Vuelta 2019, Stage 3: Ibi. Ciudad del Juguete > Alicante 26/08/2019 - 188 km *Spoilers*
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Ibi. Ciudad del Juguete > Alicante 26/08/2019 - Stage 3 - 188 km
At 188 kilometres, the 3rd stage of the Vuelta a España travels from Ibi to Alicante. Rubén Plaza – former Spanish Champion and stage winner on both La Vuelta and the Tour de France – was born in Ibi.
The 3rd stage of La Vuelta is played out on rolling terrain. Two climbs inside the last 70 kilometres stand out, while the final 38.5 kilometres run virtually all downhill.
Following the start in Ibi the Vuelta continues on rolling roads. Two hills stand out. Puerto de Biar – 2.7 kilometres at 4.8% – is crested with 70 kilometres remaining,
while the Puerto de Tibi is 6.7 kilometes long and the average gradient sits at 4.1%.
The route descents in 25 kilometres to 70 metres before the run-in to Alicante is virtually flat. The last kilometre runs slightly uphill.
Favourites 3rd stage 2019 Vuelta a España
In theory, the sprint teams should be able to control the race. Albeit not entirely flat, the route is fairly straightforward. Two uphills stand out. The Puerto de Biar is crested with 70 kilometres, so it crops up too early to have any lasting effect.
Possibly, the Puerto de Tibi is a chance to make a difference. The irregular ascent tops out 38 kilometres from the line, which is still very far, but it could be seen as a launchpad for stage hopefuls as the rest of the route is predominantly on descent.
The climb itself is almost 7 kilometres long and leads to the village Ibi. The first 1.5 kilometres rise at 7% before a short drop will give the sprinters some relief. Then it goes back to 7% for the rest of the climb.
Favourites 3rd stage 2019 Vuelta a España
*** Fernando Gaviria, Sam Bennett, Luka Mezgec
** Philippe Gilbert, Valerio Conti, Luis León Sánchez
* Thomas De Gendt, Zdenek Stybar, Fabio Jakobsen
Ibi. Ciudad del Juguete
Unprecedented departure
23,432 inhabitants
The stage starts in Ibi, which is home to the Els Enfarinats festival, which involves participants "taking over" the city in a coup d'etat and throwing flour and eggs to demonstrate their authority, and involves a race to decide the person, who will become mayor.
Known as ‘Toy City’, this town in Alicante sprang up more than a century ago around the business of children’s toys. The first toy made in the town is now honoured locally by a landmark monument. The peloton of La Vuelta will be returning to its childhood in 2019 with this unprecedented start.
Alicante
5 stages of La Vuelta have had finales in Alicante
329,988 inhabitants.
La Vuelta returns to the beautiful coastline around the city of Alicante, one of the largest cities in eastern Spain. Alacant [alaˈkant])[a] is a city and port in Spain on the Costa Blanca, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of Alacantí, in the south of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. This is a popular pre-season training ground for many teams in the peloton, and the city itself has a long sporting tradition. Alicante has been home to numerous teams and individual athletes that have gone on to achieve success in such varied sports such as cycling, basketball, handball and judo, which is the martial art in which Miriam Blasco, from Alicante by adoption, made her name as Spain’s first woman to win an Olympic gold medal.
The area around Alicante has been inhabited for over 7000 years. The late 1950s and early 1960s saw the onset of a lasting transformation of the city by the tourist industry. The old airfield at Rabassa was closed and air traffic moved to the new El Altet Airport, which made a more convenient and modern facility for charter flights bringing tourists from northern European countries. In recent years, the Port Authority has established it as one of the most important ports in Spain for cruises, with 72 calls to port made by cruise ships in 2007 bringing some 80,000 passengers and 30,000 crew to the city each year.
Main sights
Amongst the most notable features of the city are the Castle of Santa Bárbara, which sits high above the city, and the port of Alicante. The latter was the subject of bitter controversy in 2006–2007 as residents battled, successfully, to keep it from being changed into an industrial estate.
The Santa Bárbara castle is situated on Mount Benacantil, overlooking the city. The tower (La Torreta) at the top, is the oldest part of the castle, while part of the lowest zone and the walls were constructed later in the 18th century.
The promenade Explanada de España, lined by palm trees, is paved with 6.5 million marble floor tiles creating a wavy form and is one of the most lovely promenades in Spain. The Promenade extends from the Port of Alicante to the Gran Vía and ends at the famous statue of Mark Hersch. For the people of Alicante, the promenade is the meeting place for the traditional Spanish paseo, or stroll along the waterfront in the evenings, and a venue for outdoor musical concerts. At the end of the promenade is a monument by the artist Bañuls of the 19th century.
