Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco 2014 Preview

The Tour of the Basque Country is always an exciting race to watch, the parcours is full of short sharp climbs which lend themselves to attacking riding, while the absence of the truly high mountain finishes forces the GC riders to ride aggressively throughout. Given the spiky terrain and the overlap with the cobbled classic season there is usually a dearth of pure sprinters, with the flatter stages belonging to the more versatile fast men and teams filling their squads with climbers instead. The nature of the parcours and timing of the race also make it ideal preparation for the Ardennes week and provides an excellent barometer of form for the likely contenders there. The start list is still unofficial and changes are a certainty, so some rough calculations and guess work are required when preparing a preview and that should be borne in mind.

The Stages (Images from http://www.itzulia.net/en/2014)

 

Stage one

Stage one: Ordizia – Ordizia 153.4km

Stage one demonstrates why this race provides excellent preparation for the Ardennes classics, as the peloton has to tackle short and relatively sharp climbs throughout the day. The stage finishes 6.7km after the final ascent of the Alto de Gaintza, it’s short but steep. It’s a new climb to the race but the peloton climbs it for the first time about 50km earlier in the stage so we will get a good idea of what to expect on the final climb of the day. It certainly looks like an excellent attacking opportunity and any rider with their eye on the GC is going to have to be very alert on this stage

 

Stage two

Stage two: Ordizia – Dantxarinea (Urdazubi) 155.8km

Stage two features some significant climbing in the opening 110km but while the run in to the finish remains bumpy the stage should end with some sort of bunch sprint, though it looks like it may be an uphill sprint.

 

Stage three

Stage three: Urdazubi-Urdax – Vitoria-Gasteiz 194.5km

With climbing right from the start, stage three offers a great opportunity for a breakaway to establish a significant advantage, though if the wrong riders get up the road it could also see a frantic start as the peloton chases them down. It’s the longest stage in the race at 194.7km, there are two climbs in the final 35km and a 9km descent to the finish line and it could provide an opportunity for an attacker to spring away for the win. However the climbs don’t look that difficult so unless the GC teams really drive the pace or the descent is technical I would expect a reasonable sized group to reach the finish.

 

Stage four

Stage four: Vitoria-Gasteiz – Eibar-Arrate 151km

The most significant uphill finish in the race as the stage finishes atop the Alto de Usartza, a regular feature of the Tour of the Basque Country. It comes after another day full of climbing and it’s not a particularly long climb, coming in around 7km at 6.7%, but there is a 3km section in the middle which averages close to 10% and has a number of ramps in excess of that. The climb flattens off at the top with a short downhill section to the finish, Nairo Quintana (Movistar) won the stage last year and Samuel Sanchez (BMC) has a strong track record on this climb.

 

Stage five

Stage five: Eibar- Markina-Xemein 160.2km

The final road stage of the race has an imposing looking final 6okm full of the races characteristic short and sharp climbs, the final two of which are significant enough to provide a launch pad for a last roll of the dice ahead of the ITT. If a group reaches the finish together it will be a small one but it wouldn’t surprise me if a rider or a handful of riders can elude the chasers and stay clear to the finish.

 

Stage six

Stage six: Markina-Xemein – Markina-Xemein 25.9km

The race finishes with its customary time trial, this time on a hilly 25.9km course that should help to alleviate the weakness of some of the GC contenders against the clock.

 

The Riders

 

The Contenders

Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) has enjoyed a storming start to the season; he was easily the best rider in the Vuelta a Andalucia, looked strong in Strade Bianche then even better when winning Roma Maxima the following day. He has been familiarising himself on the cobbles in the past week and looked strong enough to contend for victory here. Valverde is fast enough to win the sprint if small groups come to the finishes together, though he should be wary of Kwiatkowski. Valverde looked good against the clock in the prologue of the Vuelta a Andalucia and the hills in the ITT will certainly suit him.

Alberto Contador (Tinkoff Saxo) is another rider who has enjoyed an impressive start to the season and showed his attacking intentions right from the start with victory on the Alto do Malhao in the Volta ao Algarve. Contador followed that with a terrific long range victory on stage five on his way to winning Tirreno-Adriatico. His form looks great but the lack of a fast finish could cost him here

The talented Michal Kwiatkowski (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) has taken another step forward in 2014 and is rapidly approaching phenomenon status, if he isn’t already there. A strong punchy climber and excellent time trialist, Kwiatkowski is an obvious contender in this race, and he should be hitting form ahead of the Ardennes classics. His one weakness has been keeping up with the best on the longer climbs, but that isn’t a big deal on this parcours, and while he could lose some time on stage four, it won’t be much and he is capable of taking it back again in the ITT. Kwiatkowski is also a very fast finisher and will be dangerous if he is in the front group on any of the stages.

The World Champion Rui Costa (Lampre-Merida) is still searching for that first win while wearing the rainbow stripes, but it hasn’t been for want of trying as he has consistently went on the offensive this season, with five 2nd place finishes to his credit. He is also well suited to the parcours, a good climber and time trialist, he descends well and has decent speed on the line, it may not be enough to bring the victory he craves, but he should be close.

Carlos Betancur (AG2R) is built for this sort of terrain, he excels on the punchy climbs and has good speed at the finish as he showed while winning Paris-Nice less than a month ago. However he abandoned the Volta a Catalunya with illness and if that has affected his condition the team could opt to go with Jean-Christophe Peraud, who won the Criterium International last weekend. Peraud is the stronger time trialist but Betancur coped well enough in the ITT in last year’s race and it had a similarly hilly parcours.

