Vuelta Espania a race for climbers this year..
30 July 2010
photo: Chantal Ton (Andy at the prologue of the Vuelta 2009)
Andy will participate in the Vuelta Espania this year and he is determined to do it better than last year. Last year he had to abandon the race because of illness and now he is ready to be there for is brother. Andy will be by his brother side as he gets back on the bike after his crash in the Tour de France.
This year the 75th Vuelta is starting in Seville. To keep the Spanish viewers watching the telly in the afternoon and not going for a siesta, the organizations has to do something to keep the viewers in front of the telly. So the question can be, what color is the leaders jersey this year, well last year it was gold and this year it will be red. So the viewers have to pay attention, do not look for a gold jersey in the peloton but a red one. There are also some changes in the parcour.
Just like in the Tour there will be more mountain stages. It´s going to be a race for the better climbers, with four finished on top of a mountain. With two mountains they never climb in the Vuelta. One up-hill finish is in the second to last stage, so anything can happen in the end.
What's also different this round then other years, well, the first stage in Seville will be a team time trial in the night. This will be the first time a big race has done this. Why do they do this, to be different then other races? Or they want to try something new? Well in fact there is a simple reason for that. The high temperatures. It can be really hot in the middle of the day in Spain, so they will wait for the more comfortable summer evenings.
For the riders who attempt to do some criteria in august have a good chance. Criteria are always in the evening, so they can be in a advantage position.
Andy is in luck, has he has proven that he has better himself in the time trial, there is only one in the Vuelta, a flat one of 46k. The other stages with no mountains will be hilly. Not much flat, so it's not really a race for sprinters this year. The sprinter who can survive a climb got the biggest chance to be successful.
The total distance the riders have to ride is about 3354k.spread over 21 stages. The longest stage is the one from Vilanova i la Geltrú to Vallnord on Wednesday September the 8th, a stage of 208 k. one that will end up-hill.
The Queen stage will be on Monday and goes from Gijon to Cotobello. 181.4 k, finish on top of the mountain. With climbs of the first category. Maybe a stage for Andy or Frank.
Who will be the contenders of Andy and who will be in the Saxo team? The team has not be selected jet and the full starting list isn't known jet. But Mentjov is one of the names that is already on the list. Someone the Schleck brothers have look out for, he knows the Vuelta, he won it twice.
Check the site now and then for updates......
more info on:
Official Vuelta a Espana website
Vuelta a Espana 2010 route details
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