Vuelta a Espana 2013 : Stage 20 Preview

THERE are some mountains in the cycling word who's merest name conjures up romantic images, wonderful scenery, amazing crowds and epic battles.

In France you have Alpe d'Huez where you think of Dutch Corner and of 1986 with Lemond and Hinault.

Mont Ventoux brings lunar landscapes to mind, as well as Tom Simpson and searing pain.

In Italy there is the Stelvio and the Zoncolan.

Spain has it's own mountain worthy of mention along side these greats.

The Alto de L'Angliru.

But there is romanticised talk when this is brought up. This is the type of mountain that is spoken of in hushed tones, in dark, dimly lit corners, well away from the public glare.

Mention it to any pro-cyclist and you'll see his face lose colour, beads of sweet form on his forehead and the religious types may even cross themselves.

For l'Angliru is a awful climb. Great if you're watching from the comfort of your armchair but an absolutely beast for anyone who dares conquer it's slopes.

The basic numbers just give a glimpse to it's severity. 12.2km long it has an average gradient of 10.2% (that's an average gradient of 10.2%) and it's maximum is a mind-blowing 23.5%.

Compare that to Alpe d'Huez. The Alpe is basically the same length but it's average gradient is 8.4% and it's maximum is only 11.5%.

But we still haven't really scratched the surface and as much as I'd like to, I don't think my words will ever do it justice.

So here's the profile of the climb:

Let that sink it. It's a daunting prospect.

 

But that's just the final climb. The stage is 142.2km long starting from Aviles and has three categorised climbs to get over before the final showdown, all of which are difficult climbs.

 

The Alto de la Cabrunana is a third cat, climbing for 5.2km at a gradient of 6.6%. It is followed by the second category Alto de Tenebredo which climbs for 3.4km but has an average of 10.5%, higher than the l'Angliru.

 

The final ascent before the finish is the Alto del Cordal. This is first category simply because it only goes on for 5.2km. It's average gradient however is 9.6%.

 

On their own they would have made for a monumental stage. And all three have just as savage descents as ascents.

 

Chris Horner will go into this stage as favourite, and now is 3 seconds up on Vincenzo Nibali in the general classification.

 

Horner has looked by far the better climber throughout this tour and the steepness of the slopes should see him edge clear of Nibali.

 

Nibali therefore may not be able to wait until the final climb. Where he can really make a difference however is coming off the Cordal.

 

The Italian is one of the best in the peloton at going downhill fast. If he can get an edge over the top of the Cordal and hit Horner hard on the descent then he could arrive at l'Angliru close to a minute ahead of his rival.

 

It would put RadioShack under a lot of pressure and as Horner has only really had Robert Kiselovski as backup in recent stages, it may mean the American has to do a lot of the chasing himself.

 

Alejandro Valverde and Joaquin Rodriguez are third and fourth, at 1.06 and 1.57 respectively. Both will need to put some serious pressure on to take the overall win and it will probably be too much of a gap to pull back.

 

But they will both be fighting for a podium and as both can descend and climb, they too may be looking at the descent of the Cordal.

 

I really can't see the stage win going to anybody but these guys. And that's probably only right. The l'Angliru deserves the main men to be battling to it's summit.

 

The last two winners on here went on to take the overall title. If Nibali and co don't steal the initiative early, Horner could well complete the hat-trick.

 

It is fitting that the final climb of this epic Vuelta a Espana is itself an epic monument in world cycling. And if everything pans out as expected it could well see a man 39 days shy of his 42nd birthday taking the final Grand Tour title of 2013.

 

You've got to love this sport!

 

Vuelta a Espana 2013 : Stage 19 Preview

THREE stages to go and it's all about the GC now.

Today's stage up to Pena Cabarga made a serious impact into the overall standings. Chris Horner is now just 3 seconds down on Vincenzo Nibali with Alejandro Valverde and Joaquin Rodriguez also managing to sneak a few seconds back on the Italian.

Tomorrow the route travels 181km along Spain's Northern coast from San Vincente Barquera to the Alto Naranco, just outside of Oviedo.

For most of the day the profile is fairly flat but it does pick up towards the back end and the days three categorised climbs all appear inside the last 40km.

The first two are both third category. First up is the Alto de San Emiliano, which climbs 6.3km at an average gradient of 4.6. This has it's summit with 32.7km to go.

Second up is the Alto de la Manzaneda. This is just 3.6km long but has a higher average gradient of 6.2%. And it's summit comes just 12.4km from the finish.

