Doppio: 21

a weekly double-shot of road racing

Wednesday 21st August 2013

issue 21

rapha.cc

17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

SATURDAY — Eneco Tour S6

SUNDAY — Eneco Tour S7

tour of spain VILANOVE DE AROUSA

MONDAY — USPCC S1

TUESDAY — USPCC S2

WEDNESDAY — USPCC S3

THURSDAY — USPCC S4

FRIDAY — USPCC S5

SATURDAY — USPCC S6 — Tour of Spain S1

race type: Grand Tour | distance: 3,319km | region: Spain

OVIEDO ALTO DEL NARANCO PEÑA CABARGA

AVILÉS

PEYRAGUDES

20 19

FISTERRA

1 MONTE DA DE GROBA

15

ANDORRA

14

BAGÁ

BURGOS

5

SOBER

VALLS

LAGOS DE SANABRIA

13

CASTELLDEFELS

TARAZONA

PONTEVEDRA

VILANOVA DE AROUSA

GRAUS

16

17

18

3 2

SANXENXO SANXENXO

CALAHORRA

ALTO DE L’ANGLIRU MIRADOR DEL LOBEIRA

ANDORRA COLLADA DE GALLINA LA GALLINA

SALLENT DE GALLEGO GALLÉGO

SAN VICENTE DE LA BARQUERA BARGUERA

LALIN LALÍN 4

SUNDAY

— USPCC S7 — Tour of Spain S2

MAELLA

12

TARRAGONA

MADRID GUIJUELO 6 21

LEGANÉS

CÁCERES

7

ALMENDRALEJO

maillots

TORREDELCAMPO 10

GUÉJAR SIERRA 9

MAIRENA MAIRENADEL DE ALJARAFE ANTEQUERA 8

JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA

ALTO DE HAZALLANAS ALTO DE PEÑAS BLANCAS

Climber’s Jersey e King of the Mountains jersey has polka dots – but unlike Nairo Quintana’s from France, these dots are blue.

is c annondale ’s bl ac k kit #pr ost y le?

Points Jersey Usually won by a sprinter, the points jersey in the Tour of Spain is a reassuringly recognisable green.

Leader’s Jersey e Spanish leader’s jersey is now red, but it has been various colours, including white and orange.

All-Rounder e white ‘combination’ jersey rewards not the best young rider but the best allrounder instead.

Wednesday 21st August 2013

a weekly double-shot of road racing

usa pro challenge

Sagan Turns on the Style Peter Sagan (Cannondale) took the opening stage of this year’s usa Pro Challenge in typical fashion – with that burst of top-end speed that we have come to expect, easily rounding Greg Van Avermaet (bmc Racing) to wheelie over the line.

Team Sky’s neo-pro, Joe Dombrowski, survived a nose bleed and came in 18th, in the bunch, with Josh Edmondson the next best-placed rider in 35th. Supersuper-super domestique Chris Froome dropped off with 15 miles of the 66-mile (106km), three-lap circuit race to go, to save his legs for the next stage.

On Tuesday, as Doppio went to press, the race began its journey up to its highest point. e altitude will not be much of a factor for hometown hero Tejay van Garderen (bmc), who put himself in an ideal position by finishing 5th on Monday’s stage. However, for those who do not live in Colorado, Independence Pass is going to be a deciding factor in the race to the finish.

After the 12,095ft (3,687m) road between Aspen and Breckenridge we’ll know which riders will be contenders and who will simply be spending the rest of the week on vacation in the Rockies.

STAGE 2 | August 20th Aspen – Breckenridge, 126.1 miles e famous battleground of Independence Pass is the highest point reached in any pro bike race. e final obstacle will be the 15% grades of Moonstone Rd. STAGE 3 | August 21st Breckenridge – Steamboat Springs, 105.9 miles After leaving Breckenridge, Swan Mountain Rd may be the place for breakaways before the main climb of Rabbit Ears Pass, though a bunch sprint is likely.