BMC would appear to have a host of options to lead them in the race. The form rider is Tejay van Garderen, he was looked strong in the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, and will be keen to get some more race days in the legs to make up for being forced out of Paris-Nice with illness. Cadel Evans was off the pace in Tirreno-Adriatico and will need to find some form ahead of the Giro d’Italia, while the team could use the race to give either Samuel Sanchez or Darwin Atapuma a chance to show what they can do. Of course the Basque Sanchez is the obvious option; he knows this race superbly and has enjoyed success in the past, while Atapuma has the natural skill set to do well on this terrain.

Bauke Mollema (Belkin Pro Cycling Team) has yet to hit the heights of last July this season, but he remains a strong competitor. A very good climber and solid time trialist, he is also capable of riding very aggressively and has decent speed on the line.

Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Sharp) has had a quiet start to the season, but the big Canadian has shown himself to be an aggressive rider when he has the right form and he could certainly shake things up. The team should have an excellent alternative in Tom-Jelte Slagter, a double stage winner in Paris-Nice, the talented puncheur will be at home on this parcours. Several finishes come after descents and if any of those are particularly technical then watch out for Janier Acevedo, the Colombian is terrific going downhill.

Simon Spilak (Katusha Team) showed he was starting to hit form towards the end of Paris-Nice as he launched several late attacks from the peloton. The aggressive climber should arrive here in stronger form and is more than capable of upsetting some of the bigger names.

When Jurgen Van den Broeck (Lotto Belisol) crashed out of Tirreno-Adriatico with a knee injury there was an initial worry that the serious problems that derailed his 2013 campaign were back. Thankfully that wasn’t the case and he is back racing, but he still remains a little short of the form he needs if he is to be competitive here.

If given the opportunity to ride for himself, Tanel Kangert (Astana) is more than capable of being a major factor in this race. A super-domestique for Vincenzo Nibali, Kangert has a strong all-round skill set and the attacking attitude to excel on this punchy terrain; he is also a capable, if inconsistent time trialist.

It seems likely that Team Sky would opt for Mikel Nieve to lead them in his home race. The gifted climber is set to be a key domestique for the team in the Tour de France, and having an opportunity for some personal glory ahead of that is good for the spirit of a domestique.

Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) has struggled to get going so far in 2014 but having finally finished a stage race in Catalunya he will hope to be more competitive here.

Warren Barguil (Giant-Shimano) is clearly an extremely gifted rider, and isn’t neither afraid of going on the offensive nor intimidated in the presence of the biggest names in cycling. He will have to be aggressive though as he seems certain to lose time on the final day ITT.

This parcours should be ideal for an aggressive rider such as Luis Leon Sanchez (Caja Rural). A highly opportunistic rider who likes to attack on climbs close to the finish, he is capable of descending away from the pack. Sanchez is also a strong time trialist and seems a natural candidate to contend here, but he was off the pace in Catalunya and that must be a concern, perhaps he struggled with the poor conditions and can recover for this next race.

Moreno Moser (Cannondale) is getting the chance to ride for himself after having worked for Peter Sagan for much of the season and he needs to make the most of it. A talented punchy climber, Moser has the skill set to impress on this parcours but he will have to be aggressive to do so.

It’s the latest race on the comeback trail for Frank Schleck (Trek Factory Racing) and he is coming into form ahead of the Ardennes classics. He finished 6th overall in the Criterium International and looked very strong on the Col de l’Ospidale. Time trialing is his likely downfall but the team can also call upon Bob Jungels who excels against the clock and is improving as a climber.

Cyril Gautier (Europcar) had a strong Paris-Nice, where he finished 6th overall. A punchy rider who is suited to the hilly parcours, he can struggle with the longer climbs but that isn’t a concern in this race, though he will likely lose some ground on the final stage time trial.

 

Other Riders to Watch

Michael Matthews (Orica GreenEDGE) is the fastest finisher in the race and a terrific climber for a fast man; he is the obvious favourite for stages two and three. The Australian team will also be hoping to see signs of form for Simon Gerrans, he opened the season on fire but a short break has been followed by illness and it may have left him short of form ahead of his next major targets in the Ardennes.

Philippe Gilbert (BMC) should be getting close to the form necessary to excel in the Ardennes and will use this race as his final tune up ahead of those races. If the form is there he could get involved in any reduced sprints and could well launch an attack on one of the stages with a hill near the end and a descent to the finish.

Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) is the clear favorite for the ITT, though the hilly nature of the course does play into the hands of the GC riders. Yet to win in 2014, the World Time Trial Champion will be keen to break his duck here and the fact that it is the longest time trial he has raced this season definitely suits him.

Ben Swift (Team Sky) is finally enjoying some success after suffering from rotten luck in 2013. Swift is a fast finisher and climbs well, he should be in contention on stages two and three, his podium placing in Milan-San Remo and stage victories in the Coppi e Bartali show the form is there to be a danger man in this race.

Jose Joaquin Rojas (Movistar) has long been one of the best climbing sprinters around, lacking the speed to take on the top sprinters but capable of getting over hills that they can’t and finding success that way. He is only 28 but he seems to have lost some of his sprinting speed, which makes victories even harder to come by, but his climbing is better than ever and he showed great form to finish 4th overall in Paris-Nice.

The punchy Arthur Vichot (FDJ) took a fine win from a small group on the lumpy final stage of Paris-Nice, and there are similar stages in this race. I think we can expect to see that impressive French National Champion Jersey to the fore

Daniele Ratto (Cannondale) is at his best on the tougher sprint finishes and should be able to be competitive in this field.

