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news
Vuelta 2015 sand on TTT course (picture by Nicolas Roche on Twitter)Vuelta beach stage removed from general classification following complaints from riders
The first stage of the Vuelta on Saturday has been removed from general classification following complaints from riders about a section that runs on sand. The 7.4km time trial route will now not count for the individual classification, only for teams.
Photos emerged yesterday, from riders testing out the route, that almost half of it - 4km - was on a sandy beach.
Following complaints from riders yesterday, a statement was issued saying the Team Time Trial stage will still take place on the planned route, from Puerta Banus to Marbella on the Costa del Sol, which traverses wooden boardwalk as well as sandy beach, but the rules will change.
- Riddle of the Sands - Vuelta stars perplexed by beachfront team time trial course
The statement, according to Bicyclismo, reads: "The Technical Jury, having received the concerns of teams and riders and after an inspection of the course with the technical director of the race, and after obtaining the agreement of the UCI has decided... the stage will be held on the planned route, [but] the recorded time will be counted for the team classification and not for the individual general classification."
Laura Laker is a freelance journalist with more than a decade’s experience covering cycling, walking and wheeling (and other means of transport). Beginning her career with road.cc, Laura has also written for national and specialist titles of all stripes. One part of the popular Streets Ahead podcast, she sometimes appears as a talking head on TV and radio, and in real life at conferences and festivals. She is also the author of Potholes and Pavements: a Bumpy Ride on Britain’s National Cycle Network.
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12 comments
Ok so if it don't count for GC then throw the rules and let them ride any bike they want.
Ok so if it don't count for GC then throw the rules and let them ride any bike they want.
Ummm, I'm not really up on the rules of pro racing, but don't they have to ride UCI approved road bikes? So, no fat bikes. Not even a disc-braked CX/gravel bike with nice knobbly CX tyres, which would work OK (I rode an MTB race in SA this year on a CX-hybrid with 32mm CX tyres & it coped fine with deep dusty sand on technical singletrack). So, the best they're gonna be allowed will be pave bikes & 28mm tyres. C'mon, it's gonna be a giggle! Wouldn't normally waste a perfectly good Saturday afternoon watching a TTT, but this one... I'll be laughing myself silly through every slithery-slidey moment! Just a pity there aren't any dunes - now that would be *truly* hilarious on regular road bikes.
Is this that GT which is apparently just as important a race as the Tour and Giro? - or at least that was the response I received when I questioned Sky's motive in sending Froome and G.
No it wasn't - you said that the Vuelta "ranked nowhere near" the other two GTs and was a "'nothing' race" and one person said it was a bit harsh and another said it was higher profile than the crits they raced in the build ups.
It's quite nuts that the people behind the organisation allowed this all to happen
Allowed what to happen? A stage on the beach or the riders dictating terms? Your post is not clear at all.
If the times don't count, why don't they just crack out a load of Schwinn style 'Beach Cruisers' and roll round all chilled out?
A few musettes filled with team related freebies to pass out to the crowd as they went round would be a right fan pleaser.
If the team bike sponsors have got anything about them at all they'll be shipping the fat bikes as we speak!!!
What's the point if it doesn't count for individual times?
should have had a 'fat bike' maker sponsor the stage and have them sent out on identical bikes... the only differences being some frame adjustments for rider size...
I think they should've just got team Fat Bikes and cracked on. Bloody pansies.....