STAGE 4 | August 22nd Steamboat Springs – Beaver Creek, 102.9 miles e Queen Stage of the race. e new climb of Bachelor’s Gulch may not be the longest but the relentless 18% makes it quite possibly the toughest.

STAGE 5 | August 23rd Vail, 10-mile TT Competition will be fierce on a tt course that can be traced back to the Coors Classic. e gentle grades of the first half give way to a steady climb for the last three miles.

STAGE 6 | August 24th Loveland – Fort Collins, 115.2 miles Windswept plains before Big ompson Canyon and on to Devil’s Gulch, the race’s last King of the Mountains summit, then some rolling terrain to the finish.

STAGE 7 | August 25th Denver, 72.4-mile circuit race ere isn’t a bad spot from which to watch the breakaways and the speeding peloton on this new Denver circuit. is final stage belongs to the sprinters.

weekend weather

London After Friday’s heatwave it will cool down to around 22C, with a chance of showers. Rapha Gilet, Rain Jacket.

San Francisco Cooling down in the Bay area, 67f, though it will stay mostly sunny.

Merino Arm Warmers, Rapha Cap.

Osaka Storms and heavy rain all weekend.

Sit this one out with coffee at the Cycle Club perhaps. Pro Team Race Cape.

Sydney Sunday promises a full day of sunshine and balmy temperatures. Trade Team Jersey and Cap.

Sanxenxo Sunny and 24c.

Like Goldilocks’ porridge: not too hot, not too cold.

Pro Team Jersey, Pro Team Bib Shorts.

tour of spain preview

A Eulogy for Euskaltel? is Sunday, the Tour of Spain departs from Galicia on a three-week Iberian odyssey. e dark horse of the three Grand Tours, it has thrills and spills to match its counterparts in Italy and France and last season treated spectators to arguably the most thrilling Grand Tour of 2012. is year it again plays to the national esteem for climbers, by offering no fewer than 11 summit finishes along the route, including one in Peyragudes, the ski station on the French side of the border. ere is also the fearsome Angliru (12.5km at 10% average, with ramps of 24%) at the end of the penultimate stage, which will keep the gc fight lively right up to the traditional run in to Madrid.

Alberto Contador is not riding this year so will not defend his title, and Chris Froome and Nairo Quintana are absent, so the race is open. at said, Girowinner Vincenzo Nibali is supported by a heavyweight Astana line-up, and Joaquim Rodríguez and Alejandro Valverde will reprise their battle for the top. Team Sky’s Colombians, Sergio Henao and Rigoberto Urán, meanwhile, may be given a run for their money by their compatriot Carlos Betancur of ag2r.

One certainty, however, is that this will be EuskaltelEuskadí’s final Grand Tour. e Basque team has failed to find a new sponsor, putting an end to a proud 19 years of supporting pro cycling in the Basque region.

Let’s hope the ‘carrots’ put on a good show.

STAGE 1 | August 24th August 24th | Vilanova de Arousa – Sanxenxo, 27.4km TTT No hills, but this team time trial will make an initial selection. Let’s hope nobody falls off the starting barge into the Ria de Arousa.

STAGE 2 | August 25th August 25th Pontevedra – Monte da Groba, 177.7km A largely flat stage, the one cat-3 climb is the race’s first summit finish. e 10km finale averages 6.2%.

STAGE 3 | August 26th August 26th | Vigo – Mirador de Lobeira, 184.8km A winding stage through the green Galician countryside. Expect some bursts from the peloton on the final climb.

STAGE 4 | August 27th August 27th | Lalín – Fisterra, 189km A challenging, lumpy parcours will take the riders to Fisterra, the ‘end of the world’. Another small hill to finish.

STAGE 5 | August 28th August 28th | Sober – Lago de Sanabria, 174.3km A day uphill into the Zamora province. However, the two categorised climbs aren’t near the end, so it’ll finish in a bunch gallop.

is c annondale ’s bl ac k kit # pr ost y le?