 

 

2014 Team Preview – Team Giant-Shimano

The newly named Team Giant-Shimano briefly flirted with the abyss after last season, the late withdrawal of their new sponsorship deal left the team scrambling for the funds to continue. Thankfully bike manufacturers Giant stepped in with a long term deal, securing the future for Giant-Shimano. The Dutch team formed in 2005 and has grown organically since then, successfully making the step up to the World Tour last season and showing that they definitely belonged there. The team’s major successes have come through the sprints where they have two of the fastest men in cycling, many lesser sprinters who can win races in their own right, and a number of strong support riders to do the dirty work. The Giant-Shimano sprint train is about as well drilled and effective as there is in the sport; it’s a weapon they use frequently. The team has established a pattern of recruiting low key or young riders they can trust and developing them, generally eschewing the more established names. That hasn’t changed now that they are a World Tour team, and while the sprinter heavy team could use a stronger GC presence, they prefer to be patient and develop their own, rather than recruiting some readymade leaders.

For now though the team remains firmly behind its star stage winners, twenty five year old Germans Marcel Kittel and John Degenkolb. Kittel is one of the three truly elite sprinters in cycling, and after 2013 arguably the best of all. Since joining the team as a promising time trial specialist, the hugely powerful Kittel has taken to sprinting to remarkable effect, with 43 wins, and five coming in Grand Tours. He is a double winner of Scheldeprijs, the most sprinter friendly of the Belgian Classics, and his four win haul at last season’s Tour de France saw him come out on top against Mark Cavendish and Andre Greipel. Marcel Kittel should return to the Tour de France this season, with his mind on the Green Jersey, though it will be hard to dethrone Sagan who can pick up points on the tougher stages that simply aren’t available for a pure sprinter such as Kittel. John Degenkolb is a fine sprinter in his own right, a notch below those elite guys in terms of pure speed but a more rounded rider. As a neo-pro with HTC-High Road in 2011, Degenkolb recorded six wins, including two stages in the Criterium du Dauphine. With the demise of that team, Degenkolb joined Argos-Shimano, winning a further eleven times in 2012, taking a hugely impressive five stage wins in the Vuelta a Espana. Degenkolb also finished 4th in the World Championship road race in Valkenberg, a race more akin to an Ardennes Classic than a bunch sprint and one suggestive of his future evolution. Degenkolb won six times in 2013, with impressive victories in Paris-Tours, the Vattenfal Cyclassics and a stage of the Giro to add to his palmares, however it is becoming increasingly clear that his future is not that of a pure sprinter. Rather he is more suited to the tougher races, the Cobbled classics and monuments, while his strong climbing makes him an excellent opportunistic sprinter.

Slovenian sprinter Luka Mezgec, 25, joined Giant-Shimano after impressing in the Tour of Qinghai Lake in 2012, where he recorded four stage wins and took the Green Jersey. His first season with the Dutch team was one of good performances and near misses, but victory eluded him until the final stage of his final race of the season, when he won the bunch sprint that ended the Tour of Beijing. Mezgec remains the third choice sprinter on the team, but on such a sprint oriented team that means he will still have ample opportunities throughout the season, as his record in 2013 shows. As well as his win in China, Mezgec was 3rd three times and 5th on the final stage of the Giro d’Italia and recorded twelve other top 5 sprint finishes across the season. South African sprinter Reinardt Janse van Rensburg is probably the most gifted all-rounder of the sprinters, a fine time-trialist and a good climber; he lacks the outright speed of some of the others but has the makings of an excellent opportunistic sprinter and is an option for the uphill sprints. Ramon Sinkeldam, 24, is a good strongman sprinter and a fine lead out man, spending much of the season working for others but will have more freedom during the Classics season. The winner of the Paris-Roubaix espoirs in 2011, Sinkeldam is a promising Cobbles specialist, and after finishing outside the time limit in his senior debut in Paris-Roubaix he managed a highly credible 25th last season. Sinkeldam should be the team’s second option for the Classics, alongside Degenkolb. German Nikias Arndt, 22, looks likely to develop into the next star sprinter on the team after an impressive neo-pro season in 2013. Arndt won his first professional race with a stage win in the Arctic Tour of Norway, came 3rd on the final stage of the Vuelta and recorded two podium finishes in the Tour of Turkey, both coming on stages were Kittel had been dropped. The team have a number of support sprinters who spend most of their season working as part of the sprint train for Kittel and the other faster sprinters. Riders like Jonas Ahlstrand, Tom Veelers, Koen de Kort and Bert de Backer, fast men in their own right, and in some cases experienced classics riders. While hard working domestiques such as Roy Curvers, Cheng Ji, Albert Timmer and Tom Stamsnijder do their best work making sure that the race comes down to a sprint.

The GC project

With their stage winners well established and looking certain to keep the results flowing, Giant-Shimano can afford to show patience as they develop their climbing options and ultimately GC contenders. They have accumulated some talented climbers and for now are content to let them go on the offensive in the hills and mountains while they develop, rather than pushing for GC placing. The most notable of these is the terrific Warren Barguil, a twenty two year old French climber whose talent has been obvious for some time, a stage winner in the 2011 Tour de L’Avenir, he repeated that success while also finishing 1st overall in 2012. Barguil made his Grand Tour debut in last season’s Vuelta a Espana, where at just 21 he tok two excellent stage wins, both from breaks and with the second of them coming when he out sprinted Rigoberto Uran on a summit finish. While he can focus on stage hunting for now, Barguil looks destined to be a GC contender of note and must look to develop as a time trialist with that in mind. Tom Dumoulin is a powerful all-rounder and strong time trialist who copes well with rolling terrain and if he can work on his climbing he could well develop into a GC rider in the future. For now though Dumoulin can focus on racing against the clock and his continued growth as a puncheur, which will make him more dangerous in the one-day races. German Simon Geschke and newly acquired Belgian Dries Devenyns are both experienced puncheur’s who are at their best seeking breaks in the mountains or in the hilly Classics. They, along with Thierry Hupond and Tom Peterson, will offer experience and support to their more gifted young team mates; they are the experienced backbone of the team’s climbing unit.

