2013 Vuelta a Espana Preview Five: The Race Animators

Most of the star riders at the Vuelta a Espana are likely to chase GC or stage winning glory, but there is another group of riders who, through strong and attacking riding will animate the race. These are the top domestiques, the breakaway specialists, the riders with attacking mentality but without the extra punch to be a true stage winning threat. If it doesn’t go to one of the GC riders then one of these animators should win the Mountains Classification jersey, as they fight their own personal battle in front of the peloton.

Amets Txurruka – Caja Rural

It’s his first season with Caja Rural and Amets Txurruka is in the form of his life. He took the Mountains Classification in the 2013 Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco and he did it by making the breakaway almost every single day, a trend he has continued throughout the season. He won a minor Spanish stage race and then took the Mountains Classification in the recent Vuelta a Burgos. In last year’s Vuelta a Espana, the Caja Rural team were very active in the breaks. Javier Francisco Aramendia and Antonio Piedra, who won a stage, stood out. Both riders are in this year’s squad and will likely attack again but I expect them to be outshone by Txurruka. He will likely be a top contender for the KoM competition, if it doesn’t go to an overall contender then it will go to someone like Txurruka.

 

Chris Anker Sorensen – Saxo-Tinkoff

Chris Anker Sorensen is an aggressive climber who should be visible when the racing goes uphill. Sorenson could be here to ride for the GC, he finished 12^th overall in the 2011 Vuelta and this course does play into his strengths. However I suspect he will have more of a support and attacking role instead, with others taking the GC role. He showed good form in the Tour de Pologne and should carry that form into the Vuelta. He could be another KoM contender, if he is free to attack in the mountains.

 

Johnny Hoogerland – Vacansoleil-DCM

Johnny Hoogerland has earned himself a cult following through his talent to get into breakaways. An absolute workhorse, he is willing to attack regardless of what the parcours looks like. It hasn’t brought him a lot of success but it definitely gets him noticed.

 

Paolo Tiralongo – Astana

The veteran Italian climber will likely be the chief domestique for Vincenzo Nibali. He went to the Giro with the same role but injury reduced his effectiveness, though he kept working all the same. If Nibali is in contention for the race lead then we can expect to see an awful lot of Tiralongo, working on the front of the peloton on the climbs, and causing a lot of pain.

 

Ivan Santaromita – BMC

The Italian Champion is a strong climber who will use the Vuelta to get into top form ahead of the World Championships. With no GC rider to support, Santaromita will be free to attack in the mountains, trying to secure a stage win or perhaps even going for the GC himself. He will arrive at the race with high morale, buoyed by winning the Italian title and having agreed a move to OricaGreenEDGE for 2014, that morale should make him a more dangerous rider. He could be another KoM candidate

 

Luis Angel Mate – Cofidis

Mate was by far the most attacking Cofidis rider in the Tour de France, as he also was during last season’s Vuelta. I fully expect that pattern to continue, with Mate being prominent in the breakaway groups once more.

 

Vasil Kiryienka – Sky Procycling

Kiryienka has a well earned reputation as a super domestique, a machine who can sit on the front of the peloton and put the hammer down. He shone early in the season in Paris-Nice, where his work was a key part of Richie Porte’s win. He showed that form again on the first mountain finish in the Tour de France, taking an enormous turn on the front while climbing the Col de Pailheres, shredding the peloton and sapping the legs of Froome’s rivals. He paid for that effort the following day when he was completely out of sorts and finished outside of the time limit and was excluded from the race. It gave him an extended break and he should be able to offer strong support for Sergio Henao as a result.

 

Rinaldo Nocentini – AG2R

The veteran Italian climber was 18^th overall last year, and depending on the teams priorities, could find himself in the top 20 again this year. However if both Betancur and Pozzovivo are riding for the GC, then Nocentini may well find himself either riding in support of them, or attacking in the mountains and on the punchier hills.

 

Tanel Kangert – Astana

Kangert, 26, has really come of age as a cyclist in 2013, producing a series of impressive performances and showing he is capable of a bigger role in the future. He finished 14^th overall in the Giro d’Italia, while riding in a strong supporting role for Nibali, he would have finished much higher had he been riding for himself. He followed that up by finishing 6^th overall at the Tour de Suisse, then after a short break he was 9^th overall at the Tour de Pologne. He has been climbing well and time trialing very well. He is certainly capable of another high finish at the Vuelta but his primary role will be supporting Nibali, and with Brajkovic and Fuglsang in the team as well he may be too far down the pecking order to maintain a good GC place. However he should be visible riding in support of the teams ambitions.

 

Adam Hansen – Lotto Belisol

A hugely strong competitor, Hansen is scheduled to compete in all three Grand Tours for the second consecutive year. He is an all-round support rider and a good breakaway candidate, as he showed when winning from a breakaway in this years Giro.

 

Juan Antonio Flecha – Vacansoleil-DCM

Another popular breakaway artist, and a very strong classics rider. He has the strength and nous to be successful if he gets into the right break, but age has taken the edge off his kick.

