Vuelta; Stage 20 (Sep 8): La Faisanera - Bola del Mundo;*contains unmasked spoilers*

dastardly00

Stage 20 (Sep 8): La Faisanera (Golf Segovia) - Bola del Mundo
Distance: 170.7km
Highest point: 2,252m
Category: High mountains

"The last summit finish takes the race back to the Bola del Mundo to the north of Madrid. Two years ago, Vincenzo Nibali fought off attacks from Ezequiel Mosquera on the Bola del Mundo’s thrilling debut in the race. Rising 3km to the TV masts that look out over the Navacerrada and the Madrid sierra, the narrow road averages almost 12 per cent and features ramps that are almost double that gradient. Add in four more categorised climbs, three of them Cat. 1, and it’s clear that this penultimate stage has the potential to turn the race upside down".

Stage profile:


Bola del Mundo:


Live coverage on Eurosport1 from 2.15pm.
Highlights on Eurosport1 at 6.40pm and 11.40pm, Eurosport2 at 8pm, and on ITV4 at 7pm.
Stage betting: Rodriguez 6/4; Contador 5/2; Valverde 8/1.

corny

Contador is great value now that he can play the defending role. Rodriguez might find it a bit tougher.

The race will probably break up a bit with desperate riders on the climbs before hand i'd imagine. Hopefully Roche can make a move.

RidleyRider

May be a tad too steep for Roche but would be a nice one for Contador to seal the Vuelta.

Morrisseeee

Bola del Mundo 3.1km @ 12.9% on Strava.

3D
(ignore the spike in the middle, i think whoever created the segment, their GPS was a little out)

Nibali's data (& video) from 2010's climb of Bola del Mundo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyibhyBEBro

It's a 36-28 for Roche today.

Fair play, he gave it his all.

"I've had two very difficult days in the high mountains - not because I was sick, just because I was human. I have good days and bad days."

"Some of the guys like to give themselves an excuse because they've got a runny nose, but I think all 178 starters today will have a sore arse, bad back or won't have slept well or coughing. It's part of a Grand Tour, the legs weren't going and that was it."

at1withmyself

Anywhere with earlier coverage then Europsort? With it being such a big stage and what looks like will be an exciting stage pretty much from the off surely there's somewhere to watch full coverage?

mistermatthew

at1withmyself wrote: »

Anywhere with earlier coverage then Europsort? With it being such a big stage and what looks like will be an exciting stage pretty much from the off surely there's somewhere to watch full coverage?

Naa Eurosport it is. They would have it earlier but the spainish tv only record from a certain time in stage. Eurosport or any other broadcaster can't do anything. You can see this in the highlights where they don't have any video from early in the stage. Such as stage 17 and Contador's attack not recorded.

spoke2cun

Surely Rodriguez & Valverde will attack Contador today.

RidleyRider

at1withmyself wrote: »

Anywhere with earlier coverage then Europsort? With it being such a big stage and what looks like will be an exciting stage pretty much from the off surely there's somewhere to watch full coverage?

Try steephill.com they usually have full coverage.

Morrisseeee

Movistar reporting rain and hail in Bola del Mundo :eek:

ednwireland

72km to go pretty wet on the road

MPFG

Eurosport still going on about Roche and Noncentini

I wonder what the story is there

I hope Nico gives up on GC next year and just works as super domestigue..give himself a break...
Then maybe he can concentrate on getting races like yesterday perfected including the timing and hopefully some lead out help...I think that his where his strenght lies

He can always go back to GC ambitions in a few years when he has improved on TT and perfected pace changing, etc

IM0

spoke2cun wrote: »

Surely Rodriguez & Valverde will attack Contador today.

that they will do, should be a great last climb today, another savage climb. just over an hour to go b4 the fun starts

IM0

damn that looks like a nice fast descent! stayed between 80-95k/hr for minutes there [with an occasional brush to 65 for some bends

IM0

well this is hard to call, who has recovered best over the last 3 days?, my money is on contador so although rod will beat him to the line dont think he will challenge him for the GC. when contador went on the break he used alot of energy, but so did rod chasing him so..

ednwireland

movistar on the front for valverde 15km to go

Fritzl Funderland

great stage this few years back when mosquera fini just ahead of nibali. nibali took the overall win in madrid

corny

Roche is following the group trying to get away. Big names with him, hope he has the legs.