French climber Thomas Damuseau, 24, took a step forward in 2013, making his Grand Tour debut at the Giro and winning the KoM Jersey at the Criterium du Daupine. Austrian climber Georg Preidler also made his Grand Tour debut with a solid showing at the Vuelta, having earlier impressed in the Tour de Pologne when finishing 3rd on the Passo Pordoi in the Dolomites. Swedish all-rounder Tobias Ludvigsson is a strong time trialist and a good climber, he also made his Grand Tour debut in 2013, riding the Giro, and has potential as a GC rider if he continues to lose weight and improve his climbing. Three neo-pro riders in 2014 will add yet more climbing talent to the team. American Lawson Craddock, 21, is a gifted climber and time trialist with terrific potential as a future GC rider.  Another American Chad Haga, 25, came to cycling late but his time trialling power and all-round skill set will serve him well as a domestique, while he has attracted plenty of admirers who feel he is a future GC contender. Dutch climber Daan Olivier, 21, is more of a pure climber than either of the Americans, he has struggled for fitness and form at times but his potential is impressive.

2014 outlook

Wins and lots of them, with a coterie of stage winners and no GC riders to hold them back, we should expect to see the Giant-Shimano riders on the podium throughout the season. Kittel will return to the Tour de France with a strong team around him eager to prove his sprint ascendency, while Degenkolb should continue to add prestigious victories to his palmares. At the same time the team’s young climbers and GC riders should be able to develop and flourish in a pressure free environment.

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2013 Vuelta a Espana: The Final Report

I almost wasn’t going to write this, I am feeling a little Vuelta fatigue, having posted 27 articles about the race already. However having said I would write one it made sense to do so.

The General Classification

The winner of the 2013 Vuelta a Espana was Chris Horner (RadioShack-Leopard) and there is no denying that he was the strongest climber in the race. Horner was always prominent when the racing went uphill, he won stage 3, fulfilling his pre-race ambition of taking the a stage win and the Red Jersey early in the race. He won again on the extremely difficult Alto de Hazallanas, and was the highest finishing GC contender on both the Pena Cabarga and on L’Angliru. Horners’ excellent performances on those four stages proved crucial in the 2013 Vuelta a Espana, as did finished ahead of Vincenzo Nibali on stage 19.

I have watched cycling for many years, so like many other observers the level of Chris Horners’ performances raised a lot of doubts and skepticism in my mind. Scott O’Raw of the Eurosport Cycling Podcast articulated those concerns in this post http://velocast.cc/the-problem-with-chris-horner. There must be a certain amount of incredulity when a rider who is just shy of his 42nd birthday can become a Grand Tour winner for the first time, doing so after a lengthy injury layoff and after only one week of racing prior to the Vuelta adds fuel to the fire. That build up race, the Tour of Utah, saw Horner produce an excellent ride to win the penultimate stage and take the race lead, it also saw him lose it the next day when he was unable to reproduce the effort from the day before. A perfectly normal physiological response to a long injury layoff. I expected him to be stronger by the start of the Vuelta, he was certainly coming into the race with less fatigue than any of his rivals. However I really didn’t think he could sustain his performance for three weeks, not without more build up racing. I am not going to get into power data, climb times or anything else that has been speculated upon online, I’m not qualified to get into that properly and many others have already done so. Instead I go by what my eyes see and that has lead to the above concerns. Yet that is all they are, concerns, doubts, skepticism, they prove nothing and a rider should not be condemned based on those things alone. I do find it hard to be convinced by what I have seen over the last three weeks, but I have been wrong about many things in my life, so simply trusting my own judgement in matters such as this, isn’t enough. Chris Horners’ performances on the road certainly merited victory and justifiable skepticism aside, he should be able to enjoy that victory unless someone can prove it is unjust. It’s not as though Horners’ rivals produced their best in this race either, all came into the Vuelta having already completed another Grand Tour, none was in their ideal condition. Had they then the result might have been different, Horner could have finished 4th or 5th and would have been lauded for a great effort.

Giro d’Italia winner, and former Vuelta winner, Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) admitted his recovery from the Giro was less than ideal. Travel and sponsorship commitments meant he was out of shape when he began his program for the second half of the season. It’s also true that the Vuelta itself was not his target, though he did want to win it, rather he was aiming at the World Championship road race and the Giro di Lombaria which take place in the next 19 days. Even so, finishing 2nd, having already won the Giro makes 2013 a year to remember for Nibali. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) finished 3rd and 4th respectively, each came into the race after a hard fought Tour de France and it showed, as they simply were not at their best. Valverde won the Green Jersey despite not winning a stage, the number of mountain finishes combined with the lack of a dominant sprint team made sure that one of the GC riders would win it. Given Valverdes’ surprising speed at the finish for a climber, he was always a likely contender. Rodriguez won the 19th stage, his 8th stage win in total in the Vuelta a Espana, but he couldn’t find his best form.

Nicholas Roche (Saxo-Tinkoff) also completed the Tour de France, but unlike Valverde and Rodriguez he definitely rode within himself in France, performing as a domestique, often working in the earlier parts of the stage before knocking off the effort. He came into the Vuelta in great shape, slimmer and full of confidence and it showed when he won the 2nd stage and later claimed the race lead for a day. It was a bravura performance from the Irishman, a race full of attacking intent and his reward was his highest ever finish in a Grand Tour. Domenico Pozzovivo (AG2R) finished 6th after being caught out by the wind on stage 17, he climbed superbly throughout and produced a surprisingly good ITT performance to keep himself firmly in contention. Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) finished 7th overall, a strong ride from the young Frenchman and a good response to his problems at the Tour de France, like Roche he rode aggressively, even daring to attack on a descent, if he can really sort that out then his future remains very bright. Finally I want to mention the unfortunate Ivan Basso (Cannondale), 2013 has not been kind to the veteran Italian, he was going superbly in this race before the changing weather conditions caught him out, had they not then he would have been a factor in the GC competition.

