La Vuelta a España - Stage 9 - Torrevieja to Llorenca *SPOILERS*

Darkglasses

First really tactically significant day for the GC riders. A long, likely fireworks-free opening 126km is suddenly punched with a steep, tough Cat 2 mountain, averaging a painful 8.9% with sections approaching 20%. The riders then go on a relative reprieve with a 35km loop around to another local climb, an even more testing Cat 1 mountain with an agonizing 26% maximum gradient.

The favourites for the stage win are more of the same, despite the change in terrain. Valverde, Rodriguez, Chaves, Roche, all likely to feature well. I would also suspect another big dig from Aru to see how much time is to be gotten out of Froome, who as yet does not show form good enough to win this Vuelta.

Betting: Rodriguez 4/1, Chaves 9/2, Valverde 5/1, Moreno 7/1, Aru 9/1, Roche 18/1

pats22b

26%!!! how can they go up that in a straight line.

MPFGLB

Its hard to see past Chaves for the win today given how well he has been riding and without Dan Martin he looks fastest on steep climbs

26% will suit the small guys like Chaves & Purito too and hinder the bigger guys like Nico

MPFGLB

Peter Sagan has abandoned the Vuelta

(BTW and not complaining but Dumoulin not in pole)

Morrisseeee

Alejandro Valverde

My Velogames jinx has hit again, unbelievable, I don't think I've any riders left :(:mad:

As for Sagan !

godtabh

Morrisseeee wrote: »

My Velogames jinx has hit again, unbelievable, I don't think I've any riders left :(:mad:

As for Sagan !

Is that from the bike that hit him?

Morrisseeee

Alejandro Valverde

godtabh wrote: »

Is that from the bike that hit him?

I think the bike that hit him is in front there, the blue Shimano motobike, what a clown

Melodeon

Thanks to Darkglasses for the preview!
I was neither in a position or a fit condition to do one yesterday evening

Here's the VeloViewer data on the final climb (as kindly supplied by Inquitus):




I took the opportunity a few days ago to bet the children's inheritance on Dan Martin and Peter Sagan for this one, so I have high hopes for today


Right, I'm off to spend the rest of the morning drinking strong coffee and watching yesterday's stage.

Morrisseeee

Alejandro Valverde

Melodeon wrote: »

Right, I'm off to spend the rest of the morning drinking tripple distilled extra strength poitin and watching yesterday's stage.
I took the opportunity a few days ago to bet the children's inheritance on Dan Martin and Peter Sagan for this one, so I have high hopes for today

FYP :pac:

kerry4sam

Thinking here that today will be another day watching Nico shine! If Froome is going to pull back more time, then guaranteed to have Great team-work from Nico again,

Here's Hoping,
kerry4sam

Pudsy33

Alejandro Valverde

Sky will give Roche every shot at staying up there, but the pessimist in ne thinks this will be ther first day we start to see cracks that said, i think Froome will crack too. Purito to win and Chaves to keep red.

Inquitus

Dani Moreno

Pudsy33 wrote: »

Sky will give Roche every shot at staying up there, but the pessimist in ne thinks this will be ther first day we start to see cracks that said, i think Froome will crack too. Purito to win and Chaves to keep red.

Not Roches territory, if he can do what he did on the previous short, sharp finished and get out in front, he may be able to maintain his GC position, defo the potential to ship a few seconds though.

Lusk_Doyle

Greg Henderson from a breakaway. Love that rider.

dastardly00

https://twitter.com/DanMartin86/status/637904046465118208

Lusk_Doyle

Parked in front of a fire hydrant!

REBELSAFC

dastardly00 wrote: »

https://twitter.com/DanMartin86/status/637904046465118208

With his history of crashes I wouldn't be handing him the keys

Darkglasses

Rafal Majka

MPFGLB wrote: »

Peter Sagan has abandoned the Vuelta

(BTW and not complaining but Dumoulin not in pole)

The Field, or pm me the list of riders you want beforehand.

mirrormatrix

Crash already? Landa, Valverde, Aru, Dumolin all down. Doesn't appear to be anything major but Valverde went off to the med car for a bit I think

MPFGLB

Darkglasses wrote: »

The Field, or pm me the list of riders you want beforehand.

Not complaining ...just saying

Think Dumoulin could power up that climb...

Inquitus

Dani Moreno

MPFGLB wrote: »

Not complaining ...just saying

Think Dumoulin could power up that climb...

Not sure MPFG, too steep for him, we are firmly in Purito (and Dan ) territory here.

MPFGLB

Inquitus wrote: »

Not sure MPFG, too steep for him, we are firmly in Purito (and Dan ) territory here.

I hope you are right

MPFGLB

At long last Nico admits to thinking about the GC ...

Zyzz

There should be a drinking game where you drink every time Sean says "yes" :pac:

Inquitus

Dani Moreno

Brute of a climb, and the final time it hangs a left and gives 500m extra of super steep.

godtabh

MPFGLB wrote: »

At long last Nico admits to thinking about the GC ...

