La Vuelta 2019, Stage 18: Comunidad de Madrid. Colmenar Viejo > Becerril de la Sierra 12/09/2019

blazing_saddles

La Vuelta 2019, Stage 18: Comunidad de Madrid. Colmenar Viejo > Becerril de la Sierra 12/09/2019 - 177,5 km

At 177.5 kilometres, the 18th stage of the Vuelta a España travels over four intermediate climbs from Colmenar Viejo to Becerril de la Sierra. The race route takes in several loops in a condensed area just north of Madrid and is played out in the middle mountains.



The 18th stage of La Vuelta ventures into the mountains of the Sierra de Guadarrama and Cuenca Alta del Manzanares. Following 20 kilometres on the flat, the uphill-party starts. The route includes four intermediate ascents before the race ends with a descent.



First up is the Puerto Navacerrada. The 11.8 kilometres ascent at 6.3% runs to the peak at 1,860 metres. After a few kilometres at that altitude the route plunges down to the foot of Puerto de la Morcuera.



The Morcuera is tackled twice, the first time on the easier northern side: 13.2 kilometres at 5% and very steady. On descent the riders move through Miraflores de la Sierra, only to return to the village some 23 kilometres later after a local lap.



They go back up the same roads that they just descended. Again, the Morcuera is a very steady climb, although somewhat steeper on this side: 10.4 kilometres at 6.7%.



The route continues to the Puerto de Cotos. At 13.9 kilometres, the climb is marked by an average gradient of 4.8%. The first four kilometres go up at 2 to 3% and the rest of the slope is hovering around 6%. In fact, the Cotos is familiar terrain, as it is the descent of the Navacerrada, which was the first ascent of the day.



Just like before, the route stays at altitude for a while before descending on the side that the riders climbed before.
Instead of returning all the way to Colmenar Viejo, the route turns right for a false flat (3%) run-in of 4 kilometres into Becerril de la Sierra.



Favourites 18th stage 2019 Vuelta a España
Attackers are treated in Spain, and this could be another lucky shot for the breakaway.However, while this may not be the hardest route, but that does not necessarily mean that no harm can be done. Four years ago, Tom Dumoulin lost La Vuelta on these very roads.

*** Thomas De Gendt, Jakob Fuglsang, Tao Geoghegan Hart
** Lawson Craddock, Ruben Guerreiro, Gianluca Brambilla
* Primoz Roglic, Miguel Ángel López, Alejandro Valverde, Tadej Pogacar

Colmenar Viejo
1 stage of La Vuelta have departed from Colmenar Viejo

48,614 inhabitants.
It is now forty years since La Vuelta last had a start in Colmenar Viejo (1979). It is a city devoted to sport in everyday life, hosting numerous cycling events for young and amateur cyclists, such as the challenge involving the mountain passes in the Guadarrama range -Desafío de los Puertos de Guadarrama-, organised jointly by Unipublic and the Madrid Cycling Federation. Colmenar will hold the start for the final act of La Vuelta 19, where the main contenders will vie for victory along the roads running through the mountain ranges in central Spain - the Sistema Central.





Becerril de la Sierra
Unprecedented Vuelta finale

5,457 inhabitants.
Becerril de la Sierra shares its history with numerous other towns in the Community of Madrid. It is a cattle and sheep farming area that has evolved in recent decades to become more diverse and home to many more people. The town is surrounded by peaks within the mountain range Sierra de Guadarrama, and an obligatory mountain pass for cycling enthusiasts in Madrid.

kingstongraham

So it turns out Steve Morabito is still riding.

pblakeney

Now, if only Valverde had sat on Roglic's wheel out of the wind and been nicely rested for today instead of the other way round...

yorkshireraw

Anyone know what flag Wout Poels has on his kit? Doesn’t look like the Dutch flag although haven’t seen a clear shot of it.

blazing_saddles

Lots of animation but the prospects for a second dramatic stage not high at this point.
Ineos have their big two in the break, but Astana and Movistar have only Fraile and Olivera, marked by Powless for Jumbo Roglic.

Both teams allowing Jumbo to set the pace behind.

RichN95.

YorkshireRaw wrote:

Anyone know what flag Wout Poels has on his kit? Doesn’t look like the Dutch flag although haven’t seen a clear shot of it.

The Dutch region of Limburg

dish_dash

RichN95 wrote:

YorkshireRaw wrote:

Anyone know what flag Wout Poels has on his kit? Doesn’t look like the Dutch flag although haven’t seen a clear shot of it.

The Dutch region of Limburg

Curious... guess this follows the Welsh flags etc and so wonder why doesn't Moscon get the Sudtirol flag?

blazing_saddles

As soon as Roglic loses Kuss, Pogacar decides to pull on the front.
Go figure. :roll:

Free Vino. :P

RichN95.

dish_dash wrote:

Curious... guess this follows the Welsh flags etc and so wonder why doesn't Moscon get the Sudtirol flag?