Festivals
The most important festival, the Bonfires of Saint John (Fogueres de Sant Joan), takes place during the summer solstice. This is followed a week later by five nights of firework and pyrotechnic contests between companies on the urban beach Playa del Postiguet. Another well-known festival is Moros i Cristians in Altozano or San Blas district. Overall, the city boasts a year-round nightlife for the enjoyment of tourists, residents, and a large student population of the University of Alicante. The nightlife social scene tends to shift to nearby Playa de San Juan (St. John's Beach) during the summer months.
At 188 kilometres, the 3rd stage of the Vuelta a España travels from Ibi to Alicante. Rubén Plaza – former Spanish Champion and stage winner on both La Vuelta and the Tour de France – was born in Ibi.
The 3rd stage of La Vuelta is played out on rolling terrain. Two climbs inside the last 70 kilometres stand out, while the final 38.5 kilometres run virtually all downhill.
Following the start in Ibi the Vuelta continues on rolling roads. Two hills stand out. Puerto de Biar – 2.7 kilometres at 4.8% – is crested with 70 kilometres remaining,
while the Puerto de Tibi is 6.7 kilometes long and the average gradient sits at 4.1%.
The route descents in 25 kilometres to 70 metres before the run-in to Alicante is virtually flat. The last kilometre runs slightly uphill.
Favourites 3rd stage 2019 Vuelta a España
In theory, the sprint teams should be able to control the race. Albeit not entirely flat, the route is fairly straightforward. Two uphills stand out. The Puerto de Biar is crested with 70 kilometres, so it crops up too early to have any lasting effect.
Possibly, the Puerto de Tibi is a chance to make a difference. The irregular ascent tops out 38 kilometres from the line, which is still very far, but it could be seen as a launchpad for stage hopefuls as the rest of the route is predominantly on descent.
The climb itself is almost 7 kilometres long and leads to the village Ibi. The first 1.5 kilometres rise at 7% before a short drop will give the sprinters some relief. Then it goes back to 7% for the rest of the climb.
Favourites 3rd stage 2019 Vuelta a España
*** Fernando Gaviria, Sam Bennett, Luka Mezgec
** Philippe Gilbert, Valerio Conti, Luis León Sánchez
* Thomas De Gendt, Zdenek Stybar, Fabio Jakobsen
Ibi. Ciudad del Juguete
Unprecedented departure
23,432 inhabitants
The stage starts in Ibi, which is home to the Els Enfarinats festival, which involves participants "taking over" the city in a coup d'etat and throwing flour and eggs to demonstrate their authority, and involves a race to decide the person, who will become mayor.
Known as ‘Toy City’, this town in Alicante sprang up more than a century ago around the business of children’s toys. The first toy made in the town is now honoured locally by a landmark monument. The peloton of La Vuelta will be returning to its childhood in 2019 with this unprecedented start.
Alicante
5 stages of La Vuelta have had finales in Alicante
329,988 inhabitants.
La Vuelta returns to the beautiful coastline around the city of Alicante, one of the largest cities in eastern Spain. Alacant [alaˈkant])[a] is a city and port in Spain on the Costa Blanca, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of Alacantí, in the south of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. This is a popular pre-season training ground for many teams in the peloton, and the city itself has a long sporting tradition. Alicante has been home to numerous teams and individual athletes that have gone on to achieve success in such varied sports such as cycling, basketball, handball and judo, which is the martial art in which Miriam Blasco, from Alicante by adoption, made her name as Spain’s first woman to win an Olympic gold medal.
The area around Alicante has been inhabited for over 7000 years. The late 1950s and early 1960s saw the onset of a lasting transformation of the city by the tourist industry. The old airfield at Rabassa was closed and air traffic moved to the new El Altet Airport, which made a more convenient and modern facility for charter flights bringing tourists from northern European countries. In recent years, the Port Authority has established it as one of the most important ports in Spain for cruises, with 72 calls to port made by cruise ships in 2007 bringing some 80,000 passengers and 30,000 crew to the city each year.
Main sights
Amongst the most notable features of the city are the Castle of Santa Bárbara, which sits high above the city, and the port of Alicante. The latter was the subject of bitter controversy in 2006–2007 as residents battled, successfully, to keep it from being changed into an industrial estate.
The Santa Bárbara castle is situated on Mount Benacantil, overlooking the city. The tower (La Torreta) at the top, is the oldest part of the castle, while part of the lowest zone and the walls were constructed later in the 18th century.
The promenade Explanada de España, lined by palm trees, is paved with 6.5 million marble floor tiles creating a wavy form and is one of the most lovely promenades in Spain. The Promenade extends from the Port of Alicante to the Gran Vía and ends at the famous statue of Mark Hersch. For the people of Alicante, the promenade is the meeting place for the traditional Spanish paseo, or stroll along the waterfront in the evenings, and a venue for outdoor musical concerts. At the end of the promenade is a monument by the artist Bañuls of the 19th century.
