Vuelta a España Vuelta a España 2022, stage 18: Trujillo - Alto de Piornal, 192.0k

[Devil's Elbow]

The Vuelta heads into the Sistema Central for the decisive part of the race. Unfortunately, this stage is a throwback to what the race was like 20 years ago with lots of 5% tempogrinding, but with time running out the GC riders may come to play for the second easy MTF in as many days.

The first half of the stage is fairly easy, then we reach the Alto de la Desesperá. This climb features the only proper gradients of the day, so naturally it's a cat. 2 when the next two climbs are cat. 1s.

The second climb of the day is the Alto de Piornal. Why Unipublic haven't labeled it the Puerto del Piornal, the usual name for the climb, is beyond me, as the final climb has also been named Alto de Piornal, only that ascent ends in the village of Piornal rather than at the pass - needlessly confusing...

Either way, this is the profile of the second Alto de Piornal, they only do the first 13.4 kilometres. The stats are really similar to the first one. The penultimate kilometre averages 7.2%, this isn't quite Montevergine levels of low gradients but still not steep at all, of course.

 

[Escarabajo]

Fuente De, Formigal. I won't use stage 20 from Vuelta 2019 or 2015 because those analogies are reserved for the same stage 20 this year. LOL.

We have the ingredients. We just need the cook!!!

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Desespera is for desperate guys. Mas to attack there, Remco to have a mechanical (for real this time) and an epic race is on!

 

[Libertine Seguros]

We have the ingredients. We just need the cook!!!

 

[wheresmybrakes]

Remco is gonna be sick to the back teeth of Mas' ass tomorrow!

 

[Angelo1985]

I don't see the team of Movistar strong enough to go from 90kms out.

 

[Angelo1985]

Desespera is for desperate guys. Mas to attack there, Remco to have a mechanical (for real this time) and an epic race is on!

In that scenario i see Evenepoel coming back from far out and dropping Mas like a stone lol.

 

[search]

I don't see the team of Movistar strong enough to go from 90kms out.

their only chance for anything of note tomorrow is Valverde winning a 30 men sprint.

 

[sir fly]

Nothing wrong with the stage design.
Exactly the way an opportunity in the third week of the season's third GT should look like.

 

[JosefK]

The stage is set. The key ingredient needed is, what is the Spanish word--cajones ?

 

[Escarabajo]

Desespera is for desperate guys. Mas to attack there, Remco to have a mechanical (for real this time) and an epic race is on!

All people from around the world are praying to their Gods that Mas attacks tomorrow. The chances of that happening are very low. That's why they are praying!!!!

 

[Red Rick]

Desespera sounds cool, looks cool, but what looks awful is the 2nd loop with Piornal. Shoulda only been a single climb there.

 

[sir fly]

Desespera sounds cool, looks cool, but what looks awful is the 2nd loop with Piornal. Shoulda only been a single climb there.

Desespera seems further than optimal for such a design.
A softer finale, maybe, but not a complete cutoff.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

their only chance for anything of note tomorrow is Valverde winning a 30 men sprint.

Nowadays he has a hard time winning sprints against men over 30.

 

[yaco]

I expect the break to have 25 or 30 riders - And then its a raffle.

 

[ice&fire]

Desesperá is barely 7km from the finish. Anyone can find many ways to use it better.

 

[RedheadDane]

Nowadays he has a hard time winning sprints against men over 30.

Plenty of men under 30 in the race.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Plenty of men under 30 in the race.

Which makes it it even harder for him.

 

[Red Rick]

Desesperá is barely 7km from the finish. Anyone can find many ways to use it better.

The one good thing about Rog crashing out is I'm already too disappointed to be salty about the wreck taht is this stage design.

2 stages with bad circuits, it could've been so much better. Though I don't know if there's better climbs for Friday

 

[Danskebjerge]

Desesperá is barely 7km from the finish.

Huh?

 

[search]

Huh?

all climbs tomorrow are on the same mountain, just different roads

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Huh?

Not in the actual stage, but the distance between the summit of Desesperá and the finish in Piornal is little over 7km, so the stage could be much more selective or give much better options for creating gaps than the real life stage.

Take for example the last 80km of this, which uses the same finish, travels over the same mountains, includes the Puerto del Piornal and moves Desesperá to only around 20km from home:

 

[SHAD0W93]

One of these days a GT organizer is going to steal one of Libertine’s routes and try taking all of the credit.

 

[Tonton]

Fuente De, Formigal. I won't use stage 20 from Vuelta 2019 or 2015 because those analogies are reserved for the same stage 20 this year. LOL.

We have the ingredients. We just need the cook!!!

I don't know what you're talking about. Primoz is gone, there is only one cook left and it's Remco.

I'm afraid that what we will see is, like today, one or two "looking good on TV", half-hearted attacks from Mas but no más. There will be no epic GC ride.

 

[movingtarget]

Shame that Roglic and Yates are out and that Carapaz and Hindley are not in Giro form but it is what it is. Don't see Remco losing the race at this stage even though he had a few hard days. He had enough time in hand to defend well.