STAGE nine is classed as a medium mountain stage. But the last kilometre will see gradients as high as most climbs across the entire Vuelta.
The stage itself is one of the shorter ones, at just 163.7km long, so could be one of the quicker ones. It takes the riders from Antequera to Valdepenas de Jaen and only crosses one categorised climb, the category 2 Alto de los Frailes.
That climb is around 6km long and averages in the region of 5.5% to 6%.
It is a steady climb and with it's summit just 16.2km from the finish it is the perfect place to soften the peloton up at the very least.
The descent is fairly quick without too many technical sections so anyone who can descend well will be able to put some under a whole lot of pressure.
One man who can descend well is Vincenzo Nibali. I wouldn't imagine he will put too much hurt on the other favourites but he will be at the front of them all come the final slog up Valdepenas.
Having said that he didn't look good up the final part of today's climb, although there were reports of a slipped chain which hindered his progress.
The last 2km sees the road climb at an average of 6% but with the final kilometre hitting parts above 10%.
It is a finish which shares a lot of characteristics to those in Belgium and Holland and that are seen along the route of some of the Northern Classics like Liege-Bastogne-Liege and the Tour of Flanders.
Nibali will be a very good bet for this stage as would the Colombian pairing of Carlos Betancur and Sergio Henao.
Joaquin Rodriguez and Roman Kreuziger are another two who have both been victorious in the Spring Monuments and will like the look of this finish. Kreuziger though wasn't comfortable today and unless he was taking it easy he may not be up for this.
For outsiders the two contested the finish a few days ago, World Champion Phillipe Gilbert and Zdenek Stybar are both more than capable of doing something here as is Nicolas Roche.
Roche took the red jersey today after a superb effort to latch on to the Ivan Basso attack. He has looked in the best form of his career and after promising so much in grand tours over the last few years could this be the time he actually delivers?
I get the feeling though that a breakaway may contest the finish today. Always hard to predict who will manage to get in there but riders from Vaconsoleil (maybe Tomasz Marcynski) and Euskatel (Igor Anton or Egoi Martinez?) will want to be part of it and Caja-Rural will always look to put somebody in there.
It is another stage which won't decide the destiny of this Vuelta. But it will put the hurt on a lot of riders. And that could be crucial come the last week.
Showing posts with label Sergio Henao. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sergio Henao. Show all posts
Saturday, 31 August 2013
Friday, 30 August 2013
Vuelta a Espana 2013 : Stage 8 Preview
STAGE Eight sees the focus switch from the sprinters back to the overall contenders.
The riders will travel a total of 166.6km from Jerez de la Frontera to Estepona - Alto Penas Blancas.
The climb up to the finish climbs 960m at an average gradient of 6.6% although after 2km it maxes out at a gradient of 12.5%.
It does level out somewhat after this but the final 8km has an average gradient of 7.8%. And it climbs for the last 5km at an average gradient of 6%.
It means that if one team can get the speed high and keep it at that level, then it will be a very reduced peloton.
Movistar are the obvious team to do this. They have brought a squad filled with climbing super-domestiques, the likes of Sylvester Szmyd, Eros Capecchi and Pablo Lastras.
They should be able to keep the speed up to allow Alejandro Valverde to make his move.
The problem will be how many of his rivals will they get rid of.
Vincenzo Nibali should be able to stay with them. Joaquin Rodriguez should also manage to handle the intensity. However after that it depends on how much people have recovered.
The likes of Sammy Sanchez, Sergio Henao and Carlos Betancur have all been suffering with various ailments. Henao blamed stage two's travails on the 'knock'. Betancur has been ill and not raced since the Giro. Sanchez is another that hasn't raced much and is struggling for form.
But they have now had a week to recover and have the ability for certain to be close.
It will be very interesting to see how the Saxo-Tinkoff trio of Nicolas Roche, Roman Kreuziger and Rafal Majka go. All three, and Roche in particular, have looked very good so far. Roche is having his best tour of his life and this may not be the stage he struggles on.
Others to look out for are Euskatel's Mikel Nieve, who may be heading towards the leadership of his team, and Caja-Rural's David Arroyo. This shouldn't be the stage where we see them make their big moves but if they are there for the finish, expect them to have a go for the stage win.