 

Cayetano Sarmiento – Cannondale

The 26 year old Colombian climber will be the chief support rider for Ivan Basso in the mountains. He is showing good form, having looked good in the Vuelta a Burgos, and is potentially an attacking option who could seek stage wins, should Basso’s campaign struggle.

 

Bartosz Huzarski – NetApp-Endura

The veteran Polish climber will look to go on the offensive when the terrain gets tough. He was in good form during the Tour de Pologne, getting in breaks and trying to contest the Mountains Classification Jersey. He finished 2^nd in a stage in last year’s Giro and will hope to go one better in this race. Along with Paul Voss he has the potential to win a stage from a breakaway on an uphill finish, and could be a KoM contender.

 

Marcos Garcia – Caja Rural

The 26 year old Spanish climber finished 27^th overall last year and has been climbing solidly this year. He is a rider who could come to the fore in the mountains, either in breaks or by supporting Arroyo.

 

Giampaolo Caruso – Katusha

The Veteran Italian climber is one of a strong support cast for Joaquim Rodriguez. Along with Vladimir Gusev and Alberto Losado his help will be key in the mountains. Of that trio Caruso is showing the best form, coming into the race after a 4^th overall finish at the Vuelta a Burgos.

 

Matteo Montaguti – AG2R

AG2R have shown an increased willingness to ride aggressively in 2013, I’d expect Mikael Cherel, Ben Gastauer and particularly Montaguti to be prominent attackers in the mountains. Montaguti is a strong and aggressive climber and an ideal breakaway option for the tougher stages.

 

Alexandre Geniez – FDJ

Geniez has the climbing talent to do well in this race, whether he is riding in support of Thibaut Pinot, or is free to go with the breaks in the mountains. He even has GC potential but that will suffer if he is supporting Pinot.

 

Gregory Rast – RadioShack-Leopard

A strong rider who is more at home in the classics than he will be in a mountainous Grand Tour. He should be a good breakaway option, having won from a break in the Tour de Suisse this year.

 

Georg Preidler – Argos-Shimano

The 23 year old Austrian climber has been impressing this year and should be given freedom to attack on the hilly and mountainous stages. Preidler recently finished 3^rd on a stage in the Dolomites, during the Tour de Pologne.

 

Alex Howes –Garmin-Sharp

Howes, 25, is making his Grand Tour debut on the back of some good form. A punchy climber, he looked good at the Tour de Pologne where he was very attacking, and again at the Tour de l’Ain. He should be the chief support rider for Dan Martin in the mountains but would also be given a chance to attack, if Martin’s campaign struggles.

 

Wesley Sulzberger – Orica-GreenEDGE

The 26 year old Australian is a decent all-rounder with a good finish, he has been talked of as a breakaway candidate by the Orica-GreenEDGE management and has showed good form in the past few weeks.

 

Matthew Busche – RadioShack-Leopard

Busche has developed into a strong climbing domestique and a good GC rider in his own right. Now 28, he has been enjoying the best form of his career. He has been strong all season, being particularly impressive supporting Horner in the Tour of Utah. I expect him to be prominent in the mountains where he will be helping Horner.

 

Sylwester Szmyd – Movistar

Szmyd is a very strong climbing domestique, he has often been able to put the peloton under great pressure with a long, hard stint on the front on the climbs. In a mountainous parcours, and working for one of the race favourites, Szmyd will be asked to reprise that leg sapping role.

 

Jose Herrada – Movistar

Herrada is another strong climbing domestique to aid Valverde. He has had a good season, looking strong at the Giro and coming into form at the Vuelta a Burgos ahead of this race. Like Szmyd we can expect to see a Herrada doing a lot of work.

 

Manuele Mori – Lampre-Merida

Mori is a punchy climber and a decent breakaway option for the intermediate or hilly stages.

 

Maciej Paterski – Cannondale

Paterski is another punchy climber. He will have a role supporting Basso but will also be a strong breakaway candidate for the hilly stages. He did just that on stage six of the Eneco Tour, showing strength on the short sharp climbs and finishing 3^rd on the day.

 

Nicolas Edet – Cofidis

Edet will be used to support Coppel and should get chances to attack on some hilly stages. He has shown decent form in the last two months, which potentially gives him the edge over Yoann Bagot as Cofidis’s free element in the mountains, though neither is likely to excel in the role.

 

Nicki Sorensen – Saxo-Tinkoff

The 38 year old has always been a popular attacking rider, he should be able to make it into a few breakaway groups.

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Related articles

• Vuelta a Espana Preview One – Stage By Stage (procyclingkev.wordpress.com)
• 2013 Vuelta a Espana Preview Two: The Main Contenders (procyclingkev.wordpress.com)
• 2013 Vuelta a Espana Preview Three: The Chasing Pack (procyclingkev.wordpress.com)
• 2013 Vuelta a Espana Preview Four: The Stage Winners (procyclingkev.wordpress.com)