A reader once asked via twitter what was the Spanish equivalent of sunflowers at the Tour de France. Just as the Tour de France has pretty clichés of riders rolling past fields of sunflowers, for me the Vuelta a Espana has hilltop hoardings of the bovine kind.
There’s a story behind this. It starts with vino de Jerez, the fortified wine from the city of Jerez that’s known as sherry in English.
When the race route was unveiled the consensus was this was a Vuelta of summit finishes. But so far this week things have been calm with several chances for the sprinters. All change now with the first true summit finish of the race.
The stage finishes with a hard climb but it’s likely to be selective it’s not going to be definitive as plenty more will happen over the next two weeks.
This is the third of a trinity of flat stages for the sprinters before the climbers come out to play tomorrow. So far even the flat stages have been entertaining in the Vuelta, no more so than yesterday’s stage.
Tom Boonen’s in the Belgian press today with his new Ferrari but Thibaut Pinot will be driving one of these soon. It’s an Exagon race car that’s unusual because it’s got an electric engine powered by a lithium ion battery. A change of career for the climber?
No, instead it’s one solution to help him become more at ease with speed. Much has been made of his discomfort going downhill but the problem is not cornering ability but the pure fear of speed, something he experiences when a passenger in a car too.
Another sprint finish awaits but the pecking order for the sprinters has yet to be established meaning uncertainty right until the finish line.
“Mountain Kings, Agony and Euphoria on the Peaks of the Tour de France” by Giles Belbin
How hard are the mountains? The mere mention of names like Galibier or Tourmalet can be enough to evoke fear, mystery and for the fortunate, memories. In this book Giles Belbin sets out to try many of the Tour de France’s most famous climbs and relate the experience, both his effort to climb them but also what has made them so famous over the years.
For all the red ink above this is not a mountain stage, the climbs along the way are steady pace and we should get the first bunch sprint of the Vuelta. Without any big name sprinters in the race the prize of a stage win is there for the taking.
Meanwhile Vincenzo Nibali is back in the overall lead normally something to celebrate but almost a burden given the duties it imposes.
From the earliest days in the sport there’s been a close link between cycle manufacturers and teams. Marketing and sponsorship played a big part in the sport’s development as companies sought to prove their wares could withstand long distance races to convince consumers that they could ride to the factory or field without problem.
In recent years there’s been a revival with the Cervélo test team and now Argos-Shimano and Cannondale will be joined by Trek in 2014. But are pro cyclists being left on the outside when it comes to having the best gear?
Almost a flat finish, today’s stage would suit the sprinters were it not for the Mirador de Ézaro, a vicious climb placed 35km from the finish. It will certainly thin the field but can it determine the result?
That’s up to the riders but this is a harder stage than it looks.
Another day, another summit finish? Yes but today is much shorter than yesterday’s climb which was enough to eject Janez Brajkovič out of the overall lead and exposed a few riders, notably Sergio Henao and Samuel Sanchez. Today’s finish should offer excitement but probably less relevance to the overall outcome.