A Look at the course Vuelta a Espana 2011.. Stage 1 till 12
by Frinking on Aug 15, 2011 2:53 PM EDT
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PrintI'm sure everybody already studied the course of de Ronde van Spanje, Vuelta a Espana, the most predictable course this year! Because SPOILER ALERT! The race will be won by Mikel Nieve. You heard it here before. Sorry for ruining 3 weeks fun! Miguel Indurain the second has shown excellent climbing skills in the Giro and is quietly preparing to dominate the Vuelta as only Luis Ocana could dominate a Grand Tour.
But to continue with the purpose of this post. How is the Vuelta going to look like? Is it hard, easy, for the time trialers, for Thor Hushovd? I've seen a little. The trend is going on. Lot's of difficult stages, less and less sprinters stages.. Almost need a loop to find them.
ps: Now I've typed it. Not to informative. But always handy to have the profiles in one place.
Stage 1:
A Team Time Trial in Benidorm. 13.5km. Has a little bump in it. Should get Cavendish in the golden leadersjersey. Specially desined to get the Carrots a false start. And Skil!! Should be fun to watch them.
via www.lavuelta.com
Stage 2:
Get your loop! Look at the profile.. See! You've spotted the first sprint stage. As flat as you can get it in Spain. Maybe we get the endless roads here. I dunno. I only look at profiles. The first batlle for the mountainsjersey should be on here. It's not a giveaway. For the win? The best sprinter on the earth! Cavendish Kittel.. D'uuh
via www.lavuelta.com
Stage 3:
This is the trend, or so I've been told. Easy stages and to fuck, hehe it's not in the header, the sprinters they plant(?) a mountain before the finish. (Did you know there is some crazy funny Dutch journalist who's trying to create a artficial mountain in the Netherlands so we have our own Alpe d'Huez? Crazy Dutch! Support the idea here) Hushovd is going to win here! Oh no, he doesn't. Evil evil sideburns..
via www.lavuelta.com
Stage 4:
Mountains. Day four and the Sierra Nevada is dooming. The GC riders should be on top of their form from really early. I've just learned the highest asphalt way of Europe! Moncoutie was the last one to win here in 2009. 30km. 5.8% Not supersteep.. But well. Sort of long 
via www.lavuelta.com
Stage 5:
Spanish flat. Perfectly doable for sprinters! Till the last kms. A little bump of 27%. Why in the hell would you make a road so steep? (I knew someone who bought some land in the middle of nowhere to build a house. Only problem. There was no house. So in order to build to a house there a road of 30% had to be built. She was.. fucked..) I hope Cavendish is studying the roadbook.. Or maybe not... We could hear him say "Fuck you!" all the way in Holland if he studies it just one night before. The finish has Joaquim Rodriquez all over it. Because really.. 27%? Even Super Duper Sagan will have some trouble going vertical. Last 3km. Profile:
via www.lavuelta.com
Stage 6:
Hehe.. Flat.. Oh well.. Till that last climb 15 km from the end. Is going to be a close one. (I'm getting predictable don't I?) I will give the edge to the Freire's of the world. Because the second best sprinter in the world Cavendish climbing skills seem not so Norwegian this year.
via www.lavuelta.com
Stage 7:
We all hail.. Kittel of course.
via www.lavuelta.com
Stage 8:
What to mae of this profile? It seems a graphic for the oil price. A lot of peaks. Or while I say that. A fallen Christmas tree. A very hard stage and the mountain jersey will be beattled here. And have I already said we are following a trend here? Another classic finish. But don't worry. This one is even harder than well, any I have seen. To quote the Vuelta site:
The finish in San Lorenzo, with ramps of 27 and 28%, may mark some differences in the pack if they
have not completed the previous climbs.
I can't say it better than Loeki de Leeuw
via www.lavuelta.com
Stage 9:
They seem to think there is really just one way. The way up.. Another day for the climbers. The less explosive but the more "tempoklimmers" like Menchov, Nibali, Anton. 19.9km á 5.8%, doesn't that look familiar?
via www.lavuelta.com
Stage 10:
A completely flat Time Trial, is a little hilly. After all the climbing the TT"ers will go flat out in the TT. With 47 km it is pretty long. Comparable with the TT last year which was won by Peter Velits. Mosquera was the GC man who lost the most time. 2 minutes. Not that shocking. Oops. Frank Schleck of course was here too. 4 minutes his lose. And bose above bose. Rodriquez 6 minutes. He lost the Vuelta here! It is shocking..
via www.lavuelta.com
Restday
Stage 11:
The red profiles really create the idea of ways to hell.. Especially if they are going up. The third finish in Spain on a real mountain. Not some crazy bump of 27%. Cartes are shuffled. Purito is going to try to make some time up, I'm guessing here!, And the favorites are slowly getting more visible. Again not too steep but long. Last km's are 7.2, 7.9 and 8.2% So probably have to wait a little before the firework. Profile?
via www.lavuelta.com
Halfway! What do you think? Second part probably tomorrow.
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Perhaps the second stage suits a different kind of sprinter
Directions for the last k translated by the gnomes:
Straight 100 meters in slight decline. CCW. Straight 250 meters. CCW. straight 270 meters in 8% rise. Slight curve to the Right. straight 280 meters in smooth rise and flat.
Badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger...
Where did you find that?
LaVuelta just shows that Peta won there last time.. But I’m just really a profile guy
Stage detail
Here, and click on the “Route Detail” tab. There’s a description, in Spanish, ot the last k below the all the time estimates. But not for the TTT.
Badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger...
by TheFigurehead on Aug 15, 2011 4:29 PM EDT up reply actions
Very entertaining, Frinkles!
You almost make me look forward to this SSSSR.
I'm still young--Andy Schleck
...another grand tour
please kill me…
Any dumb f#*k who looked at Garmin’s roster could figure that out, it wasn’t exactly rocket-science. Hell, it wasn’t even lutefisk-science.
by Chris Fontecchio on Aug 15, 2011 4:26 PM EDT reply actions
spain in the morning. colorado in the afternoon.
"Wizard's first rule. People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true." -- Terry Goodkind
27%
Did I mention that I found a hill around here that really is 21%, and went and bought a new cassette with a 26 tooth cog the next day?
27%. No. Fucking. Way.
This is going to be fun.
Igor will win Stage 5. Bah J-Rod!
Also, Frinkles, I hearby award you the Order of the Carrot. Mikel Nieve and I salute you.
"First you have to be cool, after you are cool then you can be strong" -- Davide Appollonio
Oh I see Frinking leading the mob!
The mob a little bit disorganized. Lots of pushing and shoving! Lots of swerving and yearling : " Hey don’t cut the line! I was first!" What is going on? Oh I see, people trying to jump on board of the brand new, just from the factory, Kittel’s Fan wagon!
And all of a sadden, it is lots of more room on Cav’s train! Thanks God! And good riddance!
"I love bike races warm up, warm down, cobbles mountains or flats."
perezbike
.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
You make the case of how evil the Evil Sideburns is.
I get a preview of how good my VDS team is going to be.
And I get to prepare a little earlier for Phil’s predictor game.
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
Agree, I think Cav could explode once he installs himself into a Spanish
hotel with the racebook.
Message to Vuelta planners: Good to see many of the stages are sub 200km, but I would go even further next year. Cut them down to the 130-160km range. Racing could be more fun.
He knows that Vuelta is not Cav’s friendly. I have no doubt that he studied every stage profile long before we ever laid our eyes on them. In contrary what he make us believe.
But this is his 3 GT, WC is coming, so I don’t thing Cav will be worrying about Vuelta that much.
Of course we might see a few typical Cav’s twits, but it is all his showmanship, for what I love him that much!
"I love bike races warm up, warm down, cobbles mountains or flats."
perezbike
.
Oh ! He will try, but not to the point to completely empty his legs before the WC!
And deep down in my heart I wish that he’ll doesn’t try to hard. Course disappointed and mad Cav is a dangerous Cav, and it is what I like to see in Copenhagen.
"I love bike races warm up, warm down, cobbles mountains or flats."
perezbike
.
iirc, a lot of the vuelta stages use to be relatively short. as one rider use to say "balls to the wall from the start".
"Wizard's first rule. People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true." -- Terry Goodkind
Hold on, Sierra Nevada
is the name of a mtn in Spain? We used the name for a whole mtn range in Cali. And bonus, they make a decent Pale Ale. I prefer the New Belgian IPA myself but we poached that name from a whole country, as if putting a “new” on the front makes a difference (ie,“new” Mexico).
It's a mountain range in Andalucia as well as in Cali :)
"First you have to be cool, after you are cool then you can be strong" -- Davide Appollonio
And
it’s a pretty decent beer too.
Any dumb f#*k who looked at Garmin’s roster could figure that out, it wasn’t exactly rocket-science. Hell, it wasn’t even lutefisk-science.
by Chris Fontecchio on Aug 16, 2011 1:31 PM EDT up reply actions
i've been drinking their torpedo lately
not sure what an extra IPA is, but i now know it’s tasty. it’s no ranger, or 420, but hits the spot just fine.
"Ants don’t worry, they operate like a fantastic team, they accept obstacles and deal with them in a positive manner, they don’t complain and remain positive. An ant doesn’t work on emotion, is proactive and always chooses the ant role."
IPA = India pale ale
The stuff the Poms used to ship to India to serve their thirsty brethren/Empire-builders in the colonies. It was traditionally pale in colour.
American pale ale is usually a. not pale, and b. fruitier and richer in flavour than an IPA.
‘Extra’ IPA? Extra Indian? Extra pale? I have no idea.
‘New Belgian’ IPA? Well, now, that’s just ridiculous.
They each might taste great, of course, but they sound odd.
The Sierra Nevada Torpedo is an American IPA per style guidelines
Much hopper than English IPAs and much richer in flavor like you mentioned. I have a six n my refrigerator rifght now.
Focus on easy first. If that's all you get, that ain't half bad - Caballo Blanco
you do know New Belgium is a brewery right?
There is also a style of IPA known as a Belgian IPA brewed in Belgium and somewhere between an IPA and a tripel.
Focus on easy first. If that's all you get, that ain't half bad - Caballo Blanco
420? That's just a regular, not very hoppy PA
torpedo is the stuff man!
Focus on easy first. If that's all you get, that ain't half bad - Caballo Blanco
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