Vuelta a España Vuelta a España 2023, stage 1: Barcelona - Barcelona (14.8k / TTT)

[Netserk]

So Remco 26 seconds ahead of Rogla and Vingo. The race is over, it seems

Yep, he needed at least 27 seconds today. RIP.

 

[roundabout]

Weren't the last one of those held in the early 2000s?

Last was 2006. Both 2005 and 2006 were in October so it was darker because of that too.

 

[Netserk]

@Netserk did Jumbo finish with Kuss in 1st?

They really tried it seems

Yep. GC Kuss confirmed.

 

[Jagartrott]

The complexity is that you have to be an obsessed weather expert to predict that a 26th of August evening in Barcelona would produce this kind of weather, with this kind of darkness because of dark cloud cover. I wonder if Barcelona had anything like this in the past 20-30 years in August.

So nobody could predict beforehand it would be this dark. They hoped for the best but they got the worst. Remco (and others) are right to complain but we've had it and let's move on. It's a shame De Plus crashed out but any other TTT could have any number of DNF due to a crash, even in dry circumstances.

It took me all of 10 seconds to find that Barcelona has an average of 4 days with significant rain (> 1 mm) in August on average. That's roughly 12% chance that you get rain on a Vuelta stage like now, and I'm assuming that that probability is actually higher at the end of August than at the beginning - maybe more like 15%. That's not negligible at all.

Climate of Barcelona - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Volderke]

It was dark in pamplona in 2013

It was dark in 2010

Ofcourse it was dark in Pamplona in 2013, especially at night.

But I fail to see any connection with the Vuelta.

Overview map Vuelta a España 2013

View here all the stages of Vuelta a España 2013 in one map.

www.procyclingstats.com

ps: 2012 Pamplona was very different, not anywhere as dark as Barcelona 2023.

View: https://youtu.be/V3ZCNL-5BQ0?t=3178


2010 was dark but bone dry, so no need to change the schedule, while it's clear it could have been done for Barcelona 2023.

 

[Kaptain Kool]

He had a flat and they all stopped for him to change bikes. But why would one find out the facts before writing trash? It ain't Kool

Ah, yes. My mistake. He lost because of a "flat." Just like is colleague in Roubaix, maybe Worlds, too?

 

[roundabout]

Ofcourse it was dark in Pamplona in 2013, especially at night.

But I fail to see any connection with the Vuelta.

Overview map Vuelta a España 2013

View here all the stages of Vuelta a España 2013 in one map.

www.procyclingstats.com

2010 was bone dry.

2012 was probably meant instead of 2013

 

[Volderke]

It took me all of 10 seconds to find that Barcelona has an average of 4 days with significant rain (> 1 mm) in August on average. That's roughly 12% chance that you get rain on a Vuelta day, and I'm assuming that that probability is actually higher at the end of August than at the beginning - maybe more like 15%. That's not negligible at all.

Climate of Barcelona - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

A day with rain is a simple statistic, but let's take two extremes:
It rains at night, and in the morning, everything is dry.
Or it rains in the day, much more than 1mm, and everything is wet for hours. That was today.

Your "12% chance you get rain on a Vuelta day" is nothing more than a Vuelta day. It doesn't say anything about it actually raining during the race itself. A day is 24 hours, a race is aprrox. 5-6hrs at max. in a Vuelta.

 

[Netserk]

Sevilla was well-lit as I recall it.

 

[Riek s]

But when you're Always crying wolf people stop listening.

I would dare to say that is what the anti-remco posters do about Remco every time he talks.

 

[LookProGoSlow]

Yes, but its literally DARKNESS. You cannot control the rain, but you definitely can control when it gets dark. My god this is amateurish

You are able to control when it gets dark? Tell us your secret😜

 

[Monte Serra]

Einer Rubio, best TT from Colombia, that's right fellows!!!!

Einer Rubio is the new Santiago Botero???

 

[Big Doopie]

Movistar and QS rode incredibly considering they could not even go all out.

