La Vuelta 2023: Stage 1: Barcelona to Barcelona - 14.8km, Team time trial ***Spoilers***

blazing_saddles

andyp said:

blazing_saddles said:

andyp said:

blazing_saddles said:

andyp said:

mididoctors said:

Remco likes a moan

With some justification. It was ridiculous starting it this late. (Which was the subject of his ire).

It wasn't ridiculous at all, on a normal August day in Barcelona. It's just today was an unusual exception. Sunset was just after the race finished..........not that we could tell.

Anyhow, I'd be more worried if Remco wasn't moaning.

Except it wasn't sunny, it was almost pitch black for the final teams. Conditions were dangerous and I think the riders have every right to be upset.

Any sensible organisation would've had a contingency plan in place for bad weather, but this is the Vuelta organisation so it comes as no surprise.

Ok. And what is that contingency plan?
You can’t just reschedule road closures in a major city at the drop of a hat.
Policing arrangements, media coverage etc etc

It’s been 40C in Barcelona up until today.
So if conventional wisdom says have it earlier, there’s an equally big weather problem.

If the Giro Donne organisers can ensure rider safety is paramount, then so can the Vuelta organisers.

So the contingency plan is actually to cancel the time trial.
I don’t disagree with that.

They could well have to consider it for tomorrow too, looking at the possibility for rain.

ddraver

Yeah yeah I'd have gone with that. Activate it in January...

RichN95.

The late scheduling you can control and a mid evening finish seems dumb, especially for a TTT where starts are different.

The rain no-one can predict. It’s bad luck in Spain. It stays mainly in the plain.

Ultimately, only one person is out. Sprint finish stage ones have had longer casualty lists.

Action point. No more late finishes

m.r.m.

Not really bothered too much, but it wasn't really fun to watch due to the conditions (not just the rain). Don't need to watch the pro's to watch riders riding slow. I'd just need to visit Chasey. 😜😂

Prehistoric reference @RichN95. 😛

DeadCalm

Young Lorenzo Milesi is having quite the month.

pinno

blazing_saddles said:

andyp said:

blazing_saddles said:

andyp said:

blazing_saddles said:

andyp said:

mididoctors said:

Remco likes a moan

With some justification. It was ridiculous starting it this late. (Which was the subject of his ire).

It wasn't ridiculous at all, on a normal August day in Barcelona. It's just today was an unusual exception. Sunset was just after the race finished..........not that we could tell.

Anyhow, I'd be more worried if Remco wasn't moaning.

Except it wasn't sunny, it was almost pitch black for the final teams. Conditions were dangerous and I think the riders have every right to be upset.

Any sensible organisation would've had a contingency plan in place for bad weather, but this is the Vuelta organisation so it comes as no surprise.

Ok. And what is that contingency plan?
You can’t just reschedule road closures in a major city at the drop of a hat.
Policing arrangements, media coverage etc etc

It’s been 40C in Barcelona up until today.
So if conventional wisdom says have it earlier, there’s an equally big weather problem.

If the Giro Donne organisers can ensure rider safety is paramount, then so can the Vuelta organisers.

So the contingency plan is actually to cancel the time trial.
I don’t disagree with that.

They could well have to consider it for tomorrow too, looking at the possibility for rain.

First stage of this years Tirreno Adriatico was hail and rain. No one talked about cancelling it.
Do you cancel a mountain stage because descents are more dangerous in the rain?

Too late a start in the day I agree but they have had 2.24 inches of rain in the whole of August and most of that in the last 48hrs.

Back to it: Remco: shuddup.

pblakeney

Was there any comments about the start time pre-race?
Hindsight is 20-20, unless you can't see. 🤣

flite

Apart from the danger to riders, it didn't make good TV watching. From the point of view of organisers, sponsors and host towns, that late start didn't offer great publicity.

pinno

flite said:

...it didn't make good TV watching. From the point of view of organisers, sponsors and host towns, that late start didn't offer great publicity.

However, 'normally', at that time of the day at this time of the year there's still enough light. It was dark due to the cloud over.
As PB says: it's all hindsight.

davidof

Most southern europeans ride around after dark without lights so they should have been used to it.

rick_chasey

andyp said:

blazing_saddles said:

andyp said:

mididoctors said:

Remco likes a moan

With some justification. It was ridiculous starting it this late. (Which was the subject of his ire).

It wasn't ridiculous at all, on a normal August day in Barcelona. It's just today was an unusual exception. Sunset was just after the race finished..........not that we could tell.

Anyhow, I'd be more worried if Remco wasn't moaning.

Except it wasn't sunny, it was almost pitch black for the final teams. Conditions were dangerous and I think the riders have every right to be upset.

Any sensible organisation would've had a contingency plan in place for bad weather, but this is the Vuelta organisation so it comes as no surprise.

This was the contingency plan for 40 degree heat….

rick_chasey

pblakeney said:

Was there any comments about the start time pre-race?
Hindsight is 20-20, unless you can't see. 🤣

Yeah it was done to avoid 40 degree heat in the day.

Vuelta in August has always been a bit Mickey Mouse with the time of year, heat and weird short stages and I have no reason to feel any different.

kingstongraham

When they all moaned about the ttt being run on a beach, they made it ceremonial didn't they?

Bit of chaos is what makes the vuelta special.

tailwindhome

Just watching this now
Thought everyone on Twitter was exaggerating
Dumbest thing I've seen in a while

Race should have been neutralised for GC and a generous timecut.
Run it as a parade lap and move on

blazing_saddles

So, both the Vuelta and the Benelux finishes neutralised today.
Apparently the riders weren’t happy about safety of the last 5 kms.
Brian Smith currently complaining about yet another WT race getting neutered. Reckons the UCI are to blame for signing off on unfit courses.

pinno

rick_chasey said:

andyp said:

blazing_saddles said:

andyp said:

mididoctors said:

Remco likes a moan

With some justification. It was ridiculous starting it this late. (Which was the subject of his ire).

It wasn't ridiculous at all, on a normal August day in Barcelona. It's just today was an unusual exception. Sunset was just after the race finished..........not that we could tell.

Anyhow, I'd be more worried if Remco wasn't moaning.

Except it wasn't sunny, it was almost pitch black for the final teams. Conditions were dangerous and I think the riders have every right to be upset.

Any sensible organisation would've had a contingency plan in place for bad weather, but this is the Vuelta organisation so it comes as no surprise.

This was the contingency plan for 40 degree heat….

If that's true then fair enough. City's can be stifling.

ddraver

In a taste of what's to come, the XCO in Andorra has been decided partly by whose fingers fell off when given the wind, rain, mud and cold...