La Vuelta '15 #11 Andorra laVella/Cortals dEncamp *SPOILERS*
During the last stage/rest day
143 EWAN Caleb OGE withdrawal
86 MANZIN Lorenzo FDJ withdrawal
Andorra la Vella / Cortals d´Encamp
It's only 138 km - easy. Till you realise how many climbs you can pack into 138 km. Lots of riders see a dip in form after the rest day - 10 days riding and then a day off (even though a day off for these guys still entails quite a few miles) can end up with the body deciding to have a good few days rest. That dip is gonna be exacerbated by the horrendous/fabulous route the organisers have for this stage
Even from the map one can tell that there is not much of the route that isn't hairpins either up or down the side of a mountain. Then you see the profile
This is the profile of the fourth climb of the day - a special category climb; bear in mind the riders will already have crested 3 cat 1s and have a cat2 and a MTF on a cat 1 afterwards.
Taking out the false flat in the middle - it is basically 1000m climb in 10000m riding.
Frankly it is a shame they didn't manage to start a bit lower in Andorra la Vella - the total climbing metres is 4950m; would have been nice to get a round 5k.
143 EWAN Caleb OGE withdrawal
86 MANZIN Lorenzo FDJ withdrawal
Andorra la Vella / Cortals d´Encamp
It's only 138 km - easy. Till you realise how many climbs you can pack into 138 km. Lots of riders see a dip in form after the rest day - 10 days riding and then a day off (even though a day off for these guys still entails quite a few miles) can end up with the body deciding to have a good few days rest. That dip is gonna be exacerbated by the horrendous/fabulous route the organisers have for this stage
Even from the map one can tell that there is not much of the route that isn't hairpins either up or down the side of a mountain. Then you see the profile
This is the profile of the fourth climb of the day - a special category climb; bear in mind the riders will already have crested 3 cat 1s and have a cat2 and a MTF on a cat 1 afterwards.
Taking out the false flat in the middle - it is basically 1000m climb in 10000m riding.
Frankly it is a shame they didn't manage to start a bit lower in Andorra la Vella - the total climbing metres is 4950m; would have been nice to get a round 5k.
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Comments
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Very excited.
Contador is the Greatest0 -
It's only a bit of sport, Mun. Relax and enjoy the racing.0 -
You'll get your wish Imatfaal
As Dan Martin has just pointed out on Twitter. the roadbook is set to continue its pattern of under-representing the difficulty of stages - tomorrow will be over 5,500m0 -
We're gonna need a bigger server, Bikeradar0 -
He got DQd for 'doing a Froome', remember?Team My Man 2018: David gaudu, Pierre Latour, Romain Bardet, Thibaut pinot, Alexandre Geniez, Florian Senechal, Warren Barguil, Benoit Cosnefroy0 -
This was not a routing accidentIt's only a bit of sport, Mun. Relax and enjoy the racing.0
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Looking forward to this one
Will probably brave the eurosport commentary at my desk rather than waiting for the highlights.0 -
Just to make this impossible stage just a bit more difficultWednesday 80 % Precip. / 3 mm
Partly cloudy in the morning. Thunderstorms developing later in the day. High around 20C. Winds SW at 15 to 25 km/h. Chance of rain 80%.0 -
Neutralise it!Just to make this impossible stage just a bit more difficultWednesday 80 % Precip. / 3 mm
Partly cloudy in the morning. Thunderstorms developing later in the day. High around 20C. Winds SW at 15 to 25 km/h. Chance of rain 80%.Half man, Half bike0 -
[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19692687#p19692687]Richmond Racer 2[/url] wrote:You'll get your wish Imatfaal
As Dan Martin has just pointed out on Twitter. the roadbook is set to continue its pattern of under-representing the difficulty of stages - tomorrow will be over 5,500m
If the official figures are right it is only 350m more climbing than one Stage 19 of the Tour, the stage used for the Etape, which was also 138 kms long, give or take.
Are the offical figures really going to be 550m out or does Dan just have a Garmin 510 that over reads the elevation like my son's does?! 0 -
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[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19692687#p19692687]Richmond Racer 2[/url] wrote:You'll get your wish Imatfaal
As Dan Martin has just pointed out on Twitter. the roadbook is set to continue its pattern of under-representing the difficulty of stages - tomorrow will be over 5,500m
If the official figures are right it is only 350m more climbing than one Stage 19 of the Tour, the stage used for the Etape, which was also 138 kms long, give or take.
Are the offical figures really going to be 550m out or does Dan just have a Garmin 510 that over reads the elevation like my son's does?!
Nah, he's not the only rider who's been saying during the race that the roadbook is well on the light side
Take it up with him!0 -
Can't help thinking this will be seen as too hard a stage to 'race' and will just be attritional until the last few km. hope I'm wrong but as I'll be driving back from London while it's on I'll miss it anyway
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@inrng 1h1 hour ago
Is tomorrow's Vuelta stage the hardest ever? I'll see Andorra and raise St.15 of the 2011 Giro
aka my favourite GT stage ever.