Remco right to complain particularly since his team ultimately gained. It has more weight than bitching after u lose time.

 

[HelloDolly]

Wasn't it dark during the final ITT in Santiago de Compostella in 2014 as well?

Yes It was

And in the first 20 so years of the Tour they rode through the night ...proper order too

That great Irish amateur rider who won the RAS many time trained in the night as that was the only time he could

 

[Netserk]

You are able to control when it gets dark? Tell us your secret😜

It's called Daylight Saving Time.

 

[KZD]

Honestly the organisers were unlucky with the weather because its unlikely to have this rain in the Spanish summer but still this was one of the worst thought stages in the last years. A technical TTT its already the kind of stage that I don't like to see due to being crash prone but doing it finishing after 8pm when the night has already fallen is simply a dumb idea because it ensures the last riders won't have the same conditions as the first ones.

Regarding the actual results, DSM took obviously advantage of the better conditions that they had but among the favourites Movistar were the big winners of the day with Remco's Soudal coming right behind. Still, I don't think the gaps, even to Almeida who lost almost a minue, are that significant given the amounts of the big climbs thst we have on this race. The team that ends up worst is actually Ineos that lost one of the best climbing domestiques, De Plus.

 

[Valv.Piti]

My great grand dad also rode in the darkness, but that doesn't mean you have to literally schedule a technical TT in the freaking dark when you have the WHOLE FREAKING DAY to ride.

Just do normal times, christ. End at 5.30 pm like normal.

 

[Cookster15]

Its simply laughable, and people critisizing Evenepoel should be real ashamed of themselves and try to put themselves in his position!

I get the point of view that he has good grounds for complaining but I absolutely reject this comment. How is Remco's position different to Vingegaard or Roglic?

The reaction against Remco is 100% understandable. I am not reading whinging from Vingegaard or Roglic and they both have more to complain about than lucky Remco. Does Remco think he is the new Hinault?

 

[RedheadDane]

And in the first 20 so years of the Tour they rode through the night ...proper order too

That was 100 years ago. Not exactly relevant.

 

[Cookster15]

why tone it down though? if organizers' amateurism makes the race dangerous or borderline irregular for some teams it's only right to call them out imho.

I get this. But Vingegaard and Roglic have more to complain about.

 

[Red Rick]

Pretty sure if there's no rain and especially pools of water reflecting all the car lights visibility should easily be good enough.

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

Ok a bit out of context, but now everybody writing about dark hours at GT all of a sudden a cruising pink Cippo suit comes to my mind.
The quite extraordinary ~1K Giro prologue along the lido at Reggio Calabria at nights. Pure memorable.
Though dry conditions by the time, pretty sure everyone would have survived the flat line 1K TT even if raining cats and dogs.

 

[Valv.Piti]

I get the point of view that he has good grounds for complaining but I absolutely reject this comment. How is Remco's position different to Vingegaard or Roglic?

The reaction against Remco is 100% understandable. I am not reading whinging from Vingegaard or Roglic and they both have more to complain about than lucky Remco. Does Remco think he is the new Hinault?

Well QS was the last team, and therefore obviously they rode in the worst conditions.

I don't understand ***. When something is wrong, and when people call that out, I support them. As should everyone else? Isn't that normal behavior? Unless you think its okay to ride your bikes at 50 km an hour on a technical city circuit in a team time trial in darkness.

 

[Bonimenier]

I get this. But Vingegaard and Roglic have more to complain about.

How do they have more to complain about? Every rider could have had a puncture. There is no preferential treatment to any team. Only the last couple of teams could ride/finish in the dark. That's just an unfair disadvantage.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Pretty sure if there's no rain and especially pools of water reflecting all the car lights visibility should easily be good enough.

Irrelevant IMO. You know it can rain. Therefore, you plan your TTT accordingly.

Its not hard.

EDIT: Patrick Broe literally said 8.15 its getting dark and 8.30 its almost all dark in normal conditions.