Vuelta a España Vuelta a España 2023, stage 15: Pamplona - Lekunberri, 158.3k

[Devil's Elbow]

Breakaway bonanza.

The stage starts from Pamplona, capital of Navarra, famous for its old, still largely fortified centre and notorious for its bull running. The first 50 kilometres of the stage are rolling, perfect terrain for a hard fight to get into the break. The main hills are Alto de Altaza, the first 2.0k of the profile below…

…Alto de Mañeru…

…and Alto de Lorca/Lorkatxiki.

After reaching Estella, home of the GP Indurain, the riders turn north to tackle Puerto de Lizarraga, long, irregular, but also not that hard.

After the only longer valley section of the day, it’s time for the final circuit, of which we do 1.5 laps. On the second half of the circuit and therefore tackled twice, there is the main difficulty, Puerto de Zuarrarrate.

The finish is just after the descent, in Lekunberri. This is the second time the Vuelta has come here, after 2020, but that was a much harder stage (San Miguel de Aralar descent finish won by Marc Soler). Then again, that finish wouldn’t do much with the current GC situation and this one forms an opportunity for a bigger pool of riders, so the easier route is arguably a good thing in the scenario we are experiencing.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Remco from the breakaway, again

 

[Netserk]

Kelderman.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Kelderman.

Not allowed

 

[Netserk]

Not allowed

Jumbo has seen the writings of @Devil's Elbow and says: "Memes will continue until morale improves."

First it was GC Kuss, then it will be stage winner Kelderman.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Lekunberri? That's a bit like a raspberry, but slightly more bitter with thorns on the stalks, yes?

 

[Lequack]

Thanks again @Devil's Elbow for making these threads! Awesome work.

 

[Rob5091]

If this is a nothing burger then Tuesday's post rest day stage is an insult to a pro-cyclist. No wonder why pro-cyclists are getting younger when stages are short, nothings and a ladies race has harder profiles. Unless this stage is at full gas from km 0, I hope the sponsors demand a refund.

 

[Lequack]

I have an idea. Remco should go in the break again and win this stage. I mean, what else has he got planned? I don't see him just being in a groupetto.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Go, Lazkano, lick them berries!

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Give 100 monkeys a plate of spaghetti and a topographical map of Navarra and they'd come up with something better than this.

 

[Rackham]

I fear the forum still isn't ready for what's coming in this Vuelta. I mean after all the complaints about the Giro, you've all seen nothing yet. Aka the ultimate non-event when Jumbo rides around like stage 14, covering a few feeble, puny UAE tickles, and just letting the stages go by before collecting a GT win for Kuss.

Who can attack them? Who's their rival? The two strongest riders in the race are in the same team & they'll play the team player role & get Kuss the win. So there will be no Vuelta, no fight, nothing.

It'll be... the desolation of GT racing, i.e. the ultimate cycling black hole with infinite nothingness. Only masochists are going to enjoy this "spectacle".

 

[Netserk]

I fear the forum still isn't ready for what's coming in this Vuelta. I mean after all the complaints about the Giro, you've all seen nothing yet. Aka the ultimate non-event when Jumbo rides around like stage 14, covering a few feeble, puny UAE tickles, and just letting the stages go by before collecting a GT win for Kuss.

Who can attack them? Who's their rival? The two strongest riders in the race are in the same team & they'll play the team player role & get Kuss the win. So there will be no Vuelta, no fight, nothing.

It'll be... the desolation of GT racing, i.e. the ultimate cycling black hole with infinite nothingness. Only masochists are going to enjoy this "spectacle".

While I do expect the three captains to stick together on Angliru, I'm not certain of it. If one of the three can't keep up, I don't think the other two will wait (if they are just following Ayuso/Mas).

 

[saunaking]

I fear the forum still isn't ready for what's coming in this Vuelta. I mean after all the complaints about the Giro, you've all seen nothing yet. Aka the ultimate non-event when Jumbo rides around like stage 14, covering a few feeble, puny UAE tickles, and just letting the stages go by before collecting a GT win for Kuss.

Who can attack them? Who's their rival? The two strongest riders in the race are in the same team & they'll play the team player role & get Kuss the win. So there will be no Vuelta, no fight, nothing.

