Vuelta a España

[ariadneoliver]

Lots of info and links here: www.steephill.tv/vuelta-a-espana/#route-map

The official site is here: www.lavuelta.com/14/en/index.html

No Chris Horner this year so new champ beckons

1 Saturday, August 23 12.6 km
Jerez de la Frontera

2 Sunday, August 24 174 km
Algeciras ? San Fernando

3 Monday, August 25 188 km
Cádiz ? Arcos de la Frontera

4 Tuesday, August 26 173 km
Mairena del Alcor ? Córdoba

5 Wednesday, August 27 182 km
Priego de Córdoba ? Ronda

6 Thursday, August 28 158 km
Benalmádena ? La Zubia

7 Friday, August 29 165 km
Alhendín

8 Saturday, August 30 207 km
Baeza ? Albacete

9 Sunday, August 31 181 km
Carboneras de Guadazaón ? Aramón Valdelinares

R Monday, September 1
Rest day
10 Tuesday, September 2 34.5 km
Real Monasterio de Santa María de Veruela ? Borja

11 Wednesday, September 3 151 km
Pamplona ? Santuario de San Miguel de Aralar

12 Thursday, September 4 168 km
Logroño ? Logroño

13 Friday, September 5 182 km
Belorado ? Obregón. Parque de Cabárceno

14 Saturday, September 6 199 km
Santander ? La Camperona. Valle de Sábero

15 Sunday, September 7 149 km
Oviedo ? Lagos de Covadonga

16 Monday, September 8 159 km
San Martín del Rey Aurelio ? La Farrapona. Lago de Somiedo

R Tuesday, September 9
Rest day
17 Wednesday, September 10 174 km
Ortigueira ? Coruña

18 Thursday, September 11 174 km
A Estrada ? Mont Castrove. Meis

19 Friday, September 12 177 km
Salvaterra do Miño ? Cangas do Morrazo

20 Saturday, September 13 0 km
Santo Estevo de Ribas de Sil ? Puerto de Ancares

21 Sunday, September 14 10 km
Santiago de Compostela ? Santiago de Compostela. El Final del Camino

Total Distance 3018 km

So pour a glass of Sangria, kick back and enjoy!

That was an exciting day. Pity about the weather. This is supposed to be sunny Spain

No wifi Pan? See you in a few stages

Love Betancur's attitude: 'I may be fat but I'm still better than you lot'. ]bike]

bit of wi-fi but not enough to go follow the lycra boys for a week. Adios amigas.

For Betancur -and for me, if I am being honest....

I'll be near the start of stage 4 canutes I'll send them on their way to you!

All change at the top, congrats to Tony Martin (he won a time trial who would have guessed!) Lets hope Quintana can make back some time in the mountains I want to see a battle to the end.

ShutUpLegs I need a pair of those too

Quintana's fall was nasty. Glad he's OK. Contador still isn't out of reach, so there should be a mighty battle for the overall & the podium. It will get interesting in the mountains.

Froome was disappointing today.

That was some time trial, usually they're a bit dull, and Tony Martin always wins.

I thought Froome was going to fall off too at one point, he never really inspires confidence that he's going to stay upright.

Looking forward to the mountains, and the Tour of Britain starts Sunday too, so not going to be any time for watching any telly that isn't cycling!

I chuck virtual tomatoes at the screen & mutter las drogas whenever Contador is doing well. I just can't warm to him. And his diction is so ruddy meandering (I understand some Spanish). I hope that Valverde & Quintana launch constant attacks in the next few days to make C's life Hell, I don't think Contador has excellent lieutenant climbers unlike Froome or VAlverde/Quintana. So C will be quite exposed.

Poor Quintana really is a rubbish descender, though I don't know how any of them have the nerve for it.

I think my new crush is on Winner Anacona (I'll just pretend I'm 20 yrs younger).

TOB starts on Sunday, eek!!

