Author: Alex
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All I know about Alessandro De Marchi
Alessandro De Marchi was out in the break a handful of times during the Tour de France. He didn’t win. On stage seven of the Vuelta, he spent the day in the break again. This time he did win. I put ‘de marchi’ into Google translate and it came up ‘de brands’. Alex of Brands.…
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Alejandro Valverde adds to the uncertainty
I love the Vuelta. I really, really love the Vuelta. I’ve been thinking this a lot recently and can’t put my finger on precisely why I enjoy it so much more than other races. Sometimes it’s best not to scrutinise these things lest you inadvertently dissipate the magic, but one thing I’ve concluded is that…
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It can be hard to get round John Degenkolb
It was another sprint finish and another John Degenkolb win. Nacer Bouhanni managed to stay in the front group, but couldn’t get round the German at the finish. Bouhanni says this was because Degenkolb was in his way. More accurately, he tried to overtake where there was little room when he could just as easily…
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John Degenkolb v Michael ‘Bling’ Matthews
John Degenkolb and Michael Matthews are suited to similar sorts of stages, but yet I much, much prefer the former. Why? I’ve given it some thought and I think it boils down to name, appearance and interests. Name Michael Matthews’ nickname is ‘Bling’. I might be alone in this, but I find that spectacularly annoying.…
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Michael Matthews can sort-of-sprint and sort-of-climb
There was much dicking about in captain’s hats and aeroplane cockpits at the start of the day, with the stage beginning aboard The Don Juan Carlos I aircraft carrier. The ship managed to remain afloat despite being subjected to the weight of Carlos Betancur, but later on kilograms proved more of an issue with the…
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Nacer Bouhanni is the Vuelta sprinter
Grand Tour sprint days have had a surprisingly small cast this year. Marcel Kittel started the Giro as if he was going to win every single flat stage. Then, when he dropped out of the race, Nacer Bouhanni took over. In the Tour, Kittel again looked totally dominant and while he actually waned a bit,…
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Dan martin and Garmin-Sharp survive the team time trial
Garmin have crashed in three out of the last four Grand Tour team time trials. Dan Martin, whose season was built around the Giro d’Italia, saw about five minutes of that three-week race after slipping on a manhole cover and breaking his collarbone on the very first day. Here at the Vuelta, he at least…
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Eight pairs to watch in the 2014 Vuelta a Espana
There aren’t enough race previews binding riders together into twos. Let’s be honest, all the best things come in pairs. Also Twixes. The Chrises – Chris Horner and Chris Froome Horner won last year. Froome’s one of the big favourites to win this year. What more do you need to know? Horner’s age, maybe? He’s…
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Devastating news about Domenico Pozzovivo
The Vuelta just lost a very small amount of its lustre. Our favourite rider, Domenico Pozzovivo, has had to pull out. His season’s over after a feline encounter on a training ride. At 1m65 and 53kg, Pozzovivo isn’t exactly a big bloke. You would however think that he’d come out the better of the two…
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Who’s riding the Vuelta?
Who ISN’T riding the Vuelta? The Spanish Grand Tour is generally a back-up plan or secondary target for the very best riders, which means the line-up can be a bit hit and miss. This year, for various reasons, it seems to have secured one of the strongest fields seen in any race in years. There’s…