Stage 15 results
1 Mikel Nieve (Euskaltel Euskadi) 7:27:14
2 Stefano Garzelli (Acqua&Sapone) + 1:41
3 Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank) + 1:50
4 Michele Scarponi (Lampre) + 1:57
5 John Gadret (AG2R) + 2:28
6 José Rujano (Androni) + 2:35
7 Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) + 3:34
8 Joaquim Rodríguez (Katusha) + 3:34
9 Roman Kreuziger (Astana) + 4:01
10 Steven Kruijswij (Rabobank) + 4:13
11 Denis Mechov (Geox) + 4:23
12 David Arroyo (Movistar) + 4:30
Contador:
I think it was the hardest stage of my career. I don’t know if there has to be a limit of the kilometres we race but perhaps there should be a limit of the amount of climbing. For me this stage was perfect, I gained the most and I'm in good shape after preparing well for the Giro. But ask the other riders who arrived an hour behind me. It was especially tough for them. I'm very happy we've got the rest day. I need to recover from what we did today.
Photos:
http://www.steephill.tv/2011/giro-d-italia/photos/stage-15/Contador is the Greatest0 -
Witness the full horror. Looking at the TV schedule for Eurosport it's one of those rare occasions - televised from the start, 1230 BST kickoff.0
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Witness the full horror. Looking at the TV schedule for Eurosport it's one of those rare occasions - televised from the start, 1230 BST kickoff.
Happy days. That focuses the morning. Feed some cats, go to PO to post some speakers, and go to the LBS to get them to remove a pedal that I spent an hour and a half trying to get off my bike today. Result - one pedal changed, one stuck fast (yes I know about opposite threads), one very sore palm, one very warped Lezyne multi-tool. Grrr.0 -
@inrng 1h1 hour ago
Is tomorrow's Vuelta stage the hardest ever? I'll see Andorra and raise St.15 of the 2011 Giro
aka my favourite GT stage ever.
Stage 15 results
1 Mikel Nieve (Euskaltel Euskadi) 7:27:14
2 Stefano Garzelli (Acqua&Sapone) + 1:41
3 Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank) + 1:50
4 Michele Scarponi (Lampre) + 1:57
5 John Gadret (AG2R) + 2:28
6 José Rujano (Androni) + 2:35
7 Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) + 3:34
8 Joaquim Rodríguez (Katusha) + 3:34
9 Roman Kreuziger (Astana) + 4:01
10 Steven Kruijswij (Rabobank) + 4:13
11 Denis Mechov (Geox) + 4:23
12 David Arroyo (Movistar) + 4:30
Contador:
I think it was the hardest stage of my career. I don’t know if there has to be a limit of the kilometres we race but perhaps there should be a limit of the amount of climbing. For me this stage was perfect, I gained the most and I'm in good shape after preparing well for the Giro. But ask the other riders who arrived an hour behind me. It was especially tough for them. I'm very happy we've got the rest day. I need to recover from what we did today.
Photos:
http://www.steephill.tv/2011/giro-d-italia/photos/stage-15/
That's the toughest stage I've ever watched live, absolutely barbaric0 -
David Millar @millarmind 3h3 hours ago@inrng 1h1 hour ago
Is tomorrow's Vuelta stage the hardest ever? I'll see Andorra and raise St.15 of the 2011 Giro
aka my favourite GT stage ever.
Stage 15 results
1 Mikel Nieve (Euskaltel Euskadi) 7:27:14
2 Stefano Garzelli (Acqua&Sapone) + 1:41
3 Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank) + 1:50
4 Michele Scarponi (Lampre) + 1:57
5 John Gadret (AG2R) + 2:28
6 José Rujano (Androni) + 2:35
7 Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) + 3:34
8 Joaquim Rodríguez (Katusha) + 3:34
9 Roman Kreuziger (Astana) + 4:01
10 Steven Kruijswij (Rabobank) + 4:13
11 Denis Mechov (Geox) + 4:23
12 David Arroyo (Movistar) + 4:30
Contador:
I think it was the hardest stage of my career. I don’t know if there has to be a limit of the kilometres we race but perhaps there should be a limit of the amount of climbing. For me this stage was perfect, I gained the most and I'm in good shape after preparing well for the Giro. But ask the other riders who arrived an hour behind me. It was especially tough for them. I'm very happy we've got the rest day. I need to recover from what we did today.
Photos:
http://www.steephill.tv/2011/giro-d-italia/photos/stage-15/
That's the toughest stage I've ever watched live, absolutely barbaric
.@inrng I did that stage, it was purgatory yes, but it was long enough for us to team up into groups and survive. Tomorrow is a TT for all.0 -
David Millar @millarmind 3h3 hours ago@inrng 1h1 hour ago
Is tomorrow's Vuelta stage the hardest ever? I'll see Andorra and raise St.15 of the 2011 Giro
aka my favourite GT stage ever.
