La Vuelta a España, September 13, Stage 21: Alcalá de Henares-Madrid 93.7km *SPOILERS

Melodeon · 12-09-2015 6:40pm #1

Date: Sunday 13th September
Type: Flat
Distance: 93.7Km
Start/Finish: Alcalá de Henares/Madrid

Stage map:

Profile:

Madrid circuit:

Last 5km:

The General Classification after Stage 20:

Preview (© c-cycling.com):

Compared to the last stage of the Tour de France, where we usually see several strong leadout trains fighting for the front on the last kilometers, this Vuelta is very different. The only proper leadout train here is Giant-Alpecin for John Degenkolb but they have worked extremely hard for Tom Dumoulin in the mountains. They will try to end this Vuelta on a good note but without any help, a break may actually make it today. Trek will most likely try to set up Danny Van Poppel but they can’t afford to play it too cool and look too much to Giant-Alpecin to do the work. If so, riders like Adam Hansen, Sylvain Chavanel, Steve Cummings, Alexis Gougeard, Nelson Oliveira and Maciej Bodnar may be able to take the sprinters by surprise and keep the peloton at bay. Orica-GreenEdge’s Daryl Impey has done it before in Vuelta al Pais Vasco. He may fancy a late attack as well. However, Impey has also proven to be very fast on the line in this race. The Australian team won in Madrid with Michael Matthews the last time the Vuelta finished here, in 2013. If Impey doesn’t attack, I think he will try his luck in the sprint.

Much more here: http://www.c-cycling.com/sites/Vuelta_Espana_2015/stage21_preview.html

LIVE TV:
TG4 - 4:40pm
British Eurosport - 5.45pm

HIGHLIGHTS:
TG4 - 9:00pm
ITV4 - 10:00pm
British Eurosport - 11:30pm

ednwireland · 12-09-2015 6:59pm

thanks for the threads !

Lusk_Doyle · 13-09-2015 6:21am

Dumolin to TT this as practice for the worlds and get a seven minute lead only for it to be whitled down by his own team for a sprint win by Degenkolb.

Brian? · 13-09-2015 8:09am

If Dagebkolb doesn't win this stage, I'm personally flying to Madrid to kick him up the hole.

Beasty · 13-09-2015 8:14am

Brian? wrote: »

If Dagebkolb doesn't win this stage, I'm personally flying to Madrid to kick him up the hole.

If you can sort out TV coverage I'll pay for the flight.....

Lusk_Doyle · 13-09-2015 9:03am

Brian? wrote: »

Dagebkolb

And people give out about how SK mangles names?

MPFGLB · 13-09-2015 10:10am

Nico to go off the front and sprint to glory , and the points jersey

Well one can dream and at times his sprinting looked better than his climbing

Brian? · 13-09-2015 10:12am

Lusk_Doyle wrote: »

And people give out about how SK mangles names?

Do they? Or do they finding it frightfully endearing?

pelevin · 13-09-2015 11:26am

Would make a huge difference to the Giant A team mood you'd assume all right. Degenkolb kind of owes it to the team to get it right at last. I remember some long time ago wondering at the logic of Dumoulin in red actually chasing down or snuffing out attacks for Degenkolb. Twas I think the stage Nico Roche had his crash. Not that it presumably changed anything overall but still when the wisdom is you do everything if chasing GC to conserve energy, it seemed a bit unnecessary.

gordongekko · 13-09-2015 1:42pm

We found out this vuelta that racing is much more exciting without froome and contador

Daroxtar · 13-09-2015 2:00pm

gordongekko wrote: »

We found out this vuelta that racing is much more exciting without froome and contador

I take it you missed last year's Vuelta?

gordongekko · 13-09-2015 2:07pm

Daroxtar wrote: »

I take it you missed last year's Vuelta?

I take it you missed this year's tour?

MPFGLB · 13-09-2015 2:11pm

gordongekko wrote: »

We found out this vuelta that racing is much more exciting without froome and contador

Froome v Contador is a great duel but its not the only racing in town

Oleg Tinkov said the best should be up against each other for each GT but he failed to realize that 2nd tier riders evenly matched and with a different narrative is just as good a race

Its also nice when others come to the fore ...kind of boring if Froome v Contador was over and over again

ThisRegard · 13-09-2015 3:08pm

gordongekko wrote: »

We found out this vuelta that racing is much more exciting without froome and contador

Dunno, I found there was a bad lull in the middle, up until about 5 days ago or so there wasn't a lot going on.

Subpopulus · 13-09-2015 4:01pm

Meanwhile, Spanish police recover a stolen Orica Greenedge bike worth €12,000 on sale for 120 euro.

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/stolen-bike-worth-12-000-found-on-sale-in-spain-for-120-1.2350190

Subpopulus · 13-09-2015 4:01pm

Meanwhile, Spanish police recover a stolen Orica Greenedge bike worth €12,000 on sale for 120 euro.

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/stolen-bike-worth-12-000-found-on-sale-in-spain-for-120-1.2350190

MPFGLB · 13-09-2015 4:20pm

Nice backstage pass from yesterday

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o50oCv0IaXE

Daroxtar · 13-09-2015 5:02pm

gordongekko wrote: »

I take it you missed this year's tour?

Apples and oranges, Contador was shot after the Giro. Last year they were both in similar shape and had a great tussle. I'd love to see both of them in top form attacking each other on the Lagos de Covadonga or the Angliru.

Eamonnator · 13-09-2015 5:32pm

Daroxtar wrote: »

Apples and oranges, Contador was shot after the Giro. Last year they were both in similar shape and had a great tussle. I'd love to see both of them in top form attacking each other on the Lagos de Covadonga or the Angliru.

Same thing happened LeMond. He came back really well.

neris · 13-09-2015 6:02pm

Does chavez ever not smile

dastardly00 · 13-09-2015 6:10pm

Why didn't Purito contest the intermediate sprint???

Valverde will now win the points Jersey.

neris · 13-09-2015 6:14pm

dastardly00 wrote: »

Why didn't Purito contest the intermediate sprint???

Valverde will now win the points Jersey.

Punctured

godtabh · 13-09-2015 6:16pm

the giant train pullin g

godtabh · 13-09-2015 6:17pm

John finally did it Great race buy Giant

mhiggy09 · 13-09-2015 6:29pm

that win from degenkolb I think has capped off a great vuelta for Giant A. yes they could have won the gc with a better team and decisions but the still got a lot from this tour. I can defiantly see Tom Dumoulin winning some big races in the future