Belkin's Laurens Ten Dam, by his own admission, found the opening climb tough. He has been coming into form so may look at this as being a stage to go for.
Lesser names to look out for are Domenico Pozzovivo and Ivan Santaromita.
But for outsiders look towards the Sky duo of Henao and Rigoberto Uran. The younger Colombian lost a lot of time of stage two and is now in 41st position, 2.59 behind Nibali. His more experienced team mate has taken the de-facto leadership of Team Sky and sits 7th, just 28 seconds behind. If anybody wants to disrupt Movistar's train then these two could be the ones to do it.
Expect Henao to go and if he gets caught close to the line, expect Uran to jump and go for the win.
The riders will travel a total of 166.6km from Jerez de la Frontera to Estepona - Alto Penas Blancas.
The climb up to the finish climbs 960m at an average gradient of 6.6% although after 2km it maxes out at a gradient of 12.5%.
It does level out somewhat after this but the final 8km has an average gradient of 7.8%. And it climbs for the last 5km at an average gradient of 6%.
It means that if one team can get the speed high and keep it at that level, then it will be a very reduced peloton.
Movistar are the obvious team to do this. They have brought a squad filled with climbing super-domestiques, the likes of Sylvester Szmyd, Eros Capecchi and Pablo Lastras.
They should be able to keep the speed up to allow Alejandro Valverde to make his move.
The problem will be how many of his rivals will they get rid of.
Vincenzo Nibali should be able to stay with them. Joaquin Rodriguez should also manage to handle the intensity. However after that it depends on how much people have recovered.
The likes of Sammy Sanchez, Sergio Henao and Carlos Betancur have all been suffering with various ailments. Henao blamed stage two's travails on the 'knock'. Betancur has been ill and not raced since the Giro. Sanchez is another that hasn't raced much and is struggling for form.
But they have now had a week to recover and have the ability for certain to be close.
It will be very interesting to see how the Saxo-Tinkoff trio of Nicolas Roche, Roman Kreuziger and Rafal Majka go. All three, and Roche in particular, have looked very good so far. Roche is having his best tour of his life and this may not be the stage he struggles on.
Others to look out for are Euskatel's Mikel Nieve, who may be heading towards the leadership of his team, and Caja-Rural's David Arroyo. This shouldn't be the stage where we see them make their big moves but if they are there for the finish, expect them to have a go for the stage win.
Belkin's Laurens Ten Dam, by his own admission, found the opening climb tough. He has been coming into form so may look at this as being a stage to go for.
Lesser names to look out for are Domenico Pozzovivo and Ivan Santaromita.
But for outsiders look towards the Sky duo of Henao and Rigoberto Uran. The younger Colombian lost a lot of time of stage two and is now in 41st position, 2.59 behind Nibali. His more experienced team mate has taken the de-facto leadership of Team Sky and sits 7th, just 28 seconds behind. If anybody wants to disrupt Movistar's train then these two could be the ones to do it.
Expect Henao to go and if he gets caught close to the line, expect Uran to jump and go for the win.
Sunday, 25 August 2013
Vuelta a Espana 2013 : Stage 3 Preview
STAGE 2 answered a few of the questions about who is or isn't in form.
And in the case of Sammy Sanchez and Sergio Henao the answer is clearly that they are not in form.
Both were distanced on the final climb and rolled in 2.41 behind stage winner Nicolas Roche.
As it is still so early in the race neither man can be considered out of contention for the overall win but both now find themselves in the 'very unlikely' category.
Another Colombian Carlos Alberto Betancur finished in the 'bus' losing just under 10 minutes, proving that, as expected, the illness and lack of racing means he will not be a contender for the overall victory.
They will hope for a quiet day hidden in the peloton as they lick their wounds and try to regain some form.
And for the most part they should find it. Stage three runs 184.8km from Vigo to Mirador de Lobiera and follows a fairly flattish route around Galicia.
The finish however takes the riders up a cat 3 climb starting around 4km from the finish.
Their are a couple of tricky bends just before the finish which people will want to get into first.
It is very similar finish to what you find in most classic races in Northern Europe, maybe without the extreme steepness.
It will lend itself to the opportunists and classic riders as well as those sprinters who can go up hill fairly well.
This would mean the likes of Gianni Meersman of Omega-Pharma-Quickstep and Janse van Renesburg of Argos-Shimano.
