Itzulia Basque Country: 8-13 April 2019 *Spoilers*

blazing_saddles

Don't know how much interest good 'ol Pais Vasco will generate around here, but might as well make the effort as there a couple of hours live each day on Eurosport.
This year there's a pretty poor weather forecast, too.

Stage 1: Zumarraga I.T.T. (11.9 km)


Stage 2: Zumarraga - Gorraiz (149,5 km)


Stage 3: Sarriguren - Estibaliz (191,4 km)


Stage 4: Vitoria-Gasteiz - Arrigorriaga (163,6 km)


Stage 5: Arrigorriaga - Arrate (149,8 km)


Stage 6: Eibar - Eibar (118,2 km)

shirley_basso

Any key riders to look out for?

Why bother ending stage 6 on a descent?

kingstongraham

Always looks like lovely cycling country.

Interesting field too - should be some good racing every day.

kingstongraham

Shirley Basso wrote:

Any key riders to look out for?

Alaphillippe, Kwiatkowski, Martin.

Thomas, Buchmann, Landa, Anacona, Adam Yates, Nieve, Dani Martinez, Ben King, George Bennett, Mas.

Then there's Astana, who have Pello Bilbao, Izagirre, Izagirre, Fraile, Lutsenko, LL Sanchez and Fuglsang.

blazing_saddles

Shirley Basso wrote:

Any key riders to look out for?

Why bother ending stage 6 on a descent?

Cos the road going up is both very narrow and very steep.
Plus the fact the descent will be technical and oh, the finish will be in a town full of spectators.

shirley_basso

I await detailed race updates. It seems there has been a clamping down on livestreams by all broadcasters and I don't have ES.

blazing_saddles

Shirley Basso wrote:

I await detailed race updates. It seems there has been a clamping down on livestreams by all broadcasters and I don't have ES.

Detailed updates? No chance.
Here you go. ES with English, just starting. Unfortunately, I can't do anything about Kirby.

http://tiz-cycling.live/

rick_chasey

This is basically the parade ring for the "Ardenne" races isn't it?

blazing_saddles

The Dutch currently having a nightmare start to Pais Vasco.
Jumbo all trying to ride Peter Weening's gears up a 21% ramp, (George Bennett fell over, while another had to walk) while Mollema is an age behind. Oomen little better.

specialgueststar

Blazing Saddles wrote:

Shirley Basso wrote:

I await detailed race updates. It seems there has been a clamping down on livestreams by all broadcasters and I don't have ES.

Detailed updates? No chance.
Here you go. ES with English, just starting. Unfortunately, I can't do anything about Kirby.

http://tiz-cycling.live/

Thanks for the link - good end to a long Monday

poweredbyidris

Blazing Saddles wrote:

The Dutch currently having a nightmare start to Pais Vasco.
Jumbo all trying to ride Peter Weening's gears up a 21% ramp, (George Bennett fell over, while another had to walk) while Mollema is an age behind. Oomen little better.

https://twitter.com/inrng/status/1115270319768518656

kingstongraham

PoweredByIdris wrote:

Blazing Saddles wrote:

The Dutch currently having a nightmare start to Pais Vasco.
Jumbo all trying to ride Peter Weening's gears up a 21% ramp, (George Bennett fell over, while another had to walk) while Mollema is an age behind. Oomen little better.

https://twitter.com/inrng/status/1115270319768518656

The official profile doesn't entirely do it justice...

blazing_saddles

Today's stage is on rolling roads, as the ‘Itzulia Basque Country’ travels to the line in Gorraiz, where the organisation pulls an interesting finish out of the hat. Following 1 kilometre of false flat the last 600 metres climb at 8.1%.

Also, the riders face 4.8 kilometres of unpaved road, but this is unlikely to effect the race. However, it is likely to be wet.

m.r.m.

Whatever happened to Mikel Landa? Has become super quiet around him. Miguel Angel Lopez is the new Landa

dish_dash

M.R.M. wrote:

Whatever happened to Mikel Landa? Has become super quiet around him. Miguel Angel Lopez is the new Landa

Bust his collarbone at his first race this year - Mallorca. So guess been on the path to recovery since.

blazing_saddles

He is here and contrary to what Kirby said yesterday, did OK (29th) in the ITT, as he had the worst of the conditions.
Live now with 75kms and all the gravel roads still to go.

gsk82

Another days racing spoilt by the result

#alaphillippepostal

Alejandrosdog

gsk82 wrote:

Another days racing spoilt by the result

#alaphillippepostal

i dont like him, he's rat boy but there's no denying he's got some talent. Do you reckon he's on the sauce then?

carbonclem

Steve Cummings off to hospital

gweeds

Big crash has taken down Thomas, Kwia, Alaphillippe and most of the EF team with about 4km to go.

blazing_saddles

Just seen it.