The final climb of the day is the second category Alto de Naranco, our finishing climb. It is 5.7km long with an average gradient of 4.2%.

In itself it shouldn't pose too much trouble to the peloton. However if the pace is high (which it undoubtedly will be) it will feel a lot harder and could cause some problems.

The stage could go one of two ways. It could be like I predicted today would happen. The GC boys may want the bonus seconds before the drama that will be Saturday.

However the more likely scenario is a break disappears up the road and gains enough time to fight it out for the stage win while the big names ride their own race.

For the likes of Valverde and Rodriguez to gain significant time they may have to go long. But that is very unlikely considering what awaits on Saturday.

So it looks like the status quo will be maintained and the destiny of the race will be decided on the dreaded slopes of the Angliru. Or will it?

Nibali may feel he cannot wait until Saturday. Horner is clearly the strongest climber and the much more likely to have success on the final climb. So will the leader attack?

It's going to be another stage that probably leaves more questions than answers. But in keeping with this wonderful race there is bound to be some serious action along the way.

Vuelta a Espana 2013 : Stage 18 Preview

STAGE 18 is the first of three major climbing days, which will decide the winner of the Tour of Spain.

Time is running out for people to attack current race leader Vincenzo Nibali although Monday will have given them all a lot more confidence.

The race is now arguably between four men. Nibali, Chris Horner, Alejandro Valverde and Joaquin Rodriguez.

Two minutes 29 seconds separate the quartet with Horner now just 28 seconds adrift.

With time bonuses on the line can these four allow a breakaway to get too far up the road.

The stage is a total of 186.5km long and travels northwards from Burgos to Pena Cabarga.

It takes in four categorised climbs. The first three are 3rd Cat, the Alto de Bocos (3km long & 6.6%), Alto Estacas de Trueba (10.9km & 3.2%) and Puerto de la Braguia (6.1km & 6.3%).

The next up is the second category Alto del Caracol, 10.6km and 5.6%.

They will be perfect places to soften up the field and for the challengers to try and isolate Nibali from his Astana team.

However the decisive moves should all come on the final climb.

At 5.9km long it doesn't sound too bad until you look at the gradients that it will tackle.

An average of 9.2% it only has around 1km where the gradient drops below this. And as the riders head under the red kite it maxes out at 20%.

All four are more than capable of handling that type of gradient but for me Rodriguez looks the strongest right now.

He has a habit of riding himself into a tour and he seems to be doing so again. He also has the most time to claw back so I imagine he will be very active on the climb.

If the four look at each other and ignore everyone else then look to the likes of Nico Roche, Domenico Pozzovivo, Thibault Pinot and Leopold Konig could all be involved.

But the top four will want the time bonuses. And if that is the case look to Purito to steal the day.

Vuelta a Espana 2013 : Stage 15 Preview

STAGE 15 keeps us in the Pyrenees as we head out of Andorra, back into Spain before entering France for the day's finish.

It follows an absolutely brutal day today which saw no less than 16 men abandon the race and Vincenzo Nibali increase his advantage to 50 seconds over Chris Horner.

One of the pre-stage favourites Ivan Basso cited hypothermia as his reason for withdrawing and you would be very hard faced to disbelieve him.

And the bad news for those remaining is the weather doesn't look like getting any better.

Tomorrow's finish should cause outbreaks of deja-vu for most cycling fans, especially British ones.

Stage 17 of the 2012 edition of the Tour de France saw Sir Bradley Wiggins cement his position on top of the standings and almost guaranteed him the title, a fact he was well aware of as he crossed the line with a knowing grin.

It is possible just as famous as being the stage that Chris Froome tried to drag his team leader across to the one man who had escaped the Sky duo. For a lot of the climb it seemed as if Froome could catch the escapee and take the day's honours.

However he played the part of loyal domestique and stayed with his team leader, gifting the win to the lone rider.

The winner of that stage is in this years Tour of Spain and will definitely fancy his chances of a repeat. But we'll get to him in a minute.

First up let's get the numbers and details out of the way. At 224.9km (139.7miles) long this is the longest stage in this year's Vuelta.

It takes the field from Andorra to Peyragudes. Four first category climbs, including the summit finish, stand in the way.

The first is the Puerto del Canto. This is the longest climb of the day at 24.4km but has the lowest average gradient at 4.2% and it's maximum is 'just' 10%, again the lowest of the four climbs.