arch_stanton

I've hiked up these last 3km. I've no idea how someone could race a bike up it :eek:

Aoibheann

He's sitting in second place in the big group of favourites.. Looks pained, but glad he's staying up so high in the group atm.

corny

Gesink is gonna kill Roche by the looks of it. Chasing Anton.

corny

Have to hand it to Rodriguez. Vicious pace he's setting.

ednwireland

contador blown still got the lead at he finish though only 35s ish down on rodriguez

boy did contador ned that 2 minutes he got the other day

Aoibheann

The riders are pretty much falling across the line, it is absolutely vicious. The gradient makes me shudder.

Clarke and Roche help each other over the line. Lovely.

dastardly00

Great moment there with Clarke and Nico.

GT_TDI_150

How on earth did they cycle up there, my car wud struggle to get up there!!!

dastardly00

Stage result:
1 Denis Menchov (Rus) Katusha Team 4:48:48
2 Richie Porte (Aus) Sky Procycling 0:00:17
3 Kevin De Weert (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep 0:00:42
4 Fredrik Carl Wilhelm Kessiakoff (Swe) Astana Pro Team 0:01:16
5 Romain Sicard (Fra) Euskaltel - Euskadi 0:01:39
6 Eros Capecchi (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:02:30
7 Maxime Bouet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:02:39
8 Simon Geschke (Ger) Argos-Shimano 0:03:14
9 Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Katusha Team 0:03:31
10 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Movistar Team 0:03:56
11 Tiago Machado (Por) Radioshack Nissan 0:04:08
12 Alberto Contador (Spa) Saxo Bank - Tinkoff Bank 0:04:15
13 Daniel Moreno (Spa) Katusha Team 0:04:15
14 Igor Anton (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 0:04:24
15 Andrew Talansky (USA) Garmin-Barracuda 0:04:34

27 Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale 0:05:35

General classification after stage 20:

1 Alberto Contador (Spa) Saxo Bank - Tinkoff Bank 82:14:52
2 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team 0:01:16
3 Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) Katusha Team 0:01:37
4 Christopher Froome (GBr) Sky Procycling 0:10:16
5 Daniel Moreno (Spa) Katusha Team 0:11:29
6 Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:12:23
7 Andrew Talansky (USA) Garmin - Sharp 0:13:28
8 Laurens Ten Dam (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:13:41
9 Igor Anton (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 0:14:01
10 Benat Intxausti (Spa) Movistar Team 0:16:13
11. Gorka Verdugo (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 0:16:22
12. Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale 0:17:50

gwakamoley

Another incredible stage. I'm just worried now that I'm not going to be able to look at any cycle race the same after how brilliantly tough this one has been day after day!

MPFG

It was Clareke helping Nico out as Clarke didn't need to go up fast...They are great mates and train together

IM0

god, well I thought the last mountain stage was some masochists wet dream, but this was a whole other level. the SURFACE with the savage gradient was, well sick, scum! :mad::D

guys dropping like flies over the line. contador can thank his lucky stars that section wasnt 6 or 7 kn long instead of 3, or even the whole climb like that!

furiousox

gwakamoley wrote: »

Another incredible stage. I'm just worried now that I'm not going to be able to look at any cycle race the same after how brilliantly tough this one has been day after day!

+1
Incredible stage and a great GT....best of the year?

corny

Poor Rodriguez.

10 days in the pink jersey, points classification, 2 wins and second place 16 seconds down at the Giro. 13 days in the red jersey, points classification, 3 wins and third place at the Vuelta.

Deserves one before his time is up but you'd think that weakness on the flat and in TT's will always catch up with him.

MPFG

There were so many hard steep finishes that they have all began t run into one another in my head...just one torture after another ...the one where they paved the road specially was grusome ..was that Monday ???

I think anyone who cycled this Vuelta will think the TdF a piece of cake in future

Seemed D Menchovs legs were alright after all

retalivity

Me, a few days ago wrote:

Menchov does not have the legs he used to havel

well, thats me told!

Slept in this morning and missed the entire stage, watching the highlights now.
Seriously though, this vuelta has had me

Morrisseeee

So.....................how fast were they ??!!

