La Vuelta 2021- Stage 5: Tarancón > Albacete, 184,4 km **Spoilers**

blazing_saddles

Stage 5: Tarancón > Albacete, 184,4 km

18-08-2021
Start time: 12-13pm

Here we go again, with the third road stage out of four so far, without a categorised climb: this one being possibly the flattest. Continuing the Vuelta’s southerly trajectory, this one covering 184.4km between Tarancón, which is another unprecedented start and Albacete, which last hosted a stage finish in 2014.



The route runs in southeasterly direction and moves through Belmonte – famous for its Castle – and the small industrial town of La Roda. No mountains, but long and straight and exposed roads through the sunbaked Spanish interior on the way to Albacete.



Albacete and La Vuelta share a long history. The race started and finished 21 times in the largest city of Castilla–La Mancha. The last time was in 2014, when Nacer Bouhanni outsprinted Michael Matthews and Peter Sagan. The final five kilometres into the finish are pan-flat, increasing the likelihood of a frenetic battle among the race’s sprinters.



However, (fingers crossed) the wind could once again be a factor. Echelons are frequently a feature of the racing in this region, and there will be no shortage of teams hoping to take advantage of the opportunity to split the race apart does arise. Early indications are that crosswinds are likely to effect these early stages.

Favourites 5th stage 2021 Vuelta a España

*** Fabio Jakobsen, Jasper Philipsen, Arnaud Démare
** Matteo Trentin, Michael Matthews, Alberto Dainese
* Alex Aranburu, Sebastián Molano, Clément Venturini, Riccardo Minali, Jon Aberasturi, Juan José Lobato

Tarancón

Unprecedented departure
15.271 inhabitants
Tarancón is a municipality of Spain located in the province of Cuenca, Castilla–La Mancha. The repopulation presumably dates back to the late 12th to early 13th century. Throughout the rest of the middle ages, Tarancón was a hamlet belonging to the land of Uclés, a dominion of the Order of Santiago after 1174. Uclés was granted township status in 1537. It was granted the title of 'city' (ciudad) in 1921.



Albacete

21 stages of La Vuelta have had finales in Albacete.
173.329 inhabitants
Albacete’s Passage of Lodares, a commercial gallery that is a symbol of modernity in Castilla la Mancha’s most populated city, will soon celebrate 100 years since its creation.



However, during the 21 La Vuelta stage arrivals held in Albacete over the years, other avenues have witnessed the victories of sprinters from all generations, including Rik Van Steenbergen, Domingo Perurena, Sean Kelly, Erik Zabel and, more recently, Nacer Bouhanni in 2014.

Castilla la Mancha Gastronomy

Located almost in the centre of mainland Spain, Castilla la Mancha and its cuisine is a very appreciated discovery for the traveller. The cuisine of this region is comprised of a great variety of traditional, hearty yet simple dishes which are prepared using elementary ingredients such as bread, meat, vegetables and accompanied by a wide range of wine, sheep's cheese and desserts, transporting the diner back to the era of Don Quixote and his faithful Sancho.



Pisto Manchego

The classic Pisto of La Mancha (Spanish ratatouille) is beloved across Spain.



Manchego cheese, one of the better-known products of the region.



Manchego cuisine (Manchegan cuisine or Castilian-Manchego cuisine) refers to the typical dishes and ingredients in the cuisine of the Castilla–La Mancha region of Spain. These include pisto (a vegetable stew with tomato sauce), gazpacho manchego, Manchego (a type of cheese), the white wine of La Mancha, and the red wine from Valdepeñas (DO).

kingstongraham

Thread is more interesting than the stage.

Best dish I had at Jose Pizarro's pub was sweetcorn on the cob with manchego. Mmmm.

rick_chasey

bm5

Saw that on Twitter. Why would you wave an old ham? Does it have some meaning in Spain?

Pross

bm5 said:

Saw that on Twitter. Why would you wave an old ham? Does it have some meaning in Spain?

Three legged stuffed boars are thin on the ground in that area so you have to wave what you can get your hands on.

mididoctors

Someone merge the threads

RichN95.

mididoctors said:

Someone merge the threads