Sports Poets Society

Più salite incontrano, in questa Vuelta, più i cronomen si divertono a spianarle. Dopo quelle nei giorni precedenti di Tom Dumoulin, l'impresa, nella 13esima frazione, 178 chilometri senza respiro da Calatayud a Tarazona, in piena terra d'Aragona, la firma appunto uno specialista delle prove contro il tempo: Nelson Oliveira. E così, dopo il primo successo italiano con Kristian Sbaragli nella decima tappa, arriva anche il primo successo dell'unico team italiano con licenza ProTour: la Lampre-Merida. Entrato nella fuga di 24 corridori con troppi grossi nomi per arrivare compatti al traguardo, il 26enne portoghese - argento nella crono ai mondiali Under 23 di Madrid 2009 e podio sfiorato per 4 secondi l'anno dopo - è scattato a oltre venti chilometri dall'arrivo. E caricato a mille in ammiraglia dal suo ds Orlando "Maino" Maini - il Marc Madiot (ds della FDJ) italiano - è andato a vincere in solitaria con un minuto esatto sul gruppetto inseguitore. L

14 Distance: 213km Category: High Mountain Highest point: 1,990m The first leg in a mountain triptych begins in the Basque capital of Vitoria and finishes at the Fuente del Chivo, a handful of kilometres above the ski station of Alto Campoo , which has hosted three stage finishes, the last of them in 1993. The peloton’s pace should increase on the first-cat Puerto del Escudo, which averages 9% over 7km . Riders will rejoin the main group as the road flattens out on a plateau for 40km but the GC contenders will soon emerge on the 17km ascent to the finish. The climb is straightforward up to Brañavieja, where stages used to finish, but the road gets steeper beyond that, although perhaps not steep enough to split the favourites decisively. David López I know these roads really well as they pass through my home region. I’ll be motivated to do something on this stage but I may have to look after a leader like Chris Froome if he opts to ride the Vuelta. The final climb isn’t too

13 Distance: 168km Category: Medium Mountain Highest point: 1,390m A day for the smaller teams and those that have so far had no luck. With three summit finishes ahead and the race’s hierarchy by now well established, expect the battle to get into today’s break to be particularly frantic. The lumpy terrain will bolster the escapees’ hopes, although the strong winds that frequently blow through this part of Spain may test their enthusiasm and strength as they near the finish in Tarazona. The last of the three categorised climbs, the Alto de Moncayo, which featured in the 2013 time trial won by Fabian Cancellara, comes 35km from the finish and it may spur the peloton into a concerted pursuit if the breakaway’s lead is less than five minutes. Javier Guillén This stage has three climbs, the last of which is the Moncayo. We chose this area because we know that the route through it will take a heavy toll. It was important for us to have the final climb very close to the finish, j