2019 Vuelta; spoilers!

[Brucey]

The 2019 Vuelta starts tomorrow with an 18km TTT. You can keep abreast of the action most easily by watching the hour-long highlights show on ITV4 each day. This is due to be broadcast late evening on weekends but reverts to a more familiar 7pm slot on weekdays. It is repeated the following morning.

There are complete stats for the race (including detailed maps of the stage routes) here
https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/vuelta-a-espana/2019/overview

The Vuelta is never that predictable; it normally gains more than its fair share of first time stage winners and first time grand tour winners. This year its even less certain than normal, in fact its due to be the most open Vuelta in years. Its the first time (ever? -certainly for a long time) that there hasn't been a former TdF winner on the start list.

On world ranking you would have to fancy Primoz Roglic, but there are plenty of others including Kruijswijk, Valverde, Fuglsang, Lopez, Quintana etc who are hungry for the win and have the talent/team to back it up.

cheers

[mjr]

10pm-11pm highlights on itv4 tomorrow and Sunday, then 7pm and I suspect that will include next weekend and all weekdays unless football gets in the way.

Live coverage is on Eurosport 1 (free in German by satellite) Sat 1750-2000, then other days from 1400 for the forseeable.

Uran v Chavez, I hope!

[Spinners]

From Cycling Weakly - "Tao Geoghegan Hart and Wout Poels will lead the line for Team Ineos at the Vuelta a España 2019"

I really wasn't expecting that.

[Spinners]

Opening TTT - Two words;

Salt.

Water.

[Spinners]

Oh. And how fast was that sunset?!!

[Redvee]

Opening TTT - Two words;

Car Crash

From the stage recon
https://twitter.com/laflammerouge16/sta ... 7430582272

[reohn2]

Opening TTT - Two words;

Salt.

Water.

Incredible innit?
Whaaatttt were the organisers thinking of

[RickH]

Opening TTT - Two words;

Salt.

Water.

Whilst the salt only really appeared as a background feature. The water definitely shook things up with Jumbo Visma (& another team - UAE?) emulating the Euskadi Murias team car & coming a cropper on a bend - due to water on the road near the finish, blamed on a hosepipe!

I liked David Millar's comment on the ITV4 coverage that it was bad for the team but potentially good for the race, with the pre-race favourite and his team now playing catchup. Without the accident he speculated that they might have got the red jersey on the first day & taken it all the way to Madrid.

[Spinners]

Viva Columbia! A cheeky little move by Nairo Quintana - I didn't know he had it in him.

[Brucey]

I thought the race would not be predictable but two stages in there's been as much excitement as you might get in five or more stages in other races. What nobody has said on TV is the likelihood of the water being on the TT course like that, just before the pre-race favourite team is due through being an accident....hmmm....

Quintana is out of Movistar soon and he almost certainly has fewer team orders and no particular reason to take much notice of those there are, either. The 'Condor of the Andes' can fly free again; he seems to be riding without inhibition of any kind, and it shows!

Nico Roche in the leader's jersey; after the year he had last year this is just what he needs to put his cycling career back on track.

It is quite unprecendented in a major tour for the first road stage to produce such large time gaps; Teo GH must be absolutely gutted, and other teams have not fared well either.

cheers

[reohn2]

Viva Columbia! A cheeky little move by Nairo Quintana - I didn't know he had it in him.

I was beginning to wonder myself

[reohn2]

I thought the race would not be predictable but two stages in there's been as much excitement as you might get in five or more stages in other races. What nobody has said on TV is the likelihood of the water being on the TT course like that, just before the pre-race favourite team is due through being an accident....hmmm....

Well I dont't like saying it..... .......so I won't

Quintana is out of Movistar soon and he almost certainly has fewer team orders and no particular reason to take much notice of those there are, either. The 'Condor of the Andes' can fly free again; he seems to be riding without inhibition of any kind, and it shows!

Nico Roche in the leader's jersey; after the year he had last year this is just what he needs to put his cycling career back on track.

It is quite unprecendented in a major tour for the first road stage to produce such large time gaps; Teo GH must be absolutely gutted, and other teams have not fared well either.

cheers

I can't disagree with any of that

[cycleruk]

How there wasn't a crash in the final sprint yesterday I don't know.
Twitching of frames and riders from side to side a couple of times I thought they were a goner.
Average speed for the day over 26 mph and goodness knows what the speed is in the sprint.
Well done Sam Bennet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHqtdRNatdw

[Brucey]

it could hardly have been closer in yesterday's stage, almost two in a row for Bennet.

What are the odds on Quintana taking the jersey today? I shall find out later...

cheers

[NATURAL ANKLING]

HI,
After the tdf winner being so young.
With no less than 50 riders in the running for best young rider this year in the veulta, its early days.