La Vuelta 2019, Stage 21: Fuenlabrada > Madrid 15/09/2019 - 106,6 km *Spoilers*

blazing_saddles

La Vuelta 2019, Stage 21: Fuenlabrada > Madrid 15/09/2019 - 106,6 km

The final stage of the Vuelta a España runs from Fuenlabrada to Madrid. As (almost) always, the Spanish Grand Tour ends on a 5.9 kilometres circuit in the Spanish capital. Flat route, so expect a group sprint. The race is 106.6 kilometres long.





Favourites 21st stage 2019 Vuelta a España

*** Sam Bennett
** Fabio Jakobsen, Fernando Gaviria
* Edward Theuns, Marc Sarreau, Max Walscheid

Madrid
74 stages of La Vuelta have had finales in Madrid

3,182,981 inhabitants.
Every year, Madrid honours La Vuelta’s overall winner. 2019 will mark the 50th anniversary of the race’s final stage in the capital. The list of winners that have wound their way through the city’s streets, with arms aloft as winner of this Spanish race, include such famous names as Gustaaf Deloor (the first, in 1935), Bernard Hinault, Lucho Herrera, Sean Kelly, Perico Delgado, Tony Rominger, Alberto Contador and Chris Froome, among others. Fifty Vuelta finishes and 75 stage finishes make the capital one of the race’s main landmarks.

On the circuit.







And afterwards.

ridgerider

Thanks Blazing for all your efforts. Much appreciated.

salsiccia1

Seconded. Great stuff every day. Thanks!

dabber

^^^^ We say this so often.... but Thanks Again for doing this.

redvision

I much prefer your stage previews to that on the tv or in the press. So, as above comments, top work and thanks.

ridgerider

So what chance Movistar mixing it up a bit today...?

mrb123

Ridgerider wrote:

So what chance Movistar mixing it up a bit today...?

Maybe if there's a crash...

ridgerider

Or just as Roglic is taking his first sip of cava...

bm5

Thanks Blazing for the intros. Much appreciated.

specialgueststar

Yes always good and an excellent aperitif to the racing

6wheels

As always, many thanks.

m.r.m.

Thanks Blazing

Dorset_Boy

Jacobsen takes it from Bennett who got a little boxed in and started his sprint too late.

Roglic gets his seat at the GT winners' table.

inseine

With 5 stages DQS show how to do the whole ´stage hunting’ thing. Impressive.
You have to wonder why so few sprinters take on the Vuelta. I know it’s tough but there is there is the chance of a few stages.

Mad_Malx

Top intros again Blazing, thanks

salsiccia1

All in all, that was a pretty entertaining race. Not much real GC drama for top spot but lots of intrigue and good racing. And a sensational debut from Pogacar.
7/10

kingstongraham

Thanks Blazing - these threads make the race more entertaining, and the daily intros are simply the best place to find all the info about the stage.

kingstongraham

I didn't watch the last stage. Be interested to know what the interest is in this - it feels like it's good for the teams and the riders to have a ceremonial/sprint stage but they could do it on the Monday without anyone much noticing.

RichN95.

KingstonGraham wrote:

I didn't watch the last stage. Be interested to know what the interest is in this - it feels like it's good for the teams and the riders to have a ceremonial/sprint stage but they could do it on the Monday without anyone much noticing.

People are at work on Monday. It's not all about you. These stages are important for sponsors.

kingstongraham

RichN95 wrote:

KingstonGraham wrote:

I didn't watch the last stage. Be interested to know what the interest is in this - it feels like it's good for the teams and the riders to have a ceremonial/sprint stage but they could do it on the Monday without anyone much noticing.

People are at work on Monday. It's not all about you. These stages are important for sponsors.

This is exactly why I was saying it - I'm interested about whether as many people watch the ceremonial stage as a proper stage. I seem to remember some stats from last year that the TV viewing figures were down about 50%. If noone's watching, that's not what the sponsors want.

mididoctors

Top threads.. been busy so less online time. Cheers bs.

Brutal race . Stage 20 there was nothing left from anyone except the youngster.. roglic letting the wheels go in sight of the line made me smile. Jumbo did good.... Tao mmmmm still looks a bit more super domestique than leader but he is not weak. Hope he steps up. How hard was that race? Was it just the A- squads and flattered the race ...the lack of real high altitude but repeated climbing made a difference I think. Suited valverde. Valverde?????

The peloton is getting used to making these 3hour efforts on short stages... Basically riding at threshold from the gun to the finish with 3x 10 min rests on the big downhills of the day. But this sort of effort is playing into longer stages now which is reducing the argument for having shorter stages only. Basically the longer stages are ridden hard from the start too.

Stage with the cross tail winds was basically a mass 1x240 min interval! Well if you can do it for 4 hours why not 5 ? And people are going to start training for it. It's a bit scary. I think the stage to the tourmalet at the tour was a signal racing has gone epic by default.

While this intensity has been around for a while that tourmalet stage opened my eyes .. they just went from so far out as thou the finish was in the last 7k or something.

Aero bikes skin suits better riding positions in the bunch . Feeding . Team drills ... Tactical thinking has evolved too.

Bit of a year. Shame the giro parcours got messed up and they had to have that censored first week

mididoctors

I find it ironic some riders now complain about the short stages and the cut off and effort involved. You just can't win.

rick_chasey

mididoctors wrote:

I find it ironic some riders now complain about the short stages and the cut off and effort involved. You just can't win.

Not sure what you mean (I haven't followed this Vuelta at all).

kingstongraham

KingstonGraham wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

KingstonGraham wrote:

I didn't watch the last stage. Be interested to know what the interest is in this - it feels like it's good for the teams and the riders to have a ceremonial/sprint stage but they could do it on the Monday without anyone much noticing.

People are at work on Monday. It's not all about you. These stages are important for sponsors.

This is exactly why I was saying it - I'm interested about whether as many people watch the ceremonial stage as a proper stage. I seem to remember some stats from last year that the TV viewing figures were down about 50%. If noone's watching, that's not what the sponsors want.

These were the figures I saw from last year -

Spanish TV viewing figures for the final stage in 2018 - 294,000.

Next lowest viewed stage was stage 1 - 527,000

Other three Sundays - 896,000 then 1,686,000 then 2,178,000

Wonder if it is the same this year.

RichN95.

KingstonGraham wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

KingstonGraham wrote:

I didn't watch the last stage. Be interested to know what the interest is in this - it feels like it's good for the teams and the riders to have a ceremonial/sprint stage but they could do it on the Monday without anyone much noticing.

People are at work on Monday. It's not all about you. These stages are important for sponsors.

This is exactly why I was saying it - I'm interested about whether as many people watch the ceremonial stage as a proper stage. I seem to remember some stats from last year that the TV viewing figures were down about 50%. If noone's watching, that's not what the sponsors want.

But sponsors also want a day where they can turn up, sit in hospitality, watch the race go by and then have a team function afterwards. And in a location they can bring a partner for a weekend. The top of some goat track is not that place.

kingstongraham

RichN95 wrote:

But sponsors also want a day where they can turn up, sit in hospitality, watch the race go by and then have a team function afterwards. And in a location they can bring a partner for a weekend. The top of some goat track is not that place.

I see your point if we're talking about Ineos.