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Vuelta a España Vuelta a España 2023, stage 2: Mataró - Barcelona, 181.8k

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Does anyone know if there are ging to be full stage broadcasts? On GCN the start time is 14:30 which is too late to catch the start

Looking at the times here


full stages broadcast are 13, 14, 18 and 20
 
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The only bit that's actually technical is the run-in to Montjuïc, so it literally accomplishes nothing whilst also ruining the stage.

I mean probably there will be less congestion in the last 3k by the people who need to stay in the main group for GC but have no chance of the bonifications, but as you correctly say, the last bit is not really technical so I am not sure if there will be much effect in terms of decreasing the risks.
 
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This is some funny sh*t right here.

We've seen the finish, i.e. these roads are the same as the ones used in Catalunya in March (I believe). If it's the same descent in Barcelona, then it's very wide & not very technical at all.

I'm disappointed tbh.
It is 80% the same descent and the other 20% are even wider. If that's too dangerous, then you can never have a non-GC-neutralised finish that isn't uphill if it's raining. Would be dozens, if not 100+ neutralisations a year if that's the approach now, fundamentally breaking the sport.

The section from (approximately) 7.5k to 5.5k, on the other hand, is narrow and twisty and I never understood why they're using that rather than the far less technical run-in of the 2012 stage. And with times being taken on the Montjuïc, it's only become more important to stay at the front there so if anything this change makes it more dangerous. The more you think about it, the worse this decision gets.
 
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That's just a dumb fix, I mean it isn't a fix, the dangerous part is before Montjuic lmao.

Does make gregoire more of a favorite, some GC riders might take it easy ever Montjuic.

The section from (approximately) 7.5k to 5.5k, on the other hand, is narrow and twisty and I never understood why they're using that rather than the far less technical run-in of the 2012 stage.

"Because it's beautiful and historic" probably something like that. It's a ridiculous run in, while they could just take a big road towards Montjuic.
 
Safety in the peloton is a joke concept, riddled with self serving interests & outright lack of self awareness.

Half the trouble with large pelotons bombing towards tricky sections of the route is there's invariably 100 riders without GC ambitions or stage ambitions who're still getting yelled at by their DS's to get to the front of the bunch.

Then there's riders (no names) who're very vocal about safety concerns... when GC is in their favor & they don't like the look of the finish.
 
Roglič fans should be happy with this change after complaining that Vingegård's puncture cost him already 30 seconds yesterday...

I actually think he wins the bonus second at top of Montjuïc and Gregoire wins the stage.

Not really. Rog is a good descender, so that wouldn't be an issue.

Likewise I don't like them messing with the route like this at the last minute. It's a stage which favors a certain type of rider, i.e. riders who deserve to have a chance to express themselves on their preferred terrain & get maximum benefit out of it.
 
Hmm, having the bonus seconds for winning the stage at the finish will still force people to go hard on the descend.
Yes, the road is wide enough and not technical, but the organizers must make sure there is no standing water anywhere in the last 10k.
 
The narrowest, twistiest and also partially downhill section is from 7.5k to 6.5k to go. Here’s an extremely easy fix that should be logistically feasible to implement even now, because it doesn’t require any roads to be closed that weren’t going to be closed anyway.
hEXM3k1.jpg


This would be far more effective safety-wise, while also not hurting the racing. Unfortunately, both Unipublic and CPA are idiots.

Or, you know, just use the 2012 route, like you should have in the first place. That would be even better.
 
Feels like an overreaction on the stupidity we had yesterday. At least i hope they will wait to see the final conditions before make the choice.


Still with boni seconds still present, i think that would have been the main difference between the riders here at the finish anyway. Don't think we would have seen large gaps here that would matter for GC (unless due to a crash).. So only thing that is being 'saved' is those who can't/couldn't contend for the win won't loose time if something happens in the descend. With the boni seconds on the top, the best riders should be in the front at that point (and not in 100th position).
 
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Déjà vu all over again! Giro part 2 - rain, crashes, Covid and the EWP - all we need now is a dog ... (although I hope not).
It does seem a weird compromise of having the GC times at the top of the last climb but still having a 10 second bonus at the finish. More for the appearance of safety then actual safety, me thinks.
 
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