A new "coloso" for La Vuelta

victorponf

BOLA DEL MUNDO (Madrid)

11,8 Km 9% average, 2257 m altitude

Last 3 Km 12%


The new in Diario As (sorry in spanish)

http://www.as.com/ciclismo/articulo/cic ... icic_1/Tes

gabriel959

Been there once (not with the bike though!) – tough one if they do it. It is only a 3km, the previous 8km or 15km (depending on where you are tackling it from) are the usual Navacerrada mountain top finish that they have done before. This monster would probably be an out of category climb seeing as it is 12% average with 23% ramps though. They have to be careful though, that area is in the process of becoming a National Park and apparently it is in quite a bad state.

I would like to see the Monachil or even el Veleta featured though as Contador said. It comes after Sierra Nevada and honestly it would make the Ventoux look like a mound.

FJS

It's a pity Las Canarias are so far away; plenty of out of this world climbs there... But the Vuelta is never going to go there mid-race.

gabriel959

They could go there or Tenerife but the islands are not big enough and anyway there is no need, there are harder climbs on the mainland.

cswebbo

Any ideas on when the 2010 route is announced, or any rumours?

It will probably be too much to ask for Murcia/Alicante regions to feature again, like this year!

Echo et les Boniments

The Vuelta actually started in Las Canarias in 1988 with a prologue and a couple of stages including a rather hilly team time trial. I remember stories of local independentists throwing nails and and tacks all over the road!

andyp

cswebbo wrote:

Any ideas on when the 2010 route is announced, or any rumours?

It will probably be too much to ask for Murcia/Alicante regions to feature again, like this year!

According to Cyclingnews the route will be presented in Seville on December 16th.

victorponf

Hope Bola del Mundo in the Vuelta, Ancares, Pradel, Fonte da Cova, Veleta...are colosos too.

victorponf

victorponf wrote:

BOLA DEL MUNDO (Madrid)

11,8 Km 9% average, 2257 m altitude

Last 3 Km 12%


The new in Diario As (sorry in spanish)

http://www.as.com/ciclismo/articulo/cic ... icic_1/Tes

Tomorrow Andy Slechk is going to climb it

victorponf

http://www.ciclismoafondo.es/front/noti ... onMedia.do

FJS

gabriel959 wrote:

They could go there or Tenerife but the islands are not big enough and anyway there is no need, there are harder climbs on the mainland.

Not many though. Roque de los Muchachos, Teide, Pico de las Nieves, there are very very few that beat those.

victorponf

FJS wrote:

gabriel959 wrote:

They could go there or Tenerife but the islands are not big enough and anyway there is no need, there are harder climbs on the mainland.

Not many though. Roque de los Muchachos, Teide, Pico de las Nieves, there are very very few that beat those.

You are right FJS, even in Europe

jerry3571

I think the Veleta (Sierra Nevada) would be bonkers. Major altitude there. 3400m
I watched Jalabert fall to bits at the 2500m summit finish above the village of Sierra Nevada whilst he was in the Golden Jersey.
I did go to the top once on my bike which is past the Barrier at 2500m and with a mate we rode to the top (the Veleta).
The way up is ok but almost got pneumonia on the way down. To ride it for fun it's good to drop clothes off at stages before you go up otherwise you'll have a 2 hour bath with goose bumps the whole way through. Got bitten by a huge Mountain Sheep dog; this dog was in a pack of about 6 St Bernard size dogs and they are quite angry dogs.
Altitude training is great. Weather is usually very good. Cadel Evans and Valverde use the resort.
Also, if you want the altitude then don't use the Hotel Santa Cruz as it's lower down and in the middle of nowhere.
I think it's sister Hotel is the Hotel Mont Blanc. This is at the 2500m mark n the village. Spend a lonesome 2 weeks there in the summer and you'll be flying and have a great tan if you don't go mad (very quiet in summer).
-Jerry

PS- The 3400m Veleta is a holey and lumpy road but is the highest road in Europe; I think.

Anonymous

gabriel959 wrote:

They could go there or Tenerife but the islands are not big enough and anyway there is no need, there are harder climbs on the mainland.

Maybe the L'Angliru is a real contender to equal those on the Canaries but I reckon few others are?

I've did Teide/Masca etc on Tenerife, Masca was a real brute at near 11% average (and thats after a 800 meter climb to get there from BuenaVista Norte?....and Mount Teide just goes on forever...2100-2300 meter solid climb...thought I was never going to reach the top.

Ive wrote it up...have a read if you fancy..

http://www.sportivecentral.com/index.ph ... 309&page=3

http://www.sportivecentral.com/index.ph ... 311&page=3

Ive also experienced Gran Canaria...I did Pico Nieves from Maspalomas, another huge long monster....but then i did it from the infamous Ingenio approach...oh dear lord!...way way tougher than anything Ive did on mainland europe (much tougher than the Mortirolo/Lavaredo/Ventoux)...23% gradients....(theres a famous TT that does the climb each year, Big Mig usually does it along with a few other pro's / ex pro's)

http://www.sportivecentral.com/index.ph ... 317&page=3

But just this year I experienced an even tougher climb on Gran Canaria...its called 'Valley of the Tears'....Ive mapped it out...its a 10km climb averaging 10.8%....but thats not the whole story...a full Km nulls itself due to a small down section...it's really 9km at 12% average...first 2 Kms average 16%...thats more than Hardknott Pass?....near passed out and NEVER want to do anything tougher in my whole life...god bless the triple!

http://www.sportivecentral.com/index.ph ... 360&page=1

And those brutes in La Palma look brutal aswell....Nope, I reckon anywhere would be hard pushed to beat the Canaries...those would be spectacular in any Grand Tour!

gabriel959

You might be right there, I was just thinking of Sierra Nevada and El Veleta in particular.

FJS

BTW, Has the Vuelta ever been to the Canary Islands, for a Grand Depart? I guess a start is possible, if one in the Netherlands or Belgium is, altgough probably without those killer climbs; that would kill the race in the first few days...

victorponf

Maybe was better finish there The Vuelta, wiht a couple of mountain stage, one TT and the final walk in Tenerife.