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Vuelta a Espana: Stage 2 preview

Fabio Aru is close behind overall leader Tom Dumolin heading into the penultimate stage of la Vuelta a Espana (Team Sky)
Roar Guru
22nd August, 2015
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After the complete farce which was Stage 1, today’s test gets us back to some form of normality.

If you are a keen viewer of the Tour de France, you will be aware that usually the first week of a Grand Tour is fairly flat, and a gift for the sprinters. The Vuelta organisers though do things a little differently, though this time in a positive way.

Stage 2 will see the riders cover just under 160 kilometres before reaching the first hill top finish of the tour. With riders arriving at the race coming off different preparations, do not be surprised to see a few of the general classification contenders struggle early on in the race before they find form.

The riders will leave the urban city of Alhaurin de la Torre and travel over lumpy roads before the hit the first of two category three climbs on today’s route after 113 kilometres of racing.

The first of the two categorised climbs, the Alto de Ardales is a 5 kilometre climb at just over four per cent, with the last one and a half kilometres of the climb increasing in gradient to over 6 per cent. The climb is crested with 45 kilometres to go, and may be the first launching pad for riders to attack from the peloton.

The riders will the descend for 25 kilometres before they hit the first intermediate sprint of the tour at Av. Pablo Ruiz Picaso. By this point, the riders will be within the final 20 kilometres of the stage, and they will be preparing themselves for the final test on today’s stage, the Alto de la Mesa.

This category three climb, averages out at around 8 per cent for three and a half kilometres before finishing in Carminto del Rey. If this was any other Grand Tour, this would most certainly be a category 2 climb.

The first general classification day for mine could really show who has it, and who does not. Riders out of the tour will need to be in top form to make as much time as they can before the start to fatigue in the final week.

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Therefore, the stage contenders you would think should be the main general classification favourites.

Two Spaniards in Alejandro Valverde and Joaquim Rodriguez are perfectly suited to a stage like this and are both coming off impressive results at the Tour de France.

With the poor performance of Alexander Kristoff, Rodriguez saved the Tour for Katusha, taking two stage winsl one up the Mur de Huy on Stage 3, and on Stage 12 up Plateau de Beille. Rodriguez once again used the Tour to find form for another assualt at finally finishing a Grand Tour on the top step of the podium.

For Valverde though, his role at the Tour was to support Quintana’s tilt at the overall classification. In doing so though, Valverde rode himself onto the podium on general classification for the first time in his career.

He comes to the Vuelta with confidence and a drive to succeed in his homeland.

The final name on my favourites list is someone who throughout his career has disappointed many, but with his reported move to Etixx-Quickstep giving him new life, Dan Martin will be looking to get back to his best in a race he has done well at in the past. Last year, Martin finished in seventh and will be looking to better that performance here.

However, with such a strong field attending, we may see him look at stage wins as more of a goal than a high performance on the general classification.

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Other riders to look out for today include Chris Froome, Vincenzo Nibali, Fabio Aru, Esteban Chaves, Domenico Pozzovivo, Tejay van Gardaren, Daniel Navarro, Nairo Quintana, Louis Meintjes, Andrew Talansky, Pierre Roland, Lawson Craddock and Rafal Majka.

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