La Vuelta stage 3:Prades Conflent-Andorra la Vella 158km

neris

First hilly day of this years race and 2 Cat1s & a Cat2 on the way to Andorra. Some good climbers & GC contenders within 40 seconds of the red jersey. Day for gains and losses possibly if the legs arent up to it.

Fernando Escartin's thoughts
The peloton will ride comfortably up until Andorra, where a first natural selection process will take place. The climb to La Comella, short yet explosive, will take care of the rest. It will be complicated to organise a breakaway but we do not write off the possibility of attacks in the very last kilometre. If one of the strong riders shows any signs of weakness, this could complicate his Vuelta.

Last KM




TV Times
Eurosport: 1145-1700
Eurosport highlights: 2000-2100
ITV4 highlights: 1900-2000

Off topic: The hamburg classic highlights are on Eurosport from 1700-1825 if you havent had enough cycling by 5pm

dastardly00

The stage starts officially at 12.15 (GMT) so Eurosport must be showing the whole stage live

Glad they are covering this one early given they early climb.

De Gendt to try for the break as usual maybe?

EDIT: There he is at the front waiting for the flag

Daroxtar

Bertie to go long. I'm expecting this every day.

robyntmorton

The conversation between Sean and Carlton about accommodation (I suppose you have to fill the time with something anyway)

I found the bit about the Sky Motorhome funny though.

(For those who haven't seen it - https://www.teamsky.com/article/team-sky-race-hub-makes-its-debut-at-the-vuelta)

It will not be seen at the Vuelta though. UCI cracked down on it more or less instantly - for the reason of "Accommodation Doping"

Is nothing free of doping any more?

Good on Niemiec for getting on to the break there.

dastardly00

You can nearly always rely on De Gendt to be in the breakaway

I was Omar Fraile (Dimension Data) might have made an appearance as well but not to be.

MPFGLB

I dont think Bertie will go on the rampage until the final week...he has to pick his moments as its not something he can do every day (anymore)

Also SKY and Froome will bide their time...after all Froome has a Tour in his legs and really only needs the 40 KM TT to win the Vuelta if he hangs in there on other days
Remember it has not been done for many many years and is no mean feat ...so Froome will not waste energy if he wants to win GC

The only action will be from riders who need to make up time ...like Nibali who may try on the downhill or Bardet

Other like SK , etc are not suited to this finale ...and will come to the fore in the final week if still in contention

No one will go mental today

dastardly00

12 km to go.

dastardly00

Peloton really strung out on this climb. Serious pace.

dastardly00

Bertie gone out the back already

dastardly00

Nico is in the lead group I think

neris

surprised with Chaves doing so well

dastardly00

Froome & Chavez ahead of the rest

neris

Nibbles out the back

neris

bye Bye Bertie

neris

Roche back with Nibali

manwithaplan

Just following text updates. Does it look like it's coming back together. Roche wouldn't be without a chance in a gallop.

neris

go nico come on

Nico and co back on wow !!!! this is a cracker.

cunavalos

roche possibly in red if froome gets no bonus

buffalo

That's a top ten for Nico... in the running for red?

De Bhál

good finish

neris

that was flippin brilliant, Nibali and Roche did well getting back in on that

TheJak01

That was a lot of fun. Great stage. Chaves looks on form.

Daroxtar

Brilliant finish. Please let the rest of the race continue like this

manwithaplan

Van Garderen ahead of Roche on countback? Did Froome pick up a couple of seconds in an intermediate sprint?

cunavalos

roche misses out on race lead by two seconds up to 3rd behind froome and de la cruz

buffalo

aww, Roche joint second by 2" from Froome.

neris

Nico 2 seconds back off froome who leads

Inquitus

Cracking race, GC race reduced to not many now.

Those intermediate bonus seconds put froome in the red jersey.

letape

Nice that I predicted the correct winner in the poll!

Pity that Nico effectively lost time on the finish yesterday. In previous years at the Vuelta he was also at the very front in the early stages fighting for every second.

JK.BMC

Correct me if I'm wrong but did Roche not mess up that final sprint? Absolutely brilliant riding to get back in with 600m to go but he went to the front, then stalled and then didn't jump on Nibalis wheel; got swamped on both sides- loses the race lead due to bonus seconds. I was screaming at him to either keep going from 500m out or else sit on Nibali wheel onto the final corner as it was plain obvious that he has the best record of those contesting this type of sprint among non-sprinters. Ah well- that's racing. Easy saying it from the arm chair. But a bit of the 'club league sprint' about that last km which made it great to watch

neris

Id say Carltons off to change his jocks now Froomes in red.

Thought the Vuelta had done away with podium girls

MPFGLB

JK.BMC wrote: »

Correct me if I'm wrong but did Roche not mess up that final sprint? Absolutely brilliant riding to get back in with 600m to go but he went to the front, then stalled and then didn't jump on Nibalis wheel; got swamped on both sides- loses the race lead due to bonus seconds. I was screaming at him to either keep going from 500m out or else sit on Nibali wheel onto the final corner as it was plain obvious that he has the best record of those contesting this type of sprint among non-sprinters. Ah well- that's racing. Easy saying it from the arm chair. But a bit of the 'club league sprint' about that last km which made it great to watch

Yeah Nico should have waited ....would have got one of the bonuses and be in Red now...always his problem of getting over anxious

Also yesterday he lost time owing to no help with positioning in the wind from BMC ...all day battling for position and got caught out at last 2km point...really disappointed

Would be in red now

but there are few easier stages coming with up hill finishes and he could get red by piping Froome & de La Cruz ...just needs to be 3rd and them behind him

Also Nibali owes Nico who did most of the chase on the flat/downhill

dastardly00

Teejay is Carlton's new favourite

MPFGLB

dastardly00 wrote: »

Teejay is Carlton's new favourite

Its only because he dissed him so much before that he must have gotten fed back from BMC to lay off

and now he is gone the other way

Thing is everyone Kirby backs fall by the way ...

