La Vuelta Espana stage 15- ALCALÁ LA REAL - SIERRA NEVADA 129.4 kilometres

Daroxtar

This one's a biggie.

Only 129km long but packing a serious punch with close to 2800m climbing. There are 3 categorised climbs but the second two are back to back making essentially one monster with very little respite.

Alto de Hazallanas16.3 km@5.5% - category 1

Alto del Purche.8.5 km@8% - category 1

Sierra Nevada. Alto Hoya de la Mora. Monachil.19.3 km@5.6% - category H

Hazallanas is a very uneven climb with a downhill before kicking up to an average of 10% for 7km with maximum of 22%.
Purche and Sierra Nevada combined comes in just a few km shorter but same average gradient as the Telegraphe/Galibier.


The GC boys will be looking to take lumps out of each other and with it being a relatively short stage there should be plenty of action from the gun. Hazallanas is tough enough to cause problems before they even get to the last climb. This could be savage.

Paddy Power is giving
M A Lopez 5/2
Nibali 11/2
Bardet, Contador, Froome 6/1
Atapuma, Majka 12/1
Chaves 35/1
Aru 80/1

Darkglasses

Love the distance and profile of this stage - hope it will be another entertaining stage. The GC has been a foregone conclusion so far in fairness, but the racing so far has nonetheless been so much more entertaining than the TDF.

Eamonnator

In 2013, Chris Horner had a good day on some of today's climbs and secured his Vuelta win.

MPFGLB

Eamonnator wrote: »

In 2013, Chris Horner had a good day on some of today's climbs and secured his Vuelta win.

Finishing on Hazallanas

Today they go 2 mountain further !!!

retalivity

Please let froome have an off day/catch sky off guard and make the final week interesting?!

neris

retalivity wrote: »

Please let froome have an off day/catch sky off guard and make the final week interesting?!

Especially with TT on Tuesday. If nothing happens today to dent Froomes time next week will just be a procession like the TDF

Lusk_Doyle

Bardet or Rui Costa to take this one.

Inquitus

Full Gas from the end of the neutral section, no break as of yet, not for want of trying!

Darkglasses

Looks absolutely exhausting already

MPFGLB

Darkglasses wrote: »

Looks absolutely exhausting already

My God this Vuelta is so so hard ...every day racing flat out and such hard climbing even on the 'flat' stages

It could be a matter of who is still standing by Madrid

neris

That gradient looks savage

Itziger

Saying Roche is in trouble. Long way to go if he slips off the back now.

MPFGLB

Itziger wrote: »

Saying Roche is in trouble. Long way to go if he slips off the back now.

Yep....head dropped

mp31

what a descent.... smooth roads.. fast...wow!

About time yer man at the front (S.Armee) got some new bar tape - unless he has his lucky bar tape on for the race

fat bloke

Jeez. Once Contador retires they may as well take to turbo trainers for the Grand Tours in future.

velo.2010

Sky's blank cheque book make it impossible for anyone else. Marginal gains is a nonsense.

neris

The skybots with Froome are killing it

mp31

Lopez ... that lad has got some legs...the next Contador maybe?

py

What just happened Yates?

pelevin

God I hate Sky.

pelevin

py wrote: »

What just happened Yates?

He had nothing left!

robyntmorton

pelevin wrote: »

God I hate Sky.

I'm not so much hating Sky as i am hating Kirby's "Sky are God's gift to cycling" routine.

(That said, I'm not a fan of Sky)

pelevin

robyntmorton wrote: »

I'm not so much hating Sky as i am hating Kirby's "Sky are God's gift to cycling" routine.

(That said, I'm not a fan of Sky)

With me it's hatred of Sky. Froome on the radio, info back & forth on the numbers, domestiques negating everything in front of him . . . Yeah, I hate them.

They make me wish I wasn't watching.

Boscoirl

Today Is the first stage I have watched, feel like I wasted my afternoon

velo.2010

Contador blew his chance of a podium with that effort today.

Where did Lopez lose the time to Froome? Could have been a real danger had he been closer, notwithstanding the TT to come. He could easily put a couple of minutes into the other GC guys on the Angliru.

not sane

Big yawnfest.

mp31

pelevin wrote: »

With me it's hatred of Sky. Froome on the radio, info back & forth on the numbers, domestiques negating everything in front of him . . . Yeah, I hate them.

They make me wish I wasn't watching.

Isn't that what all teams are doing these days, using the tech and working the numbers. The difference with Sky is that they have the strongest team leading Froome up the mountains

buffalo

Kirby apologising for nationalistic coverage ...on behalf of Spain. No hint of shame.

Eamonnator

Poels is some boy. Finished in 8th place today, a handful of seconds behind Froome, having protected him all day.

Inquitus

Lopez is some boy by all accounts it was a headwind up the final climb and he did the vast majority of it on his own, putting time into everyone, head and shoulders the strongest climber at this race by some margin! Anyone know what his race schedule was like this year? is he fatigued like most of the rest or has he come here at the very peak of his powers due to a truncated season or whatever?

RobFowl

Sky are brutal, in every sense of the word.