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Vuelta Stage 15: Alcalá la Real - Sierra Nevada (129.4 km)

The queen stage will finish at a height of 2.510 m. It's a short stage with a lot of climbing. The two 1st cat. climbs have steep gradients. The final climb is very long and steady. The final 28 km are almost constantly uphill. Fatigue and thin air will come into play.

Fernando Escartín commentary:
Mountain. Short stage with the main events including a climb up Hazallanas, Monachil and the arrival at Sierra Nevada (2,490 metres above sea-level), making a total of 3,172 metres of slopes. The riders will be traveling at high speed from the beginning and one of the leaders may be in for a tough day. All of them will be thinking about what happened in 2016 between Sabiñánigo and Formigal.

Profile:
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Climbs:

Km 74.0 - Alto de Hazallanas: 16.3 kilometre-long climb at 5.5% - category 1
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Km 109.5 - Alto del Purche: 8.5 kilometre-long climb at 8% - category 1
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Km 129.4 - Sierra Nevada. Alto Hoya de la Mora. Monachil: 19.3 kilometre-long climb at 5.6% - category H
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Final 5 km:
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Previous winners on the Sierra Nevada:
1979 Felipe Yáñez
1981 Giovanni Battaglin
1986 Felipe Yáñez
1990 Patrice Esnaut
1994 Tony Rominger
1995 Bert Dietz
1997 Yvan Ledanois
2002 Guido Trentin
2003 Félix Cárdenas
2004 Santiago Pérez
2009 David Moncoutié
2011 Dani Moreno
 
Re: Vuelta Stage 15: Alcalá la Real - Sierra Nevada (129.4 k

Thanks for the opening post.

This stage should be hectic. Break probably won't form until the first climb as I expect Quickstep to keep it together until after the intermediate sprint (Trentin probably needs this for the points competition). Little chance for the break, though I hope Atapuma might have a chance.

Miguel Angel Lopez for the win.
 
Feb 17, 2017
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Re:

Rollthedice said:
Unless Bahrain, Astana and Trek manage to get half of their teams in the break, Nibali to outsprint Froome to the line. Lopez third followed by a group of 10 riders at 15 sec.

That would a very depressing result. Hopefully the stage will result in some proper time gaps.
 

axl

Aug 19, 2017
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Don't know what to expect. The final climb is long but steady and not steep (5,5%). The two cat1 climbs are tough and I think differences should be made in those, the final climb to Alto Hoya de la Lora would be too late.
 
Re: Re:

Climber123 said:
Rollthedice said:
Unless Bahrain, Astana and Trek manage to get half of their teams in the break, Nibali to outsprint Froome to the line. Lopez third followed by a group of 10 riders at 15 sec.

That would a very depressing result. Hopefully the stage will result in some proper time gaps.

The last 18 km are perfect for the Sky train, if not for altitude and length it's a cat 2 climb. Impossible to make a meaningful difference. As I see it the only way is for a group of GC men minus Froome to get a good gap on El Purche and try to hold on for the last 20k. Sounds a bit like SF to me.
 
Oct 31, 2009
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Last climb is just one long massive drag on a decent road.. Pretty easy to sit on if you are feeling ok in fact... I think Froomes Tenerife sessions will stand him in good stead...
 
May 28, 2010
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You have to get rid of the Sky doms before the last 18km otherwise the train will squeeze all life out of the race.


Hopefully Nibs has some dirty pics of Vino to make Astana work with BM. :D
 
Re: Vuelta Stage 15: Alcalá la Real - Sierra Nevada (129.4 k

Pantani_lives said:
The queen stage will finish at a height of 2.510 m. It's a short stage with a lot of climbing. The two 1st cat. climbs have steep gradients. The final climb is very long and steady. The final 28 km are almost constantly uphill. Fatigue and thin air will come into play.
be cheerful, sir.
Our revels now are ended. These our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits and
Are melted into air, into thin air:
And, like the baseless fabric of this vision, --> Clinic
The cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Ye all which it inherit, shall dissolve
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on
, and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.

WAKE UP they've began to race!