 

The stage winners

If there was a key to picking the stage winners in this Vuelta, it was to expect the unexpected. In a race with so many uphill finishes, it was always likely that the GC riders would feature prominantly amongst the stage winners. I have already mentioned that Horner won two stages, and Rodriguez and Roche won one apiece. Of the other GC contenders Dani Moreno (Katusha) twice, and Leopold Konig (NetApp-Endura) also won uphill finishes. Moreno has had a strong season, winning La Fleche Wallonne, riding strongly in suport of Purito in the Tour and again here at the Vuelta. He started this race in terrific form before, putting aside personal ambitions to once again work superbly for Rodriguez. Konig had a superb race for NetApp-Endura, riding aggressively in the opening week before winning on the Alto de Penas Blancas, finally finishing 9th overall. It could have been even better had he not suffered briefly from illness and losing some time as a result, but it was a great Grand Tour debut from the Czech rider, we can expect to see much more of him in the future.

Mountain finishes are hard to call in general, you have to factor in how big the break was, who was in the break, what gap did the break have, when did the GC race behind light up etc. In this race the breaks were eventually given a lot of leeway, seven of the final nine stages were won by a member of the break. Two of those were Alexandre Geniez (FDJ) and Vasil Kiryienka (Sky Procycling), both riders were part of large breakaway groups which splintered as the stages progressed. Each also rode away from their companions with considerable distance still to race, holding off the chasing riders and sealing terrific victories. Geniez earned his win with a brilliant and insane descent, distancing the more sensible Andre Cardoso (Caja Rural), Kiryienka took his by riding away from the break and settling himself into a metronomic rhythm all the way the the finish. Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Leopard) took the ITT on stage 11, finishing ahead of Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) and potentially gaining a small psychological advantage ahead of a potential clash in the World ITT Championship next week.

There were few sprint stages in this race, and most of those came with some sort of trap which made it harder to bring about the bunch sprint. Given the parcours, few teams brought orthodox sprinters, opting instead for more opportunistic fast men. Those teams were also less committed to the sprints, bringing more versatile squads instead, sacrificing the power and strength necessary to chase down the breaks and drive the peloton to the line. The end result was an almost complete absence of full-on bunch sprints, and a lack of control as the peloton approached the line. A perfect example came on stage 6, when Michael Morkov (Saxo-Tinkoff) took the win from a reduced and tired field of sprinters. Things were under control with 16km to go, Tony Martin was dangling 20 seconds ahead of the peloton and the sprint teams were happy, then Martin raised the pace and the chase was on. Over the next 15km it was all the sprint teams could do to keep Martin within 50m, using up all their support riders in the process. When the sprint came, it came from far out and with the strong men to the fore, rather than the fast ones, Morkov showed great instincts to follow Cancellara then spring out for the win. He doesn’t rank highly among the fastest finishers in the world, but when there is a lack of control sometimes being smart is the path to victory. Zdenek Stybar (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) and Philippe Gilbert (BMC) also trumped the sprinters, taking superb wins on days when the sprinters were expected to shine. Stybar earned his win after he and Gilbert had jumped clear of the peloton, the final 5km of the race were very technical and the sprint teams foolishly let the two escapees reach that point with a small advantage. From there the Stybar and Gilbert rode too well to be caught, with Sybar being the fastest at the finish, taking his first Grand Tour win and adding to his burgeoning reputation. Gilbert won later in the race, the sprint was on an uphill drag and he showed he was hitting his best form by storming past Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky Procycling) for the win, his first while wearing the Rainbow Jersey. Bauke Mollema (Belkin) rescued his teams Vuelta with a highly unlikely win on the stage into Burgos. The peloton had been much reduced by the winds on the road to Burgos, however they reached the finish with a number of fast finishers, Farrar, Richeze, Bole and Boasson Hagen were there. Yet none of those fast riders took up the race in the final 1km, allowing Mollema to steal away for the win. He is fast on the line for a climber, but definitely outmatched in that company, another victory for tactical nous and the spirit of attack.

There were of course other stage winners but they fit better in the next category.

 

Young riders come to the fore

One of my race previews featured the young riders to watch out for in this race. It came with the proviso that many were here more for experience, riders for the future rather than the here and now, some of course did diddly squat, but others shone. Warren Barguil (Argos-Shimano) and Kenny Elissonde (FDJ) are gifted young French climbers who showed their potential when winning stages in this Vuelta. Barguil won two stages, finished in the top 10 on two other uphill finishesand generally won over the cycling public with his attacking style, a magnificent performance from a 21 year old riding his first ever Grand Tour. Elissonde, 22, only had the one stand out day in the Vuelta, it just happened to come on the most difficult and iconic of all, winning on L’Angliru is a landmark victory for any climber, never mind one riding his first Grand Tour. Daniele Ratto (Cannondale) has been making a name for himself as an opportunistic sprinter, one for the uphill sprints, and the tough run ins. A good climber for a fast man but not a likely candidate to win a mountain top finish like he did here, taking victory from a break, atop the Coll de la Gallina and in awful weather. It was a terrific victory.