Both finished in the bus today but both will have had one eye on tomorrow.
From the classic riders point of view there are a few potential winners, including the new race leader.
If it was a bad day for Sanchez and Henao then it was a good day for Vincenzo Nibali who has inherited the leaders red jersey from his team mate Janez Brajkovic.
The Italian finished in the front group and now leads Roche by 8 seconds.
Tomorrow's finish would normally be ideal for a rider like him. However he may be more content with just shadowing his rivals, people like Alejandro Valverde who is also suited to this type of finish.
Saxo Tinkoff will look to make it two wins from two as Chris Anker Sorensen is more than capable of jumping away here. If not Chris Anker then look to young Pole Rafal Majka.
But for a bit of outsider I quite like the look of BMC pair Ivan Santoromita and Dominik Nerz. The finish does suit someone outside of the main contenders so Nerz, who is quick and can get up a climb, should be near the front.
If not Nerz then his Italian team mate Santoromita may get the nod. He will like this finish and finished comfortably in the main group today. Not a major challenger of Nibali yet so may be given a small amount of freedom.
It shouldn't see a change in the leaders jersey unless Astana want to give it away. If they do then a break has a chance of making it.
Mind I could be way out as, much like the riders, I am just finding my feet in this Tour!
And in the case of Sammy Sanchez and Sergio Henao the answer is clearly that they are not in form.
Both were distanced on the final climb and rolled in 2.41 behind stage winner Nicolas Roche.
As it is still so early in the race neither man can be considered out of contention for the overall win but both now find themselves in the 'very unlikely' category.
Another Colombian Carlos Alberto Betancur finished in the 'bus' losing just under 10 minutes, proving that, as expected, the illness and lack of racing means he will not be a contender for the overall victory.
They will hope for a quiet day hidden in the peloton as they lick their wounds and try to regain some form.
And for the most part they should find it. Stage three runs 184.8km from Vigo to Mirador de Lobiera and follows a fairly flattish route around Galicia.
The finish however takes the riders up a cat 3 climb starting around 4km from the finish.
Their are a couple of tricky bends just before the finish which people will want to get into first.
It is very similar finish to what you find in most classic races in Northern Europe, maybe without the extreme steepness.
It will lend itself to the opportunists and classic riders as well as those sprinters who can go up hill fairly well.
This would mean the likes of Gianni Meersman of Omega-Pharma-Quickstep and Janse van Renesburg of Argos-Shimano.
Both finished in the bus today but both will have had one eye on tomorrow.
From the classic riders point of view there are a few potential winners, including the new race leader.
If it was a bad day for Sanchez and Henao then it was a good day for Vincenzo Nibali who has inherited the leaders red jersey from his team mate Janez Brajkovic.
The Italian finished in the front group and now leads Roche by 8 seconds.
Tomorrow's finish would normally be ideal for a rider like him. However he may be more content with just shadowing his rivals, people like Alejandro Valverde who is also suited to this type of finish.
Saxo Tinkoff will look to make it two wins from two as Chris Anker Sorensen is more than capable of jumping away here. If not Chris Anker then look to young Pole Rafal Majka.
But for a bit of outsider I quite like the look of BMC pair Ivan Santoromita and Dominik Nerz. The finish does suit someone outside of the main contenders so Nerz, who is quick and can get up a climb, should be near the front.
If not Nerz then his Italian team mate Santoromita may get the nod. He will like this finish and finished comfortably in the main group today. Not a major challenger of Nibali yet so may be given a small amount of freedom.
It shouldn't see a change in the leaders jersey unless Astana want to give it away. If they do then a break has a chance of making it.
Mind I could be way out as, much like the riders, I am just finding my feet in this Tour!
Saturday, 24 August 2013
Vuelta a Espana 2013 : Stage 2 Preview
THERE is definitely no gradual riding yourself in to this Tour, as stage two shows.
It's 177.7km from Pontevedra to Baiona Alto Do Monte Da Groba. For 167km it seems like a standard opening stage of any grand tour. An inevitable break will go up the road but be reeled in before the finish.
Along the way there is one 3rd category climb to overcome which has it's summit over 100km from the finish.
However it is the final 10km which will prove to be crucial.
The climb of Alto do Monte da Groba rises 620m at an average gradient 5.6% although it does reach a maximum gradient of 10%.