Festivals
The most important festival, the Bonfires of Saint John (Fogueres de Sant Joan), takes place during the summer solstice. This is followed a week later by five nights of firework and pyrotechnic contests between companies on the urban beach Playa del Postiguet. Another well-known festival is Moros i Cristians in Altozano or San Blas district. Overall, the city boasts a year-round nightlife for the enjoyment of tourists, residents, and a large student population of the University of Alicante. The nightlife social scene tends to shift to nearby Playa de San Juan (St. John's Beach) during the summer months.
"Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
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Comments
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Another tangled spaghetti route map!Half man, Half bike0
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Sean Kelly talking about the possibility of crosswinds....."Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0
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Splits at the feed zone with Majka out the back."Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0
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On the final climb and it's getting feisty again.
Gaviria and Jakobsen already out the back door as the peloton has riders firing out the front."Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
Jakobsen regains the bunch but Gaviria still trailing. 30kms to fix things."Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0
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Quick Step pulling one out of the dirty tricks book, to stop Gaviria regaining the bunch. They stop their car in the middle of the convoy to leave a gap."Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0
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Wtf? They seem to have invented a new rule to keep Gaviria from getting back.
Never seen the entire convoy pulled out for 3 men returning. A few minutes before and they left them in for Jakobsen and his men.
Higuita nicks 3 seconds at the bonus sprint."Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
Jumbo have the Sporza commentators scratching their heads. A bit early to be drilling it on the front."Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0
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Too easy for Bennett.
Theuns and Mezgec 2nd and 3rd, so not the easiest podium to pick. Sarreau pulled his foot out and Jakobsen got blocked.
It's been fun people.....................................oh wait.
"Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
No contest for Bennett there.
Rather uninspiring run-in along the dual carriageway.0 -
That looked extremely comfortable. Bora-Hansgrohe looking like they could be about to win all 3 Grand Tour points jerseys this year with 3 different riders.0
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Good day for Ireland. Nice interview with Roche on ITV4 where he praised Bennett.0
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Hard opening days . I suspect big time gaps yo yoing. Interesting few days"If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0
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Richard T. Biscuit wrote:That looked extremely comfortable. Bora-Hansgrohe looking like they could be about to win all 3 Grand Tour points jerseys this year with 3 different riders.
They are getting good at it. Why not? ineos and movistar target winning the GTs with different riders . They are all good at it. Specialising in a specific competition across multiple tours makes sense especially budget wise."If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0 -
mididoctors wrote:Richard T. Biscuit wrote:That looked extremely comfortable. Bora-Hansgrohe looking like they could be about to win all 3 Grand Tour points jerseys this year with 3 different riders.
They are getting good at it. Why not? ineos and movistar target winning the GTs with different riders . They are all good at it. Specialising in a specific competition across multiple tours makes sense especially budget wise.
This. I never understand why the teams which have no realistic chance of winning a gt GC or whatever don't set their sights on something they can win. Why gamble on 7th in the tour when you peak for Catalunya and the polka dots or whatever?!0 -
jam1e wrote:mididoctors wrote:Richard T. Biscuit wrote:That looked extremely comfortable. Bora-Hansgrohe looking like they could be about to win all 3 Grand Tour points jerseys this year with 3 different riders.
They are getting good at it. Why not? ineos and movistar target winning the GTs with different riders . They are all good at it. Specialising in a specific competition across multiple tours makes sense especially budget wise.
This. I never understand why the teams which have no realistic chance of winning a gt GC or whatever don't set their sights on something they can win. Why gamble on 7th in the tour when you peak for Catalunya and the polka dots or whatever?!
UCI points unfortunately. As long as that system rewards reasonably high GT GC placings then you'll get teams sending riders to get reasonably high GT GC placings.0 -
To be fair Bora were 6th at the Giro and 4th at the Tour too, so it's not like they doing it by putting all their eggs in one basket. I just think they seem like quite an impressive, well rounded and well run outfit, especially since it would have presumably been quite easy to just become team Sagan.jam1e wrote:mididoctors wrote:Richard T. Biscuit wrote:That looked extremely comfortable. Bora-Hansgrohe looking like they could be about to win all 3 Grand Tour points jerseys this year with 3 different riders.
They are getting good at it. Why not? ineos and movistar target winning the GTs with different riders . They are all good at it. Specialising in a specific competition across multiple tours makes sense especially budget wise.
This. I never understand why the teams which have no realistic chance of winning a gt GC or whatever don't set their sights on something they can win. Why gamble on 7th in the tour when you peak for Catalunya and the polka dots or whatever?!0