Where?

Inquitus

Dani Moreno

godtabh wrote: »

Where?

Confessional this morning with Father MPFG

MPFGLB

Inquitus wrote: »

Confessional this morning with Father MPFG

Ye are not listening to Carlton closely enough :rolleyes:
Minus brownie points for you lot

Seemingly according to Carlton that Nico said at the start today when asked
(and I paraphrase) that given his position in 3rd that he would be lying if he wasn't thinking of GC and promptly got on his bike and rode away quickly ..must be quickly away from Carlton

Inquitus

Dani Moreno

MPFGLB wrote: »

Ye are not listening to Carlton closely enough :rolleyes:
Minus brownie points for you lot

Seemingly according to Carlton that Nico said at the start today when asked
(and I paraphrase) that given his position in 3rd that he would be lying if he wasn't thinking of GC and promptly got on his bike and rode away quickly ..must be quickly away from Carlton

He was asked if he was considering GC and smiled and rode off without answering.

MPFGLB

That is not what Kirby said ...unless I need my ears syringed

Inquitus

Dani Moreno

MPFGLB wrote: »

That is not what Kirby said ...unless I need my ears syringed

I know a good doctor

letape

Nicolas Roche

Anything interesting happening on the stage?

Inquitus

Dani Moreno

letape wrote: »

Anything interesting happening on the stage?

Not much, the break looks doomed, the final climb is an absolute brute, 3.7km @ 10.2% average with some super steep ramps, it should be some show, 22.4km to go.

MPFGLB

Just thinking on the train there that OGE have no mountain dons next week for Chaves and none for the Yates twins next year

They badly need them and it could be a great team for Philip Deignan. They could do with a rider like him now


Trek & TCS are looking for good mountain doms....they must be hard to come by

letape

Nicolas Roche

Inquitus wrote: »

Not much, the break looks doomed, the final climb is an absolute brute, 3.7km @ 10.2% average with some super steep ramps, it should be some show, 22.4km to go.

Thanks - I'll be home to watch the end of it.

Cee-Jay-Cee

Nairo Quintana

pats22b wrote: »

26%!!! how can they go up that in a straight line.

I'd imagine it'd be quicker to get off the bike and run/walk with it but that's sacrilege in cycling circles.

MPFGLB

Chaves has ridden the final climbs many times in training...oh well he must be a shoe in

Inquitus

Dani Moreno

MPFGLB wrote: »

Just thinking on the train there that OGE have no mountain dons next week for Chaves and none for the Yates twins next year

They badly need them and it could be a great team for Philip Deignan. They could do with a rider like him now


Trek & TCS are looking for good mountain doms....they must be hard to come by

Chaves will be brutally exposed next week, with a stronger team he may have had a chance, he's just going to get killed by Astana / Movistar / Katousha attack and counter attack. Stage 11 will be the end of him imo.

MPFGLB

Inquitus wrote: »

Chaves will be brutally exposed next week, with a stronger team he may have had a chance, he's just going to get killed by Astana / Movistar / Katousha attack and counter attack. Stage 11 will be the end of him imo.

SKY have the strongest team with 4 high in GC and Boswell/Thomas/Kiri to help earlier...They can if organised cause the greatest problems to a competitor

godtabh

Roche trying to bridge

Inquitus

Dani Moreno

This is great stuff and good call MPFG on dumoulin

godtabh

Is Roche gone? Keep flipping to the football

godtabh

godtabh wrote: »

Is Roche gone? Keep flipping to the football

Still there

godtabh

godtabh wrote: »

Still there

Roche for second gc?

godtabh

Some win by Tom

MPFGLB

The day Darkglasses left Chaves off his pole Chaves won the stage
Today it was Dumoulin

I thought he could do it alright

Looks like Froome is back ...sh**

gordongekko

I thought that was an impressive piece of riding by froome

Morrisseeee

Alejandro Valverde

Great climb, great finish and the result in the melting pot until the last few meters

Great heart and power by Dumoulin, savage watts needed there.

keoclassic

godtabh wrote: »

I'm happy with his win. Hopefully he will be in a couple of years time[/quote

Hard to believe that finish !

gordongekko

Nico down to 4th

MPFGLB

Another co incidence

The rider who came second on stage 2 of the 2013 Vuelta won stage 9 and went into red
The rider who came second in stage 2 of 2015 Vuelta won stage 9 and went into red

In 2013 it was lost in next mountain stage for the rest of the race

MPFGLB

gordongekko wrote: »

I thought that was an impressive piece of riding by froome

But we know he can do that ...yo yo thing

He will come out now on the day after the rest day ...stage 11 and tear up the last 2km and take the lead

And wrap it up on the ITT

I didn't think Valverde or Quintana had answer
But it could be just the shock of that climb and how hard it was

Nico did a great job to come in 8th...not his type of climb at all....