The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

2013 Vuelta a Espana: Stage 10 live updates, blog

Expert
2nd September, 2013
54

Stage 10 will begin in Torredelcampo before passing through Granada and concluding at Guejar Sierra atop the Alto Hazallanas. Join me tonight from midnight for what will be one of the most pivotal stages of this year’s Vuelta a Espana.

People so often label the Vuelta a Espana as the ‘lesser’ of the Grand Tours and this is sad for them, because I suspect these same people miss out on the action packed drama that makes this three week trek around Spain so fabulous to watch.

You can take your Tour de France with its winner in yellow for 20 of the 21 stages.

You can also take your Tour de France with the green jersey awarded to a rider who barely wins a sprint.

You can take your Tour de France with your polka dot jersey with its invisible winner.

What you can’t take away from the Vuelta is action packed excitement.

The overall winner of the Maillot Rojo is not decided early.

The riders often ask themselves, are we bike riders or monkeys on display for a public baying for the spectacle of multiple gradients well in the double figures?

Advertisement

Riders by the end of today may well be asking this question.

Today’s 186km stage is tagged as ‘the first of the mountain stages.’ Hmm, I’m not sure about you but I do seem to recall seeing a few mountains already at this year’s Vuelta. Then again, I have a head cold and am as juiced up on cold and flu tablets now, as Armstrong was for all seven of his TdF ‘wins’. I may even be hallucinating. Something fellow Roarers I hope I don’t do during tonight’s call.

Back to the preview, so, there officially will be mountains today.

I have vertigo just looking at tonight’s stage profile.

There are two sprints, about 6 km apart near the beautiful city of Granada. Once these have been fought the stage really then becomes all about the GC contenders.

It is in the final 36km that the riders are going to be in world of climbing pain, unless of course you are a mountain goat. Then, this could well be heaven.

The Alto Monachil has an average gradient of 7% but some parts in the middle are around 15%. It is 8.5km to the top and once summited, riders will make a left hand turn and then go immediately into the final climb of the day.

Advertisement

The Alto de Monachil is a 15.8km ride and it’s really only the last 8km that are steep. But, it’s steep. It has an average gradient of 9% and the best way to get to an average gradient of 9% is to have some sections at 18%.

Today should be an incredibly important stage before heading into a well earned rest day tomorrow.

If any of the GC contenders have a bad day today it could well be game over for overall victory. Today is not a day to wakeup with average legs.

Join me from 00:00 AEST for live coverage of Stage 10 of the Vuelta a Espana.

close