La Vuelta 2021: Burgos. Catedral VIII Centenario 2021 > Catedral - Stage 1 - 7,1 km ITT **Spoilers**

Stage 1: Burgos. Catedral VIII Centenario 2021 > Catedral - 7,1 km

14-08-2021
Start time: 4 -19pm BST


Well, this Vuelta's start is nothing, if not unusual. Saturday 14 August, the race begins with a city circuit in Burgos. Incredibly, la Vuelta a España starts from inside the Burgos's Gothic Cathedral and the riders actually exit through its main entrance. Race director Fernando Escartín has described the course as “highly technical”. Mixing long straights with tight changes of direction.



The short time trial in the heart of Burgos that will celebrate the 800th anniversary of the city’s cathedral. The 7.1 km course climbs to the ruined castle in the first 2.5 kilometres before a descent takes the riders to the last 4 kilometres on the flat.
Starting after 5pm local time and finishing after 8pm, the schedule is designed to ensure the highest possible turnout of spectators.



The ascent to Burgos's ruined castle is 1.2 kilometres long and climbs at 7.1% to the Castle of Burgos. The first part is particulary steep, while there’s also a cobbled sector of 200 metres.



Last year, Roglic was defending his title when he won the 1st stage to the Arrate Sactuary. This little time trial affords him the perfect opportunity to regain the jersey he last wore in Madrid, 6 months ago.

Favourites 1st stage 2021 Vuelta a España

*** Primoz Roglic
** Tom Pidcock, Jan Tratnik, Michael Matthews, Nelson Oliveira
* Tom Scully, Dylan van Baarle, Mads Würtz Schmidt, Ion Izagirre

Burgos

15 stages have departed from Burgos
175.821 inhabitants.
Ferdinand III of Castile and Bishop D. Mauricio laid the first stone of the Burgos Cathedral on the 20th of July, 1221. It took 39 years to build and has undergone several extensions and restorations since then, its history spanning over eight centuries. The cathedral was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1984 and is a symbol for an entire territory, a departure point for The Way of St. James and is a main theme running through La Vuelta 21.



It has been six years since La Vuelta last held a stage in the city of Burgos. Interestingly enough, it was also an individual time trial that took place entirely within the streets of the Castilian city. Back in 2015, an up-and-coming Tom Dumoulin won the stage and wore the red jersey, which he would eventually lose to Fabio Aru in that edition’s historic second-last stage, with a huge finale at the Guadarrama Mountain Range.



Eating in Burgos
The variety of typical dishes will surprise you, ranging from tapas to meals. The best restaurants and bars are centered around the old town next to the Cathedral.
The main dish is the cordero lechal (suckling lamb), roasted in a firewood oven; the chuletillas de cordero (lamb chops) are also famous.



Among the other meats the morcilla de arroz is noteworthy.



Needless to say, these are garnished with an assortment of wines like the Ribera del Duero wine and the Arlanza wine.





"Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
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Comments

  • peteco
    peteco Posts: 184
    What time does the first rider go off (UK time) please ?

    Pete
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,516
    Carthy in his interview looked like he'd been a prisoner or war!
  • Just started.
    Fark.
    Thought it would be Hatch, because he resides in Spain.
    Instead it's the giggling windbag.

    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 19,442
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,516

    Just started.
    Fark.
    Thought it would be Hatch, because he resides in Spain.
    Instead it's the giggling windbag.

    Didn't even realise the teams decide the order of their riders.
  • Dorset_Boy
    Dorset_Boy Posts: 7,591
    Pross said:

    Just started.
    Fark.
    Thought it would be Hatch, because he resides in Spain.
    Instead it's the giggling windbag.

    Didn't even realise the teams decide the order of their riders.
    That's always been the case if a stage race starts with a TT.
  • JimD666
    JimD666 Posts: 2,293
    Aranburu goes fastest by about 5 seconds
  • Tom Scully justifies his 1 star rating by going second.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • orraloon
    orraloon Posts: 13,250
    Is this a newbie director on the tv feed? Jumping all over the place, random shots. E.g. first mention of Tom Scully at +4 was after the finish line.
  • Grandad is about to start.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • Strange ride from Pidcock.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,673
    Aranburu must have flown down the descent.
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 27,401

    Strange ride from Pidcock.

    Not got it in him today.
    He'll be hoping he can ride his way into form.
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,615
    Jumbo are certainly well prepared.
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • Quinn Simmons rewarding Kirby's ebullient confidence in him, by finish a whopping 1 minute 20 seconds down.
    Perhaps checking a rider's results beforehand might be useful, Carlton?

    A good ride from Vlasov considering he's still hurting after crashing in Burgos.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,615
    Roglic 20 seconds plus ahead of anyone who matters already
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,516

    Pross said:

    Just started.
    Fark.
    Thought it would be Hatch, because he resides in Spain.
    Instead it's the giggling windbag.

    Didn't even realise the teams decide the order of their riders.
    That's always been the case if a stage race starts with a TT.
    I meant Carlton didn't seem to realise. He was talking about the organisers bunching the favourites together. As you say it has always been the way (or at least as long as I can remember) that the teams choose which rider goes in each of their slots.
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 28,191
    Bardet in 14th seems a good start for him.
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 27,401

    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • mrb123
    mrb123 Posts: 4,826
    How did Bernal get on?
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 27,401
    mrb123 said:

    How did Bernal get on?

    +27 seconds.
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • Dorset_Boy
    Dorset_Boy Posts: 7,591
    +27 secs ish I think. The 3 Ineos leaders are all within a few seconds of each other.
  • mrb123
    mrb123 Posts: 4,826
    Can Pidcock time trial when he puts his mind to it? Was a bit taken aback to see him rated as a 2 star favourite in the stage preview above.
  • Dorset_Boy
    Dorset_Boy Posts: 7,591
    mrb123 said:

    Can Pidcock time trial when he puts his mind to it? Was a bit taken aback to see him rated as a 2 star favourite in the stage preview above.

    Former age group world champ
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,259
    I'm not sure why people thought Pidcock would do a ride. He has done one road race in the last four months, last did a TT a year ago and isn't going to take risks
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • orraloon
    orraloon Posts: 13,250
    We-el.... short TT, bit of climbing, lots of turns, short sharp efforts, bit like cyclocross.... well no not really. The curse of the PTP pick strikes again 🤔
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 19,442
    edited August 2021
    orraloon said:

    Is this a newbie director on the tv feed? Jumping all over the place, random shots. E.g. first mention of Tom Scully at +4 was after the finish line.

    Especially on shorter TTs, early in the coverage, the cameras should follow a rider the full way round the course. Stop jumping forward and back between no marks



    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    So someone should pin this to see if the prologue form > good indicator for GC form checks out.

    In this instance Roglic by a long way.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,259
    edited August 2021

    So someone should pin this to see if the prologue form > good indicator for GC form checks out.

    In this instance Roglic by a long way.


    Roglic is always on fire in the first week. And then he declines as the race goes on. Keep in touch with him up to the third week and there's a big chance.

    There's no more TTing until the last stage. Stages 17 and 18 will test him. 18 looks like the graveyard of dreams
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • bm5
    bm5 Posts: 591
    Some teams seemed to be completely ignored in the coverage. I know it’s difficult on short stage but some odd choices of who to follow at times. Felt like it was getting dark as well.
    Please let Hatch or somebody be doing some commentary, may have to practice my very rusty French language.