Long day with more than 3000 meters of accumulated unevenness

First serious pulse of the Tour of Spain.

After a mid-mountain journey through the lands of Granada and Almería, the sprinters will try to live their glory days in the goals of San Javier, Pozo Alcón and Almadén. The peloton will meander between Murcia and Andalusia before entering Castilla la Mancha.

La Vuelta has not forgotten Alejandro Valverde, who will enjoy the start of the seventh stage in his hometown, Las Lumbreras.

Before enjoying the first day of rest, the highlight of the second week will arrive, the ninth stage between Talavera and the winter resort of La Covatilla, whose summit is at an altitude of 2,000 meters. La Vuelta returns to Salamanca and will rest in the Charro capital on September 3.

After the rest, the Vuelta will enter Zamorano lands to start from Monbuey and reach the Ribeira Sacra, in Galicia, with the longest stage of the edition with 208 kilometers of travel and a profile to try adventures. Without leaving the Galician community, a possible sprint is offered when arriving at Estaca de Bares, the northernmost point of the peninsula.

La Vuelta will enter the hot zone with the Asturian-Leonese triptych on stages 12, 13 and 14, where La Camperona awaits, which returns after two years to offer a tough climb that concludes at almost 1,600 meters of altitude. A day later, coinciding with the Day of Asturias, September 8, a highlight with the arrival at the unprecedented Les Praeres Navia, a novelty that may surprise by its explosive ascent of 4 kilometers that includes 15 percent ramps.

The mountain trilogy will close with the mythical summit of the Covadonga Lakes, which will be visited by the Vuelta for the twenty-first time. With a drop of 4,000 meters, the stage promises, as it will also include a double climb to El Fito. Nairo Quintana was the last conqueror of Lagos.

Second day off

After the second rest day, the race returns to action with another key event, the 32.7-kilometer individual time trial between Santillana del Mar and Torrelavega, an opportunity for specialists, who will be able to make up for the time they could lose on the mountain.

The pace no longer stops for what remains until Madrid, because in stage 17 there will be a day of maximum expectation with one of the most anticipated days. The Vuelta enters the Basque Country with a route that will begin in Getxo and end at the unprecedented summit of Monte Oiz, via the Balcón de Bizkaia, with a final 5 kilometers above 10 percent and at times exceeding the 19. Hard day with more than 3000 meters of accumulated unevenness.

After the mountainous storm, truce and option for sprinters upon arrival in Lleida, where the remaining forces must already be gathered for the final outcome of the round. The nineteenth stage between the capital of Lleida and Andorra is almost entirely accessible, but in the end awaits the ascent to La Rabassa, where the leaders will have to be vigilant.

On the eve of the conclusion, there will be intrigue and emotion with the queen stage, of only 105 kilometers between Andorra and the top of Coll de la Gallina. Six ports on the menu with a double pass through La Comella and Beixalis before the final climb of 7 kilometers at 8 percent on average and steep slopes of 15.

La Gallina has been uploaded three times and this time it will be the final judge of the 73rd edition. Its hardness is summarized in 4,000 meters of unevenness. The favorites with options will burn the ships in the Andorran port that ends at 1,580 meters of altitude.

The tribute to the winner will take place in the 112 kilometer stage between Alcorcón de Madrid. Before, the transfer from the Principality to the capital.

The German Pascal Ackermann (Bora-Hansgrohe), again thanks to his great power, again won the pulse that maintains the sprint with the Colombian Fernando Gaviria (UAD) and took the second stage of the 55 Tirreno-Adriatico, starting from Camaiore and arrival at Follonica, 201 km, repeating what happened in the first and reinforcing his leadership at the head of the test. 

09/08/2020 at 19:59 CEST

EFE

If on Monday Ackermann’s victory was very close and surprising Gaviria from behind, and through the fences, this time the power of the German, who closed the time at 5h 01m 53s, 1xbet. com commanded practically from the first moment of sprinting , being the Colombian who came from behind without being able to go back. 

