Vuelta stage 11 ****SPOILER****

Vino'sGhost

Time for testers to get moist

victorponf

All about the ITT (profile, when the favourites starts...) and a video of last year ITT, with with the Star appearance of Froome

http://www.revistadesdelacuneta.com/ten ... ge=v12et11

inkyfingers

I've gone for Froome for PTP on the basis that the climb will do for Tony Martin. Whoever wins the stage I think Froome will take 20-30 seconds out of Contador and 2 mins 30 out of J Rod.

Vino'sGhost

I hope it's closer for a good battle in the mountains later this week

LangerDan

I suspect that today will be when Nico Roche falls ass-backwards out of the top 10.

jgsi

How close is it going to be in GC after this ITT?
Very close methinks.

Richmond Racer

Assuming no disaster of the TTT proportions, Talanksy should zoom up the GC today.

Paulie W

This has the potential to be pretty exciting because there are so many intangibles. There is some suggestion that the descent is pretty technical - who does this favour? Froome looked a little shaky on some of the descents in the Tour. Contador was an excellent TTer but his 2011 performances were down on previous years. JRod is the weakest of the 4 in the TT but this route may allow him to minimise his losses - 2:30 to Froome would be just about manageable given the time he is picking up here and there on these steep finishes and through time bonuses. Valverde lost 3:30ish in the first TT at the Tour presumably when he was putting in a decent if not full gas effort so you would expect him to lose a fair chunk of time too (although his form is on the up while Froome's looks like it might be on the way down).

smithy21

I would expect Contador to be pretty good on this today. If there is one aspect you would expect his performance not to have suffered in it would be the TT wouldnt it? I can understand how his racing form might not be there yet but TT training, pacing etc is something I would think he should have been able to maintain. I think he will be pretty close to Froome. I dont think J Rod is going to be as bad as maybe people expect today- its going to be the longer climbs where the others put the boot into him.

rick_chasey

Cards on the table: Contador will beat Froome.

Martin will beat them both.

FJS

It's a very interesting TT course - much more climbing than the lumpy courses that you get if a TdF TT is billed as hilly. 10 km with almost 500 m elevation is a proper climb. It's not unlike this year's Tour de Suisse TT

LeicesterLad

Rick Chasey wrote:

Cards on the table: Contador will beat Froome.

Martin will beat them both.

PTP wise that would leave me upset.

Fandom wise though i'd be delighted.

blazing_saddles

Rick Chasey wrote:

Cards on the table: Contador will beat Froome.

Martin will beat them both.

Probably.
Although Martin has said that this course is not for him.

With the very technical descent, I see this as a plus for Valverde and Bertie, Neutral for Froome and a bit of a negative for the German and Purito.

Potentially, the most interesting ITT in a long while.
Not the usual namby pamby route and riders in the overall contention, with relatively unknown form.

frenchfighter

In 39.4 kilometres of racing between Cambados and Pontevedra, there are perhaps two stretches of 500 metres in the entire course that could be defined as straightaways.

The rest is a non-stop blur of corners, climbs, scary descents, hairpin bends, and rolling terrain, all on roads that are ‘A’-road quality at best, which makes it a real test of technical ability rather than pure power. There’s even a cobbled section somewhere in there. The only motorway in sight is just before the main third category climb, the Monte Castrove. But seeing the motorway is the closest the time trial gets. And in the final third of racing, the scenery overlooking the Atlantic bays and verdant mountains of western Galicia when the race drops down from Castrove to Pontevedra is nothing short of breathtaking – provided it doesn’t rain, as is often the case here.

The cyclists, on the other hand, will have few opportunities to catch their breath, from the moment the race leaves the coastal resort of Cambados. Plunging inland on backstreet roads, the first 13 kilometres begin with twisting urban roads, switch briefly to some more rollercoaster terrain through a wood and then return to more suburb-like territory, complete with roundabouts, traffic passes and sudden changes of direction. If you’re wondering who most of the road graffiti is in favour of, by the way, it’s Gustavo Cesar Veloso (Andalucia), the only locally born rider in the peloton and winner of the Volta a Catalunya way back in 2008 when a freak rainstorm shattered the bunch on the last, theoretically easy, stage into Barcelona.

Up until this point, the changes in altitude are nothing too complicated. But as 2011 Vuelta winner Juan José Cobo (Movistar) pointed out yesterday, “the time trial is all about the climb” and given the Alto de Monte Castrove is a 10 kilometre (yes, you read that right, 10 kilometre) ascent, he’s hit the nail on the head.

