Stage 15 :: Monday September 14, 2009
167.7km :: Jaén - Córdoba

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.  No use repeating myself, eh?

Jaén to Córdoba.  Everytime I read Córdoba, I can only hear Alec Guiness pronounce while wearing a big fake nose.  This upcoming bit is a rolling stage, with only the Alto de San Jerónimo to provide any real test of the rider's legs.  Of course, they ride it twice as the finish is a 64km circuit through Córdoba (interm. sprint) and then climbing up to Geronimo and circling back down again, twice.

I suppose it's sort of a classics-y type ride and I think there's a classics-y type rider at the front of this thing now isn't there.  More's the piti...

A cheeky general classification rider could attack on the Alto de San Jerónimo which summits just 9 kilometers from the finish, but he will likely only gain a few seconds off the move. Not an obvious day for the general classification riders, but they can’t phone it in either.

After the three hard days in the mountains, this stage between Jaén and Córdoba offers something of a relief. It covers rolling terrain and heads west from Jaén, loops north of Cordóba, and finishes with a circuit around the city. Just under 30 kilometers in length, the circuit climbs the Alto de San Jerónimo twice before the finish. The final 8 kilometers descend to the finish in Córdoba. Tired from the hard mountain stages, the general classification teams will be inclined to let a breakaway go up the road. Though the sprinters could put in a big chase, the category 2 climb just before the finish will make it difficult for a sprinter to win here. It’s a day for the breakaways, then, though the general classification favorites will need to ride at the front on the final circuits in Córdoba.

Jaén stands not far from the Alto de Sierra de la Pandera, the finishing climb for the previous stage. The name of the city derives from the Arabic for "crossroads of caravans." Situated in the Santa Catalina mountains, Jaén is filled with narrow, steep streets and alleyways and the Castillo de Santa Catalina sits on high above the city. Olive groves surround the town and Jaén is a leading producer of olive oil. Córdoba lies to the west of Jaén and sits on the Guadalquivir river. During the 10th century, the city served as the capital of the Caliphate of Córdoba and may have been the most populous city in Western Europe. Extensive buildings remain from the Roman and Islamic eras, and the city is a UNESCO world heritage site.

Both Jaén and Córdoba are frequent hosts of the Vuelta a España. Jaén has hosted the Spanish grand tour on 9 occasions, because of its proximity to the high mountains. Córdoba, meanwhile, has hosted 17 previous stages. The most recent visit to Córdoba came in 2008, and Tom Boonen celebrated the stage victory.

Courtesy of Gavia's Stage 15 Preview at Steephill.tv

Frinking is surprisingly laconic.  Perhaps he misses the tulips.  I think he should express himself through poetry...

No inspiration for the other stage.