Stage 15 results
1 Mikel Nieve (Euskaltel Euskadi) 7:27:14
2 Stefano Garzelli (Acqua&Sapone) + 1:41
3 Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank) + 1:50
4 Michele Scarponi (Lampre) + 1:57
5 John Gadret (AG2R) + 2:28
6 José Rujano (Androni) + 2:35
7 Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) + 3:34
8 Joaquim Rodríguez (Katusha) + 3:34
9 Roman Kreuziger (Astana) + 4:01
10 Steven Kruijswij (Rabobank) + 4:13
11 Denis Mechov (Geox) + 4:23
12 David Arroyo (Movistar) + 4:30
Contador:
I think it was the hardest stage of my career. I don’t know if there has to be a limit of the kilometres we race but perhaps there should be a limit of the amount of climbing. For me this stage was perfect, I gained the most and I'm in good shape after preparing well for the Giro. But ask the other riders who arrived an hour behind me. It was especially tough for them. I'm very happy we've got the rest day. I need to recover from what we did today.
Photos:
http://www.steephill.tv/2011/giro-d-italia/photos/stage-15/
That's the toughest stage I've ever watched live, absolutely barbaric
.@inrng I did that stage, it was purgatory yes, but it was long enough for us to team up into groups and survive. Tomorrow is a TT for all.
130th Millar, David +39.19
So I am sure it wasn't overly difficult for him compared to the guys that actually turned up to race.
For those warriors, this stage was probably significantly harder than today's monster intervals stage.
Millar should read up on how fragmented the front of the race was and for how long. There were some monster solo and small group efforts that day.
As an aside, this is a training ride for Contador on Apr 25th:
Contador is the Greatest0 -
Everyone seems very excited, but I doubt anyone is going to race this until very close to the end. You'd have to be supremely confident in your form to try and make this any harder than it needs to be before the final climb. They'll all sit together saving their matches. Survival first, then see if you've got anything left in the last few kms. Could be a good day for a breakaway. Anyone expecting fireworks is most likely going to be disappointed.Warning No formatter is installed for the format0
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Everyone seems very excited, but I doubt anyone is going to race this until very close to the end. You'd have to be supremely confident in your form to try and make this any harder than it needs to be before the final climb. They'll all sit together saving their matches. Survival first, then see if you've got anything left in the last few kms. Could be a good day for a breakaway. Anyone expecting fireworks is most likely going to be disappointed.
That's probably a fair assessment of the stage especially considering the 3 back to back mountain top finishes sat, sun & Mon and the measuring of effort that will be needed.0 -
As he knows, I'm with Not a Doc, however I think that may because I'm expecting a "normal" GC sort of race where all the big names are riding defensively and watching each other. However, we don't really have a normal GC at the moment so there could be some big changes - Although it may not really be surprising enough to call it exciting...We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
- @ddraver0 -
Everyone seems very excited, but I doubt anyone is going to race this until very close to the end. You'd have to be supremely confident in your form to try and make this any harder than it needs to be before the final climb. They'll all sit together saving their matches. Survival first, then see if you've got anything left in the last few kms. Could be a good day for a breakaway. Anyone expecting fireworks is most likely going to be disappointed.
That's probably a fair assessment of the stage especially considering the 3 back to back mountain top finishes sat, sun & Mon and the measuring of effort that will be needed.
It could pan out like this but I can't see it happening. All but very few domestiques will be shed and it will be mano a mano. 100% Purito is not going for a 3km sprint against Nitrus Froome. Shame Nibali is not racing as you could guarantee that he would not be waiting for a mountain sprint.Contador is the Greatest0 -
Nobody thinks the GC guys will be too busy marking each other and a breakaway will win then?0
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I didn't think it would be possible to ride for 138km within Andorra. Well it is if you model your stage on a seismograph during a force 9 quake.
I once had a really fun holiday here. Weird place. Crazy climbs. Massive storms.Correlation is not causation.0 -
I didn't think it would be possible to ride for 138km within Andorra. Well it is if you model your stage on a seismograph during a force 9 quake.
I once had a really fun holiday here. Weird place. Crazy climbs. Massive storms.
Weather forecast giving 80pct likelihood of rain - but amount is being scaled back; now predicting only light rain around 1330 local and 1700 local0 -
Nobody thinks the GC guys will be too busy marking each other and a breakaway will win then?
I think that is a distinct possibility.Correlation is not causation.0 -
I think quite a lot of people think that. Especially if the top teams leave the early pace setting to a lightweight Giant team.Nobody thinks the GC guys will be too busy marking each other and a breakaway will win then?Twitter: @RichN950 -
I think quite a lot of people think that. Especially if the top teams leave the early pace setting to a lightweight Giant team.Nobody thinks the GC guys will be too busy marking each other and a breakaway will win then?
I'd quite like to see Giant-Shampoo be made to wig out. They'd lose control pretty quickly0 -
allez Kenny
can see Pozzo getting some time here and moving up GC
Navarro - what a career he has had - also would like to see have a good one0