DQS rider was the first man down which took out Mas and Alaphillipe. Could mean a spell off the bike for the Frenchman; his classics campaign now in question.
I think Castroviejo (because of his injuries) must have been the Sky rider who flew over his bike and Thomas (lost 5 minutes) went off into the ditch. Elissonde finished over 9 minutes back along with Kwiatkowski, didn't look good either. He's not yet appeared in the results. A dozen riders still missing.

Edit: Alaphillipe was last to finish , he lost over 11 minutes.

https://www.teamsky.com/article/castrov ... ajor-crash

blazing_saddles

Alaphillipe failed to take to the start for today's stage.
Presumably he will rest up for a couple of days then resume training.
Leaves him light on racing prior to Ardennes week though, so he may opt to stretch his legs in Brabanse.

drhaggis

I've got mixed feelings with this race. On one hand, the organisers finally moved the ITT from the last day to the first and they add sterrato near Pamplona but on the other, they still have a stage and a half around Eibar. It's ugly as fark (TOP10 ugliest villages in Spain) but, and I'll give them that, has quite a bit of atmosphere.

But the racing this year... I saw complaints on Alaphillipe before but man, this Schachmann, he's peeing into the peloton! 3/4 stages, and was second in the other. Now there's only Arrate between him and the GC
http://www.altimetrias.net/aspbk/verPuerto.asp?id=302

blazing_saddles

Dunno about only Arrate between him and the GC win.
Here's better breakdown on them, anyhow.






Stage 6 looks very tasty. Short, punchy and with a really tough penultimate climb.
This profile has the numbers.

drhaggis

Blazing Saddles wrote:

Dunno about only Arrate between him and the GC win.
Here's better breakdown on them, anyhow.



Stage 6 looks very tasty. Short, punchy and with a really tough penultimate climb.

Yep, stage 6 looks very tasty, and could be a brilliant stage but it is short, and an advantage over 30s would quench the thirst for GC attacks. That's why I say Arrate is the key. Traditionally, that's where the GC men have burned their matches.

What I suspect will happen is that tomorrow the bunch will have a high pace, but will get together (except a small breakaway) to Arrate, where climbers will give it a go. Since Arrate isn't very long, Schachmann should only lose a bunch of seconds to people like Daniel Martinez and maybe Landa (depending on his form). But then, what do I know? Let's just enjoy the race.

Alejandrosdog

very tasty indeed

for some reason the moorland they go through reminds me of the trough of bowland.

blazing_saddles

Bora played a blinder of a stage today, while Ion Izagirre found out just how much use Jakob Fuglsang is as a domestique, when he is not completely out of the GC picture.
Net result being that Bora still hold onto two thirds of the podium and Izzagirre finds himself 54 seconds adrift of a climber, instead of 52 seconds behind a puncheur.
Hopefully Astana will think that Fuglsang moving up two spots on GC was worth the overall.

drhaggis

Gah, I really thought Schachmann was going to survive Arrate, but what do I know? Anyway, good stage, and good move by Bora; they've been really strong in Itzulia. Let's see what happens tomorrow.

RichN95.

LL Sanchez was smiling when a fan ran alongside him. It was his brother Pedro - a footballer with SD Eibar, the local La Ligue team (and ex-Real Madrid)

blazing_saddles

Little or no interest here, in what has been a great race.
The final stage proving to be the decisive one.
Adam Yates takes the stage win, KoM jersey and moves up to 5th on GC, having lost 72" on the gravel roads of stage 2.
Dan Martin moved up to finish second overall and second on the stage.
Ion Izzagirre takes the overall, after Astana and UAE gang up on the unfortunate Buchmann, who, in a final twist of fate, lost a podium spot after following the camera bike and missing the final turn to the finish.
Tadej Pogačar with another incredible week long ride for one so young.

drhaggis

Blazing Saddles wrote:

The final stage proving to be the decisive one.

I'm seasoning my hat as we speak. I guess the previous day's effort took a toll on Buchmann. It was heartbreaking to see him lose a podium spot like that, too.