It could go one of two ways.
The first scenario is the big favourites may want to test each other out and gain as much time as possible over the others.
The second option is that nobody will want to lose too much time so it may be a case of everybody just looks at each other and doesn't attack until the stage victory is in sight.
Either way it will still be a reduced peloton that crosses the line.
The opening TTT has thrown up few surprises.
Astana, and Vincenzo Nibali in particular, were the big winners, taking the stage and opening some big gaps on the rest.
He now has 22 seconds lead over Sergio Henao, 29 seconds over Alejandro Valverde, 32 seconds over Roman Kreuziger and a whopping 59 seconds over Joaquin Rodriguez.
Others fared even worse. The Euskatal trio of Mikel Nieve, Sammy Sanchez and Igor Anton find themselves 1.14 down and Dan Martin of Garmin is already 1.41 back.
I can imagine Astana trying to keep the jersey for the moment. Janez Brajkovic is more the capable of recording a good ride overall and they won't want to surrender their well earned advantage,
I also imagine it will be tough for some to break clear and be allowed to stay there. One man who might is David Arroyo of Caja Rural. The small Spanish side will be active on most days as they attempt to get their name of TV as much as possible.
But in Arroyo they have a man who is more than capable of making the top 10 and even higher. Be warned. His is a name I will mention a lot during this tour as there is definitely a stage win somewhere along the line with his name on!
However he might be a little high profile to be allowed to get away so easily. In which case look to team mate Amets Txurruka as a potential winner of this stage. A good climber he will be on the break at least once and this stage could be made for him.
But it is still more likely to be one of the big guns who takes the honours. So Valverde, Rodriguez or Henao could be the ones with their arms aloft by the end.
Still so much racing ahead and still so many questions unanswered. Enjoy it though!
It's 177.7km from Pontevedra to Baiona Alto Do Monte Da Groba. For 167km it seems like a standard opening stage of any grand tour. An inevitable break will go up the road but be reeled in before the finish.
Along the way there is one 3rd category climb to overcome which has it's summit over 100km from the finish.
However it is the final 10km which will prove to be crucial.
The climb of Alto do Monte da Groba rises 620m at an average gradient 5.6% although it does reach a maximum gradient of 10%.
It could go one of two ways.
The first scenario is the big favourites may want to test each other out and gain as much time as possible over the others.
The second option is that nobody will want to lose too much time so it may be a case of everybody just looks at each other and doesn't attack until the stage victory is in sight.
Either way it will still be a reduced peloton that crosses the line.
The opening TTT has thrown up few surprises.
Astana, and Vincenzo Nibali in particular, were the big winners, taking the stage and opening some big gaps on the rest.
He now has 22 seconds lead over Sergio Henao, 29 seconds over Alejandro Valverde, 32 seconds over Roman Kreuziger and a whopping 59 seconds over Joaquin Rodriguez.
Others fared even worse. The Euskatal trio of Mikel Nieve, Sammy Sanchez and Igor Anton find themselves 1.14 down and Dan Martin of Garmin is already 1.41 back.
I can imagine Astana trying to keep the jersey for the moment. Janez Brajkovic is more the capable of recording a good ride overall and they won't want to surrender their well earned advantage,
I also imagine it will be tough for some to break clear and be allowed to stay there. One man who might is David Arroyo of Caja Rural. The small Spanish side will be active on most days as they attempt to get their name of TV as much as possible.
But in Arroyo they have a man who is more than capable of making the top 10 and even higher. Be warned. His is a name I will mention a lot during this tour as there is definitely a stage win somewhere along the line with his name on!
However he might be a little high profile to be allowed to get away so easily. In which case look to team mate Amets Txurruka as a potential winner of this stage. A good climber he will be on the break at least once and this stage could be made for him.
But it is still more likely to be one of the big guns who takes the honours. So Valverde, Rodriguez or Henao could be the ones with their arms aloft by the end.
Still so much racing ahead and still so many questions unanswered. Enjoy it though!
Friday, 23 August 2013
Vuelta a Espana - Stage 1 & Overall Preview
Just five weeks after Chris Froome raised his arms in triumph on the Champs-Elysees, the final grand tour of the year kicks off in the North West corner of Spain.
