Vuelta 2018, Rest Day Roundup: Monday, September 10th - Santander

blazing_saddles

Santander

Cantabria is one of the territories that best combines high mountain and coastal landscapes. Its natural heritage is one of the richest in the Iberian Peninsula. The greatest example of this is the Cabárceno Nature Park, a space that houses almost 150 different animal species that have come from all over the world.



Within its 750 hectares, animals live in near-liberty, in conditions that are as similar as possible to their natural habitats.

In this exhibition of nature as another tourist attraction is the cable car of Fuente Dé.



This means of transport takes visitors to a peak that stands 1823 metres above sea level, through some of Picos de Europa’s most beautiful landscapes, in order to arrive at a stunning view that attracts visitors from all over the globe.



Lastly, without forgetting its vast coastal heritage, Santander also houses the Cantabrian Maritime Museum. The centre offers the possibility of discovering the biology of this sea, as well as its history and its extensive fishing tradition - An example of that combination of sea and land in Northern Spain and, especially, Cantabria.

Santander fell victim to a great fire in 1941. Fanned by a strong south wind, the fire burned for two days. The fire started in Cádiz Street, next to the harbour, the Cathedral and the medieval quarter. The fire destroyed the Old Town Hall, Jesús de Monasterio and Vargas streets and Atarazanas square buildings. It led to a major change in the architecture of Santander, away from the older small stone and wood buildings with balconies to the enormous blocks of flats built during the reconstruction.
The fire destroyed the greater part of the medieval town centre and gutted the city's Romanesque cathedral.



The Cathedral of Santander



Santander's cuisine is characteristic of Cantabria in that it is based mainly on seafood. Popular shellfish include almejas (clams) and navajas (razor clams); fish include seabream, red mullet, anchovies, seabass and sardines; and squid and cuttlefish are also commonly eaten.



Some typical dishes from the city of Santander are the fried calamari called rabas, double donuts, bean stew called cocido montañés, and seafood dishes ranging from seabass and sardine to products such as morguera.



Some of the popular locations to get food in the city include the Barrio Pesquero, Puertochico, El Sardinero, and Corbán.

slim_boy_fat

You've outdone yourself Blazing! Bloody elephants! Top work!

Vino'sGhost

Slim Boy Fat wrote:

You've outdone yourself Blazing! Bloody elephants! Top work!

You could say, he’s “trumped himself”

DeadCalm

Slim Boy Fat wrote:

You've outdone yourself Blazing! Bloody elephants! Top work!

Nothing special about elephants. They're a regular road hazard in these parts.

Top rest day thread opener though. I'm particularly impressed by that photo of the cable car and am still trying to figure out from what vantage point it was taken.

kingstongraham

Are any of the top 5 any good at time trialling? How much can someone who can be half decent like Uran make up on them over tomorrow's course? He beat Yates and Quintana by 1 minute in the Marseille ITT last year on a shorter stage.

Pross

KingstonGraham wrote:

Are any of the top 5 any good at time trialling? How much can someone who can be half decent like Uran make up on them over tomorrow's course? He beat Yates and Quintana by 1 minute in the Marseille ITT last year on a shorter stage.

Yates has improved, he only dropped 1.15 to Dumoulin over 34km in the Giro (beating Lopez by 1.30).

kingstongraham

Pross wrote:

KingstonGraham wrote:

Are any of the top 5 any good at time trialling? How much can someone who can be half decent like Uran make up on them over tomorrow's course? He beat Yates and Quintana by 1 minute in the Marseille ITT last year on a shorter stage.

Yates has improved, he only dropped 1.15 to Dumoulin over 34km in the Giro (beating Lopez by 1.30).

Went so deep he properly screwed himself in the process though.

bobmcstuff

KingstonGraham wrote:

Pross wrote:

KingstonGraham wrote:

Are any of the top 5 any good at time trialling? How much can someone who can be half decent like Uran make up on them over tomorrow's course? He beat Yates and Quintana by 1 minute in the Marseille ITT last year on a shorter stage.

Yates has improved, he only dropped 1.15 to Dumoulin over 34km in the Giro (beating Lopez by 1.30).

Went so deep he properly screwed himself in the process though.

I'd suggest that was the straw that broke the camel's back, on top of how aggressive he had been earlier in the race.

Pross

KingstonGraham wrote:

Pross wrote:

KingstonGraham wrote:

Are any of the top 5 any good at time trialling? How much can someone who can be half decent like Uran make up on them over tomorrow's course? He beat Yates and Quintana by 1 minute in the Marseille ITT last year on a shorter stage.

Yates has improved, he only dropped 1.15 to Dumoulin over 34km in the Giro (beating Lopez by 1.30).

Went so deep he properly screwed himself in the process though.

I suspect as Bob says it was the effect of having too hard, too often. With this field he won't need to go as deep as he did trying to limit losses to Dumoulin. I think he'll gain time on Quintana and Lopez. Valverde was 19th on the TT stage at the Tour this year and put 2.30 into Quintana but I think Quintana was keeping his powder dry by then.

blazing_saddles

KingstonGraham wrote:

Are any of the top 5 any good at time trialling? How much can someone who can be half decent like Uran make up on them over tomorrow's course? He beat Yates and Quintana by 1 minute in the Marseille ITT last year on a shorter stage.

When was the last time Uran turned in a top trial?
Everybody remembers his Giro win in 2014, while at Quick Step
Since then in GT time trials he has managed: 23rd, 17th, 64th, 50th, 95th, 8th (finishing 2nd in the TDF) and 80th.
He's gone even worse in other WT stage races.

Valverde, during the same period: National ITT champ, 28th, 8th,(TDF) 32nd,( riding for, yes Quintana) 43rd, 3rd (Vuelta) 3rd (Giro) 15th, 12th and 17th.

My money is on him to do a better time than Uran.

jimmythecuckoo

I love Santander, its a brilliant place to while away a day or two.

kingstongraham

Blazing Saddles wrote:

KingstonGraham wrote:

Are any of the top 5 any good at time trialling? How much can someone who can be half decent like Uran make up on them over tomorrow's course? He beat Yates and Quintana by 1 minute in the Marseille ITT last year on a shorter stage.

When was the last time Uran turned in a top trial?
Everybody remembers his Giro win in 2014, while at Quick Step
Since then in GT time trials he has managed: 23rd, 17th, 64th, 50th, 95th, 8th (finishing 2nd in the TDF) and 80th.
He's gone even worse in other WT stage races.

Valverde, during the same period: National ITT champ, 28th, 8th,(TDF) 32nd,( riding for, yes Quintana) 43rd, 3rd (Vuelta) 3rd (Giro) 15th, 12th and 17th.

My money is on him to do a better time than Uran.

That's why I said "someone who can be half decent" - his inconsistency. His 8th in the TDF last year was pretty good, beating Kung and Roglic. He's not been riding like someone who can win this though.

DeadCalm

Valverde
Yates + 15 - 20 seconds
Quintana / Pinot / Kruijswijk + 30 - 40 seconds
Lopez + 50 - 60 seconds

Likely or not?

coopster_the_1st

DeadCalm wrote:

Valverde
Yates + 15 - 20 seconds
Quintana / Pinot / Kruijswijk + 30 - 40 seconds
Lopez + 50 - 60 seconds

Likely or not?

It is thought Kruijswijk is the best TT'er of that group by up to 60 seconds. Pinot with his TT head on would be as fast as Valverde, if not faster.