La Vuelta (Tour of Spain) and The Tour of Britain

[Pan]

Taking a leaf out of my new biking hero Sylvan Chavanel, it seemed a good idea to lead from the front.
Vuelta starts this Saturday, and many of the usual suspects will be in there. The course looks quite climby, so Team Sky have opted for their Columbian rider Sergio Henoa Montoya as leader, tho' an old warrior will be the sprint king.
Useful links are:
A course guide
and
The Start List by Team
As far as I can tell, Eurosport are carrying live action and ITV4 are showing highlights, tho I think that may well be from the action the day before.
The Tour of Britain starts the day the Vuelta ends, 15th September.

Sooo, if you like most things in lycra and whizzing along a road, this is the place for you. As NicholasTeacozy reckons, it's like chess on hundreds of wheels. If you're intrigued but don't know your peloton from your domestique, drop in and someone will no doubt help out.

HalfMum I have found the pick a good corner on the steepest part of the course a good tactic, although finding somewhere high with a good view of the road they are coming up on also works well. We did Caerphilly mountain last year and had a good bit of watching them up the hill although on a bit of hill I found trouble standing upright on they still fair flew past! Plus there was a good size crowd so there was banter with the different groups. We watched in the Brecon Beacons once and had a great view of miles of road they were coming along, it was desperately exciting watching the groups of riders appearing way away. For this google earth is truly your friend.

Unfortunately ds' club is running a 10 mile TT on Sunday (have you seen the weather forecast?! ) and then he has a rugby game (and he missed training last week as he had an Omnium) in the afternoon, so we can't get down to Peebles.

He is most pissed off.

Actually I seem to remember you doing Caerphilly from the thread last year. My boss didn't let me have the day off so I missed the start at Machynlleth, but it rained like mad.

The weather does not look great for this years event.

I will take your advice then re hills etc. DS's school are in the middleofnowheresville so there won't be any crowds. Pen-y-pass will be busy and more fun. hmm

When watched in the beacons a few years ago it was literally horizontal rain for hours and hours and it was still a great day. When the riders went past they just looked amazing sleek and so healthy looking. Wiggins was there and I swear he actually glowed even though he must have been soaked through for a couple of hours by then. My friend came with us and we all drove home with dog fleeces wrapped round our legs, we were so wet we really didn't care and took our trousers off!

Sounds brilliant Lost.

Shame Prettybird, a lovely damp and windy start in scotland would have been nice (character building).

Anyone been to the time trial?

Tour of Britain

To resume domestique duties and do a nice, seamless switch over from Madrid to Peebles...
Here is the Start List for our very own Tour, (though there may be some late amendments), with Cav being led out by his old adversary Petachi.
and
Here is the Route

Quintana is in there, though you do wonder if it's hilly enough to show his premium, and Lord Wiggo of Wiggoland is probably looking at the course full of anticipation.

Of course we are still minding the 3 second Iberian gap, but that's going to be dealt with in the next few hours!

You spoil me Pan

It's the life of a domestique.

Pleased for Sky's win yesterday, they've had a pretty lackluster Vuelta.

That's funny, I'm more worried about Astana being a team of cheats so Nibali implicated heavily. To be doing so well after his very long year, too. Whereas Horner's performance with fresh legs and very very tactical thinking is totally believeable to me. Horner was allowed to get ahead early in the Vuelta because he wasn't seen as a threat (in same way that Wiggins was suddenly & unexpectedly podium potential in one of his early TdFs). Hmmmm.... But I find Nibali very likeable, so hope I'm wrong.

Why aren't we talking about Nico Roche? Talk about plucky tryer! Too bad Flecha hasn't done much of late.

Yes, from the snippets I like Nibali's interview style - and also yes to finding Horner's style almost as 'smooth' as his riding style.

fwiw, both Eurosport and ITV 4 are carrying live action of ToB, with highlights later.
Tomorrow Eurosport and Eurosport2 are sharing the two stages incl. the required overlap.

Wonderful, full tummy, glass of red and Jens on ITV4

I have really enjoyed listening to the different pronunciations of Nibali thought the tour, same with Astana (ass-ta-naaaa at one point) with some interesting variations on Boassen Hagen at times too. Shame Geraint wasn't in too, full house then.

Oh My God, may I say now and for all time I think Horner is an awful toss pot. What an embarassmet that man is, too much time around LA for sure. Urk.

Looking forward to watching with Jens commenting later (recorded).

Also not keen on Horner, Lost. Just something not quite right about him.

I am a bit too excited about TOB. Just ridden part of the route. Just to check it is ok for them. It was lovely and dry, which it won't be on Wed.

That was very kind of you

It's tricky to not intertwine Horner's obv. knobishness with his excellent performance with his association with LA with his superb riding style with his beating a thoroughly nice Nibali with his success at his age with his knobish address to the universe with, erm..anything else really.

Missed a lot on this thread over the last few days - you lot have been chatty!

I'm another one who's not a Horner fan. I'll admit I was impressed at first because I thought he was doing well for an "old" guy - but have changed my mind. Agree with everything that Pan said ^^ really.

It's been a great tour for Nico Roche - we've been rooting for him in our (half-Irish) house. I enjoyed Kiriyenka's victory for Sky the other day as well, glad they got something out of the Tour.

LostInWales I've been amused by the various pronunciations too - Sean Kelly on Eurosport calls Nibali "Nibbly" which I think is very funny .

So now we're onto the Tour of Britain - can't wait!!

The battle today was titanic in the swirling mists, wasn't it? It was almost gladiatorial.

I did though spare a thought for hoping the podium girls' hair wouldn't frizz up in all of that moisture.

I was just coming on to say what LostInWales said but she beat me to it. I get that he won, but as Jens said "it's just a bike race" - that speech at the end was just awful.

Endoplastic that speech at the end had me shouting at the TV and then remembering the euphoric 90's and waiting, and hoping, for the test results .

His riding up the last few kilometres was beautiful, he looked so loose and free like he could go on for ever and Nibali looked so tight and tired. It was amazing to watch with all the mist. Poor French rider winning the stage and being so overshadowed but Jens was brilliant, 'It's just a race' indeed.

Pan you obviously know me, hair frizz in those conditions can be tragic.

I also felt his 'collapse' at the end seemed so contrived. He totally had an eye for the watching cameras.

yes the collapse was pretty unconvincing I thought. He was clear voiced in asking for assistance in getting up.
As anachronistic as 'the girls' are, hair frizz isn't funny I have been told. Regularly.

The speach. We all love a non assuming hero. Agree with Pan, Nibali is just such a nice guy.

Also hoping for similar crowds and police with batons beating them back on the way up Snowdon next week.

Bummer. Up early on Sunday morning ok, 7.15 but that's early aiming to leave the house at 8.05 (ds' Time Trial at 9.33) and at 8.00 it's cancelled due to horrendous weather and standing water.

Weather apparently still ok in Peebles - but wind and rain progressing quickly in that direction. Ds making noises about "Can we go to Drumlanrig then?" but is being told that his rugby game is still on and it's not weather I want to spectate a cycle race in