Vuelta a Andalucía 2019 – Stage 1 preview

By David Hunter

Sanlucar De Barrameda – Alcala De Los Gazules 171.9km

A finish so good they just had to bring it back.

After making its debut last year, the cobbled climb is back! Nothing much will happen during the stage, all the action will be in the final 3km. Words don’t really do it justice, just look at the picture.

The climb is brutal, 1.2km at 10.8%, but I don’t think this does it justice. The opening 700m rises at 15.7%, before 300m of downhill. After about 600m the climb moves onto some very difficult cobbles, picking a good line is important. The final kick up to the line is 200m at 13.2%. The mix of steep gradients and cobbles makes this a pretty unique climb and one that I love.

Having teammates usually is a big help, but not on a climb like this. It is so short that the advantage of having teammates disappears and it becomes man versus man. Last year we saw Wellens and Landa hit out from the bottom of the climb and they quickly distanced the rest of the field. In just 1.2km Wellens beat Landa by 5 seconds, with Fuglsang a further 7 seconds behind. Only 12 men finished within 30 seconds of Wellens, with a TT coming up this is a great chance for a climber to take some valuable seconds.

 Weather

A cracking start to the race with lots of sunshine and pleasant temperatures.

Contenders

Adam Yates– won the recent Queen stage in Valenciana and will love the look of this finish. Both he and his brother are outstanding on steep slopes, they are even a match for Valverde. Mitchelton-Scott have a brilliant team and they’ll ensure that Yates is well placed at the start of the final climb, you really need to be at the front of the race with 2km remaining. Once onto the climb it’ll be over to Adam to do his thing. Given his dominance in Valenciana he’ll be very confident of riding the others off his wheel and going for a solo win.

Tim Wellens– knows what it takes to win on this climb. The cobbles are right up his street, but Landa did put him right on his limit last year. He had to pull out of Bessèges due to illness, I wonder if this will have an impact on his power? The Lotto squad don’t have the climbing power of the others, but you don’t need that for good positioning. Watch out for the quick men getting to the front in the closing kilometres and putting Wellens in prime position. We shall then see if he, again, can cope with the punch of the climbers.

Ion Izagirre– the Basque rider managed to stay with Yates up until the final 300m in Valenciana. He will be looking to limit his losses in this stage, as he’ll be keen on taking the yellow jersey after the ITT. He is good on the steep slopes, but I’m not sure he’ll be good enough to win the stage.

Jakob Fuglsang– 3rd here in 2018, but never looked like winning the stage. Normally having multiple options would give Astana a massive advantage, but I don’t think it does on this climb. Does the Dane have the kick to challenge Yates and co?

Dylan Teuns– did anyone say a steep climb and cobbles? It might be Andalucía, but it could also be in Belgium! Just like Tim Wellens, this is a stage that will excite Dylan Teuns. His punchy characteristics make him a dangerous man for this stage, but he did pick up an illness after Valenciana. Just like Wellens, we’ll have to see if that slows him down.

Sergio Higuita– the new kid on the block. He coped well with the big climb in Valenciana, but I wonder how he’ll cope riding up the storm drain on the final climb? The gaps in the cobbles are about that same size as Sergio! Hopefully he can shine and challenge for the top 5.

Alex Aranburu– the young Caja Rural puncheur enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2018 and he’ll be hoping for an even better 2019. He has the power required to challenge for the top 5, but I fear poor positioning at the foot of the climb will hold him back. His team have never been great when rubbing shoulders with the World Tour squads.

Prediction Time

Those Astana boys don’t stand a chance against the boys from Bury. Given the steep climb and the fact that Wellens was recently ill, I just can’t see past Adam Yates.

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