Vuelta A Catalunya ***Spoiler Tags Required***

manafana

So surprised no race thread yet as both Roche and Martin will ride this race. Stage 3 and 4 will be key if they go ahead as planned. Valverde and Rodriguez considered favourites by the odds compilers. And Uran is leader for sky it seems.

Stage 3:



Stage 4:



My thoughts:




Valverde and Rodriguez will do battle on home roads in this week long race, while Wiggins seeks to repeat his Paris Nice exploits of later year. We will see riders take on some of the biggest climbs in Spain as riders seek to hone their form for the Giro just two months away or for the spring classics.

This week sees the return of the Garmin 3, the riders who got token 6 month bans as part of the coming out process of their past doping in the sport of cycling. Bradley Wiggins comes out of training camp with a strong supporting squad including Uran, Lopez and Cataldo. SKy will look to control the race in their usual way why will the Spaniards look to spring some attacks. Rujano who has also had some mixed form turns out for this race his first of season now he is with Vacansoleil.
Without a time trial for Wiggins to put time into rivals the defensive tactics will not work here and that makes this an interesting week, with so many stage races often decided in the race of truth, this one is decided in the hills. Many will be asking if Sam Sanchez can return to some sort of form he was pipped to this race last year by Albasini after stage 3 was null and voided.


Profiles can be found here. Stage 3 and 4 will be the key days in the saddle but other days could provide gaps. Carlos Betancur who now rides with Ag2r also turns up for this. Dan Martin could get help from a strong Garmin line up this time of year suits him and he is based around here. Rodriguez who showed good form again in Tirreno pulling away on the steep finish has the help of a strong support squad including his right hand man Moreno. Machado can play a card for Radioshack but this is a step up with the big boys.


Weather may affect the high stages as this time of year can see many peaks covered in Snow so we would need a bit more luck than we have been having of late to avoid any detours.

ednwireland

manafana wrote: »

So surprised no race thread yet

we were waiting for you to put it up hopefully no-one at work today so i can watch it ! with the weather at milan san-remo would be suprised if theres not a route change (anyway i was too busy with float building for our cycling club this weekend)

Briando

Its live on Eurosport today from 14:30 till 16:00

manafana

Briando wrote: »

Its live on Eurosport today from 14:30 till 16:00

Yeah their pushing it big time this year anything wiggins is in their keen to push, already have giro ads going, hes eased off this year he has gone into Giro mode nothing else matters to him this year it seems.

dave_o_brien

What a great end to a stage!

Darkglasses

Only just saw this thread, wish I had known it was on!

How did the two boys get on? Who won?

ednwireland

1 Gianni Meersman (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quick Step 3:55:56
2 Valerio Agnoli (Ita) Astana Pro Team
3 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Movistar Team
4 Daniel Martin (Irl) Garmin-Sharp
5 Danilo Wyss (Swi) BMC Racing Team
6 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling

TheBlaaMan

Dan Martins trace from today on Garmin Connect
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/286071191

manafana

tomorrow stage is for sprinters expect guardini to have his say.

buffalo

Daily Nico: http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/i-was-suddenly-left-in-no-mans-land-in-a-little-group-of-four-29138445.html

Hadn't realised there'd been a crash when the final split happened, was only half-watching it.

buffalo

http://www.stickybottle.com/races-results/dan-martin-starts-strongly-in-catalunya-makes-heavyweight-opening-stage-selection

Also, I find it amusing that SB caption the photo with the description of "Dan Martin (centre, in sky blue)". Sky are black, not blue! :pac:

manafana

Right today should shake it up a bit, can't wait.

velopeloton

Hope the snow stays away. It's raining here. Today's finish is at 2159m. They give the climb as 12km @ 7.8% but it actually climbs for over 20km.
Today should be Dan Martin's day.



http://app.strava.com/segments/1805066
http://app.strava.com/segments/923027

buffalo

Having missed the highlights due to Eurosport's complete ignoring of their own schedule, this was all news to me.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/an-italian-who-had-nowhere-to-go-hit-me-29141872.html

I wonder if the full Saxo-Tinkoff treatment (own chefs, etc.) is only dished out when Contador is racing...

