Aug
23
Vuelta a Espana 2013 – Stage 1 preview
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Alberto Contador wins Vuelta Stage 17 (Image: AAP)
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Welcome to the beautiful autonomous community of Galicia for the grand depart of the 86th la Vuelta a Espana.
Once again the three week Grand Tour shall begin with the Team Time Trial, with a stunning beginning within the heart of Vilanova de Arousa and the Galician coast planned.
At a distance of 27.4km, and over an almost pan flat profile, the largely straight forward nature of the parcours to Sanxenxo should suit the power-house teams.
Race organisers Unipublic are kindly providing a weather update for each stage.
Currently the weather for the stage is predicted to be between the low and middle 20s (Celsius) temperature wise with a rather strong northerly or north-eastern wind predicted, with figures between 25 Km/h and 50 Km/h currently being provided.
With the stage route running primarily in a southerly direction, each team should benefit from something close to a certain tailwind for the majority of the stage.
The decision to commence the 2013 Vuelta a Espana with the Team Time Trial will see the General Classification defined early in to the race.
Whilst under 30km, the additional distance and less technical nature of the parcours compared to previous years should see more substantial time gaps established.
Despite the mountainous nature of the overall race route for 2013, every second able to be gained during the team and individual time trials could be a vital time gained against other General Classification contenders.
Spanish-based Team Movistar have a knack for performing well in the team time trials outside of the Tour de France, where the competition is arguably less fierce due to the calibre of opposition.
Whether they are the favourites to claim the stage victory is debatable, they are however certainly one team to keep and eye out for as a dark horse.
Radioshack-Trek and Omega Pharma-Quickstep are both bringing squads with powerful workhorses and time trial specialists, with both Tony Martin and Fabian Cancellara attending la Vuelta this year.
Whilst Omega Pharma-Quickstep may not have a squad of stand out names for the team time trial, you can still count on them to be well drilled and a force to be reckoned with.
Which similarly applies to Garmin-Sharp, the American outfit have often outperformed in the discipline in part thanks to their training and expertise.
Meanwhile, Australian outfit Orica-GreenEDGE will be going in to the team time trial with few expectations.
However, after one somewhat surprising result in Tour de France, who could rule them out as outsiders should they have another magnificent day.
With the way Team Sky have been dominating stage races for the last couple of seasons, and with them bringing a strong squad, they will arguably be high up the standings.
This will help Luis Sergio Henao in the General Classification, if he can put some time in to his General Classification rivals.
Whether they have enough to claim the stage victory remains to be seen, as the squad could be said to be weaker than the Tour de France squad, whilst the route is sufficiently different from the Giro d’Italia’s to cast some doubt in the mind.
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