I felt silly talking about the sprints earlier and leaving out the most impressive sprinter in the field, Michael Matthews (Orica GreenEDGE). The 22 year old won the two bunch sprints that featured in the race, and did so with some ease, clearly the fastest sprinter in this race. A year ago I would have labelled Matthews more of an opportunistic sprinter than a true fast man, but he has impressed me as a sprinter in the last six weeks, showing an impressive burst of speed as well as the strength to hold it. 2014 will be a big year for him as he should get the chance to compete against the elite sprinters at some point and we can see just how competitive he can be. He certainly had the backing of his team here, Orica-GreenEDGE worked hard whenever there was the possibility of a sprint finish, Christian Meier in particular was busy on the front of the peloton.

 

Wild card teams impress

Al three wild card teams did themselves proud in this Vuelta. NetApp-Endura must take the largest plaudits, Leopold Konig starred, and when he struggled Jose Medes was there to nurse him through to the end of the stage. Bartosz Huzarski and Jose Mendes were aggressive in the mountains and several times in the race the team as a whole came to the fore on the front of the peloton. Nicolas Edet was the star for Cofidis, winning the KoM jersey through aggressively getting into breaks. Caja Rural lacked the tangible success of the other two, and will have been disappointed that David Arroyo couldn’t finish in the top 10, but they certainly got themselves noticed. No team was more active in the breaks than Caja Rural, Javier Aramendia, Andre Cardoso, Amets Txurruka and Antonio Piedra were particularly aggressive.

 

The disappointments

Perhaps the biggest disappointment for many cycling fans is that this was the last Vuelta for the Euskaltel-Euskadi team. Thankfully the team is in the process of being bought replaced by another Spanish team, formed by Fernando Alonso, but they won’t be Basque and there will be no more carrots in the peloton. It’s a pity that they didn’t manage a more memorable final Vuelta, no stage wins and their best finisher was Samuel Sanchez who was 8th overall. They were active though, particularly in the mountains where Igor Anton and Egoi Martinez were particularly strong.

Lampre-Merida failed to win a stage or achieve anything of note in the GC, however between Maximiliano Richeze, Diego Ulissi and Michele Scarponi they had six podium finishes. It comes after a similarly winless Tour de France, though they certainly went closer to landing a big result in this race. Similarly Garmin-Sharp failed to achieve any memorable results, they were seriously hampered when GC contender and potential stage winner, Dan Martin, crashed out of the race. However Tyler Farrar did finish the race and must be disappointed with his performances, coming 2nd on the final stage was respectable, but he had more speed than almost all the other sprinters in this race. With the way the team is morphing into a more GC oriented team, failing to win here won’t help him make future Grand Tour squads.

Neither Lotto Belisol nor Vacansoleil-DCM managed to achieve anything of note, though both teams saw their chances of doing so devastated by withdrawals. Lotto Belisol had only four finishers, their chances of success virtually disappearing when Bart de Clercq crashed out, prior to that De Clercq had been climbing with the favorites and looked good. Their best result came through Adam Hansen when he was one of the final survivors from the break, finishing 3rd on the climb of Pena Cabarga. Vacansoleil had even worse luck, with just three riders finishing the race. Juan Antonio Flecha was easily their most impressive performer, seemingly trying to roll back the years with attacks on almost every stage.

Vasil Kiryienka saved the race for Sky Procycling, their two Colombian climbers Sergio Henao and Rigoberto Uran, had been expected to feature as GC riders but just didn’t deliver. I am a big fan of both but they weren’t at their best.

 

Overall I think this was an enjoyable Vuelta, the GC race went right down to the last big stage, and it was a dramatic stage at that. This current formula they seem to use definitely creates some interesting finishes, with most of the action designed to happen towards the end of the race, when television pictures are live. If I have a gripe it’s the lack of variety, there were too many uphill finishes, particularly too many mountain finishes. I’m not arguing for more sprint stages, though another obvious sprint finish would likely have brought a different field of riders to the race. Instead I’d like more imagine finishes ,a descent to the line after a tough climb, a small uphill finish coming after a much bigger climb, with a nice descent in between. A substantial hill 25km from the finish, not enough to make it a GC only selection but favoring the opportunistic stage winners, use the winds more, basically just add more variety to the race. However that’s meant as constructive criticism rather than having a moan, I really enjoyed watching this Vuelta.

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2013 Vuelta a Espana: Notes From Stage Sixteen

Warren Barguil does it again, and this time it’s better

It was a fast and frenetic stage, lots of riders tried to get into the break, we had splits in the peloton and groups all over the road. However by the time the race was reaching the bottom of the final climb things had settled down. There was a lead group of of a little under 20 riders, a small chase group and a Euskaltel-Euskadi led peloton about 3:00 behind. A number of the breakaway riders were perfectly happy to sit in the group without working, so several riders decided that attacking was the smart move. After all there is no point dragging others to the finish, just so they can use their extra energy to win. Juan Manuel Garate (Belkin), Warren Barguil (Argos-Shimano) and Mikael Cherel (AG3R) went clear, but the move was ultimately closed down after work by Rigoberto Uran (Sky Procycling) and Dominik Nerz (BMC). On stage thirteen Barguil had been in a small group that was closed down by the rest of the break, as soon as the group was caught he jumped clear on his own and rode to victory. Well he repeated the trick here, as soon as the breakaway was all back together Warren Barguil attacked again, aided by inaction behind he was able to open up a 30 second gap on the lower slopes of the climb. Eventually Uran, Nerz and Bartosz Huzarski (NetApp-Endura) realized that their only chance of wining came from catching Barguil so they started to work, even so with 5km to go the gap was 38 seconds. With 1km to go Uran finally caught Barguil, who took the opportunity to sit on the Sky rider’s wheel, Uran wasn’t overly keen on this arrangement and tried to slow and force Barguil to pass him. However the sight of Nerz and Huzarski catching them spurred Uran into launching his sprint. Barguil was able to come out from behind him to pip Uran on the line, though he won by the smallest of margins. Barguil was forced to dig very deep to win that stage, it was a terrific performance, and beating Uran on a mountain finish is definitely a nice feather in his cap.