De Bhál

buffalo wrote: »

Having missed the highlights due to Eurosport's complete ignoring of their own schedule, this was all news to me.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/an-italian-who-had-nowhere-to-go-hit-me-29141872.html

I wonder if the full Saxo-Tinkoff treatment (own chefs, etc.) is only dished out when Contador is racing...

Last night they put the highlights for this on at 11pm and the highlights for Milan -San Remo at 10pm for some bizarre reason.

catweazle

De Bhál wrote: »

Last night they put the highlights for this on at 11pm and the highlights for Milan -San Remo at 10pm for some bizarre reason.

All I saw was baseball when i went to watch this at 11 last night - Eurosport are always doing this - its usually the snooker carrying over that messes things up

De Bhál

catweazle wrote: »

All I saw was baseball when i went to watch this at 11 last night - Eurosport are always doing this - its usually the snooker carrying over that messes things up

I went to bed at 10

Glad I didn't wait up.

buffalo

I had my venting moan last night in the Campervan.

Craig06

Just used sky+ series link on the live coverage. Best way to do it.

ednwireland

buffalo wrote: »

I wonder if the full Saxo-Tinkoff treatment (own chefs, etc.) is only dished out when Contador is racing...

you tend to find that they want the team bus somewhere else (probably prepping fro the classics) tends to be like that at the smaller races

i was at the tour d'lain a couple of years ago all the french teams had the full buses but a lot of other teams had campers or minibuses for the riders, radioshack had a 15 year old camper with us postal stickers on it ! and 2 team cars (and they won the race ! with zubeldia)

godtabh

Do the teams rent the buses or are the based in europe some where and travel to all the races?

Chips Lovell

They generally own their own buses and have them based in Europe.

dastardly00

Live coverage on Eurosport2 now.

About 25km to go. There are 4 riders up the road. The peloton are taking it pretty handy at the moment before the last climb.

buffalo

Following via an auto-translated Spanish ticker - love this:

Edet (Cofidis) is ripe, only 1:00 for him.

He's ripe? Ready for plucking? Alternative translation is 'mature'.

edit: now this! :pac:

Van den Broeck has accelerated and shot Edet.

Morrisseeee

Come on, someone please attack

Morrisseeee

Morrisseeee wrote: »

Come on, someone please attack

Damn I thought it was Dan

lovely climb towards the top with the snow

Morrisseeee

Morrisseeee wrote: »

Damn I thought it was Dan

lovely climb towards the top with the snow

Wiggo attacks :eek:

dastardly00

A 1-2 for Movistar.... Quintana and Valverde

downwiththatsor

Roche 2.42 down today?

buffalo

Dan Martin 9th overall at 0:36

Craig06

Good to see the acceleration again by wiggins. Super form at the moment

IM0

well that was beyond disappointing tbh, all hype and nearly no trousers

dastardly00

Dan Martin finished 19th in the stage, @32";. Nico Roche finished 58th, @2';41". Overall, Dan is 9th @ 30", Nico is 57th @3';07".

griffin100

Watching the highlights of today's stage on Eurosport and Wiggins attacks with 1km to go........que shouts from Carlton Kirby of fantastic Wiggins.......go Brad.......he shows he can attack on the climbs......etc etc etc. Jesus if they keep this up for the grand tours it's going to be unbearable.

Beasty

Read the thread title

Spoiler tags must be used for same day race info

No more warnings

Thanks

Beasty

dastardly00

griffin100 wrote: »

Watching the highlights of today's stage on Eurosport and Wiggins attacks with 1km to go........que shouts from Carlton Kirby of fantastic Wiggins.......go Brad.......he shows he can attack on the climbs......etc etc etc. Jesus if they keep this up for the grand tours it's going to be unbearable.

Well in fairness Wiggins was the only one out of the big GC guys to actually attack ..... Rodriguez, Valverde, Scarponi etc. didn't.

dastardly00

If you thought Nico had it rough enough when he was at AG2R with regards to hotel accommodation .... check out where Dan Martin and the rest of Team Garmin-Sharp are staying tonight .... Twitter photo #1 and Twitter photo #2 :eek:

Darkglasses

dastardly00 wrote: »

If you thought Nico had it rough enough when he was at AG2R with regards to hotel accommodation .... check out where Dan Martin and the rest of Team Garmin-Sharp are staying tonight .... Twitter photo #1 and Twitter photo #2 :eek:

Holy smokes. I may give my trocaire box money to Irish pros abroad instead.

velopeloton

Porto del Canto the penultimate climb today.


