Vuelta Stage 5: Benicassin-Ermita Santa Lucia - 175.7 km

neris

Lumpy stage todayw with a few Cat 2 & 3 climbs and a summit finish. The last climb looks like great fun with gradients up to 18%. Theres a sprint 12Km from the finish with time bonuses up for grabs which should make the GC contenders be pushing towards the front.

Fernando Escartín commentary

Mid-moutain, with an uphill finale. The terrain will be a “leg-breaker” from the beginning. The climbs will not be excessively difficult, but they will wear down the peloton so that the first uphill finish at the Ermita de Santa Lucía, will be a spectacular one. It will be a battle to the end and the 2nd category climb at Serratella will be a decisive one, though differences among the strongest riders will be minimal.

Appears Contador hasnt been well with a virus and is the reason he was bad on stage 3. Hope he,ll be back fighting fit today to lob a grenade or two into the climbs and stir up some crap.

After initially being unsure what had caused his poor day in the mountains on Monday, Contador confirmed after stage 4 that he had been suffering from stomach problems, which had made themselves manifest during a rough night in Andorra. The big question, now that the reason for his difficulties had been identified, was how long they would last.

1. GBR FROOME Christopher 21 TEAM SKY 13h 37' 41''
2. ESP DE LA CRUZ MELGAREJO David 11 QUICK - STEP FLOORS 13h 37' 43'' + 00' 02''
3. IRL ROCHE Nicolas 36 BMC RACING TEAM 13h 37' 43'' + 00' 02''
4. USA VAN GARDEREN Tejay 38 BMC RACING TEAM 13h 37' 43'' + 00' 02''
5. ITA NIBALI Vincenzo 151 BAHRAIN - MERIDA 13h 37' 51'' + 00' 10''
6. COL CHAVES RUBIO Johan Esteban 41 ORICA - SCOTT 13h 37' 52'' + 00' 11''
7. ITA ARU Fabio 131 ASTANA PRO TEAM 13h 38' 19'' + 00' 38''
8. GBR YATES Adam 48 ORICA - SCOTT 13h 38' 20'' + 00' 39''
9. FRA BARDET Romain 81 AG2R LA MONDIALE 13h 38' 29'' + 00' 48''
10. GBR YATES Simon 49 ORICA - SCOTT 13h 38' 29'' + 00' 48''

TV Coverage
Eurosport - 1340-1700
Eurosport Highlights - 2000
ITV 4 Highlights - 1900

retalivity

Have the intermediate sprints always been so near the end at the vuelta? They all seem to be in the last 25k and the one tmoro is only 7k from the end of a flat runin

pelevin

Time bonuses 12 kms from the end again. Amazed at the cheap stupidity & crassness of that kind of stuff in a grand tour.

neris

pelevin wrote: »

Time bonuses 12 kms from the end again. Amazed at the cheap stupidity & crassness of that kind of stuff in a grand tour.

keeps it interesting though and if the GC guys are all close together it gives incentive to go for it, thats what happened with froome a few days ago. Something different worth a try at least for 1 year

pelevin

neris wrote: »

keeps it interesting though and if the GC guys are all close together it gives incentive to go for it, thats what happened with froome a few days ago. Something different worth a try at least for 1 year

I don't see it as interesting at all. I see it as cheap & stupid. There's a climb coming anyway. The only time bonuses in a grand tour should be exclusively at the finish line. It's a falsifying of proper racing to the finish which is what such a race should be totally about in terms of gc. Points jerseys is a different kind of thing & maybe in a short stage race where seconds could typically decide an argument can be made for it. For me doing it in a grand tour is like if in a golf major they awarded bonus shots for long drives and closest to the pin on a certain hole. Just juvenile messing about by organisers. What the hell has being ahead 12kms from the end to do with anything in terms of your overall time?

Keeks

This is the stage which will determine which of BMCs riders will be the GC contender.....

neris

https://twitter.com/inrng/status/900282334276177921

pelevin

Majka & Contador also have had illness issues here. Pity for the race especially so early in it.

Daroxtar

It scuppers their GC chances but if they come back to form they could be good for stage wins and Bertie will surely try to blow things apart somewhere

irishrover99

pelevin wrote: »

Time bonuses 12 kms from the end again. Amazed at the cheap stupidity & crassness of that kind of stuff in a grand tour.

I only think its stupid because i know Froome will nab them all

Keeks

Daroxtar wrote: »

It scuppers their GC chances but if they come back to form they could be good for stage wins and Bertie will surely try to blow things apart somewhere

It was Bertie won this for Quintana last year with his attack when Sky were caught napping and forcing Froome to chase them basically on his own.
Quintana just tagged onto Bertie's attack.

MPFGLB

Diary

http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/cycling/there-were-lots-of-crashes-but-thankfully-most-of-them-happened-behind-me-36059899.html

Got to fancy Alaphilippe here.

EDIT: Or not I come back and he's not to be seen. I cursed him

retalivity

Bol from the colombian pro-conti team is primed to go into red as well

neris

good ride from chaves

TJ hung on there fair play, roche a few seconds back.

velo.2010

It appears Contador did have a legitimate excuse for the other day after all. T0o far back to challenge Froome though. Disappointing from some of the predicted GC guys so far. Maybe the longer climbs, harder days will come into play later on in the race.

MPFGLB

Deleted User wrote: »

TJ hung on there fair play, roche a few seconds back.

Remember TJ almost beat Froome in the Dauphine in 2015

The issue for him is that coem the 3rd week is when he has had his meltdowns..he is very good at the begining of GTs...but when you get to the 2nd/3rd week things change ..he is a very good one week racer

But I think BMC can support both riders

Inquitus

neris wrote: »

good ride from chaves

Aye sadly his TT is soo poor he needs to find probably 4 minutes to stand a chance, and at the moment he looks like holding Froome's wheel is about the limit of his abilities. That said he is the most rested of all the contenders that are left in the mix, after taking it relatively easy in the Tour while recovering from his injury, so maybe he can do some damage in the 3rd week.

Inquitus

Massive gaps already. Qudos to Nico

MPFGLB

Great ride by Nico ...he recovered so well ....at one stage he was alot further behind but he dug deep and came back fast

MPFGLB

Bardet may be tiring

D9Male

pelevin wrote: »

I don't see it as interesting at all. I see it as cheap & stupid. There's a climb coming anyway. The only time bonuses in a grand tour should be exclusively at the finish line. It's a falsifying of proper racing to the finish which is what such a race should be totally about in terms of gc. Points jerseys is a different kind of thing & maybe in a short stage race where seconds could typically decide an argument can be made for it. For me doing it in a grand tour is like if in a golf major they awarded bonus shots for long drives and closest to the pin on a certain hole. Just juvenile messing about by organisers. What the hell has being ahead 12kms from the end to do with anything in terms of your overall time?

The Giro also has these time bonuses. They're only 3,2,1 seconds. I think they can make pink/red Jersey battles interesting. I don't see why you have such a big issue with them. They were in the Tour de France for years and most world tour stage races have them.

pelevin

D9Male wrote: »

The Giro also has these time bonuses. They're only 3,2,1 seconds. I think they can make pink/red Jersey battles interesting. I don't see why you have such a big issue with them. They were in the Tour de France for years and most world tour stage races have them.

12 kms from the end. Is getting to the end not interesting enough that just as the riders are supposed to be focusing on being in position for the key stuff approaching very fast, little bonuses are on offer for being at the head of things just before the important stuff starts. Pure mickey mouse stuff imo.

bac18

Cool

coco0981

What is the thinking with having the last kom banner a hundred yards from the end?