Villafranco del Bierzo › Villablino (200.5km)
The mountains continue with an extensive stage that includes 2,876 m of positive gradient spread over 200 km. The longest day of the Vuelta.
It’s a strange section, with two big passes and the first 100 km of constant ascent. The last peak is reached 16 km from the finish. Let’s take a look at the climbs:
Nothing noteworthy.
Nothing remarkable, but longer.
These are not really climbs that have anything to analyze. On this type of climb, barring a bad day, none of the favorites will lose time. What’s more, it would be logical for them to climb at a good pace, as happened in the stage won by Castrillo.
Climate
Fresh, with some tailwind at the start and crosswind at the end.
Favorites
With these gradients, today’s punishment and what’s coming on Sunday, it’s normal for the bosses to stay still or, after some attempt to check that no one is going wrong, to stay calm. But it wouldn’t be surprising if someone jumped near the top to force something on the descent. Either way, no one is going to work hours for that, so the victory will go to the breakaway. The rollers and puncheurs have the advantage here and we’ll mention a few:
*Jhonatan Narvaez:
He is fit, can handle these steep slopes and has a powerful sprint. INEOS will put a domestique in the breakaway to help him control.
*Mauro Schmid: He’s been very active lately, he has the motor for this type of match. He hit the post two days in a row, maybe he’ll pay for it here.
*Harold Tejada: Lots of legs, little tactics and confidence. The Colombian is playing a leading role but is not quite putting his efforts together.
*Max Poole: Another one with legs, he has been on the verge of triumph in recent days.
*Mauri Vansevenant: He came close in two breakaways and has the class and speed to finish.
*Wout van Aert: He may have made a mistake today by breaking away because of the difficulty of the climb. Tomorrow’s stage is ideal for him, he will probably be in the break, but he could pay the price and everyone will be racing against him. If he wants the mountain classification, in addition to the points, the wear and tear will be even greater.
*Mathias Vacek:
With gentle climbs and the legs of the first few days, it can be a real surprise.
*Favorites: If they arrive in a group, Roglic wins.
Prediction
In big tours, those who ride repeat the adventure over and over again. Jhonatan Narvaez.
Pablo Palermo
Join the International Cycling WhatsApp channel
Enter our Telegram forum
You can find us on Instagram
Don’t miss #CiclismoInterTV on YouTube
Do you like what we do? Follow us on @CiclismoInter
Join us on Facebook: International Cycling
Copyright © 2012-2024 International Cycling. All Rights Reserved
I like this:
I like Charging…
