La Vuelta '15 #7 Jódar / La Alpujarra **Spoilers**

imatfaal

The nasty little kick ups become a bit more brutal today - 191km with another climb at the end; but this one is a cat 1.



There is the first section to polish off the non-climbers, a false flat to plan tactics, then upwards again. Hopefully it will kick off sooner rather than later - I would like to see challenges from after the flat bit. Otherwise the 14pct section a few kms from the end must see someone jump clear



That finish looks tailor made for Purito

I make the final 5km 350m climbing in 5 km - exactly 7pct; although I cannot see how the diagram of the last 5km can match the overprofile so maybe I am misinterpreting something

Richmond Racer 2

Right, GC boys, time for some akshun

timoid.

Time to find out if Froome is serious about this race. If Sky smart, they'll send someone up the road. Let Movistar chase.

The 14% section seems made for Quintana.

DeVlaeminck

Early in the race with one decent climb and the finish at the top of it - we've seen Froome win these before not least in the Tour this year.

tim000

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19689796#p19689796]DeVlaeminck[/url] wrote:

Early in the race with one decent climb and the finish at the top of it - we've seen Froome win these before not least in the Tour this year.

was thinking the same.

inseine

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19689798#p19689798]tim000[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19689796#p19689796]DeVlaeminck[/url] wrote:

Early in the race with one decent climb and the finish at the top of it - we've seen Froome win these before not least in the Tour this year.

was thinking the same.

Na, Chaves is going to blitz them again!

gsk82

i don't think sky will go for it. froome and sky "just" need to conserve as much energy as he can without losing time before the tt. i think this will bea race were they really don't want the leaders jersey

blazing_saddles

BOTD:_
65 Carlos Quintero (Colombia)
48 Amets Txurruka (Caja Rural)
109 Ilia Koshevoy (Lampre-Merida)
193 Bert Jan Lindeman (LottoNL-Jumbo)
163 Antoine Cousin (Europcar)

Have 8 minutes lead over the bunch after the first hour of racing.

takethehighroad

As if we've got this far into the thread without any mention of Game of Thrones

RichN95.

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19689853#p19689853]gsk82[/url] wrote:

i don't think sky will go for it. froome and sky "just" need to conserve as much energy as he can without losing time before the tt. i think this will bea race were they really don't want the leaders jersey

It'll depend on what sort of shape Froome is in. If he's tip-top then I think they'll go for it at least a bit. It helps to narrow the field of contenders early.

imatfaal

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19689877#p19689877]RichN95[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19689853#p19689853]gsk82[/url] wrote:

i don't think sky will go for it. froome and sky "just" need to conserve as much energy as he can without losing time before the tt. i think this will bea race were they really don't want the leaders jersey

It'll depend on what sort of shape Froome is in. If he's tip-top then I think they'll go for it at least a bit. It helps to narrow the field of contenders early.

the punters seem to think Froome will have a dig - when I looked Froome and Valverde were much the shortest odds on the exchanges. All the others were quite a lot longer odds with large spreads between back and lay

imatfaal

COUSIN J. 163 EUC +00:14:06
TXURRUKA ANSOLA A. 48 CJR +00:18:43
QUINTERO C. 65 COL +00:22:08
LINDEMAN B. 193 TLJ +00:36:45
KOSHEVOY I. 109 LAM +00:47:20

Group of five way way up the road - have 12 mins on the Peleton with 100km remaining

imatfaal

50km to go and breakaway still has 10 mins - down from a max of nearly 14

hammerite

10 mins gap to the break with 47km remaining.

jtomes1993

Anyone driving the pace behind? Hope these stay away, love a good breakaway win

d_o_g

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19689831#p19689831]inseine[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19689798#p19689798]tim000[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19689796#p19689796]DeVlaeminck[/url] wrote:

Early in the race with one decent climb and the finish at the top of it - we've seen Froome win these before not least in the Tour this year.

was thinking the same.

Na, Chaves is going to blitz them again!

Please let this be the truth!

hammerite

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19690026#p19690026]Jtomes1993[/url] wrote:

Anyone driving the pace behind? Hope these stay away, love a good breakaway win

Sky/Astana have been on the front recently. Orica are mid pack, I think happy to let this one go.

hammerite

Think they may have given up the chase, hardly anything has been taken off the gap in the last 10km. The 10k before that they managed to scrub off a fair amount of time.

inseine

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19690040#p19690040]hammerite[/url] wrote:

Think they may have given up the chase, hardly anything has been taken off the gap in the last 10km. The 10k before that they managed to scrub off a fair amount of time.

Huge gap, but practically 20k of climbing so it's not over yet.

hammerite

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19690043#p19690043]inseine[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19690040#p19690040]hammerite[/url] wrote:

Think they may have given up the chase, hardly anything has been taken off the gap in the last 10km. The 10k before that they managed to scrub off a fair amount of time.

Huge gap, but practically 20k of climbing so it's not over yet.

Yes, that's what I meant without saying it :oops:

Movistar now seem to have taken the front and a bit more time has come off quite quickly. Will be a close thing on the climb.

imatfaal

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19690049#p19690049]hammerite[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19690043#p19690043]inseine[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19690040#p19690040]hammerite[/url] wrote:

Think they may have given up the chase, hardly anything has been taken off the gap in the last 10km. The 10k before that they managed to scrub off a fair amount of time.

Huge gap, but practically 20k of climbing so it's not over yet.

Yes, that's what I meant without saying it :oops:

Movistar now seem to have taken the front and a bit more time has come off quite quickly. Will be a close thing on the climb.

Yeah - could be close if any of the GC guys goes early. If teams play it tactically till the second half of the climb then I think the breakaway could make it

joelsim

The breakaway will get caught, surely.

imatfaal

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19690062#p19690062]Joelsim[/url] wrote:

The breakaway will get caught, surely.

19 km to go with 5:59 gap - there are some reasonable climbers in breakaway. They are starting the climb right now

imatfaal

Peleton fractured

TheBigBean

Oops, I thought it was 4km climb today rather than 18km. Not good Pro Tour Punditry.

jam1e

Movistar riding to set up Froome again?

I reckon Froome will ride a fairly defensive stage today and the race in general other than the TT - I think it's called doing a Wiggo...

jtomes1993

If Froome can attack, I think that he will, no one seems to know whether he has the legs or not

hammerite

Big bunch going up the climb at the mo. But the gap has come down - 11km to go 3.40 gap.

jam1e

3 leaders properly struggling now, attack and counter but they're clearly knackered.

jam1e

Froome gone?

norvernrob

Froome out the back