The predictions of a platoon arrival were fulfilled, in a stage that had its break of the day starring the Italians Nicola Bagioli (Androni), Umberto Orsini (Bardiani), Marco Canola (Gazprom-Rusvelo) and Edoardo Zardini (Vini-Zabu) , they came to have an advantage of more than three minutes, which made Orsini the virtual leader of the test. 

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The peloton controlled from a distance commanded by Bora and, little by little, as was predictable, it was discounting its disadvantage over the escapees, which with Canola already off the hook and hunted, was less than a minute about 35 km from the finish line. Shortly afterwards, Orsini attacked his fellow fugitives and left alone, although his audacity ended about 18 km from the finish, when the peloton returned him to their bosom. 

The last option to avoid an expected arrival at the sprint came to nothing, since the climb to Scarlino, 14 km from the finish line, with only one kilometer of ascent and an average difference of 5.2 percent, hardly altered the great group. 

It was sentenced that the stage victory was going to be decided by sprinting, as happened on Monday, and with Ackermann and Gaviria as the main protagonists of the victory. And the German won it again, adding his second consecutive stage win, joining the Almería Classic this year, as well as two stage victories in the Tour of Sibiu and one in the Tour of the Arab Emirates. Increases his leadership in the Carrera de los Dos Mares, already 8 seconds ahead of the Colombian. 

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This Wednesday the third stage will be run, between Follonica and Saturnia, of 217 km.

Marc Soler jumps out of the peloton with enormous force more than 40 kilometers from the goal of Sarran, a town that stands in memory of former French President Jacques Chirac. There are no high mountains around but not a meter flat. Continuous slopes that acclaim a solo winner. 

09/10/2020 at 18:33 CEST

Sergi López-Egea @sergi_lopezegea

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Tour de France

They dream of the Catalan runner’s first victory in the French round. The feat will have to wait because this Tour has already discovered a new 22-year-old star who deserved like few others a stage win. His name is Marc Hirschi, a young man

from Bern, who raises his arms on the finish line after fighting for a stage, with a second and a third position.

The leaders take shelter, like Primoz Roglic, the first of the class, as good on the bike as he is sparing in words to explain himself after the stages. He only allows three questions but no one questions him, as happened last year at this time when he won the Vuelta. 

Total neither counts, nor says anything. Everything he feels, all his intentions to arrive in Paris in yellow, he reserves for himself. 

Sleepless night on the Tour

Hirschi doesn’t care. I wanted and pursued a stage. First it is located in the wake of Soler. The Movistar cyclist pedals like an animal, as if there were no tomorrow. Go to a steep slope and attack. The successful escape of the day is formed. The platoon of figures does not react from behind.

Until 28 kilometers from Sarran, Soler throws what seems like the definitive demarraje that immediately becomes the springboard that Hirschi uses to go alone, to go down like a savage, although with extraordinary technique to start opening a hole that nobody can manage cover.

Hirschi is not on this Tour to fight for the overall. There will be other Tours to try. But yes to look for show, to be second behind Julian Alaphilippe in the second stage and to finish third in Laruns, after running away and being neutralized by the fighters of the final victory two kilometers from the finish line.

says goodbye to the Pyrenees. 

NO FORCES IN THE END 

Soler, in the end, runs out of strength, on a day in which Movistar fought for a stage victory since Imanol Erviti walked with other escapees, among which was Luis León Sánchez, the champion of Spain, for 160 kilometers after an attack early in the day. 

“I emptied myself but at the end I was already dead and I let go because I couldn’t take it anymore”, explains the Catalan cyclist after crossing the finish line in 12th place.

Nobody gives anything away here. Here you fight for any target with sweat and tears, and sometimes, when the accident hits the runner, even with blood. There are no gifts that are worth. And much less this year in which the Tour dispute was vital for the survival of this sport in times of pandemic.

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Hirschi takes the podium. Smile? It is not seen neither live nor in photos. The mask hides the emotions. There are also no kisses, although for other reasons aside from the covid, nor does he shake hands with the authorities. The feelings are not externalized, as it happens to Roglic.

The International Cycling Union (UCI) has made public the routes of the world championship on the road and the time trial, which will be held around the Imola circuit, Italy, from September 24 to 27.

Sep 11, 2020 at 3:38 pm CEST