Vuelta 2010

iainf72

6 mountain top finishes, very little TT'ing

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/vuelta- ... -announced

moray_gub

iainf72 wrote:

6 mountain top finishes, very little TT'ing

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/vuelta- ... -announced

"and the Bola del Mundo near Madrid in the penultimate stage, which is expected to decide the overall winner."

Great in an ideal world , but thats what ASO thought would happen this year on Ventoux but in most cases the race is effectively decided 4 or 5 days before, here the longish stage 17 time trial will more than likely see the winner consolidate his position and defend on that penultimate day.

gabriel959

Bola del Mundo here I come!

First time trial, the prologue, in seville - quite long for a prologue, 18km.

Some of the stages look pretty good like the Castedefells one.

sonny73

gabriel959 wrote:

Bola del Mundo here I come!

First time trial, the prologue, in seville - quite long for a prologue, 18km.

Some of the stages look pretty good like the Castedefells one.

+1 http://www.lavuelta.com/ the profiles are on the official site.

And the Bola del Mundo will be heaving, I might join you there

blazing_saddles

May ultimately be an anti-climax as our resident alternate theorist suggests, but it should stop the third week blues boredom at bay, with anticipation.

FJS

I count 4 1/2 mountain top finishes... The Pena Cabarga is only 500 m high. Xoret de Cati is a downhill finish.

Strange route... not that much mountains and not that much TTs either. Only the Cotobello and Bola del Mundo are proper mountain stages; Of course Covadonga and Pal are hard enough, but they come after completely flat stages. Lots of hilly and medium mountain stages, but only a couple that really count.

gabriel959

FJS wrote:

I count 4 1/2 mountain top finishes... The Pena Cabarga is only 500 m high. Xoret de Cati is a downhill finish.

Strange route... not that much mountains and not that much TTs either. Only the Cotobello and Bola del Mundo are proper mountain stages; Of course Covadonga and Pal are hard enough, but they come after completely flat stages. Lots of hilly and medium mountain stages, but only a couple that really count.

You really never been there, have you?

Pena Cabarga is tough as nails. 5km long, the average gradient for the first 4 km is an average of 10%. Then towards the last km there is a 22% ramp that lasts for around 200 yards and then back to around 8%.

eh

Pena Cabarga is tough as nails. 5km long, the average gradient for the first 4 km is an average of 10%. Then towards the last km there is a 22% ramp that lasts for around 200 yards and then back to around 8%.

It may be hard to ride, but for a race it has to provide a platform for someone to attack from and gain a decent amount of time. A 200m 22% ramp near the end isn't likely to offer much, the earlier km's sound more suitable. Remember this is a stage race not a 1 day.

I agree that hard penultimate stages often are an anti-climax, as there is often too much to lose and little to gain from attacking on them. No boss is going to be impressed if you are in a podium position at the beginning of the day, then screw it up by attacking and blowing up.

DaveyL

gabriel959 wrote:

Pena Cabarga is tough as nails. 5km long, the average gradient for the first 4 km is an average of 10%. Then towards the last km there is a 22% ramp that lasts for around 200 yards and then back to around 8%.

Does it start below sea level?

pontarlier_pete

eh wrote:

Pena Cabarga is tough as nails. 5km long, the average gradient for the first 4 km is an average of 10%. Then towards the last km there is a 22% ramp that lasts for around 200 yards and then back to around 8%.

It may be hard to ride, but for a race it has to provide a platform for someone to attack from and gain a decent amount of time. A 200m 22% ramp near the end isn't likely to offer much, the earlier km's sound more suitable. Remember this is a stage race not a 1 day.

I agree that hard penultimate stages often are an anti-climax, as there is often too much to lose and little to gain from attacking on them. No boss is going to be impressed if you are in a podium position at the beginning of the day, then screw it up by attacking and blowing up.

Exactly why penultimate days should always be an ITT. The day before should be the last mountain, for proper climbers v testers tactical battles.

FJS

gabriel959 wrote:

Pena Cabarga is tough as nails. 5km long, the average gradient for the first 4 km is an average of 10%. Then towards the last km there is a 22% ramp that lasts for around 200 yards and then back to around 8%.

I don't say its not tough, of course it is, not unlike Xorret de Cati. But a very steep 4 or 5 km climb is completely different from a high mountain longer climb like Covadongas, Sierra Nevada, etc. I like Pena Cabarga in there, and Xorret de Cati, and the Malaga stage, etc. However, next year's route is rather thin on real high mountain stages.

victorponf

Bola del Mundo, like Ventoux in Tour 2009 is the star.

It´s the birth of a Mith:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3F35mIU9 ... re=related

victorponf

Bola del Mundo,the new "coloso"

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