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.
The Puy de Dôme is an extinct volcano in central France with a road that winds around the cone to the top. It’s been the scene of one of the greatest duels in the Tour de France.
It has become a road that belongs to the past because the construction of a railway line to ferry tourists to the top has meant the road is now closed. Or is it?
The first true mountain stage of Vuelta with a first category climb and then a very difficult summit finish. We’ve had plenty of exciting racing in the first week but the battle for the red jersey has only seen small scale skirmishes. Now it’s time to make a real selection in the race and eliminate some of the pretenders.
Sunday’s stage finishes with the classic through Valdepeñas de Jaén. Just one kilometre long but a wall where the slope hits 27% and any rider who loses momentum will lose time on GC.