La Vuelta a España - Stage 14 - Vitoria to Fuente del Chivo *SPOILERS*

Melodeon

Date: Saturday 5th September
Type: High Mountains
Distance: 213Km
Start/Finish: Vitoria/Fuente del Chivo


Stage map:



Profile:



First Climb - Km 118.0 - Puerto del Estacas de Trueba - Category 3:



Second Climb - Km 158.5 - Puerto del Escudo - Category 1:




Final Climb - Km 215.0 - Alto Campoo - Category ESP:




The General Classification after Stage 13:



Preview (© cyclingnews.com):

Another summit finish but one that may not significantly split the GC men

The first leg in a mountain triptych begins in the Basque capital of Vitoria and finishes at the Fuente del Chivo, a handful of kilometres above the ski station of Alto Campoo, which has hosted three stage finishes, the last of them in 1993.

The peloton’s pace should increase on the first-cat Puerto del Escudo, which averages nine per cent over 7km. Riders will rejoin the main group as the road flattens out on a plateau for 40km but the GC contenders will soon emerge on the 17km ascent to the finish.

The climb is straightforward up to Brañavieja, where stages used to finish, but the road gets steeper beyond that, although perhaps not steep enough to split the favourites decisively.

LIVE TV:
British Eurosport - 3.00pm

HIGHLIGHTS:
ITV4 - 7:00pm
Eurosport 2 - 8:00pm
TG4 - 9:55pm

MPFGLB

Should be a good finish today ... but my money (if I did bet) would be on a breakaway for the win...

Melodeon

Mikkel Condé (©) is talking Fabio Aru up big:

Starting on these three important mountain stages, Fabio Aru has one goal - and one goal only: to gain time on Tom Dumoulin. Aru knows he needs a solid gap before the long time trial to keep his overall lead. Therefore, he has to take advantage of any given opportunity. The 10 bonus seconds on the line could prove crucial at the end so if there is a chance of winning the stage Aru will definitely go for it. He’s the best climber in the race right now. However, as you can see, the final climb is very steady. It should suit Dumoulin just fine without constant changes of rhythm. The last 2 km, though, may prove to be too much for the strong Dutchman. It’s much steeper and I expect Aru to put in a big attack here - if he hasn’t done it already. He could easily end up taking 30 seconds on these final kilometers. If Astana can convince Mikel Landa, whose hometown is less than 20 km away from the start in Vitoria-Gasteiz, to work for Aru, I can’t see anyone beating the young Italian on Alto Campoo.

Much more here:
http://www.c-cycling.com/sites/Vuelta_Espana_2015/stage14_preview.html

I'm just hoping Nico can continue his recovery and move up GC another bit.

MPFGLB

Given what Landa did the other day you'd think he will be looking for the win for himself

There are a few very good Basque riders who will be in the break going for it

MPFGLB

From his diary today Nico Roche doesn't sound too positive. I suppose its to be expected give the massive dent in confidence he must have suffered on stage 11. Hope he realizes that his position gives him many opportunities to be in the action without the pressure of GC
If he is with Nieve today he can keep riding to the end.

I do think there will be a big shake up on GC before the rest day and a rider who plugs away at it could find their star on the ascent , while some will falter

death1234567

Froome is 16/1 for today on paddypower. Get on it.

I think doumoulin will get found out today.

Andre 3000

death1234567 wrote: »

Froome is 16/1 for today on paddypower. Get on it.

I think doumoulin will get found out today.

Froome abandoned a few days ago...

spock.

death1234567 wrote:

Froome is 16/1 for today on paddypower. Get on it.

:eek:

Darkglasses

I like those odds!

ThisRegard

Footage of Paulinhos clash with the motorbike. Not how I imagined it.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/video-footage-shows-paulinhos-moto-incident-at-the-vuelta-a-espana/

MPFGLB

Thomas de Gendt & Samuel Sanchez abandon.....race too hard ?

Daroxtar

Finally some action !!

retalivity

great ride by dumoulin to only give away 20 seconds

dastardly00

Nico just over the line now.

death1234567

Andre 3000 wrote: »

Froome abandoned a few days ago...

Andre 3000

Although I admire his passion, I cannot warm to Aru. Maybe it's his horrendous riding style and the face pulling.

dastardly00

You'd be fairly gutted if you were a spectator at the top of the final climb. About 10 metres of visibility

MPFGLB

Quintana is back .....wonder how much you would get for him to win now

Inquitus

Andre 3000 wrote: »

Although I admire his passion, I cannot warm to Aru. Maybe it's his horrendous riding style and the face pulling.