That said it will still be a tough introduction to the days stage, starting as it does just 7km after the start. It won't affect the overall contenders who will want to keep their powder dry until later but it will probably see a sizeable breakaway disappear over the horizon.

The next climb is the Puerto de la Bonaigua, a 20km long slog with an average gradient of 5.5% and a maximum of 12.5%, appearing around halfway up.

From it's summit there are still 124km to race so don't expect too much action up here from the GC boys.

However once we hit the town of Mauleon Bauresse with 51km to go that could all change.

It is from this point the route mirrors that of the 2012 Tour and it also signifies the start of the Port de Bales.

The Bales climbs for 19.2km and has an average gradient of 6.2%. It actually starts off fairly serenely and the first 8km only average around 3%. From that point though it rarely drops below 8%, with it's maximum of 10.5% coming with around 3km to go to the summit.

The last climb is more or less just the Col de Peyresourde with a small descent followed by the last slog up to Peyragudes.

It is a total of 16.7km in length but only has an average gradient of 4.7%. However this is due entirely to the 2km of descending.

The Col de Peyresourde is 10km long and has an average gradient of around 7.5%. It's maximum gradient is 13.3% and is sure to be a test.

The last ramp up to Peyragudes is only around 3km long but it's average is 6.7% and has a maximum ramp of 11.7%.

The descent in the middle will play into the hands of Nibali. He is excellent when the road points down over and depending on how the stage is going could well use this, or the kilometre before it, as his springboard to get away.

The likes of Nico Roche and Joaquin Rodriguez should be able to keep him in view here so it will be up to the lighter climbers, the Chris Horner's and Domenico Pozzovivo's of this world, to attack on the steeper uphill sections.

And as I mentioned yesterday Euskatel will do something with any of their big hitters to the fore.

Four outsiders look towards the Colombian trio of Carlos Alberto Betancur of AG2R and Sergio Henao or Rigoberto Uran of Team Sky. All haven't been in the best of form recently but may see this as a chance to steal the glory.

However my favourite is the man who escaped the clutches of Wiggins and Froome in 2012.

Alejandro Valverde.

He will be able to match both the climbers and Nibali on both the ascents and descents. That victory in 2012 gave him so much self belief and was the catalyst for an upturn in fortunes and I believe it will act as a spur here again.

Movistar will also be keen to record a victory as they have yet to taste success so far in this Vuelta. And with the likes of Eros Capecchi, Benat Intauxsti and Sylvester Szmyd in their ranks, expect them to try and set something up.

If the weather doesn't beat them all.

Vuelta a Espana 2013 : Stage 14 Preview

THOSE people who watched the Tour de France this year will remember stage 8 and the first entry into the Pyrenees.

It saw Chris Froome and Team Sky destroy their opposition and ultimately set up his overall victory in Paris two weeks later.

Tomorrow sees the Vuelta a Espana enter the big mountain chain. And all expectations are it could be equally as explosive.

Stage 14 takes the riders from Baga and into Andorra, finishing 155.7km later on top of the Collada de la Gallina.

Along the route there are three climbs to overcome before the final dash up the category 1 Gallina.

First up is the familiar Port de Envalira. The hors categorie (HC) climb has figured many times in both Le Tour and the Vuelta. It was last used in 2009 at the beginning of a stage and fittingly it was Sandy Casar who crested it first, the Frenchman having just announced his retirement from the sport yesterday.

The last time it was used in the Vuelta was in 2003 as a stage finish and it was Alejandro Valverde had his hands raised in triumph that time, as he headed towards an overall third position.

The climb is a whopping 26.7km long with an average gradient of 5.2%. Now that might not seem a lot but if hits ramps of 9-10% in the opening 3km and maxes out at 15% towards the top.

It's summit here is 68.4km from the finish and so won't decide the stage outcome but it will begin the big thinning out of the peloton.

The descent off the Envalira takes us to within 47km off the line but there are still two category 2 climbs to come.

The first is the Coll de Ordino which is 8.8km and has an average gradient of 4.9%. The second is the Alto de la Comella, shorter at 4km but slightly more difficult at 5%.

Neither will split the field asunder but if the pace is kept high it will not only discourage attacks but also shell a few more out the back.

Once off the Comella there is only a short run through the valley before starting the final ascent.

The Gallina is 7.2km long but has an average gradient of 8%. It has a section in the middle which hits 15% while the final two kilometres hit 9% rising to 10%.

It will mean a tough run to the line and throws up many alternative winners.