Somedude9

Jaysus Bertie, what the hell?

Great to see Nico in the mix. Let's have some organised support BMC, at least no more cheap bonus seconds for Froome ffs!

dastardly00

Wow, it's the first time since 2011 since Froome has worn the red jersey. That's crazy considering he's finished in 2nd place twice and 4th place once since 2011.

Daroxtar

dastardly00 wrote: »

Teejay is Carlton's new favourite

Dunno, I heard his voice flutter when he said "Atapuma"

MPFGLB

Daroxtar wrote: »

Dunno, I heard his voice flutter when he said "Atapuma"

Nay ...yesterday he nearly died of ecstasy when Simon Clarke came to the front near the end of the stage

velo.2010

The way Froome dropped everyone apart from Chaves... jeez!

I think this is the first GT in a long time that there is no challenge to Froome from Quintana. I couldn't put my faith in the others to challenge him for the title. Orica should, in theory, go all in with Chavez but I can see the Yates duo keeping their free role. Nibali seems to need things to fall into place for him. Amazing the damage done behind. Guys like Kruijswjik, Zakarin, Kelderman etc. seemingly already out of the picture.

MPFGLB

Diary

http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/cycling/nicolas-roche-its-a-great-feeling-to-win-my-third-grand-tour-stage-36051890.html

Daroxtar

Sky absolutely hammered everyone on the second last climb same as they do on the Tour but that's the 6-8% climbs they love. I still think that once the 10% stuff hits then Sky suffer. Froome completely blew up on Peyragudes and I think he's doing his best to nick seconds here and there to make sure he's got a lead going into the Muritos. There's also the risk of Tour fatigue in the third week against a fresher Chavez and Nibali.
Bertie is completely finished. However, I still expect him to go on some crazy attacks if at all possible and if he loses more time he might get let off the leash for a stage win but it's not lookin like he has the legs to do that

Somedude9

The first mountain stage often catches some guys out, this was exacerbated by it coming earlier then usual. Sky really know how to hit these stages hard, often to devastating effect. Shocking to see so many big names caught out, some even on the penultimate climb.

Yeah looks like Sky's plan is to make hay while the sun shines.

pelevin

Saw little of this today so impressions could be a bit sketchy. The end result has to be fantastic obviously for Nibali particularly given he was looking in trouble at times. I'm guessing here it more likely the guys with the recent Tour in their legs would at this stage still have the expected advantage over the guys trying to build from the Giro, & so it especially positive for a rider like Nibali to have even gained a stage win & a few seconds here over Froome, particularly with Sky obviously having gone so hard in trying to make gains today.

Maybe that notion is right & Nibali will strengthen comparative to the rest as the race continues but I'd not be going over the top regarding conclusions as Froome obviously was very strong today & it'd hardly be surprising if he ends up proving on a different level to the rest. Maybe Chaves is on the up though again it's not much more than guesswork at this stage. Still barring accidents already I'd struggle to see any realistic winner outside of Froome & Nibali, though with Chaves then as very much an unknown given his season so far & a bit of a surprise given his anonymous Tour. But then maybe he switched season's focus to the Vuelta & didn't go too deep in the TdF given the way his season & condition were going.

Edit: To add I saw a no commentary bit of the coverage after twas over on ES, & I was wondering why Froome was attacking 12 kms from the end, it turning out to be bonus seconds. Total mickey mouse stuff that there's be bonus seconds on the flat at such a point just before the real action. Just watching ES now & it brought it back to mind. Total joke imo. What the hell has that got to do with proper racing in a grand tour?! Just belittles the stature of their own race with such stupid gimmicks. Winning a stage in a grand tour is deserving of a bonus. Being ahead 12 kms from the end is not. Farcical.

Oh & to add, great to see Nico Roche putting in a strong ride. Afraid we all know he's not a great finisher in terms of knowing how to or being cool enough to win but that's the way it is & we could also point at Froome's big effort to win at the end being a hopelessly ill-judged burst a km from the finish to try distance everyone. If that was Nico . . . Anyway hopefully this Nico's biggest performance since the Vuelta with Tinkoff's team a few years back.

Diarmuid

Anyone care to explain the BMC tactic in the final km? Two riders from the same team, (the only team with that advantage in the final), one with a semi decent gallop in a group of climbers, and they end up 7th and 8th out of 9? Really?

JK.BMC

Diarmuid wrote: »

Anyone care to explain the BMC tactic in the final km? Two riders from the same team, (the only team with that advantage in the final), one with a semi decent gallop in a group of climbers, and they end up 7th and 8th out of 9? Really?

My point exactly... sometimes it just doesn't work out but that finale was disappointing from BMC

Eurosport only seem to have Laura and Juan and only on the ground there?

Have to say I miss Jonathan Edwards at the start and end more so for a little build up at the start. Vuelta always feels like the bridesmaid of the grand tours in terms of the coverage.

Was going to ask why no Brian Smith but his twitter and isntagram show him on holiday , work a look actually as he was stuck on his spin by a tree across the road

neris

they have ashley house there aswell but they dont seem to be a pre & post race analysis show