Two stage wins in the Vuelta means a remarkable début for Warren Barguil in the pro peloton. This time last year he was an amateur but with a difference as he’d just won the Tour de l’Avenir overall. And the mountains jersey. And the points jersey. And a stage win.
Before this he’d been national champion and first caught the eye of Argos-Shimano managers when they mistook him for a Colombian. Who knows where he’ll go but here’s a quick look at where he’s come from.
Another day, another mountain stage? Yes but this is a short stage and the gradients are not to severe so it offers a chance to everyone rather than being reserved for pure climbers and GC contenders only.
For all the talk of disc brakes being the future of road cycling, here’s the winning road bike from the Eurobike trade show. It’s by Factor Bikes and comes with integrated brakes. These are built-in brake calipers as opposed to the normal idea of bolting them on to the frame or fork. It’s not new, Lotto-Belisol ride often ride Ridleys with this feature too.
Bonjour! The Vuelta crosses into France for a finish in Peyragudes. But it’s not all so French as the last winner here was Alejandro Valverde when he took his stage win in the 2012 Tour de France.
This is a vital stage of the Vuelta, 225km across the Pyrenees and with a tricky summit finish which might not be difficult by itself but after such a long distance in grim weather means the time losses can be huge.
The race crosses into Andorra, the mountain principality that sits in the middle of the Pyrenees. A day for the climbers but with two contrasting climbs, one long and gradual before the sharp final climb of the Collada de la Gallina.
Look at the profile above and the two climbs probably stand out. Now look closely at the finish for the little dot of red at the finish in Casteldefels. It’s a small uphill finish.
It might be the Tour of Spain but there’s a French touch here. The event is owned by the French, a lot of the sponsors are French and this weekend the race crosses the Pyrenees for a French stage finish.
Yesterday Tarazona, today Tarragona. It should be a sprint stage but this is conditional for reasons to be explained below.
Later this year I’ll probably review a few highlights of the year. Stage 9 of the Tour de France is likely to make the cut because it started with a bang. It was the day Chris Froome was isolated as constant attacks from Garmin-Sharp ripped up the race from the start. The video by humansinvent.com above tells how it was done.
As the only solo time trial of the 2013 Vuelta this is a vital moment of the race. But this being the Vuelta it’s got a climb that rises over a thousand metres above sea level.
There are two races today, first to win the stage but second for the GC riders as several climbers can expect to lose time today.