Category: Vuelta a Espana
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Resting and recovering between Grand Tours
One of the basic principles of cycling training is that you don’t improve while you ride – you improve while you rest. Following a tough block of writing, I’m going to ease off a bit in the hope of being in good form come the Vuelta a Espana, which will start on the 24th of…
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Which bike races actually matter?
There are a billion bike races, but few people know which ones really matter. Everyone knows the Tour de France, but beyond that people are generally a bit lost. There’s a dim awareness of the Giro d’Italia (“It’s like the Tour de France, only in Italy”) and the Vuelta a Espana (“It’s like the Tour…
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Joaquim Rodriguez and glorious failure
The three leaders finished stage 20 in reverse order, but it didn’t affect the standings. Joaquim Rodriguez made a valiant attempt to snatch back the red jersey, but couldn’t recoup the time he lost when the Great God Numb-Nuts visited him on stage 17 and demanded that he do His bidding. One dosy moment and…
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Denis Menchov reveals himself
Not like that. Although even if that did happen, you wonder whether anyone would notice. Denis Menchov’s season has reminded me of that bit in Back To The Future where Marty McFly starts fading from existence. He started the Tour de France as a contender, but slowly receded from view and, if I’m honest, I’d…
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Alberto Contador finally shakes Joaquim Rodriguez
The 2012 Vuelta a Espana has featured a lot of Alberto Contador attacks. In pretty much all of them, he has appeared to tow Joaquim Rodriguez along behind him like a little Spanish caravan in a red jersey. However, today, on stage 17, Contador finally uncoupled his unwanted cargo – but how did he manage…
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How steep is the Puerto de Pajares near the finish?
Lungs of Indurain! Who put tarmac on that wall? The end of stage 16 was not all that friendly to a bunch of cyclists who’d already cycled 170km over several mountains and who were into the third week of a Grand Tour. The pace slowed to a degree that would have been comical if it…
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Chris Froome loses the Vuelta
I’ve said before that no-one really wins a Grand Tour. It’s more that one person manages to postpone losing until after the race has finished. At some point or another, everyone else loses. It’s much like life. I’m pretty sure that Chris Froome lost the Vuelta yesterday. A few panting efforts in previous stages foreshadowed…
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Alberto Contador and his mid-climb sprints
Yesterday’s Vuelta stage was about recovering from pain. A long climb creates deep-rooted, constant physical discomfort and then Alberto Contador garnishes it with sudden sprints that bring an extra layer of acute agony. There aren’t many sports where you have to recover from sudden intense activity while still putting in a reasonable amount of effort.…
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Steve Cummings breaks the break and wins a stage of the Vuelta
There are several reasons why the day’s break is such an important part of bike racing. In most cases, the sheer hope-over-logic glorious bone-headedness of the enterprise is hugely pleasing (even if it is, in reality, largely motivated by a desire to increase sponsors’ exposure). There’s also the fact that it gives worthy, overlooked riders…
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Joaquim Rodriguez likes the Vuelta a Espana and its summit finishes
Long climbs have a ‘Dear Lord, when will it end? I’m so very, very tired of experiencing pain’ quality to them. However, short and steep can’t be beaten for pure agony. Pain is rationed in a long climb. It’s intense and seems unendurable. However, when the road kicks up to 20 or 30 per cent,…