Chris Horner has looked very strong on the climbs so far and I'm sure he will want to win the jersey back. Expect an attack at some point.

Vincenzo Nibali currently has that jersey and will want to defend it. He left his run a little too late to close down Horner on stage 10 and won't want to make that mistake again.

The two other big Spaniards may fancy their chances also. Valverde will like this finish although he may also have an eye on Sunday's stage.

Joaquin Rodriguez has the comfort of a 2.33 deficit to Nibali and this mean the top four riders may not respond as quickly if he attacked. If can get a gap he could be gone for the win. However he hasn't looked in the best of form recently but on his day, he would be the favourite.

Nico Roche has been exceptional so far and is definitely having his best ever grand tour. He should be able to hold the others to a fairly reasonable gap but I can't see him challenging for the stage win.

Of the others, well look no further than Euskatel. This is their territory but following the takeover by F1 world champion Fernando Alonso they will be losing their Basque persona.

I'm sure the Basque fans will continue to support them as vociferously as before but I'm also sure the team will want to put on a show. Expect at least one in the break and if one of (if not all) of Igor Anton, Mikel Nieve and Sammy Sanchez don't appear at the head of affairs I will be most surprised!

Before the tour started I would have said David Arroyo would have been on the offensive in the mountains but he hasn't looked at his best so far. Don't count him out though.

Domenico Pozzovivo was amazing in the time trial and is more than suited to these type of steep climbs.  Has a chance.

Ivan Basso has looked really good as well in recent mountainous days. Can this be the day he makes an attack stick? He certainly will attack so why not.

Finally Carlos Alberto Betancur would have been a favourite for the Tour and this stage. But illness and a lack of competition put paid to that before it started. He will be getting better so expect at least one showing in the last week. The question is when. And why not today?

Lots of opportunities for a lot of riders. Whatever happens it will be exciting. You want me to pick one? I was afraid of that!

Joaquin Rodriguez then.

That's the mockers put on him!

Vuelta a Espana 2013 : Stage 12 Preview

" I DON'T expect him to lose the leaders jersey however".

So spoke this 'oracle' about today's stage. Chris Horner actually produced a decent ride yet Vincenzo Nibali produced a even better one.

Nico Roche was also impressive but probably the star of the stage was the diminutive Domenico Pozzovivo who produced an absolutely sensational and still somewhat unbelievable ride to finish third on the stage.

It means the time gaps covering the top 10 is now 3.56. However the top four are separated by just 46 seconds.

But this time I'm going to say it. The leaders jersey should not change hands tomorrow. And that's because of one thing. One big, imposing, colossal thing. 

The Pyrenees.

Saturday sees the first foray into the famous mountain chain and with that in mind the organisers, for once, have been relatively kind to the peloton.

Stage 12 is a straight run to the Mediterranean. We start in inland at Maella before travelling 164.2km to Tarragona, just 100km south of Barcelona, where we head tomorrow.

There is just one climb along the route, the 3rd Cat Alto del Collet, a 7.5km climb which rises 275m at an average gradient of 3.6%.

It's summit is still 73.7km from the finish and with nothing between it and there, other than two sprint points, it should mean another bunch sprint and a day off for the GC riders, if such things actually exist in this Vuelta.

Because the route drops towards the sea it should mean a quick stage and the opening hour could be interesting as the 'right' break tries to get away.

I've predicted bunch sprints before only to see someone jump clear and deny them their day.

The run in does have a couple of tricky corners. With 1.5km to go there is a sweeping left hand hairpin followed by a tight left 90 degree corner just under the flamme rouge.

And with around 300m to go there is a roundabout which while not a tight bend will still cause some problems.

It's going to be require someone to be a little bit brave as they are going to have to be towards the front from the last 2km at least.

Michael Matthews has been the quickest around and with some sprinters having already gone home, he will go into this stage as favourite.

Again the likes of Lampre's Maximiliano Richeze and Omega-Pharma-Quicksteps Gianni Meersman should make top 10 without too much problems.

Also look out for the likes of Geoffrey Soupe, Tyler Farrar and Ramon Sinkledam from Argos-Shimano.

However I'm going to go for Edvald Boassen-Hagen.

Now I know that may seem like a strange choice. He hasn't been having an impressive tour so far considering he left the Tour de France early due to an injury.

He hasn't achieved a top 5 in a sprint yet either and today's TT wasn't up to his usual high standard. But I do think that on a day like tomorrow he could produce a strong enough effort to snatch a good result.

