

Gonna be a huge letdown if the wind doesn't shape any of the stages.
Every single flat's been designed with the idea of crosswind.

They shouldn't have pushed for it that hard.

 

[KZD]

Wind causing an impact now no big names seem to have been caught behind

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Yawn, wakes up

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Just tuned in with 7km to go... I'm just here for the finishing sprint. And the scenery, of course, can't forget about the scenery.