Vuelta - Stage 19, Fri Sep 13, San Vicente - Alto Naranco, **Unmasked Spoilers**

dastardly00

Stage 19: San Vicente de la Barquera - Alto Naranco 181km





Final 5km:


Betting: A Valverde 4/1; C Horner 10/1; J Rodriguez 10/1.

Here's a link to the Irish rider's diary thread.

Live TV coverage on Eurosport2 from 3pm.
Highlights on Eurosport2 at 9.30pm, and on ITV4 at 7pm.

Live text-ticker will be here.

gordongekko

Of course the main race is further down the field. Betancur has a slender 38 second lead over Farrar.

So im going for fab Friday for betancur.

AnotherView

I am hoping for a nice surprise on this one

dastardly00

43km gone so far, and a breakaway has a lead of 2'25" over the peloton.
The riders in the breakaway are: David Tanner (47), Francis De Greef (142), Rafael Valls Ferri (218), Edvald Boasson Hagen (192), Georg Preidler (27), Danilo Wyss (59), Benat Intxausti (6), Paul Voss (159), Nicolas Edet (84), Pablo Urtasun (98), Manuele Mori (136), Leigh Howard (176), David Arroyo (61), Xabier Zandio (199), Dominik Nerz (56), Andriy Grivko (34), Christian Meier (177), Daniele Ratto (77), Ivan Santaromita (58) and Nico Sijmens (88).

Interesting to see Grivko in it. I can't remember any other stage in which there has been an Astana rider in the breakaway.

Bukman13

dastardly00 wrote: »

Interesting to see Grivko in it. I can't remember any other stage in which there has been an Astana rider in the breakaway.

Agree, if Nibali wants to win the Vuelta he has to try something today, Horner is stronger than him and will likely take time on Angrilu. Lets hope Nibali has somehting up his sleeve.

Saxo also stated they still want to move up on GC, he need over a min to have a chance of moving up, and they have no one in the break, so maybe they are saving themselves for something interesting tomorrow.

Darkglasses

With the Angliru tomorrow this is basically the last chance for a breakaway to succeed. Not surprised to see big numbers go out there.

at1withmyself

Doesn't seem to be getting far so hopefully its caught as the bonus seconds will be worth fighting for amongst the GC hopefuls

D3PO

yeah lead back to 2.14 wont catch them for the first sprint but if they keep going they could get them for the second one

at1withmyself

KM 96. Georg Preidler (27) and Edvald Boasson Hagen (192) open up a gap on the other breakers. 48 seconds. The peloton, on the other hand, is closing in on the intermediate group and is 2.40 from the first riders.

Morrisseeee

Can't see today's stage proving too difficult for the main contenders, and they will preserve some climbing legs for tomorrow's showdown.

Then it's Nibs v old-man-horner on the Angliru. Nibali's strength is that he is a diesel engine and Horner's strength is the steep stuff (particularly over ~15 min burst), he's left them for dead with his outa-da-saddle climbing technique.

Horner's achilles heel might be his endurance over a longer climb.
So for Nibali to win tomorrow, I think he has to just set his own high pace from the off and hope that Horner doesn't last the whole length of the Angliru.

D3PO

lead back to 2.04 on the peleton. Looks like the GC guys want to hunt those bonus seconds at the end of the stage.

D3PO

lol no sooner do I say that then the lead goes out to 3 mins.

Bukman13

Peloton is going to be fried, its been going at a fast pace all day, can see it being a smallish group getting to the final climb

Darkglasses

41km to go and Preidler & Boasson Hagen have 2'0" on Mori, Valls Ferri, Edet, Wyss, Arroyo, Grivko & Voss and 2'58" on the peloton. Gap is coming down very slowly.

Darkglasses

Ok guys, no ifs ands or buts, who's going to win? Horner or Nibali?

For me, it looks like Horner all the way. I bet that Nibali will closer to Valverde in third than Horner in first come Sunday evening.

Darkglasses

Gap is starting to tumble now.

Bukman13

Horner will beat Nibali on Angrilu.

Thats why I think Nibali had to try something today, but It doesn't look like that now.

I hope Nico goes all out for the stage win today, he has a good cushion over 6th and it looks like some of the other gc guys are saving themselves for tomorrow.

retalivity

Darkglasses wrote: »

Ok guys, no ifs ands or buts, who's going to win? Horner or Nibali?

For me, it looks like Horner all the way. I bet that Nibali will closer to Valverde in third than Horner in first come Sunday evening.

Betancur, after putting 4 hours into everyone tomorrow.

seriously though, Nibbles to blow everyone away on the angliru.

AnotherView

Kirby doing my head in as he is not following the race but talking about tomorrow...

Paddigol

Thanks for the commentary guys - cyclingnews live text updates seem to be down?? Let me know when Horner blows up and starts rolling backwards down the hill.

Darkglasses

Paddigol wrote: »

Thanks for the commentary guys - cyclingnews live text updates seem to be down?? Let me know when Horner blows up and starts rolling backwards down the hill.

15km to go, the peloton is being split up all over the place. Katusha and Astana up front.

retalivity

gaps appearing in the peloton...more knackered people falling off the back rather than the wind

gordongekko

Any update?

De Bhál

Where's Roche?

Bukman13

group of 10 have 50seconds on the peloton (30/40riders) 8km to go...

final climb is about 5km

AnotherView

Nico near front of the peloton

Darkglasses

Mendes of Netapp attacking off the front of the peloton, Nico still safe enough.

6.6km to go

Darkglasses

JJ Mendes has started the final climb, about a minute ahead of the leaders group.

Bukman13

Saxo on the front.

Darkglasses

Nico and 3 of his teammates are now sitting right on the front at the start of the final climb

Darkglasses

Peloton are closing down JJ Mendes and the chasing group rapidly.

gordongekko

Darkglasses wrote: »

Nico and 3 of his teammates are now sitting right on the front at the start of the final climb

what's the plan?

Bukman13

3km to go, saxo on the front... mendez has 20 seconds

Darkglasses

gordongekko wrote: »

what's the plan?

Don't see Nico making a big attack, think he'll sit happily behind his teammates all the way up if possible. Try and crank the pace up gradually like Team Sky would do.

retalivity

gordongekko wrote: »

what's the plan?

Finish ahead of Valverde and hopefully in the top 15 to pick up some points

Darkglasses

Saxo have used up 2 of the wingmen, now just 1 rider sitting in front of Nico.

Darkglasses

2.2km to go. Don't see any of the big names being dropped.

Bukman13

Pozzo near the back

letape

Darkglasses wrote: »

Ok guys, no ifs ands or buts, who's going to win? Horner or Nibali?

For me, it looks like Horner all the way. I bet that Nibali will closer to Valverde in third than Horner in first come Sunday evening.

At this point I reckon Horner will win; and I agree that it's more likely that Nibali will be closer to Valverde than to Horner.

Nibali doesn't seem to be at the same level he was in the Giro, and hasn't improved over the three weeks like Astana expected he would.

Bukman13

Pinot dropped

Darkglasses

Pinot has lost contact with the Roche group

Darkglasses

And the last Saxo man is gone, Nico's on his own. And making a gap!

Bukman13

Roche goes

Glass Prison 1214

Roche attacks!

retalivity

g'wan!!!

Darkglasses

Purito has bombed ahead, nobody near him. Scarponi and Roche back with the group.

Glass Prison 1214

Rodriguez counters and passes Roche.

Bukman13

Jrod wins

Darkglasses

Horner is into red!

Glass Prison 1214

Horner is the new leader.

Bukman13

Horner in red... Roche about 8th or 9th