Today’s stage is flat compared to what is coming this weekend and offers breakaway riders and sprinters a chance to shine before the mountains arrive.
Vuelta
The Spin: Vuelta Stage 12
Summit finish withdrawal symptoms? It’s been several days since the Vuelta had an uphill finish for the overall candidates to dispute the stage win but today this is fixed. The final climb of the day is less than two kilometres long but compensates with vicious gradients.
The Spin: Vuelta Stage 11
A decisive stage of the 2012 Vuelta, today’s time trial is vital moment for all with ambitions for the overall. There are many mountains to come and today’s stage will reshuffle the overall standings rather than define the order as we saw in the Besançon time trial during the Tour de France.
The Spin – Vuelta Stage 10
A flat stage that twists and turns along the coast, this looks like a day for the sprinters but it could be hard to control. As well as the preview for toda, I’ll add some ideas about the race so far and what we can expect for the overall classification below too.
The Spin: Vuelta Stage 9
A downhill run to the fine city of Barcelona, today’s stage looks like a long freewheel from the Pyrenees to the Mediterrean. Only the finish includes the tricky climb of Montjuic followed by a descent and then an uphill sprint which should offer some excitement. Breakaway or bunch sprint?
The Spin: Vuelta Stage 8
The high mountains appear in the Vuelta. We’ve had several exciting climbs and summit finishes so far but things step up a level with the finish in Andorra today although the final climb is not the biggest in the Pyrenees.
The Spin: Vuelta Stage 7
Yes the show must go on and there’s a stage of the Vuelta on today. However it’s one of those stages that can’t compete with the summit finish excitement, in fact it finishes on a motor racing circuit that’s ideal for the sprinters but less so for TV viewers.
The Spin: Vuelta Stage 6
The race heads to the Pyrenees but there are no high mountains. Instead the stage finishes outside the Fuerte del Rapitán, the Rapitan Fort that sits high on a hill above the town of Jaca. The climb to the fort has not been used before but it has an irregular gradient and steep sections and 13 hairpin bends in the final 3km.
The Spin: Vuelta Stage 5
A circuit race for today’s stage, iit has the air of a Belgian kermesse as the race does eight laps around Logroño. We can expect a sprint finish. Today’s the day for a siesta and if you need to wash you hair, do it today.
Given this, I’ll add a quick take on yesterday’s polemic over Valverde’s crash yesterday.
The Vuelta, The First Race of the 2013 Season?
Cycling goes big on history. Champions from the past are venerated and today’s races draw prestige from their past and not their past list. At the same time it’s a sport that’s always looking to the future. Make a mistake today and there’s always tomorrow and look at the Vuelta where several riders are there to train for the World Championships, a three week grand tour is a mere training camp for future races.
But there’s a hidden side to this. Namely we have riders wearing the jersey of one team but riding for another. This happens because they have already signed for a new team for 2013 but are racing the Vuelta for their existing team. For now it’s not changed the results but it is easy to envisage a range of scenarios where the results are distorted.