2016 Vuelta a España

[Bonus]

The race is now on some of the roads Wendy and I drove back in July 2015 when we we searching France and Spain for a property. Narrow and steep most of the time! Very green, but you only get the green if you take the rain!

['Dale]

Sky must be kicking themselves that they didn't emulate Movistar and get Leopold Konig in the break. If it carries on like this their resources will be considerably depleted by the time we reach the final climb, where Movistar should have a reasonably fresh Valverde and Quintana ready to launch an assault on Froome.

['Dale]

 

140.5km remaining from 196km

 

The gap is pretty steady at 4:30 at the moment without any real injection of pace in either group.

['Dale]

????????????

 

Here we go then. These are the breakaway men:

 

Ruben Fernandez, Dani Moreno and Jose Joaquin Rojas (Movistar), Deniele Bennati (Tinkoff), David Lopez (Team Sky), Tejay Van Garderen (BMC), George Bennett, Victor Campenaerts and Robert Gesink (Lotto NL Jumbo), Simon Gerrans, Jens Keukeleire and Magnus Cort Nielsen (Orica - BikeExchange), Dario Cataldo (Astana), Kenny Elissonde, Odd Christian Eiking and Alexandre Geniez (FDJ), Haimar Zubeldia and Julien Bernard (Trek - Segafredo), Jan Bakelants and Quentin Jauregui (AG2R - La Mondiale), Alberto Losada and Egor Silin (Katusha), Bart De Clercq and Sander Armée (Lotto Soudal), Gianni Meersman (Etixx - Quick Step), Moreno Moser, Pierre Rolland and Davide Villella (Cannondale - Drapac), Omar Fraile and Jacques Janse van Rensburg (Dimension Data), Mathias Frank and Larry Warbasse (IAM Cycling), Mattia Cattaneo (Lampre - Merida), Romain Hardy and Rudy Molard (Cofidis), Christoph Pfingsten (Bora-Argon 18), Pello Bilbao, Hugh Carthy and Sergio Pardilla (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), Romain Sicard and Pierrig Quemeneur (Direct Energie).

['Dale]

Moreno is the best-placed at 5:38, while Sergio Pardilla is two places back in 14th at 5:55.

['Dale]

What a race dynamic

⚠️⚠️⚠️

 

40 in the break ????

['Dale]

Reminder:

 

Today's jersey wearers:

 

Red (GC): Nairo Quintana (Movistar)

Green (Points): Alejandro Valverde (Movistar)

Polka-dot (Mountains): Sergey Lagutin (Katusha)

White (Combined): Chris Froome (Team Sky) - on loan from QuintanA

[Bonus]

First major decent at there's been a couple of crashes and close calls. Not cool. These roads are not good for fast descents.

[Gen]

Oh my.. sjoe that descent is a bit sketchy hope JVR is okay

['Dale]

The break has just crested the first climb

['Dale]

Fraile snags max KOM points

Awesome

['Dale]

First major decent at there's been a couple of crashes and close calls. Not cool. These roads are not good for fast descents.

Bumpy or what?

[Bonus]

127km to go. The break is climbing again. Peloton still descending.

['Dale]

The width of a cow's length ....

[Bonus]

Bumpy or what?

Bumpy, narrow, twisty single lane roads. . . . .

 

Did you see Fraile telling them to just slow down after the close call? Not worth the risk.

['Dale]

Reminds me of Rio ????