La Vuelta 2021 - Stage 19: Tapia > Monforte de Lemos 191,2 km **Spoilers**

blazing_saddles

Stage 19: Tapia > Monforte de Lemos 191,2 km

03-03-2021
Start time: 11-11am

This long run from Asturias into Galicia through the rugged Fonsagrada region looks likely to continue that trend of breakaway winners taking the stage preceding the final mountain test.
While the second half of the route is perfect for the sprinters, but the first half is quite the opposite.
A huge battle for the breakaway is to be expected because the previous stages were very tough with accumulative fatigue, chances are that the breakaway will be both strong and successful.
Once again, the race turns South, into the interior.



After the start in Tapia, the first climb arrives quickly and the riders will have covered 60km and spent more than half of them climbing. That should mean the breakaway group has already built up a considerable cushion. Although there are no further categorised climbs, the undulating nature of the course continues for the next 40km to Castroverde. Beyond here, the terrain’s flatter and does offer the opportunity for the peloton to chase down the escapees.



The Climbs:







There’s one last bump towards the finish, 4.4 kilometres ascent at 4%, up to the town of Oural, where the intermediate sprint is located, followed by almost 30km of flat road into the finish at Monforte de Lemos.



As it will be hard for the sprint teams to control the breakaway in the mountainous first part of the race, the breakaway riders are expected to have so much leeway that one of them will be victorious.
However, a sprint is still a possibility, albeit unlikely. Basically what follows is a pin in a startlist.

Favourites 19th stage 2021 Vuelta a España

*** Magnus Cort, Jan Tratnik
** Luka Mezgec, Quinn Simmons, Florian Sénéchal, Gorka Izagirre
* Lilian Calmejane, Andreas Kron, Clément Venturini, Nathan van Hooydonck

Tapia

1 stage of La Vuelta have departed from Tapia de Casariego
3.726 inhabitants
Principality of Asturias

Bordering Galicia and located in one of the Principality of Asturias’ Northernmost areas, Tapia de Casariego is a council that orbits around its access to the sea. This Asturian locality, a pilgrimage destination for surfers from the North of Spain, stands out for its coastal architecture and its port. As in La Vuelta 1995, Tapia de Casariego will make the most of its border condition to fire the starting gun for a stage ending in Galicia.



Solomillo al Cabrales

Solomillo al Cabrales is a traditional Spanish dish originating from the region of Asturias. The dish is usually made with a combination of beef tenderloin, Cabrales cheese, thyme, olive oil, salt, and pepper. The tenderloin is brushed with olive oil, then placed over thyme in a roasting pan and roasted until medium-rare.

The thyme is discarded, and the tenderloin is then seared over high heat, removed from the pan, and wrapped in foil. After a few minutes, the meat is cut into small cubes (or thick slices for a main dish) that are arranged on a warmed plate. Each piece is sprinkled with sea salt and black pepper, then topped with a piece of strong blue cheese and drizzled with olive oil.



Monforte de Lemos

Unprecedented Vuelta finale
18.347 inhabitants
Province of Lugo

Monforte de Lemos is located in the Ribeira Sacra, an area that has had increasingly more presence in La Vuelta in recent times. The Monforte municipality hosted a stage departure in 2016, an edition that was marked by La Vuelta’s Official Departure in Galicia (Ourense. Ciudad Termal) whose first week covered a large part of Galicia’s territory. In 2021, Monforte de Lemos will host a finish-line for the first time.



Butelo de A Fonsagrada

A typical sausage of this locality that has its origin in the need to preserve pork after slaughter.
It is prepared from pork ribs and other parts of the animal, which are marinated before being stuffed into the stomach or large intestine of the pig itself. To taste it and enjoy its taste, you just have to let the necessary time of curing and smoking pass.



Queixo do Cebreiro

A product with Protected Designation of Origin that serves as the main ingredient both for desserts and for other salty dishes.
This is a fresh cheese with a soft, granular paste made from cow’s milk, with no preservatives or additives.



