Vuelta a Espana - Stage 12 (31-Aug), Motril - Antequera Los Dolmenes (160.1 km)

dastardly00

Don't think there is a thread yet.

Mid-mountain. Consolidated differences in the general classification will favour a breakaway. The ascent of the Puerto del León (a 1st category climb) and the Puerto del Torcal (2nd category - 17 km from the finish-line -), will wear the riders down. There shouldn't be any surprises, despite a total of 2,300 metres of slopes in this stage.

@101.4 km | Puerto del León | 17.4 km at 4.9% | Cat. 1
@142.6 km | Puerto del Torcal | 7.6 km at 7% | Cat. 2

Live TV coverage on Eurosport2 at 1:45pm. Highlights on Eurosport2 at 3am and on ITV4 at 7pm

REBELSAFC

Let there be wind

Borderfox

Enric Mas

Jungels is massive

neris

Patrick Lefevere

really need to explore the coast east of Malaga at some stage been going west of it for best part of 20 years. Nasty looking route today with those 2 climbs

MPFGLB

The real Vuelta begins today

dastardly00

Eros Capecchi

Nico's diary

http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/cycling/the-climb-was-horrible-i-knew-i-was-in-trouble-36086425.html

A few of us were wondering why he dropped back to the team car on the penultimate climb yesterday... it was to get his chain lubricated.

dastardly00

Eros Capecchi

MPFGLB wrote: »

The real Vuelta begins today

Why do you say that?

dastardly00

Eros Capecchi

14-rider breakaway:
Edward Theuns (Trek-Segafredo)
Jose Joaquin Rojas (Movistar)
Pawel Poljanski, Andreas Schillinger (Bora-Hansgrohe)
Julien Duval (AG2R-La Mondiale)
Brendan Canty (Cannondale-Drapac)
Michael Morkov (Katusha-Alpecin)
Stef Clement (LottoNL-Jumbo)
Jan Polanc (UAE Team Emirates)
Tomasz Marczynski (Lotto Soudal)
Omar Fraile (Dimension Data)
Anthony Pérez (Cofidis)
David Arroyo (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA)
Peter Koning (Aqua Blue Sport)

MPFGLB

dastardly00 wrote: »

Nico's diary

http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/cycling/the-climb-was-horrible-i-knew-i-was-in-trouble-36086425.html

A few of us were wondering why he dropped back to the team car on the penultimate climb yesterday... it was to get his chain lubricated.

I think he was unlucky with the weather ( as he was in 2013)...
Now I dont think he was going to be up there with Froome & Nibali at the end but as he said in the diary he lost most of the time on the flat sections...

I saw the flat sections (on the climb) and thought well he'll come back some here...but it was the opposite ..this is where he lost most of the time

I would have expected him to be with the Aru group if the weather was fine and still fighting for top 5

Its a bummer and a big disappointment for him

MPFGLB

dastardly00 wrote: »

Why do you say that?

I'm hoping I saw a little tiring of Froome yesterday

retalivity

Contador and nico attack!

MPFGLB

Weepsie wrote: »

He has to ride in the same weather as everyone else, how is he unlucky? The weather is what it is, it favours noone. Admittedly some handle hot conditions, or wet conditions, or windy conditions better than others, and some suffer more for all sorts of reasons but still.

Unlucky for him if it doesn't suit him was what I meant
Heat does not suit Wellens and he had to leave the Tour ...I would have said the same for him...jeez

Trouble for froome :eek:

neris

Patrick Lefevere

froomes in trouble

neris

Patrick Lefevere

and now hes down

Allez Allez!!!!!!!!

ThisRegard

It all sounded a bit mental during the last TV ad break. A spectator manages to run under motorbike, motorbike falls over and delays a chasing group.

ThisRegard

Ah **** off Kirby, they can't be slowing down because the race leader fell twice.

CrowdedHouse

That heap of scrap eurosport player has failed on me again (pc and mobile)

irishrover99

What have i missed,do not say they stopped for froome again

GetWithIt

Is Nico still with Contador? La Vuelta site has thrown the invisibility cloak over him again.

neris

Patrick Lefevere

CrowdedHouse wrote: »

That heap of scrap eurosport player has failed on me again (pc and mobile)

have you updated the app on your mobile? i had to update mien and its a pain the hole

pelevin

Respecting the jersey if the race leader screws up can be a garbage idea - definitely the 2nd fall is simply Froome's fault. That's part of racing ffs. Also Contador in contention to some degree is up the road. The race is on.

neris

Patrick Lefevere

im not a fan of nibali but i hope to **** he puts a load of time in to froome and gets red for a bit of variety

ThisRegard

irishrover99 wrote: »

What have i missed,do not say they stopped for froome again

There's the implication that after a conversation with some of the front runners in what was Froome's group they decided to slow it down a little. He only lost 19 seconds in the end.

MPFGLB

MPFGLB wrote: »

The real Vuelta begins today

retalivity

Gc group didnt exactly look like they were gunning it at the end.

3 sky lads vs a peloton of 20 and they only lost 20 seconds after a mechanical and a crash...

pelevin

Think it should be noted that Froome's troubles which he pretty much got away with came because of Contador's aggression. We dunno about Froome's first problem but certainly there'd have been little reason to be pushing it and crash the second time only there was pressure to get back on. Bit like the Giro Nibali beat Kruiswijk where the pressure of Nibali brought about Kwk's crash.

Contador is simply incomparable in how he races. That it's done without the best legs in the peloton in a way makes it perhaps all the greater. His attack that ended up deciding the Vuelta last year is probably the standout thing I've seen in cycling the last few years. Just huge spirit.

neris

Patrick Lefevere

nice looking town from the air

neris

Patrick Lefevere

https://twitter.com/katushacycling/status/903299951286988800

brianomc

Video of the incident online now too

https://twitter.com/LorenaBanderas/status/903310197493522432

Crazy, first the AquaBlue bus and now this.