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.
Showing posts with label Roman Kreuziger. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Roman Kreuziger. Show all posts
Tuesday, 3 September 2013
Saturday, 31 August 2013
Vuelta a Espana 2013 : Stage 9 Preview
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.
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.
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, 19 July 2013
Tour de France 2013 : Stage 20 Preview
THIS may be classed as the penultimate
stage but it is in fact the last chance saloon for anyone wanting to improve
their overall standing.
And the organisers have given them a perfect chance to go out in style!
The route is short. At just 125km long (or 77.6 miles) it is the shortest road stage of this years tour. However that doesn't make it easy at all.
We travel from Annecy via a circular route, which includes five categorized climbs before the final ascent to the ski resort at Annecy-Semnoz.
Because of the shortness of the stage and the fact there is no more after this, expect attacks from the word go.
First up after just 7km it is the Cote du Puget, a category 2 climb which is 5.4km long at an average of 5.9%. Within 5km of this summit we are at the top of the category 3 Col de Leschaux. This is only 3.6km long but has an average gradient of 6.1%.
Saxo Tinkoff, Movistar and Katusha will all be off and running here with a two-fold plan. To break Chris Froome, or at the very least isolate him, and to distance the others. By the top of these two climbs we could be down to a very select group.
We haven't got far from here to the next pair of climbs. The Cote d'Aillon-le-Vieux is a cat 3 and climbs 4% over it's 6km length. It is 8km from this summit to the next. The Col des Pres is again category 3 and is another shorter climb at 3.4km. But like the Leschaux it has a high average gradient, this time 6.9%.
It will depend on how things have gone over the first two climbs as to whether these two provide any fireworks. There will be some movement but whether it is from the main protagonists is debatable.
And that's partly because of what comes next. The Mont Revard is a category 1 climb which starts just 12km later. It is 15.9km, and although it's average gradient is just 5.6% there are parts at the bottom that get above 8% and one part that even tops 10%.
The descent off the Revard could be just as pivotal. Very twisty and very technical it plays into the hands of someone like Alberto Contador, Joaquin Rodriguez or Alejandro Valverde. Froome will hope he still has allies, although by this point he will probably be down to just Richie Porte, because they will really test his descending abilities here.
With around 15km along the valley floor to go before the final assault, if he gets distanced he will find himself in a very lonely world, full of pain and hardship.
The final climb of this years Tour de France will see the final showdown. Annecy-Semnoz is 'hors categorie' and stretches out for 10.7km. It's average gradient is 8.5% but we are above 9% for 4km of it. There's a little 'false flat' about 3km into it which ironically comes just after the steepest part. From there on we don't go below 8% so it will be a long hard, constant slog.
The stage win is almost secondary on a day like this. It will all be about the GC and it will be those riders that will cross the line first. For me Nairo Quintana is the favourite. He's been denied once or twice so far but I think this will be his day. I don't think he'll get enough time to take over the yellow but the stage win will be well with in his grasp.
His challengers will be the usual suspects. Rodriguez has been in sparkling form in this last week and is a serious challenger to the podium spots of the Saxo Tinkoff duo of Contador and Roman Kreuziger.
Froome should be content to come out of today in one piece. He will have been hit from all angles and all-comers today so shouldn't be up for the stage win.
I can't really see any outsiders getting among the action. Mikel Nieve and Pierre Rolland may be up for any King of the Mountain points they can get but that will be about it. Bauke Mollema has struggled a little over the last few days so he may feature in the top 20 but possibly nothing more.
The only thing that may throw a spanner in the works is the weather. Thunderstorms have been forecast for the last few days but we have managed to avoid them so far. If the rain does come today then the descent off the Revard for example will be frightening. And if the clouds are too low it may affect TV coverage as well!
Whatever happens it's going to be a fantastic and memorable finish to what has been one of the most attacking and exciting tours in recent years.
And I can't wait!
And the organisers have given them a perfect chance to go out in style!
The route is short. At just 125km long (or 77.6 miles) it is the shortest road stage of this years tour. However that doesn't make it easy at all.
We travel from Annecy via a circular route, which includes five categorized climbs before the final ascent to the ski resort at Annecy-Semnoz.
Because of the shortness of the stage and the fact there is no more after this, expect attacks from the word go.
First up after just 7km it is the Cote du Puget, a category 2 climb which is 5.4km long at an average of 5.9%. Within 5km of this summit we are at the top of the category 3 Col de Leschaux. This is only 3.6km long but has an average gradient of 6.1%.
Saxo Tinkoff, Movistar and Katusha will all be off and running here with a two-fold plan. To break Chris Froome, or at the very least isolate him, and to distance the others. By the top of these two climbs we could be down to a very select group.
We haven't got far from here to the next pair of climbs. The Cote d'Aillon-le-Vieux is a cat 3 and climbs 4% over it's 6km length. It is 8km from this summit to the next. The Col des Pres is again category 3 and is another shorter climb at 3.4km. But like the Leschaux it has a high average gradient, this time 6.9%.
It will depend on how things have gone over the first two climbs as to whether these two provide any fireworks. There will be some movement but whether it is from the main protagonists is debatable.
And that's partly because of what comes next. The Mont Revard is a category 1 climb which starts just 12km later. It is 15.9km, and although it's average gradient is just 5.6% there are parts at the bottom that get above 8% and one part that even tops 10%.
The descent off the Revard could be just as pivotal. Very twisty and very technical it plays into the hands of someone like Alberto Contador, Joaquin Rodriguez or Alejandro Valverde. Froome will hope he still has allies, although by this point he will probably be down to just Richie Porte, because they will really test his descending abilities here.
With around 15km along the valley floor to go before the final assault, if he gets distanced he will find himself in a very lonely world, full of pain and hardship.
The final climb of this years Tour de France will see the final showdown. Annecy-Semnoz is 'hors categorie' and stretches out for 10.7km. It's average gradient is 8.5% but we are above 9% for 4km of it. There's a little 'false flat' about 3km into it which ironically comes just after the steepest part. From there on we don't go below 8% so it will be a long hard, constant slog.
The stage win is almost secondary on a day like this. It will all be about the GC and it will be those riders that will cross the line first. For me Nairo Quintana is the favourite. He's been denied once or twice so far but I think this will be his day. I don't think he'll get enough time to take over the yellow but the stage win will be well with in his grasp.
His challengers will be the usual suspects. Rodriguez has been in sparkling form in this last week and is a serious challenger to the podium spots of the Saxo Tinkoff duo of Contador and Roman Kreuziger.
Froome should be content to come out of today in one piece. He will have been hit from all angles and all-comers today so shouldn't be up for the stage win.
I can't really see any outsiders getting among the action. Mikel Nieve and Pierre Rolland may be up for any King of the Mountain points they can get but that will be about it. Bauke Mollema has struggled a little over the last few days so he may feature in the top 20 but possibly nothing more.
The only thing that may throw a spanner in the works is the weather. Thunderstorms have been forecast for the last few days but we have managed to avoid them so far. If the rain does come today then the descent off the Revard for example will be frightening. And if the clouds are too low it may affect TV coverage as well!
Whatever happens it's going to be a fantastic and memorable finish to what has been one of the most attacking and exciting tours in recent years.
And I can't wait!
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