But then I was wrong today!

Vuelta a Espana 2013 : Stage 11 Preview

FIRTSLY, an apology. Totally mixed up when the rest day was and missed Stage 10's preview up a savagely steep final climb.

If it's any consolation I'd have probably gone for a Domenico Pozzovivo type and certainly wouldn't have picked eventual winner and new leader of the Tour Chris Horner.

Horner's ride has stretched the time gaps at the top. Prior to stage 10 the top ten was separated by 1.25. They are now covered by 3.28.

Two former Vincenzo Nibali is second at 43 seconds with Nico Roche third at 53 seconds.

It means that stage 11 will need to be pivotal for some, as it seems every stage so far has been.

Wednesday's stage is an Individual Time Trial, totalling 38.8km in length, and including the 3rd category Alto del Moncayo.

It should alter the overall standings once more as those riders who aren't pure climbers try to steal back some more time.

Nibali and Alejandro Valverde should be able to produce good rides as should ninth place Rafal Majka. All will be towards the top of the day's rankings.

Joaquin Rodriguez and Roche will see this as a chance to cement their

Roche has been particularly impressive during this Vuelta and is perhaps showing the grand tour form that a lot of people have expected from him. His time trialing ability has often been his Achilles heel so the climb should help him out.

Rodriguez though should be the big favourite from those in the top five and at 1.40 behind Horner he needs to put in a good ride.

Horner has been outstanding so far in this race and while he can produce a decent TT, he will need to tap into that top form if he is to limit his losses. I don't expect him to lose the leaders jersey however.

Outside of the top GC boys those looking for the stage win should be the likes of Janez Brajkovic, Roman Kreuziger and Sammy Sanchez.

Other outsiders would include the BMC pair of Marco Pinotti and Dominik Nerz and Lieuwe Westra of Vaconsoleil. All three have had indifferent form recently but are more than capable of doing something here.

It would also be remiss to not mention Fabian Cancellara and Tony Martin when taking about an individual time trial.

World Champion Martin put in that sensational effort on stage five as a test for the upcoming defence of his title. On that form alone he looks in tip-top condition. Spartacus is also aiming for a world title although he has his eyes on the road race rather than the test against the clock. This would be a perfect test for him to judge his form.

It has been a fantastic tour for the fans to watch so far and I can't see the twists and turns stopping here.

Vuelta a Espana 2013 : Stage 4 Preview

AFTER three tough days the organisers of this years Vuelta seem to have gone easy with stage four. In the roadbook it has this stage classified as flat.

But as we know from experience 'on paper' doesn't always match reality.

The stage marks the last day in Galicia and starting from the town of Lalin it will travel 189km to Finisterra. It's name comes from the Latin 'finis terrae' meaning end of the world. And that gives you a clue as to the locale of the finish line.

Sitting on top a rocky outcrop sticking out into the Atlantic, the final 2.5km will see the riders climb almost 100m up another narrow road.

There should be a fairly reduced peloton even by the bottom of the climb as a third category climb just 36km from the end should send a few riders out the back door.

As far as the stage win goes though it will be those last few kilometres which will de the key.

Speeds will be high on the run in and as the course hugs the coast, any crosswind could split the field.

For me this has Gianni Meersman written all over it. He can get over the lumpy stuff and has the speed to vanquish most of the others. The big question is whether OPQS can deliver him into a good position.

The stage itself is also not enough to challenge the main contenders and won't result in big time gaps.

However with the time bonuses that are available in this years tour it is possible the red jersey may change hands again.

Chris Horner took the jersey from Vincenzo Nibali following a well timed attack today and those extra seconds on offer over the line.

Bonus seconds are available for those crossing in the top three places. With 10 seconds on offer to the winner the likes of Alejandro Valverde and Joaquin Rodriguez could see this as the last chance until the weekend to reduce the deficit to Nibali, who despite losing the jersey today remains the de facto leader of this Tour.

Movistar have been the biggest aggressors in keeping the pace high in the peloton but RadioShack should help in that respect tomorrow.

For the outsiders look towards Argos-Shimano's Micheal Matthews or Simon Gerrans. Neither have been in great form but this finish may be ideal for them.

And if RadioShack don't have to put too much into any chase of the breakaway there is a chance Ben Hermans may be up there,

Final outsider is Belkin's Luis Leon Sanchez. After a difficult season he finished 17th yesterday and he will like the look of this finish.

It's warming up in Spain and I don't just mean the temperatures!