La Vuelta'17 **SPOILERS** S.3 Prades Conflent Canigó / Andorra la Vella
Prades Conflent Canigó / Andorra la Vella
158.5 km Coefficient 4 - Special Mountain Stage
Geodiversity (?)
I normally don't understand any geological terms - but I can see those as triangular facts right enough.
Classification at the end of stage 2
1. BEL LAMPAERT Yves 17 QUICK - STEP FLOORS 04h 52' 07''
2. ITA TRENTIN Matteo 19 QUICK - STEP FLOORS 04h 52' 08'' + 00' 01''
3. ITA OSS Daniel 35 BMC RACING TEAM 04h 52' 10'' + 00' 03''
4. USA VAN GARDEREN Tejay 38 BMC RACING TEAM 04h 52' 24'' + 00' 17''
5. IRL ROCHE Nicolas 36 BMC RACING TEAM 04h 52' 24'' + 00' 17''
6. AUS DENNIS Rohan 33 BMC RACING TEAM 04h 52' 24'' + 00' 17''
7. FRA ALAPHILIPPE Julian 12 QUICK - STEP FLOORS 04h 52' 25'' + 00' 18''
8. NED KELDERMAN Wilco 61 TEAM SUNWEB 04h 52' 25'' + 00' 18''
9. GBR FROOME Christopher 21 TEAM SKY 04h 52' 28'' + 00' 21''
10. NED POELS Wout 27 TEAM SKY 04h 52' 28'' + 00' 21''
Three withdrawals so far
155 MORENO BAZAN Javier TBM withdrawal
123 AIT EL ABDIA ANNAS UAD withdrawal
73 KOLAR Michal BOH withdrawal
Food - Trinxat, posh bubble and squeak with bacon
Horses
Local Tipple - only local beer, looks pretty rank from the reports
158.5 km Coefficient 4 - Special Mountain Stage
Geodiversity (?)
Prades Conflent Canigó – Andorra la Vella
This third stage takes place right in the heart of the Pyrenees, entering Têt Valley and continuing through El Segre until Seo de Urgel where we cross the Valira River Valley and reach Andorra la Vella. This route goes through Ordovician rocks (500-435 million years ago, shown in dark green and mauve colours in the diagram). The bottoms of the valleys through which the stage passes consist of more recent materials (yellow and grey colours) that are the result of hillside erosion.
The Pyrenees were formed when the Iberian Plate got closer to the Eurasian Plate, pushed by the African Plate. Between Europe and Iberia, the sediments were compressed and uplifted to form the mountain range we know today. Though it is true that it forms a geographic barrier, the Pyrenees are actually a seam that resulted from the union of two large geological regions that remain active to this day.
The stage's relief can be divided into three sections, according to each one's inclination and slope:
The first section is the ascent of the Têt River Valley, that formed through a system of fractures (or faults), among which the fault located in the South of the Têt-Cerdagne stands out, having experienced movement in the last 10,000 years. Proof of this are the triangular facets that can be seen on the right-hand side of the river.
Once we reach the highest point of the route, in Mont-Louis, we can see the impressive peaks of the Pyrenees to the South, whose summits (reaching up to 2881 metres above sea level, like the Puig de Bastiments) were moulded by the glacial processes of the Quaternary Period. Although the glaciers retreated around 10-12,000 years ago and the current landscape is nowhere near as icy as it was at that time, we can still see significant traces of this glacial action, such as the U-shaped valleys or the lakes that were carved out by glacial ice.
The second section is dominated by the descent through the Segre River Valley. This descent will feature a milder slope than the ascent as the Pyrenees are, generally, “asymmetric” and end abruptly near France, while it extends in various directions, each one less elevated than the one before, as if it were a staircase, towards Spain. The area also has various zones filled with sediments that have accumulated over the last 20 million years (Miocene) and result in soil that is particularly favourable for agriculture and livestock, as is the case in Puigcerdá.
Finally, the third section starts at Seo de Urgel and heads towards Andorra, where riders will have to climb and descend the reliefs of the Sant Julià de Lòria until they arrive at Andorra la Vella.
In the capital of the principality we will see just how important natural water is, and has been, since last century for Andorra's economic and touristic development, thanks to elements such as the Electricity Museum, located in an active state-owned hydroelectric plant, or the city's luxurious thermal water spas.
Stage Term: Triangular Facets
Triangular facets are geomorphological features that are created when a block of rocks is raised due to a moving fault and the river network becomes entrenched into that sa
I normally don't understand any geological terms - but I can see those as triangular facts right enough.