I have no time for Aru, he makes Froome look pretty on a bike......plus the team he rides for and the awful gurning.

How much time does he need on Dumoulin in a 39km TT somewhere between 2-3 minutes you'd think?

dastardly00

Andre 3000 wrote: »

Although I admire his passion, I cannot warm to Aru. Maybe it's his horrendous riding style and the face pulling.

Andre 3000

You'd have to feel Aru might have tried a little too hard today to get time...could see him crack bad tomorrow.

gordongekko

It's hard to warm to anyone riding for Astana after their recent history. Any rider with any kind of ethics wouldn't ride for them.

Inquitus

MPFGLB wrote: »

Quintana is back .....wonder how much you would get for him to win now

He'd need to find a minute or 2 over some of the other major contendors between now and the TT, it's possible with the next 2 finishes but he doesn't seem to have that sort of Alpe D'Huez form at the minute where he can go early and take a minute or more.

MPFGLB

Did Valverde & Moreno bring Dumoulin to the line ???

Darkglasses

Rightly or wrongly I just can't support any Astana rider

MPFGLB

Inquitus wrote: »

He'd need to find a minute or 2 over some of the other major contendors between now and the TT, it's possible with the next 2 finishes but he doesn't seem to have that sort of Alpe D'Huez form at the minute where he can go early and take a minute or more.

If Quintana feels better there is Monday (hard hard stage) and next Saturday

Eamonnator

MPFGLB wrote: »

Did Valverde & Moreno bring Dumoulin to the line ???

All 3 finished on same time, in that order

neris

Andre 3000 wrote: »

Although I admire his passion, I cannot warm to Aru. Maybe it's his horrendous riding style and the face pulling.

He looks like borat after a shave & hair cut

Inquitus

neris wrote: »

He looks like borat after a shave & hair cut

Maybe thats why he rides for a Kazakh team!

Itziger

Andre 3000 wrote: »

You'd have to feel Aru might have tried a little too hard today to get time...could see him crack bad tomorrow.

Can of Coke and a banana and he'll be fine.

eeeee

Darkglasses wrote: »

Rightly or wrongly I just can't support any Astana rider

I'm very conflicted in that with Lars Boom.

dastardly00

Bad day on the bike for Andrew Talansky. He came home in 163rd place (5th last).

He has been awful so far.

pelevin

No ethics at all if a cyclist is with Astana? That's a pretty big & serious blanket accusation. Devoid of any moral sense at all. I seem to remember similar accusations of anyone willing to ride under Riis - Nico Roche's last team. That since Riis had a past, you'd only be there if you were going down that route.

I also presume no ethics has to infer they're all doing very unethical things. And then it turns out Astana's standout & most surprising rider from the Giro is going to Sky, the very team some of the biggest accusers of Astana defend the most as paragons of virtue. How do those things square up? Or a rider like Cataldo was last with Sky, then moved to Astana. Did he go from ethical to unethical overnight?
I remember the Vuelta a couple of years ago when Nibali had a bee sting & his face swelled up badly. Because of being part of MPCC he didn't get to treat it with cortisone - the same thing had happened with J Vaughters before & he abandoned the Tour as a consequence. So does that count as an ethical act or are all Astana riders guilty by definition, regardless of their actions?

Inquitus

pelevin wrote: »

snip

Astana WT and Pro Conti failed drug tests in last 24 months = 6
Sky failed drug tests in last 24 months = 0

Astana are viewed as they are for good reason.

pelevin

Inquitus wrote: »

Astana WT and Pro Conti failed drug tests in last 24 months = 6
Sky failed drug tests in last 24 months = 0

Astana are viewed as they are for good reason.

Don't want to make this personal - all this is is talk about other people cycling after all - but you stated as a certainty that any 'real' comment about Astana during the Giro would get the poster banned. Very obvious what that meant. I've asked to make sure & it seems Landa is going to Sky, the team you tout as paragons of virtue - and I'm not really even questioning that.

So if a team particularly concerned with being clean signs a rider from a team considered filthy - and their best rider in the event they were considered most obviously . . . , what does that say about both teams & the rider in question to you?

That's my specific question.