 

There is still life in the GC contest after all

A day after commenting that Nibali seemed to be comfortable and riding within himself, he goes and struggles on the final climb, losing a little time on all his rivals and looking vulnerable for the stages ahead. It was surprising, he has been slowly building form for the weeks ahead, but anyone can have a bad day. The conditions from the previous two stages were certainly enough to sap the energy from anyone, but with the improved weather and a rest day tomorrow, Nibali will hope to be back on form. If he isn’t then the GC race really does open up, it looks like the climb of L’Angliru on Saturday is going to be pivotal, which is the way it should be.

 

Looking ahead to Wednesday

Stage 17: Calahorra – Burgos
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On paper this looks like a sprint stage, true there are two classified climbs and a fair amount of the route is bumpy but the run in suits the sprinters teams. The question is, do we have any sprinters teams left? There are still sprinters of course but many of their teams have been drastically reduced in manpower. Michael Matthews and Leigh Howard (Orica GreenEDGE – 5 left), Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Sharp – 5), Gianni Meersman (Omega Pharma-Quick Step – 4), Maximiliano Richeze (Lampre-Merida – 8), Grega Bole (Vacansoleil-DCM – 4), Reinhardt Janse Van Rensburg and Nikias Arndt (Argos-Shimano – 8), Tosh Van Der Sande (Lotto Belisol – 4), Robert Wagner and David Tanner (Belkin – 4), Edvald Boasson Hagen ( Sky Procycling – 8), Adrian Petit (Cofidis – 8). Garmin, OPQS, Orica, Lotto, Belkin and Vacansoleil simply do not have the manpower to close down a break and then work for the sprint at the end. Argos Shimano have been willing to work in this race but with two wins already they won’t want to carry the rest, Cofidis will be happy if Edet can keep the KoM Jersey and probably wouldn’t work for a sprint. Neither Lampre or Sky have been prepared to overly commit to work for a sprint finish, but both teams have a contender and a need for a stage win to get anything out of this race. If those two don’t take it up then I don’t see the break being controlled on this stage.

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2013 Vuelta a Espana: Notes From Stage Thirteen

The break succeeds

Despite taking an age to escape the peloton, and failing to ever establish a large time gap, the break was able to stay clear and contest the stage win. It took about 70km for an 18 man break away to form, prior to that the racing had been faced paced and frantic as most teams attempted to get into the successful break. They had a lead of around 3:00 when it reached the Alto del Rat Penat, however strong riding by Michele Scarponi (Lampre-Merida) on the climb split them up and when some came back together on the descent it was down to 10 riders. Behind them Katusha had set a punishing pace on the climb, blowing the peloton apart and putting a lot of good riders under real pressure, including their own Dani Moreno. After the climb the peloton took a while to regroup and get organized, allowing some riders to rejoin them, though it was still only a 31 man peloton by the time it crossed the line. Ahead of them the 10 man break worked well and as it became increasingly clear they would fight for the stage win, they worked out which tactics suited them best. With a little under 8km to go, Jerome Coppel (Cofidis) and Egoi Martinez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) decided to go for a long attack, they were soon joined by Scarponi, all three believing their best chance came from riding away from the rest of the break. Bauke Mollema (Belkin) and Rinaldo Nocentini (AG2R) were the two likely winners if they all came to the end together. So it was they, along with Zabier Xandio (Sky Procycling) who worked hardest to bring the three leaders back, succeeding in doing so at the 2km to go mark. Coppel immediately attacked again, this time followed by Xandio, Nocentini and Warren Barguil (Argos-Shimano), once again they were caught but at the same time Barguil launched a solo attack. Perhaps he was underestimated, perhaps his companions were tired and hoping someone else would take up the chase, but either way they hesitated and that hesitation let Barguil build up a winning advantage. For Barguil there was no sense of hesitation or doubt, he simply went full throttle and landed a terrific victory. The 21 year old climber has a potentially glittering future, he has certainly looked the part throughout this race.

 

Looking ahead to stage fourteen, the race reaches the Pyrenees

Stage 14: Baga – Andorra
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The stage should see a rapid start, the opening 40km are downhill and a lot of riders will hope to make the break, KoM contenders in particular. At the 60km mark the riders face the Port de Envalira, an absolute brute of a climb at 26.7km, 5.2% with ramps up to 15%. The climb actually comes after a 20km uphill drag and at 2,410m is the highest point of this years race. It is followed by two more categorized climbs before the peloton reaches the final climb, the Collada de la Gallina, 7.2km long, 8% average gradient with a maximum of 15%. It made it’s debut in last years race and Alejandro Valverde won, beating Alberto Contador and Joaquim Rodriguez to the line. We can expect fireworks tomorrow, the Port de Envalira should provide a large initial selection and the final climb should see a battle between the top GC riders. There could be huge time differences on this stage, anyone who has a bad day has lost the race.

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2013 Vuelta a Espana Preview Six: The Young Riders

With injuries and tiredness taking their toll on team resources, a number of young riders are being given a chance in the Vuelta a Espana. The chance to experience riding in a Grand Tour or in some cases the opportunity to see what they can do as a more featured rider. Some of the riders highlighted in this preview are ones to watch for signs of their future potential, while others are candidates for a break out performance, something that shows they are ready for a much bigger role in 2014.

Before concluding my rider previews for the Vuelta I want to add a small disclaimer. The list isn’t intended to be totally comprehensive, I chose not to include every rider and that sometimes meant choosing one of a pair of similar riders from a team, based on form or history. I’m sure I’ve made a fair number of wrong choices when doing that but I set an arbitrary target of roughly five riders per team., and tried to stick to that.