/from Cyclingnews:

Bola del Mundo (last 3.1 km, 12.0 %, 372 m). Rodriguez 13:12, Valverde 13:37, Contador 13:56, Moreno 13:56, Talansky 14:15, Mentshov 14:30.

Bola del Mundo (last 3.1 km, 12.0 %, 372 m).
Rodriguez 14.09 Kph,
VAM 1691 m/h,
5.7 W/kg (57 kg) (poor road surface)

@Vaughters Bola del Mundo (last 3.1km, 12.0%, 372m). Andrew Talansky: 14:15, 13.05 Kph, VAM 1566 m/h, 5.1 W/kg (63 kg) (poor road surface).

Bola del Mundo (last 3.1 km, 12.0 %, 372 m). Joaquim Rodriguez was 53 sec faster that Vincenzo Nibali (2010). Purito 13:12, Nibali 14:05.
(Mosquera was 14:04 over the same distance)

Interestingly, on that viscous climb last week, 1.8km @ 14%, Rodriguez had a VAM of 2387 !

MPFG

retalivity wrote: »

well, thats me told!

Slept in this morning and missed the entire stage, watching the highlights now.


And here's another one ...
"Slept in " ...its started at 2.15pm ....surely you could be up by then ??/

Rovi

Tweeted by Nico a few minutes ago:

Great to be able to cross the line with @simoclarke he really deserve his kom jersey!

MPFG

Feel Sorry for J-Rod .....only for Wednesday he would be in red and he fought a good fight...close but no cigar ((ha ha I crack myself up)

Feel sorry for Froome ...he came with such high expectations and was very far off the top 3 ...he is a nice bloke but he looks shattered and looks like he could spend a week in bed..now will have to stay in B Wiggins shadow

Feel sorry for N Roche as he is so desperate for success that he has strung himself out and God only knows the mental engergy he expends trying on all fronts...needs to back off for awhile and let GC go and just do a job of rider...When you try too hard it can elude you

Next port of call the World Championship
A Bientot

retalivity

MPFG wrote: »

"Slept in " ...its started at 2.15pm ....surely you could be up by then ??/

im in canada...race finished aruond 11.30am here

ednwireland

MPFG wrote: »

Next port of call the World Championship tour of britain
A Bientot

OK tob is abit of a comedown but live coverage on itv4 !

MPFG

retalivity wrote: »

im in canada...

That's no excuse !!

It says you are in London on your registration

Tour of Britian? , Tour of Britian!! ...there is only so much a body can take of listening to the mumblings of Mark Cavandish every night

retalivity

London, Ontario...and i was out til 4 last night

MPFG

retalivity wrote: »

London, Ontario...and i was out til 4 last night

There's a London in Canada...oh well didn't do geography in school

IM0

Awesome awesome vuelta! this and the giro kicked the **** out of the tdf

j@utis

nah... me not liking this mountain biking at all.

Solobally8

Did froome walk over the line? Or get off just past it?

ednwireland

Solobally8 wrote: »

Did froome walk over the line? Or get off just past it?

punctured with a 1km to go apparently rode the flat and then walked over line

Solobally8

Thought it had to be something like that but wondered for a minute if it he had nothing left and had to walk it!

I would love to see more coverage at the end, of the other riders coming over the line. More data on all the group not just the top 20.

Brilliant stage again today. Hard to watch them grinding their way up. Thrilling.

drogdub

Its been a tough three weeks for cycling fans, with the Lance stuff, but the Vuelta has helped to keep the faith. Brilliant, brilliant stuff.

MrMischief

The best GT in living memory for me and lets hope the TDF takes note and brings back the mountain top finishes!!

gwakamoley

While all the fans have been loving this Vuelta and hoping for more in the Grand Tours to come, I wonder what the opinions of the teams and riders are of it and whether a tour will allowed to be this hard for a while again. That many mountain top finishes will surely take its toll on many riders and I wonder will we see any Vuelta riders able to recover enough to be competitive at the worlds.

happytramp

gwakamoley wrote: »

That many mountain top finishes will surely take its toll on many riders and I wonder will we see any Vuelta riders able to recover enough to be competitive at the worlds.

There was only 4 real mountain stages. There were lots of flattish stages with steep ramps at the end but I can't imagine they'd be too much for the riders to handle.