It'll be... the desolation of GT racing, i.e. the ultimate cycling black hole with infinite nothingness. Only masochists are going to enjoy this "spectacle".

nope. i disagree. JV has already done enough with Sepp in the break that day and the Tourmalet stage.
The Giro was an effin' joke and I'm still mad it stole my attention for so many hours

 

[GroupDK]

Let's hope that Jumbo Visma tones down with this neutered agenda but its also a slippery road.
even yesterday when Vingegaard reached for the Tourmalet stage and they acted according to Visma's plan, tons of people got offended and felt that the captain was backstabbing his helper, that are in the lead hence a 3 min lead on stage6.

Let the strongest rider win, if its Roglic, or Kuss or Vingegaard, or Ayuso..hopefully that answer will unfold.

 

[Cookster15]

Pamplona. That word brings me sadness as it always reminds me of Big Mig's demise in 1996.

I hope Remco can repeat the dose here. It looks perfect for him.

 

[topcat]

I fear the forum still isn't ready for what's coming in this Vuelta. I mean after all the complaints about the Giro, you've all seen nothing yet. Aka the ultimate non-event when Jumbo rides around like stage 14, covering a few feeble, puny UAE tickles, and just letting the stages go by before collecting a GT win for Kuss.

Who can attack them? Who's their rival? The two strongest riders in the race are in the same team & they'll play the team player role & get Kuss the win. So there will be no Vuelta, no fight, nothing.

It'll be... the desolation of GT racing, i.e. the ultimate cycling black hole with infinite nothingness. Only masochists are going to enjoy this "spectacle".

It will be just like sky in the tour. I can take it still.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

nope. i disagree. JV has already done enough with Sepp in the break that day and the Tourmalet stage.
The Giro was an effin' joke and I'm still mad it stole my attention for so many hours

The Vuelta has been far superior from a racing point of view.

The Giro will be far superior from an outcome point of view. I think I might actually have taken Geraint Thomas winning the Giro if I'd known that the price we'd pay for it would be Sepp Kuss winning the Vuelta.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Thanks again @Devil's Elbow for making these threads! Awesome work.

I think Da Elbow is incredibly grumpy by now, but I'm sure he can still appreciate our appreciation for his threads in some small way. Maybe?

Anyhoo, somebody from the break, don't even care who at this point.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

While I do expect the three captains to stick together on Angliru, I'm not certain of it. If one of the three can't keep up, I don't think the other two will wait (if they are just following Ayuso/Mas).

The only such example I have for you, the guy in the camisola amarela literally gave up his chance to win the GC by agreeing to ride in in formation for the team, thus condemning himself to an inevitable defeat in the TT the following day.

Jumbo do this on Angliru, and it'll be the gold standard of absurdity for decades to come, it'd make Mapei Roubaix look like Dimension Data doing a 1-2 in a random Tour de Yorkshire stage.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

I think Da Elbow is incredibly grumpy by now, but I'm sure he can still appreciate our appreciation for his threads in some small way. Maybe?

Anyhoo, somebody from the break, don't even care who at this point.

I definitely appreciate the appreciation! It just feels really self-aggrandizing to me to reply to every single post that thanks/praises me.

I'm also not that grumpy anymore now that the initial disappointment has passed, just pretty deflated. I will definitely concede that I was pretty grumpy - and especially disillusioned - yesterday, though.

 

[topcat]

I definitely appreciate the appreciation! It just feels really self-aggrandizing to me to reply to every single post that thanks/praises me.

I'm also not that grumpy anymore now that the initial disappointment has passed, just pretty deflated. I will definitely concede that I was pretty grumpy - and especially disillusioned - yesterday, though.

More staying power than Remco with the thread output?
Thanks Devil’s punch bowl

 

[Tricycle Rider]

I definitely appreciate the appreciation! It just feels really self-aggrandizing to me to reply to every single post that thanks/praises me.

I'm also not that grumpy anymore now that the initial disappointment has passed, just pretty deflated. I will definitely concede that I was pretty grumpy - and especially disillusioned - yesterday, though.

It's a GT afterall. Just one stage after another, and who knows what the riders will be up to tomorrow...

 

[Potomac]

I think this could be interesting as far as the stage win goes.

 

[Escarabajo]

Remco should aim for the top 10 tomorrow, then for top 5 in stage 17, top 3 in stage 18 and then the win in Stage 20!

The reality is that he will crack again in one of those stages again. Pity that we didn't have him to challenge the win!