The USA Pro Challenge had Lexus as official vehicles. The Tour de France has Skodas.
Vuelta Stage 4 Preview
A day for the sprinters but the first second category climb and it’s 14% gradients await. The finish is similar to 2011 when Peter Sagan won but the Slow-vak finished 129th yesterday. Time to make amends or will someone else win in Córdoba?
Vuelta Stage 3 Preview
Two flat stages means the Vuelta has to visit a mountain range and today’s stage includes four categorised climbs on the way to a tricky uphill finish.
Vuelta Stage 2 Preview
A sprinter’s stage as the flat profile above suggests but what the profile doesn’t show is just how this route is exposed as it crosses the bay of Cádiz. No strong winds are forecast but the route does pass several famous windsurfing spots and it could catch a few riders out.
Who Will Win The Vuelta España?
A star-packed field contenders and pretenders for the Vuelta with seven grand tour winners and a long list of rivals. But as any astronomer knows, look up at the stars and you’ll see powerful blue giants also a few white dwarfs.
We watched the Tour de France to see a duel between Chris Froome and Alberto Contador but were denied, now they’re back and there’s Nairo Quintana to contend with. Time to point the telescope to Jerez for a look at who can win the Vuelta.
Vuelta a España Guide
There will be daily stage previews with added extras from Manuel Pérez Díaz and a review of the overall contenders tomorrow. Before the race and during, see the overall Vuelta guide with all the stage profiles, rules, jerseys and more at inrng.com/vuelta. See the permanent “Vuelta” link at the top of the page / mobile … Read more
The UCI vs Roman Kreuziger, Round II
The ongoing battle between the UCI and Roman Kreuziger continues. Yesterday saw a fresh round with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) holding an expedited hearing from Kreuziger over the provisional suspension issued by the UCI. The result is that he’s banned from racing and won’t do the Vuelta a Espana.
Tuesday Shorts
Smearing rider reputations and even mocking Norwegians about the Utøya massacre in now-deleted tweet, Oleg Tinkov’s funny side is matched by a tendency for provocation and shock. He’s made a career out of it.
What’s The Point of the Vuelta?
The Vuelta a España enjoys a reputation and a privileged status all while being an elusive event. It lacks obvious preparation races to get the audience warmed-up and if it has a rich history a lot of its best stories are not well known just as it lacks obvious focal points, in the collective conciousness of cycling fans there’s no Spanish equivalent of the Stelvio or Tourmalet.
French website Velochrono pointed out that a decade 23 of the first 25 finishers in the Vuelta were Spaniards. Now it’s all so different with an international cast. In recent years the race has become a “revenge race”, the chance to make amends for a Giro or Tour that didn’t work out and also used as a training race by some for the World Championships. Spain’s grand tour might rank third out of three but it’s one of the three greatest stage races of the year.