Classification at the end of stage 2
1. BEL LAMPAERT Yves 17 QUICK - STEP FLOORS 04h 52' 07''
2. ITA TRENTIN Matteo 19 QUICK - STEP FLOORS 04h 52' 08'' + 00' 01''
3. ITA OSS Daniel 35 BMC RACING TEAM 04h 52' 10'' + 00' 03''
4. USA VAN GARDEREN Tejay 38 BMC RACING TEAM 04h 52' 24'' + 00' 17''
5. IRL ROCHE Nicolas 36 BMC RACING TEAM 04h 52' 24'' + 00' 17''
6. AUS DENNIS Rohan 33 BMC RACING TEAM 04h 52' 24'' + 00' 17''
7. FRA ALAPHILIPPE Julian 12 QUICK - STEP FLOORS 04h 52' 25'' + 00' 18''
8. NED KELDERMAN Wilco 61 TEAM SUNWEB 04h 52' 25'' + 00' 18''
9. GBR FROOME Christopher 21 TEAM SKY 04h 52' 28'' + 00' 21''
10. NED POELS Wout 27 TEAM SKY 04h 52' 28'' + 00' 21''
Three withdrawals so far
155 MORENO BAZAN Javier TBM withdrawal
123 AIT EL ABDIA ANNAS UAD withdrawal
73 KOLAR Michal BOH withdrawal
Food - Trinxat, posh bubble and squeak with bacon
Horses
Local Tipple - only local beer, looks pretty rank from the reports
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Comments
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The second bizzare intermediate sprint placing in the first two stages. This one more so.0
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KingstonGraham wrote:The second bizzare intermediate sprint placing in the first two stages. This one more so.
It is almost the Vuelta's cancelled descending prize reborn - very weird; but I guess it is to situate it in the town at the beginning of the final loop and give la Vella a sprint and a finish. Although with a thousand-plus metre climb from the start (a first category climb no less and less than 220km into the whole race) I reckon no one will even care where it is placed0 -
A few miles in and the breakaway have 3 mins on the peleton
Davide Villella (Cannondale-Drapac), Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal), Anthony Turgis (Cofidis) and Fabricio Ferrari (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) lead the first move of the day.
Axel Domont and Alexandre Geniez (AG2R-La Mondiale) try to bridge the gap with Fernando Orjuela (Manzana Postobon).
2 AG2R! This could be an interesting race if Bardet tries to wreck normal race plans every mountain day - well I can hope.
edit - two breakaway groups merged and have 3:350 -
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Thomas de Gendt really doesn't like riding in the peloton!
I think this might a shortened version of my first live TdF stage back in 1992 or 93, from Perpignan to Andorra.0 -
Przemyslaw Niemiec (UAE Team Emirates) seemingly bridged across to make an 8 man group. The breakaway have 3 and half minutes - long haul to foot of next climb0
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Dorset Boy wrote:Thomas de Gendt really doesn't like riding in the peloton!
I think this might a shortened version of my first live TdF stage back in 1992 or 93, from Perpignan to Andorra.
Cycling Podcast pointed out that he dropped 7 minutes yesterday - possibly in prep for this stage (more likely to be allowed up the road).
Quickstep clearly wants this though.0 -
Ben King (Dimension Data) and Marc Fournier (FDJ) both retired from race today. Fournier was involved in the crash yesterday - not sure about Ben King0
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Sky have just destroyed the peloton..
Pseudo contendors all dropped!
Superb!0 -
silvergrenade wrote:Sky have just destroyed the peloton..
Pseudo contendors all dropped!
Superb!
three weeks of quality ahead then?0 -
Still the sprint points to come.0
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Sean's promising us that its coming to the boil
waiting...waiting...0 -
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Working for Costa/ Loius could be a possibility. Still, not very intelligent of themRick Chasey wrote:What are UAE doing|?0 -
Froome gains some seconds.0
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Nibali cracked?0
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The other GC riders need to hang their heads in shame.0
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Back on I think.silvergrenade wrote:Nibali cracked?
Sky smashing this! Way early in the race for this show of force IMO, but good fun nonetheless.0 -
Contador's form continues. Dropped.0
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Bertie done!
Edit: Yes, Nibali back on!0 -
TheBigBean wrote:Froome gains some seconds.
Some of the efforts on mtfs to gain a few seconds are monumental compared to that. Tiny marginal gains but all the same...
Grupo contador already - shame0 -
Picking Miguel Angel Lopez for GC is already looking like a mistake.0
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Bert
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Froome attacks!0
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Can anybody see Zakarin?0
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Chavez is the only rider that can follow.0
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Oh my god Carlton Kirby shut the f*ck up about the f*cking camera motorbikes you bellend.0
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Gwan Chaves, dont let him get away0
