Vuelta a España Vuelta a España 2023, stage 4: Andorra la Vella - Tarragona (184.6k)

[Devil's Elbow]

After the first showdown of one of the best climbing fields the Vuelta has ever seen, it's time for the first showdown of... well...

Just like in 2017, stage 4 takes the riders from Andorra to Tarragona for a sprint opportunity. Both the run-in and the finish are a bit harder than on that stage, but given that this sprint field is full of climbier types it's hard to see many of them missing out here. The first 60 kilometres of the stage are a rerun of the route taken into Andorra in the opposite direction, before heading into new terrain by immediately taking on an uncategorised climb.

As easy as that climb is, it's the most significant obstacle in the first two-thirds of the stage. The going gets a bit harder at just over 60k to go, but the climbing is at low gradients on both Alto de Belltall...

...and Coll de Lilla, a regular feature in Volta a Catalunya. On its most recent outing, it came at 10k from the line in a stage where Valverde won the sprint of almost 100 riders, which should tell you all you need to know about how selective this climb is.

From there, the route trends downhill all the way into Tarragona. The finish is in a different spot than in 2017, and both finishes are different from the 2013 stage. This time, they finish right outside the city walls, making for a more technical finale than we usually get in a Vuelta sprint stage. More importantly, the road actually ramps up pretty significantly towards the end. It probably isn't hard enough for any GC riders to get in the mix for bonus seconds, but you never know.

 

[RedheadDane]

So, what weird thing will happen this time?

 

[Bonimenier]

So, what weird thing will happen this time?

Landa will win a bunch sprint.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Should be tailwind downhill most of the way, so I expect a fast stage.

 

[RedheadDane]

Landa will win a bunch sprint.

Latour will attack on the final descend.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

So, what weird thing will happen this time?

You will call yourself old while figuring out the solution to a complex math problem.

 

[RedheadDane]

You will call yourself old.

NEVER!

 

[Devil's Elbow]

NEVER!

Not even when you've turned into GreyheadDane?

 

[hfgon1]

Kaden Groves for the win.

 

[RedheadDane]

Not even when you've turned into GreyheadDane?

Nope. I'll remain RedheadDane.

 

[SHAD0W93]

Groves should win but the way the race is going a fourth tier or breakaway could win.

 

[Berniece]

Groves should win but the way the race is going a fourth tier or breakaway could win.

How many teams have a proper sprinter with them? Might be that everyone looks at Alpecin, and they fail to get the bunch back

 

[Devil's Elbow]

How many teams have a proper sprinter with them? Might be that everyone looks at Alpecin, and they fail to get the bunch back

Cofidis have nothing to do other than ride for Coquard this Vuelta. DSM are out of the GC game already, so have nothing to do other than ride for Dainese (then again, this is DSM we're talking about). Lotto might also put in a shift for Menten, as could EF for Van den Berg. Should be plenty for this being stage 4.

In addition, the Vuelta always has terrible rouleur fields, which makes the flat stage breakaways easier to reel in. The proof is in the pudding: a grand total of one sprint stage has gone the way of the break in the past decade and even then Wallays only hung on by a couple of metres, and we've had worse sprint fields in that period. I expect at least 5, and more probably all 6, of the 6 sprint opportunities this race to end up in sprints.

 

[Samamba]

So, what weird thing will happen this time?

The break will win.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Latour will get attacked by the final descent.

FTFY

Kämna will try again and probably win this time.

 

[Red Rick]

Can we finally get a stage with no drama?

 

[Samamba]

Cofidis have nothing to do other than ride for Coquard this Vuelta. DSM are out of the GC game already, so have nothing to do other than ride for Dainese (then again, this is DSM we're talking about). Lotto might also put in a shift for Menten, as could EF for Van den Berg. Should be plenty for this being stage 4.

In addition, the Vuelta always has terrible rouleur fields, which makes the flat stage breakaways easier to reel in. The proof is in the pudding: a grand total of one sprint stage has gone the way of the break in the past decade and even then Wallays only hung on by a couple of metres, and we've had worse sprint fields in that period. I expect at least 5, and more probably all 6, of the 6 sprint opportunities this race to end up in sprints.

Coquard crashed yesterday and came in almost last today so not sure they will but obviously Alpecin will control this, they have only 1 goal here and that's Groves. DSM too cause like you said they're out of GC already. That being said, the parcours is quite tricky to control, it being downhill for the most part, it happens more often than people think that the peloton miscounts on stages like this. Task will be to not let a group bigger than 3 or 4 go and the start should be easy to control.

 

[RedheadDane]

FTFY

Your "fix" wouldn't be weird!

Can we finally get a stage with no drama?

I suppose by now, that would be weird.

 

[Samamba]

That last km actually looks way harder than I thought.
Perfect for Coquard (if fit), but Groves is pretty good at this too.

 

[search]

Coquard crashed yesterday and came in almost last today so not sure they will but obviously Alpecin will control this, they have only 1 goal here and that's Groves. DSM too cause like you said they're out of GC already. That being said, the parcours is quite tricky to control, it being downhill for the most part, it happens more often than people think that the peloton miscounts on stages like this. Task will be to not let a group bigger than 3 or 4 go and the start should be easy to control.

could be tricky indeed, but normally they should be able to keep things close, and in the end Jumbo will likely take over.

This looks like a finish they prefer to approach from the front, at least, and Roglic may even have a shot to win (same as Evenepoel). I don't think it's much easier than the one in Catalunya, where they came 1st and 2nd.

 

[Sciatic]

Cofidis have nothing to do other than ride for Coquard this Vuelta. DSM are out of the GC game already, so have nothing to do other than ride for Dainese (then again, this is DSM we're talking about). Lotto might also put in a shift for Menten, as could EF for Van den Berg. Should be plenty for this being stage 4.

In addition, the Vuelta always has terrible rouleur fields, which makes the flat stage breakaways easier to reel in. The proof is in the pudding: a grand total of one sprint stage has gone the way of the break in the past decade and even then Wallays only hung on by a couple of metres, and we've had worse sprint fields in that period. I expect at least 5, and more probably all 6, of the 6 sprint opportunities this race to end up in sprints.

DSM are “out of the GC game” . . . Because Bardet has fallen 4 seconds behind Vingegaard?

 

[Danskebjerge]

Evenepoel has decided he will not participate any longer at this Vuelta unless the stages are completed at least two hours before sunset, the roads must be more than 12 meters wide, the turns must not exceed 30 degrees, and no people are allowed to be standing in the finish area within 1 kilometer of the finish line. And of course, any stage must be neutralized if the weather forecasts predict more than 1 millimeter of rain.

 

[Red Rick]

Van den Berg to make his breakthrough on the big stage

 

[nightowl]

Could Ganna contest this with a late flyer? Assuming he’d be allowed to go for it?

 

[Izzyeviel]

A drone will land Remco's head after 20km forcing the GC boys to agree to self neutralise the GC again in protest. Meanwhile everyone else races as normal and Tiberi goes into the GC lead. Purrfect.