Vuelta a España 2025 discussion

[Libertine Seguros]

It can be good, but it requires a very big commitment from one rider to just take off already. It's obviously better than Tenda, Valdezcarray and Larra Belagua, but that's a pretty low bar.

Even in the 80s and 90s they realised - with the style of racing back in those days too - that Valdezcaray is useless in and of itself in creating gaps and isn't well connected enough to any climbs challenging enough to give motivation to attack from, so either put MTTs there or put the finish at Cruz de la Demanda. I believe the road to the latter is in disrepair now, but it was an iconically 90s MTF at the Vuelta.

That, the Alto de Abantos and the Alto de Redondal near Bembibre and Ponferrada would be good to resurface. Redondal never hosted the Vuelta but it is 9km at nearly 10% and was an MTF in the Vuelta a Castilla y León a few times back in the late 90s and early 00s when that was a strong short stage race. Leonardo Piepoli, Paco Mancebo, Javier Pascual and Juan Miguel Mercado were the winners there and the top 10s of those stages include the likes of Carlos Sastre, Chava Jiménez, Isidro Nozal, Óscar Sevilla, Paco Mancebo, Vladimir Karpets, Aitor Osa, Unai Osa, Levi Leipheimer, Haimar Zubeldia and Georg Totschnig.

Insane to think what Castilla y León once was. Hell, 2010 was a great edition featuring a Morredero MTF - the last time it was raced to a finish at the ski station in fact - as Igor Antón won after he, Ezequiel Mosquera and Juan Mauricio Soler worked together to break Alberto Contador - but couldn't do so by enough to stop him getting the lead back in the ITT the next day. It was a really nice little five day race back then... used to aim for a format of "one sprinty sprint, one punchy uphill sprint, one stage with some obstacles but a flat finish for durable sprinters and/or baroudeurs, one mountaintop finish, one ITT". Now it can't seem to decide between being a worthless flat one day race with a péloton made up of domestic Spanish and Portuguese riders who don't do many sprint stages, a decent one day race with a tough parcours but a very underwhelming startlist, or a 2- or 3-stage race with little of great interest going on.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

11 days before the race starts. Still no route info apart from the profiles on the race site, still no roadbook. The contempt GTs have for fans is ridiculous - it's not just a problem for weirdos like me, but also for regular people who, you know, might want to plan a visit to the race.

 

[tobydawq]

Is it an idea to have a thread for reengaging old arguments rather than bumping threads every time?

I dunno, but I do know that Valverde was better than Nibali.

 

[staubsauger]

11 days before the race starts. Still no route info apart from the profiles on the race site, still no roadbook. The contempt GTs have for fans is ridiculous - it's not just a problem for weirdos like me, but also for regular people who, you know, might want to plan a visit to the race.

That's literally worse than 1998! 😄

 

[Charlyghoul]

Or maybe the TDF field was deeper with Onley, Vauquelin and Jegat in top 10.
LoL

The tour field has been bad for several years when you take away the top two. Ullrich, Basso, mancebo, Valverde , Vino were at least somewhat consistent.

 

[Potomac]

Nothing posted above has made me think we won't see a good race.

 

[Cycling111]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1955200452846375204

View: https://x.com/ammattipyoraily/status/1955200452846375204?t=PjMNmKnPpC7w7NR4f757Fw&s=19

 

[Sciatic]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1955200452846375204

View: https://x.com/ammattipyoraily/status/1955200452846375204?t=PjMNmKnPpC7w7NR4f757Fw&s=19

I can
Imagine some sprinters taking a quick look at that and going “nah.”

 

[yaco]

I can
Imagine some sprinters taking a quick look at that and going “nah.”

A well-conditioned sprinter should have 6 opportunities.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Sprinter field will be shallow, a randomer could clean up, Groves should go even if he can't get the full thing done, it's an opportunity for history.

 

[Valv.Piti]

I can
Imagine some sprinters taking a quick look at that and going “nah.”

Oh noes, sprinters won't have one third of the race solely gifted to them! They actually have to work for their victories!

 

[ice&fire]

I can
Imagine some sprinters taking a quick look at that and going “nah.”