 

Diego Ulissi – Lampre-Merida

Ulissi has shown he is a terrifically talented climber and a future GC contender. He could potentially ride for the GC here, testing whether he can hold up over three weeks, however he is riding with the Worlds in mind and will target stage wins instead. He impressed in Paris-Nice early in the season, finishing 7^th overall, with two 5^th place finishes and also showing he could time trial quite well. At the Tour de Pologne he was impressive winning the opening stage, a mountain top finish in the Dolomites. He will hope to repeat that feat in the Vuelta and is capable of doing so, particularly in the second half of the race.

 

Kenny Elissonde – FDJ

Elissonde has shown signs that he is settling at the professional level, now that he is near the end of his second season with FDJ. He was the best young rider, and 8^th overall, at the Tour of Oman, was consistently there or thereabouts in the Tour de Pologne, and 7^th overall and the best young rider in the recent Tour de l’Ain. This will be his Grand Tour debut and it’s too much to expect him to excel, still it will be worth watching how he copes with the grind of 21 stages and how competitive he is on these climbs. One for the future for sure.

 

Warren Barguil – Argos-Shimano

Warren Barguil is a gifted 21 year old French climber, it’s his first year as a professional cyclist and he is already the best GC threat for Argos-Shimano, though he is here for experience. After struggling initially he has started to settle in at this level, he finished 18^th overall in the Criterium Dauphine and 17^th in the Tour de Pologne. He was consistent in Poland, always finishing a little behind the top riders, always alongside other solid climbers. He showed stage winning talent in the mountains as a junior and the potential is certainly there for him to do that at this level in the future. Look for him to get a chance to attack in the mountains.

 

Michael Matthews – Orica-GreenEDGE

The 22 year old Australian sprinter comes into the Vuelta in terrific form, winning twice at the Tour of Utah and launching a terrific solo attack in the mountains to show how well he can climb. He is likely to support Howard in the bunch sprints but will be a good option himself, and should be a contender on the tougher sprint stages when Howard is more likely to be dropped.

 

Mikel Landa – Euskaltel-Euskadi

Landa is a highly regarded young Spanish climber. Having made his Grand Tour debut in last year’s Vuelta he returns with an expanded role in 2013, and should have the freedom to attack in the mountains. The 23 year old has hit some good form in the last month, finishing 6^th in the Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian and 6^th overall in the Vuelta a Burgos.

 

Dominik Nerz – BMC

The 23 year old German climber has taken a small step forward in 2013, his first year with the BMC team. He has been more noticeable than before in the World Tour stage races, with his best performance coming in the recent Tour de Pologne, finishing 13^th overall and climbing quite well. I’d expect to see him attack on some of the mountain stages, he finished 3^rd on a stage of the 2011 Vuelta and has the potential to do better than that.

 

Nikias Arndt – Argos-Shimano

Nikias Arndt recorded his first stage win with Argos Shimano in the recent Arctic Tour of Norway, and was 3^rd the following day. Those results will give the 21 year old German a lot of confidence and mark the high point of his first year as a professional cyclist. He is a rider of considerable promise and should get the chance to show that promise in the bunch sprints, though it’s likely he will be the lead out man, rather than the sprinter for most of them.

 

Daniele Ratto – Cannondale

Ratto, 23, is a gifted opportunistic sprinter, who is at his best on the uphill sprints and tough finishes. Although he is yet to win in 2013, he has recorded five top 5 finishes in World Tour races, all in uphill sprints or from a select group after a hilly parcours. Most recently he impressed with another two top 5 finishes in the Vuelta a Burgos, a 2.HC event with a strong lineup, once again both were on uphill sprints.

 

Barry Markus – Vacansoleil-DCM

Another very promising young sprinter, the 22 year old Markus has yet to win as a professional. However he has had a string of podium and top five finishes, often amongst and ahead of world class sprinters, the wins will surely come. This is his first Grand Tour and he is here for the experience of competing in the bunch sprints, Grega Bole will be the teams sprinter on the tougher sprint stages.

 

Guillaume Boivin – Cannondale

Boivin should combine with Ratto, Haedo and Dall’Antonio to give the Cannondale team a strong presence in all the sprints. The young Canadian is in his first season at the World Tour level and will be making his Grand Tour debut. He has mostly served as a lead out man with Cannondale but should have his chance as a sprinter in this race, though it’s a role he will share with the others.

 

Adrien Petit – Cofidis

A 22 year old sprinter, Petit is a highly regarded talent but this race is likely a year too soon for him. He may not complete the race but he will benefit hugely from the experience of riding in a Grand Tour. He should share sprint duties with the much more experienced Stephane Poulhies.

 

David de la Cruz – NetApp-Endura

The young Spanish climber should be very active in the mountains. The German team has come to attack and get plenty of attention, so l expect to see a lot of De la Cruz and fellow climber Jose Mendes, as they try and go with breaks in the mountains.

 

Andy Fenn – Omega Pharma-Quick Step

The 23 year old Scottish sprinter is making his Grand Tour debut, and hunting for his first win of the season. It’s a big step up for him, but also a great learning experience and he will likely have the support of the team for the flat bunch sprints.

 

Tosh Van der Sande

Another young sprinter, he will likely be used in the sprint train supporting Gregory Henderson, but he might also be given a chance to sprint himself.

 

Sebastian Lander – BMC

Lander is a versatile young rider who is making his Grand Tour debut in his first year with BMC. He has some speed as a finisher and can handle the punchy climbs, he will be working for others here but one to watch for if he is given the chance to go in a break. It’s too early in his career to expect him to shine but we could see glimpses of his talent.

 

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Related articles

• 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)