Pro cyclists undertaking reconnaissance of the route of Saturday’s team time trial at the Vuelta, including Tour de France champion Chris Froome, have taken to social media to express bewilderment and concern at a section of the course where they will be riding on sand.
This morning, the Team Sky star tweeted pictures showing a stretch of the 7.4 kilometre course from Puerto Banus to Marbella on the Costa del Sol, which besides sand also show a stretch of wooden boardwalk each of the nine-man teams will have to negotiate.
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Preview of Saturday's @lavuelta 7,4km TTT course pic.twitter.com/PbnIbDBTWn
— Chris Froome (@chrisfroome) August 20, 2015
Nicolas Roche, team mate of the 2011 and 2014 Vuelta runner-up, was rather more forthright.
Vuelta ttt!!!! Are you joking???? pic.twitter.com/koVlW7T72w
— nicholas roche (@nicholasroche) August 20, 2015
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Movistar rider Rory Sutherland, who will be riding in support of Tour de France podium finishers Nairo Quintana and Alejandro Valverde, called on the UCI to explain whether the course was acceptable.
Is the @UCI_cycling serious that this is acceptable? Union??? pic.twitter.com/4Sb2NktRQ7
— Rory Sutherland (@rorysutherland1) August 20, 2015
He also suggested – tongue in cheek we hope – that he might give the time trial bike a miss for this one.
@thijszonneveld fatbike
— Rory Sutherland (@rorysutherland1) August 20, 2015
Some Twitter users poked a bit of fun at it – here’s Scott O’Raw from Velocast’s take.
The opening TTT at the Vuelta looks, erm, "fun". Bikes replaced with wearisome donkeys, while riders wear a 'Kiss-Me-Quick' hat.
— Scott O'Raw (@velocast) August 20, 2015
Finally, blogger Inner Ring pointed out another rather unusual Grand Tour stage from nearly four decades ago, when the 12 kilometre Stage 14 time trial in the Giro d’Italia in Venice was won by Francesco Moser.
Vuelta's opening stage could be the strangest route since the 1978 Giro used pontoons to ride around Venice pic.twitter.com/pteSWih1AV
— the Inner Ring (@inrng) August 20, 2015
If any of the peloton want tips for how to handle the sand on Saturday, perhaps they could ask road.cc’s own David Arthur? He took part the howies Battle on the Beach in Wales earlier this year – and filmed the opening lap.
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26 thoughts on “Riddle of the Sands – Vuelta stars perplexed by beachfront team time trial course”
I’ve ridden along the sea
I’ve ridden along the sea walk between marbella and puerto banus loads of times…it’s great fun – i don’t know what they’re moaning at – rule no.5 everyone 😉
caveat: of course I wasn’t doing 30mph on a roadie – more like 20 on a CX !!!!
Looking forward to watching
Looking forward to watching this go past on Saturday, as I conveniently booked my summer holiday to coincide with La Vuelta. Bring it on B-)
Well they did say the route
Well they did say the route was ‘very technical’ but loose sand and sandy boards do seem a bit off for a team time trail to me.. should make for some potentially interesting moments mind…
Maybe this is where Formula1
Maybe this is where Formula1 is going wrong… They should introduce sand sections and boardwalks to that too!
Defiantly going to be a good one to watch.
What tyres for sand & planks?
What tyres for sand & planks?
What are these rules people
What are these rules people keep quoting?
At least it will be a soft landing WHEN they chute! 😀
The rules: a good joke that
The rules: a good joke that loses a lot when people take it seriously.
Phil H wrote:What are these
http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/
I don’t think Ecclestone and
I don’t think Ecclestone and his millions think Formula 1 has gone wrong. But on the same riff there might be an added thrill if they had road side spectators and pets free to run along side their heroes. Perhaps if they also had their mechanics following in a team car….I’ll stop being silly now.
Colin Peyresourde wrote:I
*[cough]*
I reckon Beefy Bertie
I reckon Beefy Bertie Contador knew in advance, hence why he’s been practicing his bike changes all season.
The route’s been out for
The route’s been out for months, everyone knew.
And Contador’s not racing.
Maybe they can change bikes
Maybe they can change bikes halfway through like they sometimes do on other TT courses.
Clearly someone at vuelta HQ
Clearly someone at vuelta HQ thought that since the tour commonly has the pave, so what can we do lads?
I know someone pipes up from the back, “we can make them ride on sand!”
GREGJONES wrote:Clearly
yeah, except that the Vuelta is organised by ASO, the same people who do the tour.
next: first look at Team
next: first look at Team Sky’s Pinarello Fatbike
Well wider tyres are the
Well wider tyres are the fashion in the peloton these days……
Classic book.
A prototype
Classic book.
A prototype dashing spy thriller from well before WW1 but clearly anticipating a showdown to come.
Slightly dated now for lack of action and notions of honour and propriety but very readable.
The first race where the
The first race where the broom wagon is at the front?
maybe the UCI have followed
maybe the UCI have followed FIFA and awarded next years Vuelta to Quatar so this is just to get the riders used to the conditions
It could be rather painful if
It could be rather painful if riders get sand in their bottom brackets.
The Stop Line Way (NCR 33 I
The Stop Line Way (NCR 33 I think) is on sand near Burnham-on-Sea. I took one look, went “nah!” And used the road instead. Have the Vuelta hired Sustrans to do routes?
a.jumper wrote:The Stop Line
Coastal routes are some of the best routes the NCN has, but unfortunately mother nature has a tendency to blow sand over it – would you rather you didn’t have such picturesque routes, or perhaps put up with the occasional inconvenience.
Oh, and I have no doubt the maintenance of such a route will not be down to Sustrans. Maintenance on the the majority of the NCN is normally down to the local authorities, so complain to whichever that route lies in!
joules1975 wrote:a.jumper
I’d rather have a sustainable transport network and unless you’ve something like a beach cruiser, it’s not sustainable to keep riding along a beach. Sustrans seem to have lost sight of SUStainable TRANSport often.
That section of route doesn’t get covered by sand: it just is sand. The beach is kept fairly clean by the local councils, but it’s still not a good cycle track!
That giro stage in Venice
That giro stage in Venice looked amazing. Next time the tour comes to the uk how about going along the local canal, keep the pushchair and extendable lead brigade away for a day.
cub wrote:That giro stage in
Good idea! Make the race go through some typically UK “access control’ barriers, too!