Port Ainé



Should be a much harder stage than yesterday and hopefully someone will attack today.

http://veloviewer.com/segment/2598052

http://app.strava.com/segments/2598052

TheBlaaMan

Nico's latest diary from Stage3
http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/nicolas-roche-my-legs-werent-even-sore-just-empty-i-simply-couldnt-push-any-harder-29144686.html

downwiththatsor

Should be an interesting stage today hopefully, was surprised when Wiggins went when he did yesterday.
The profile looks mean today, i think Purito will have the legs for the finish today but i hope Dan Martin goes for a long one.

manafana

would expected betterb prep from garmin, crazy hotels dont turn on the heat with a pro cycling team in the house, id heard it has been good up till now.

buffalo

TheBlaaMan wrote: »

Nico's latest diary from Stage3
http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/nicolas-roche-my-legs-werent-even-sore-just-empty-i-simply-couldnt-push-any-harder-29144686.html

Scab! :P Minor crisis in work, haven't read the rest of the Interwebs yet.

ednwireland

dan martin living the procyclists dream last night (from his twitter)

TheBlaaMan

buffalo wrote: »

Scab! :P Minor crisis in work, haven't read the rest of the Interwebs yet.

Soz, Buffalo.:cool:
I did check first to see if you were posting the link and at 1130 or so thought - you snooze, you lose......

lennymc

Valverde has abandoned after a crash according to twitter

manafana

quiet a strong break, but had my money on valverde to win this so bit annoyed.

TheBlaaMan

Looking at a Spanish ticker, it appears that

both Roche and Martin are in a 21 man breakaway, 2:35 ahead of the peleton. Martin has Hesjedal with him. Roche went for and picked up 2nd place in the intermediate sprint.
Seems a strange group to be allowed up the road

Anyone good with the lingo?
58km to go:

## Quintana se reintegra en el pelotón. Ahora el colombiano, vencedor ayer en Vallter 2000, es el líder del Movistar Team tras la caída y el abandono de Valverde.
Se descuelga Ruijgh (Vacansoleil). Quedan 20 en cabeza:
Betancur (Ag2r), Ten Dam y Kruijswijk (Blanco), Santaromita (BMC), Salerno (Cannondale), Astarloza (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Pichon (FDJ), Hesjedal y Martin (Garmin), Losada y Trofimov (Katusha), José Herrada (Movistar Team), Brambilla y Verona (Omega Pharma-Quick Step), Kiserlovski (RadioShack), Pate (Sky), Roche (Saxo-Tinkoff), Arroyo (Caja Rural), Bagot y Molard (Cofidis)

Esroh

Quintana returned to peloton after puncture and is now Movistar leader after Valv crashed and retired

Well thats what is says in google translate;)

velo.2010

TheBlaaMan wrote: »

Anyone good with the lingo?
58km to go:

## Quintana se reintegra en el pelotón. Ahora el colombiano, vencedor ayer en Vallter 2000, es el líder del Movistar Team tras la caída y el abandono de Valverde.
Se descuelga Ruijgh (Vacansoleil). Quedan 20 en cabeza:
Betancur (Ag2r), Ten Dam y Kruijswijk (Blanco), Santaromita (BMC), Salerno (Cannondale), Astarloza (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Pichon (FDJ), Hesjedal y Martin (Garmin), Losada y Trofimov (Katusha), José Herrada (Movistar Team), Brambilla y Verona (Omega Pharma-Quick Step), Kiserlovski (RadioShack), Pate (Sky), Roche (Saxo-Tinkoff), Arroyo (Caja Rural), Bagot y Molard (Cofidis)

I'll give it a go!

Quintana has come back to the peloton. Ahoy the Columbian, winner of the stage to Vallter 2000, now leader of the Movistar team after the abandonment of Valverde. List of riders up front.

Thud

try this:

http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A//www.biciciclismo.com/cas/site/eventos_online-ficha.asp?id=338&hl=en&langpair=es|en&tbb=1&ie=ISO-8859-1

refresh it and it will auto translate the spanish text commentary