Vuelta Ciclista a Andalucia - Ruta del Sol 2023 (February 15-19)

[CyclistAbi]

On my Rogla tracker Evenpoel is currently being considered as an arch rival for Giro and Mas for Vuelta. Hence i am hoping for a bit of sand and heat to set back Evenpoel and for Pogi and Jonas to soften up Mas at the Tour.

On a more serious note. Mas is likely more confident with Pogi on such finishes. Knowing and experiencing the kick Rogla has.

 

[Lequack]

Pog is just something else, but Mas put up a great fight.

Pogačar: “The race was at full gas from the start since everybody wanted to be in the breakaway. On the penultimate climb Bahrain-Victorious attacked and I tried to follow and reply to their attacks: at the end, I had a perfect finish.
Tomorrow we will try to have a relaxed a race as possible in order to avoid to spend too much energy head, but it won’t be easy because all the teams would like to race full gas”.

 

[search]

How come Landa did not ride in the green jersey today? I understand that a rider can decline to wear it when they are not leading the category if they have a champion's jersey instead, but I didn't think it was permitted to just refuse it. Presumably some sponsor has paid for it to be worn.

"If a rider is leading more than one classification [...] the organiser may require another rider next on the relevant classification to wear a jersey which is not being worn by the leader of that classification. However, if this rider must wear his world or national champion's jersey, or the leader's jersey of a UCI cup, circuit, series or classification, he shall wear that jersey", is what it says in the UCI rules.

So "may require" leaves some room for the organiser not to, I guess?

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

"If a rider is leading more than one classification [...] the organiser may require another rider next on the relevant classification to wear a jersey which is not being worn by the leader of that classification. However, if this rider must wear his world or national champion's jersey, or the leader's jersey of a UCI cup, circuit, series or classification, he shall wear that jersey", is what it says in the UCI rules.

So "may require" leaves some room for the organiser not to, I guess?

Thanks.

Still seems odd that he wore it for photos this morning, then changed before they started the race.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Thanks.

Still seems odd that he wore it for photos this morning, then changed before they started the race.

Maybe they didn't have one that fit him well enough.

 

[search]

Still seems odd that he wore it for photos this morning, then changed before they started the race.

that's odd indeed - but it seems like more than one thing went wrong there?!

 

[Lequack]

that's odd indeed - but it seems like more than one thing went wrong there?!

Pog is wearing a jacket over his yellow jersey, you can kind of see it if you zoom in. Landa just straight up discarded that green jersey hehe.

 

[Panda Claws]

Pog is wearing a jacket over his yellow jersey, you can kind of see it if you zoom in. Landa just straight up discarded that green jersey hehe.

I could see it without zooming in

 

[ice&fire]

Landa wore the green jersey as a jacket and discarded it when he got warm

 

[search]

the information in the roadbook about today's finale are conflicting, unfortunately. Based on the finish map, it's the same as 2018 and 2019:

Segment Details for Final etapa Vuelta Andalucía ´18 - VeloViewer

1.23 km ride with 147 m of climbing, average grade of 10.8 %. Check it out!

veloviewer.com

But the "rutometro" the page before has a very different route, and apparently this was also sent out as gpx file:

Segment Details for 2023 Vuelta a Andalucia Stage 3 Finale - VeloViewer

1.81 km ride with 112 m of climbing, average grade of 5.0 %. Check it out!

veloviewer.com

I didn't find a way to verify which one is correct. The new one could see a little sprint

 

[Samamba]

Ive seen the different profiles too but in the roadbook that you can download on their website its the same finish as 2018 and 2019 meaning an uphill finish. I also don't see why they would change that finish.

 

[search]

Ive seen the different profiles too but in the roadbook that you can download on their website its the same finish as 2018 and 2019 meaning an uphill finish. I also don't see why they would change that finish.

on the map, yes, but not on the route description (page 59) which says it finishes on "Calle Real"

 

[Earns1985]

I think, the break will take it today. Pogacar says they want a relaxed race today, so they will not chase, if there isn´t a GC threat in the group. Other teams like Ineos, Bahrain and Movistar will also only chase, if there is a GC threat in the group. Otherwise they would only gift another stage to Pogacar with their work..

 

[Samamba]

on the map, yes, but not on the route description (page 59) which says it finishes on "Calle Real"

https://twitter.com/x/status/1626522203654180867

View: https://twitter.com/VeloViewer/status/1626522203654180867


It would've been really weird to have a unnecessary dangerous downhill sprint there.

 

[Samamba]

22 man break.

Pog said he wants an easy day so probably breakaway winning today.

EDIT: NVM WHAT IS THIS BREAK?? ECHELONS?

Buitrago and Haig are in according to PCS? With a 1'50 lead? Must be a mistake or something?

 

[Landeirovic]

22 man break.

Pog said he wants an easy day so probably breakaway winning today.

EDIT: NVM WHAT IS THIS BREAK?? ECHELONS?

Buitrago and Haig are in according to PCS?

Its wrong. Wellens is there

 

[Samamba]

I don't really get why they put the hardest stages in the beginning. We will just get 3 breakaway wins the upcoming days, with probably certain riders getting free top 10 places in GC too.

 

[Earns1985]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1626531239803949056

View: https://twitter.com/VCANDALUCIA/status/1626531239803949056/photo/1


Any idea, what that means? Still uphill finish?

 

[Samamba]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1626531239803949056

View: https://twitter.com/VCANDALUCIA/status/1626531239803949056/photo/1


Any idea, what that means? Still uphill finish?

Yeah but not uphill on the hard cobbles. Its basically the first 400m of the original climb and than it flattens out in the last 300m on easier cobbles.
Like 3rd spanish race that gets parcours changed because of weather this year (Mallorca, Murcia now this one).

 

[Netserk]

I don't really get why they put the hardest stages in the beginning. We will just get 3 breakaway wins the upcoming days, with probably certain riders getting free top 10 places in GC too.

You say that like it's a bad thing. Far better than the hardest stage at the end, blocking the rest and deciding the race on its own.

 

[Samamba]

You say that like it's a bad thing. Far better than the hardest stage at the end, blocking the rest and deciding the race on its own.

Yeah well we disagree. Also doesn't need to be the last stage. But the first 2 stages super hard and then meeh is just as boring as the last stage being the only hard one.

And I've seen a lot of people not really liking the fact that the queen stage was the first stage.

 

[Red Rick]

You say that like it's a bad thing. Far better than the hardest stage at the end, blocking the rest and deciding the race on its own.

I think for this week specifically it does not really matter that much, because 4 other stages are just breakaway or uphill sprint/murito sort of stages.

 

[Netserk]

If yesterday had been before the queen stage, would Landa have attacked and made the race explode far from the finish? No, a boring uphill sprint instead then.

 

[ice&fire]

The fist stage started a few kms away from the towns hosting the gravel race they did on Monday. The final stage finishes next to Malaga's Airport. Let me guess what they were thinking when they designed the route...

 

[Samamba]

Total starting echelons when they have Latour in front.

Thank you tho.