Just don't tell them that the two flattest profiles are the TTs, to see if they bite

 

[Oldman]

11 days before the race starts. Still no route info apart from the profiles on the race site, still no roadbook. The contempt GTs have for fans is ridiculous - it's not just a problem for weirdos like me, but also for regular people who, you know, might want to plan a visit to the race.

Considering weather from major floods and now another heat wave they may actually be erring on the side of safety.
Not likely but storm road damage could still be impacting final routes.

 

[Sciatic]

A well-conditioned sprinter should have 6 opportunities.

Except that some of the rolling stages will go the break for sure.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Except that some of the rolling stages will go the break for sure.

The last time a Vuelta sprint opportunity of any sort went to the break was in 2018, and conversely multiple stages that really didn't look like sprint opportunities (Philipsen in Puebla de Sanabria 2020, Groves in Villablino last year) have gone to the sprinters since then. For some reason sprint teams have a way easier time controlling things here than in the Giro or Tour despite there generally being fewer sprinters and the sprint opportunities often being at 2000 to 3000 metres of elevation gain.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Might be because the fastest men in the Vuelta often are quite versatile (Jasper Phillipsen, Kaden Groves, WVA, Mads Pedersen recently) or that there simply are so many break opportunities that break riders can't really go all-in on all of them. Probably a lot harder to control if half the peloton knows it literally only has 3 stages they can win.

 

[tobydawq]

The last time a Vuelta sprint opportunity of any sort went to the break was in 2018, and conversely multiple stages that really didn't look like sprint opportunities (Philipsen in Puebla de Sanabria 2020, Groves in Villablino last year) have gone to the sprinters since then. For some reason sprint teams have a way easier time controlling things here than in the Giro or Tour despite there generally being fewer sprinters and the sprint opportunities often being at 2000 to 3000 metres of elevation gain.

Groves won from the break in Madrid in 2023

 

[tourmabet]

Mads Pedersen was once again out of the team's altitude training camp. Nice insight on the reasons
https://cyclingreport.substack.com/p/secrets-altitude-training-cycling

 

[HashRouge]

Mads Pedersen was once again out of the team's altitude training camp. Nice insight on the reasons
https://cyclingreport.substack.com/p/secrets-altitude-training-cycling

I find the idea that Mads went on one altitude camp ever, decided he didn't like it and now skips them absolutely hilarious.

 

[search]

At least the rulebook is out now. Same as last year, there are only two 50pt sprint stages (1 and 21)

2.69 MB file on MEGA

mega.nz

edit: the interactive roadbook is now available as well

Libro de ruta interactivo

Sitio oficial de La Vuelta.

www.lavuelta.es

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

GC prize money.

1st 150,000€
2nd 57,985€
3rd 30,000€
4th 15,000€
5th 12,500€
6th 9,000€
7th 9,000€
8th 6,000€
9th 6,000
10th - 20th (3,800€ x 11) 41,800€
TOTAL 337,285€

Should we have a whip round to raise the missing 15 euro so that they can round up 2nd place prize? Strange amount to have decided upon: what were the discussions leading to that decision?

"Well done, you are in 7th with only 2 stages to go: will you be trying to catch the rider above you?"
"Nah, what's the point? But I won't want the guy behind me to catch up."

 

[Berflamand]

GC prize money.

1st 150,000€
2nd 57,985€
3rd 30,000€
4th 15,000€
5th 12,500€
6th 9,000€
7th 9,000€
8th 6,000€
9th 6,000
10th - 20th (3,800€ x 11) 41,800€
TOTAL 337,285€

Should we have a whip round to raise the missing 15 euro so that they can round up 2nd place prize? Strange amount to have decided upon: what were the discussions leading to that decision?

"Well done, you are in 7th with only 2 stages to go: will you be trying to catch the rider above you?"
"Nah, what's the point? But I won't want the guy behind me to catch up."

Don't say this too loud cause it might restart the arguments in the Uijtdebroeks thread.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

edit: the interactive roadbook is now available as well

Not an actual roadbook sadly, only the profiles + tourist info.

 

[ashhutch1997]

A week before the race and there still aren't any maps/ details, pretty ameture. It's almost like they don't want anyone to see where they are going or watch on the road side.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Not an actual roadbook sadly, only the profiles + tourist info.

Not very interactive either: a pdf file with links to tourist websites.