Although not excessively steep (averaging 4.4 percent, with 447 metres of climbing), the climb makes up for over a quarter of the entire TT. The slopes are punishingly steady and constantly curving left and right for the first six kilometres, and there are just a couple of segments where it eases off slightly. Into the last four kilometres, whilst much straighter, the gradient continues to rise relentlessly to 490 metres above sea level before a sudden righthand turn indicates the descent has begun.

There are stunning views of the Pontevedra bay below at this point, but given the road for the drop down is in far worse condition than on the smooth, well-surfaced ascent, the chances are the riders won’t be looking. Three really sharp hairpin bends, poorly cambered turns, rough tarmac and a narrow, twisting road that plunges down at breakneck speeds through a wood will make for a very fast, complicated descent. When Chris Froome said “it’s very technical and we will have to be careful,” he wasn’t kidding. If it rains, this could be dangerous.

The last eight kilometre chunk is relatively straightforward – a sudden kick up after that fast descent, a rollercoaster ride through woodland, another fast drop to Pontevedra and a couple of kilometres through the streets of the finish town before the course is complete.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/vuelta- ... -with-past

TheStone

I predict Froome will win today and take red ... but will fade over the next week and J Rod will win GC.
Just seems Froome's been in top form too long. And he's too nice. Needs to get mean.

Pross

If the course is as bad as Frenchie's post suggests will they all use TT bikes or will we see some road bikes?

tailwindhome

LangerDan wrote:

I suspect that today will be when Nico Roche falls ass-backwards out of the top 10.

Hope so.

He seems in good form.....'bout time an Irish rider won another GT stage

LeicesterLad

TailWindHome wrote:

LangerDan wrote:

I suspect that today will be when Nico Roche falls ass-backwards out of the top 10.

Hope so.

He seems in good form.....'bout time an Irish rider won another GT stage

why do you hope so then?

knedlicky

Richmond Racer wrote:

Assuming no disaster of the TTT proportions, Talanksy should zoom up the GC today.

Monfort could move a lot up the GC too.

Paulie W

LeicesterLad wrote:

TailWindHome wrote:

LangerDan wrote:

I suspect that today will be when Nico Roche falls ass-backwards out of the top 10.

Hope so.

He seems in good form.....'bout time an Irish rider won another GT stage

why do you hope so then?

Because dropping down the GC is the only way he's going to be allowed to win a stage?

jonginge

How many points for a top ten in GC vs a stage win? Which would Riis prefer?

ilm_zero7

it will be an interesting next few days if a non-Spaniard head the GC - which I hope he does! all the threats will start then.

Pross

Do they give time bonuses on the time trial stages? The commentators the other day said they have them on all stages so I assume that includes the TT.

jonginge

Pross wrote:

Do they give time bonuses on the time trial stages? The commentators the other day said they have them on all stages so I assume that includes the TT.

Shouldn't have thought so. They didn't for the TTT

bigmat

Think it might be pretty tight today, Froome v Contador for the win, Martin a bit back I think. The technical descent may have more impact than the climb, might help Valverde limit his losses. Not sure how well J-Rod goes down hills, but he might feel inclined to take a few risks to keep within touching distance of the red jersey. If it rains, at least one of the top 4 will hit the deck...

patchy

Inner Ring reckons Contador has recced the course eight times. I think it's safe to say he's targeting this one.

ilm_zero7

Ignatiev, sets a decent marker time at the first check: 17:32

than Bodnar - the Polish TT champ - so no slouch

graeme_s-2

Pross wrote:

Do they give time bonuses on the time trial stages? The commentators the other day said they have them on all stages so I assume that includes the TT.

Inrng says no time bonuses on the TT

richa

I think Froome & Contador will be close with J-Rod a dfair bit back. But don't think it is going to be enough for Froome to take the win. J-Rod is getting too many 'bonifications', Froome is not (and is not riding very well tactically).

ilm_zero7

wow! Castroviejo has just lopped 46 seconds of the previous best first check time at 13.5km with a time of of 16:42. impressive - beat that!

tailwindhome

JonGinge wrote:

How many points for a top ten in GC vs a stage win? Which would Riis prefer?

So long as he does a bit of work for Bertie in the mountains then Riis will be grand