Rider's choice I believe

blazing_saddles

To think that folks used to complain about riding to protect their GC spots in the Tour. Everybody desperately trying to hold on to what they've got and risking nothing.

DeadCalm

Blazing Saddles wrote:

To think that folks used to complain about riding to protect their GC spots in the Tour. Everybody desperately trying to hold on to what they've got and risking nothing.

What exactly should anyone be doing differently?

Mad_Malx

Another Colombian win with Higuita
Quintana losing out about a minute to Valverde and swap GC podium places
Superman claiming back white jersey time out of Pogacar

blazing_saddles

Sergio Higuita deservedly holds on for the win after going solo for so many kms.
Pogacar finally runs out of gas as Lopez regains the white jersey.
Roglic takes 2 seconds out of Valverde.

Please bring back the crosswinds.

ridgerider

There aren't many flat stages left for quintana to gain back any time...

yorkshireraw

RichN95 wrote:

YorkshireRaw wrote:

Anyone know what flag Wout Poels has on his kit? Doesn’t look like the Dutch flag although haven’t seen a clear shot of it.

The Dutch region of Limburg

Cheers - Swift should swap the union flag for the white rose...

larkim

Daft question - why was Quintana in green? Bennett was second in the points classification, so surely he’d take it with Roglic wearing red (and leading the points)? What have I missed?

DeVlaeminck

larkim wrote:

Daft question - why was Quintana in green? Bennett was second in the points classification, so surely he’d take it with Roglic wearing red (and leading the points)? What have I missed?

Brian Smith expkained it on twitter - something like the nat champs jersey takes priority over babysitting a jersey if the rider wants.

RichN95.

YorkshireRaw wrote:

Cheers - Swift should swap the union flag for the white rose...

In other Ineos flag news, Diego Rosa favours the flag of Piedmont



If I rode for Ineos I'd try and have a different flag each year

Also 90 Grand Tour stages since Ineos won one.

ridgerider

Ineos are finished

pblakeney

That are not Finnish.
They are a British team.

ridgerider

Monaconese surely?

So how many wins have they had since Cav's last victory?

Alejandrosdog

EF energy a more winning team than Ineos. Budgetsuperiority

RichN95.

Ridgerider wrote:

So how many wins have they had since Cav's last victory?

22
Froome 12, Thomas 3, Kiryienka 2, Uran, Viviani, Landa, Roche, Nieve one each

rick_chasey

Has anyone mentioned VdB yet?

larkim

Ridgerider wrote:

Monaconese surely?

Monégasque.

RichN95.

Rick Chasey wrote:

Has anyone mentioned VdB yet?

Daniel Freibe on twitter inevitably. That boy loves his 90s dopers.

rick_chasey

RichN95 wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Has anyone mentioned VdB yet?

Daniel Freibe on twitter inevitably. That boy loves his 90s dopers.

When you learn to love cycling in the '90s, it's hard not to.

ridgerider

RichN95 wrote:

Ridgerider wrote:

So how many wins have they had since Cav's last victory?

22
Froome 12, Thomas 3, Kiryienka 2, Uran, Viviani, Landa, Roche, Nieve one each

Why do you have to go and spoil it all by quoting facts!

RichN95.

Ridgerider wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

Ridgerider wrote:

So how many wins have they had since Cav's last victory?

22
Froome 12, Thomas 3, Kiryienka 2, Uran, Viviani, Landa, Roche, Nieve one each

Why do you have to go and spoil it all by quoting facts!

It's only an average of 1.00 per GT. Froome averages 0.93 on his own (while at Sky/Ineos), 1.17 for GTs he finished.

kingstongraham

RichN95 wrote:

Ridgerider wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

Ridgerider wrote:

So how many wins have they had since Cav's last victory?

22
Froome 12, Thomas 3, Kiryienka 2, Uran, Viviani, Landa, Roche, Nieve one each

Why do you have to go and spoil it all by quoting facts!

It's only an average of 1.00 per GT. Froome averages 0.93 on his own (while at Sky/Ineos), 1.17 for GTs he finished.

If you judge teams by something that isn't their aim, how many GT GC wins have Quickstep had? Failures.

RichN95.

KingstonGraham wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

Ridgerider wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

Ridgerider wrote:

So how many wins have they had since Cav's last victory?

22
Froome 12, Thomas 3, Kiryienka 2, Uran, Viviani, Landa, Roche, Nieve one each

Why do you have to go and spoil it all by quoting facts!

It's only an average of 1.00 per GT. Froome averages 0.93 on his own (while at Sky/Ineos), 1.17 for GTs he finished.

If you judge teams by something that isn't their aim, how many GT GC wins have Quickstep had? Failures.

As I have mentioned before, my point in tracking how long Ineos have gone without a stage win isn't to point at their failure, but to point to the absurdity of the idea that Ineos 'dominate' cycling and it's bad for the sport. Instead it might be the over emphasis on the yellow jersey that is bad for the sport.