The Vuelta a Espana is probably the lesser of the three grand tours but it is possibly the toughest. Where the Tour de France had seven flat stages, the Vuelta has only six. 11 medium & high mountain stages in France are replaced by 13 in Spain.
The Vuelta will also see 39 mountain passes including some like the Alto de L'Angrilu, a 12.2 km long climb with an average gradient of 10.2% and a staggering maximum of 23.5%.
All in all it means a hard, tough but wide open race.
Giro d'Italia winner Vincenzo Nibali leads the potential winners but has company in the likes of Alejandro Valverde, Joaquin Rodriguez, Sammy Sanchez, Carlos Betancur and Sergio Henao.
This is by no means an exhaustive list because the likes of Domenico Pozzovivo, Rigoberto Uran, Mikel Nieve, Igor Anton, Jacob Fuglsang, Bauke Mollema, Laurens Ten Dam, David Arroyo, Ivan Basso, Thibault Pinot, Dan Martin, Michele Scarponi, Roman Kreuziger and Rafal Majka are all more than capable of recording a top 10 place, or higher.
A lot will depend on riders form. Some like Valverde and Rodriguez have come out of the Tour so questions exist in whether they have kept their fitness up. Others like Betancur and Nibali haven't raced much, or in Betancur's case at all, since the Giro so may be a little race rusty to begin with.
As I sit here now I cannot pick a winner, it is that open.
It is possibly why the organisers have thrown a difficult start at the peloton. The first chance for the sprinters doesn't appear until stage six. There are summit finishes which should stretch the time gaps out and give the GC guys plenty to aim at.
It all starts though with an evening Team Time Trial over 27.4km. Last year Movistar took the honours and have come to the Vuelta with a very strong team so it would be a massive surprise to see them out of the top three.
Other potential winners will be Garmin-Sharp and Orica Green-Edge who shocked everyone by winning the TTT in the Tour.
For me though Team Saxo Tinkoff look like the boys to beat. Kreuziger, Majka, have also got a strong team behind them with the likes of Nicolas Roche, Chris Anker-Sorensen and Nicki Sorensen and should put in a very strong performance.
It will be an interesting start to what should be a fascinating tour.
The Vuelta a Espana is probably the lesser of the three grand tours but it is possibly the toughest. Where the Tour de France had seven flat stages, the Vuelta has only six. 11 medium & high mountain stages in France are replaced by 13 in Spain.
The Vuelta will also see 39 mountain passes including some like the Alto de L'Angrilu, a 12.2 km long climb with an average gradient of 10.2% and a staggering maximum of 23.5%.
All in all it means a hard, tough but wide open race.
Giro d'Italia winner Vincenzo Nibali leads the potential winners but has company in the likes of Alejandro Valverde, Joaquin Rodriguez, Sammy Sanchez, Carlos Betancur and Sergio Henao.
This is by no means an exhaustive list because the likes of Domenico Pozzovivo, Rigoberto Uran, Mikel Nieve, Igor Anton, Jacob Fuglsang, Bauke Mollema, Laurens Ten Dam, David Arroyo, Ivan Basso, Thibault Pinot, Dan Martin, Michele Scarponi, Roman Kreuziger and Rafal Majka are all more than capable of recording a top 10 place, or higher.
A lot will depend on riders form. Some like Valverde and Rodriguez have come out of the Tour so questions exist in whether they have kept their fitness up. Others like Betancur and Nibali haven't raced much, or in Betancur's case at all, since the Giro so may be a little race rusty to begin with.
As I sit here now I cannot pick a winner, it is that open.
It is possibly why the organisers have thrown a difficult start at the peloton. The first chance for the sprinters doesn't appear until stage six. There are summit finishes which should stretch the time gaps out and give the GC guys plenty to aim at.
It all starts though with an evening Team Time Trial over 27.4km. Last year Movistar took the honours and have come to the Vuelta with a very strong team so it would be a massive surprise to see them out of the top three.
Other potential winners will be Garmin-Sharp and Orica Green-Edge who shocked everyone by winning the TTT in the Tour.
For me though Team Saxo Tinkoff look like the boys to beat. Kreuziger, Majka, have also got a strong team behind them with the likes of Nicolas Roche, Chris Anker-Sorensen and Nicki Sorensen and should put in a very strong performance.
It will be an interesting start to what should be a fascinating tour.
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