Vuelta Stage 18 Preview: Talavera de la Reina - Ávila
Stage 18 :: Thursday September 17, 2009
165.0km :: Talavera de la Reina - Ávila
A saucy win for Roux! Nice to see FdJ at the sharp end of the race. Hopefully, we can now put the majority of Frinky's Zz's to bed and get some more interesting racing going. We have some categorized climbs tomorrow and the return of the dreaded Vuelta loop race course.
All I know is, this Valverde character comes out of thin air in the middle of a [goshdarn] alley while his buddies are flying around on wires cutting everybody to shreds, and he just stands there waiting for me to drive my truck straight through him?! With light coming out of his mouth!
Gavia Local boy Juan knows about the black blood of the earth...
Tired of flat and hot stages in La Mancha, the Vuelta heads north to the mountainous area of southern Castilla- León. Here we find the highest peaks in the center of Spain, forming a mountain range called Sistema Central, which always hosts the last mountain stages before the finish in Madrid. The first of two stages in the Sistema Central begins in Talavera de la Reina and after 165 kilometers of difficult riding it finishes in Ávila. There’s certainly some climbing terrain for a brave rider to attack early, but most GC contenders will wait for the harder gradients of tomorrow. The biggest climb today, the first category Puerto de Mijares is more than 100 kilometers from the finish line, so the climbers will think twice (or not think at all) before attacking here.
Talavera de la Reina is a big town and has been the economic center of the region of Toledo since the times of the Roman Empire. It hosted the 2008 Spanish Championships, where Alejando Valverde got the yellow and red jersey, as well as some stages in the Vuelta. In fact, two years ago, there was a very similar stage, beginning in Talavera and climbing Mijares but with 20 kilometers of flat section before the finish in Ávila.
The city of Ávila is one of the most beautiful old towns in Spain and was declared a World Heritage site in 1985. It boasts the famous Walls of Ávila, built in the Middle Ages to protect the city from the Muslims of Al-Andalus. Now it is the perfect place for riding a bike, and the organizers have frequently placed a circuit around the town before the finish line. The cobblestones and steep sections were the ingredients to create exciting stage endings in previous editions of the Vuelta a España. Did I mention the past? Sure: Ávila has proudly hosted the race 22 times before, seeing great riders such as Bernard Hinault, Laurent Fignon and Tony Rominger win here. A good example of what Ávila can offer us is the stage from 1999, with an incredible attack by Frank Vandenbroucke (the great VDB, early in his career). The most recent time Ávila hosted a stage was in 2007. Luis Pérez of Andalucia won that day, after a solo ride in the final loop around the town.Courtesy of
Gavia'sJuan's Stage 18 Preview at Steephill.tv
Frinking has a six demon bag, but only Frinking knows what's inside of it...
Ok less zzzzz than I thought. With 2 Dutch in the breakaway, GP Wallonie, and Prinsjesdag it was quite exciting! To bad Maaskant attack was 200meters to early but Bravo for Roux. Very impresive! Also 2 chrashec in GC land. Gesink and Mosquera are injured. Gow is that going to be tomorrow?
Next stage is stage 18. Strange stages. Perfect suitable for breakaways. Mountains are not to hard and the finish is too far from the tops to give it a go as GC. Or is Samsan attacking the GC victims? You'll never know
That's right... you'll never know!
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2 points...
1) Spain is here, Mr. Burton. and
2) I don’t EVEN want to know what’s in Frinking’s six demon bag.
"My facking goat didn’t wear Robes! Does he look Scottisch?!" Baron von Frinkenstein
What does that mean, huh, "Spain is here"?
I don’t even know what-in-the-hell that means.
"Jens! is my favorite rider. I love watching him handing out plates of hot, steaming suffer!" - Mahatma Gandhi
Local boy Juan!??
Is that code for “Sexy Pool Boy”?
"Jens! is my favorite rider. I love watching him handing out plates of hot, steaming suffer!" - Mahatma Gandhi
Ávila
I think I’m going to celebrate during the stage tomorrow since it was during the Vuelta 10 years ago that I discovered that cycling is pretty interesting stuff, and the stage that I remember the most is the one that ended in Ávila.
Staring at the swim team gets you killed by a gang of dancing ninja men who know how to twirl.
Gesink seriously hurt
“Deep abrasion, 8 stitches,” he says on Twitter (in Dutch). Also a link to a hospital pic, not for the faint of heart.
Amazing he even finished today with THAT thing in his leg
hopefully he can give it a go tomorrow.
"On a personal level, I have never had admiration for him and I never will"
~AC about LA, me about Johan "drama queen" Bruyneel
He has to be out
five minutes of turning the pedals and all the stitches will have ripped out.
That just made me shudder, the though of that
"If I were World Road Race Champion, I would wear black shorts. That probably has more to do with me being on the wiser side of 30 and understanding better that the decisions I make now never really go away. White shorts would not be something I'd be proud of...." - David Millar, in Rouleur.
Oh c'mon Robert, it only looks like you've been shot in the leg by a shot-gun
HTFU a bit! /sarcasm
"On a personal level, I have never had admiration for him and I never will"
~AC about LA, me about Johan "drama queen" Bruyneel
Dare I ask what this means?
“Vaseline smeren en ervoor gaan! Succes!”
"Jens! is my favorite rider. I love watching him handing out plates of hot, steaming suffer!" - Mahatma Gandhi
I thought you memorised that phrase for your next visit to Holland/Belgium
“Apply vaseline and go for it! Good luck!”
oh dear god.
"Jens! is my favorite rider. I love watching him handing out plates of hot, steaming suffer!" - Mahatma Gandhi
His previous photo's a bit of a shocker too
does the second placed rider on GC and team leader really have to sleep on a mattress on the floor?
He & Koos complained loudly about the hotel
(also noting that hotels are booked by the Vuelta organization, not the team). Apparently when he went to bed he noticed a gap in the bed of half a meter so he put the mattress on the floor.
At least he gets a pretty rug.....it really ties the room together
"If I were World Road Race Champion, I would wear black shorts. That probably has more to do with me being on the wiser side of 30 and understanding better that the decisions I make now never really go away. White shorts would not be something I'd be proud of...." - David Millar, in Rouleur.
*sniffs and wipes a tear from his eye*
you make us proud, Albertina, so very, very proud.
"Jens! is my favorite rider. I love watching him handing out plates of hot, steaming suffer!" - Mahatma Gandhi
I feel it would be kind of cool if Carlos Sastre was standing by the side of the road
When they pass El Barraco. But they have to ride really slow if we should be able to see it live.
Staring at the swim team gets you killed by a gang of dancing ninja men who know how to twirl.

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