Structure of the day.

Colegio de Nuestra Señora la Antigua

Built in 1523 by the Cardinal of Seville, Don Rodrigo de Castro. The school was first managed by the Society of Jesus and later passed on to the Piarists Fathers during the nineteenth century. The school building is one of the few Herrerian style buildings in Galicia, and widely known due to its magnificent structure, which counts with a main building, a church, and a museum. Nowadays the school continues to impart classes from kindergarten to High School.

bm5

Cabrales sauce always seems like it is doubling your cholesterol level with each mouthful. Great in small quantities. Hopefully some better weathered than the last 2 days. Sad that we did not get to see Asturias at its best.

blazing_saddles

23 riders have a gap of a minute.

Mikael Cherel (AG2R-Citroën Team), Ander Okamika (Burgos-BH), Aritz Bagües (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) Nico Denz (Team DSM) Antonio Jesus Soto (Euskaltel Euskadi), Mark Padun (Bahrain Victorious) and Damien Touzé (AG2R-Citroën Team)
Jay Vine (Alpecin-Fenix), Patrick Gamper (Bora-Hansgrohe), Pelayo Sanchez (Burgos-BH), Julen Amezqueta, Oier Lazkano (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), Eddy Finé (Cofidis), Andrea Bagioli (Deceuninck-Quick Step), Lawson Craddock, Magnus Cort Nielsen (EF Education Nippo), Arnaud Démare, Anthony Roux (Groupama-FDJ), Andreas Kron (Lotto Soudal), Robert Stannard (Team BikeEchange), Fabio Aru (Team Qhubeka NextHash), Quinn Simmons (Trek-Segafredo), Rui Oliveira and Jan Polanc (UAE Team Emirates)

We also have a chasse patate group:
Carlos Canal (Burgos-BH), Xabier Mikel Azparren (Euskaltel Euskadi), Andrey Zeits (Team BikeExchange) Martijn Tusveld (Team DSM) Mikel Bizkarra (Euskaltel Euskadi) Guy Niv (Israel Start-Up Nation) Jan Tratnik (Bahrain Victorious), Jesus Herrada (Cofidis), Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) and Romain Bardet (Team DSM)

mididoctors

Green jersey group let the wheels go ?

jimmyjams

Impressive town wall they passed a few mins ago.

kingstongraham

Crash halfway down the peloton, meintjes looks to have done his shoulder/collar bone.

andyp

kingstongraham said:

Crash halfway down the peloton, meintjes looks to have done his shoulder/collar bone.

That guy is sh!t out of luck.

kingstongraham

Not many easy days in this race.

blazing_saddles

kingstongraham said:

Not many easy days in this race.

There are no easy days for us, having to listen to Kirby spouting boll&cks from start to finish.
I mean what is he on about today? The break is going to make it, holding a whopping 30 second advantage with 20kms to go.

jimmyjams

3 kms left, looks like the 7 in front might make it, but who will win?

blazing_saddles

OK so I was wrong. Another stage for Magnus Cort.

Absolutely zero ambition but for Bike Exchange and DSM.

jimmyjams

The power of numbers!

mididoctors

Entertaining

mididoctors

Very tiring race ...poor old meintjes

jimmyjams

mididoctors said:

Very tiring race ...poor old meintjes

I agree; every time Meintjes seems to be within reach of a top-10 placing, he has a bad day or a crash.
Apparently today, he passed out after his crash, there being great concern as he was bleeding from his head, but the hospital found no fractures anywhere, the head bleeding being from facial injuries.

No_Ta_Doctor

Cort is magnificent. Top work from Craddock for him as well, and some excellent spoiling from EF in the peloton behind them - the last few kms they got to the front for every corner and slowed it down.

Not surprised only Bike Exchange and DSM were working, given the teams represented in the final break of 7. Very strong group, and Craddock was able to keep the pace up and prevent it getting "tactical" at the end