Poor Nairo - although he did try the "my brakes failed" defense which was amusing as they clearly didn't. You overshot the corner while fiddling with your shoe.

I am so torn about Contador - i am always about him re the beef issue and the past connections with the dodgy Dr but he is always an entertaining and inventive rider with superb tactical nous. On balance, I am not a fan but I am not as hard-line anti as I once was.

Winner and Ryder have to be the best name for professional bike riders!

I echo your thoughts about Quintana SUL.

I'm so cynical. Every time I see a rider go away uphill like everybody else is going backwards is viewed with suspicion, and that just isn't healthy. I look at the box and say out loud, which is pointless, as I live alone, "I wonder if he's eating steak whilst the others are on bread and water?"

I want to change my attitude but can't until the shadow of positive drug tests are way behind us.

Agree with you, DoctorTwo. I don't like being suspicious, and I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, but those suspicions are there, unfortunately. On the plus side, apparently there were no positive tests at the TdeF, so a step in the right direction, hopefully.

ShutUpLegs I feel the same way about Contador. I have a grudging admiration for him. Vastly prefer him to Valverde, anyway.

Quintana's brakes failed? Yeah right

Mucho respect to Froome today. He was clearly suffering but wasn't going to give up. I fear he may pay for those efforts in the days to come.

I'm away at a family get-together at the weekend, so will miss both the Vuelta, the ToB and the US Open finals. My Sky+ will be busy.

And then Nairo does genuinely get unlucky. Poor guy. I welled up when I saw him close to tears. He always seems so small, I kind of want to cuddle him.

Its been a mad season for the loss of the big contenders in all the Grand Tours.

Agree re Froome, he doesn't give up and he isn't a diva - he just ground away at that hill. But he really doesn't look on form at all.

Btw, have you seen that Cav will be riding ToB?

My 16 year old is very excited about Kittel riding the ToB, no idea why We have successfully indoctrinated her, came down this morning at 6.15 (which is when she needs to get up for school) to find her fully dressed and watching yesterday's Vuelta highlights!

DH and I are going to watch it go through Berkshire ("shall we ride there?" asks Mr 50 Mile Ride. "No" says me who pootles around flat bits of town) and then go to London for the last two stages. DD wants to go to the Camberley start on Saturday because obviously she'll be in school on the Friday.

I'm trying to indoctrinate mine, have offered to let them bunk off school if they want to come and watch part of stage 4 with me. Sadly it's not working, their either not that into it or they are more rule abiding than I was at their age

They're not their, obviously....

That was an uphill finish with everything, if you didn't see the race do catch the highlights!

And the Tour of Britain starts. Which segues nicely into the Vuelta coverage.

Wowsers - yesterday was a fabulous stage. DH and I were bellowing at the highlights package.

Rode 50 km this morning and am now having to out my user-name into action! Been working all afternoon so am now off to catch up on ToB action.

Its very quiet round here without Pan innit....

I know, we really shouldn't let pan takes breaks during grand tours.

That final climb yesterday was brutal. Todays looks bad too. I could see Froome just going steady when Bertie and Valverde shot ahead and thought he'd reel them in by just being steady and not reacting. He'll probably do the same today and tomorrow to beat them both and hopefully lead the race.

He's still not easy to like though, unlike Bradders.

Ok, Gloucestershire county council have now realised there's a major bike tour coming through this week and announced emergency road repairs. I drove over part of the route yesterday and was sorely tempted to stop and photograph what they've done! Raggedy edged holes are now raggedy mounds - don't think it's helped at all, I hope the riders are ready for a bumpy ride.

The rugby season has restarted so I missed today's Vuelta and ToB, lots of catch up to watch.

Just catching up, vuelta getting very interesting, tour of Britain should be good and Jensie going for hour record on 18 th september. According to jens Vogt facts on twitter time itself has started altitude training.

blimey, anyone else seen the slapfest?