Vuelta a España 2017 – KOM Preview

By David Hunter

La Vuelta is different from the Giro and Tour in many ways, but the KOM scoring system is a very important difference. The organisers have favoured a more traditional approach to scoring, no fancy systems in Spain! The jersey is white with blue polka dots.

Points are awarded as follows:-

Cima Alberto Fernandez(Stage 15 climb of Alto Hoya de la Mora):-

1st – 20 points

2nd – 15 points 

3rd – 10 points

4th – 6 points

5th – 4 points

6th – 2 points

Especial Climbs:-

1st – 15 points

2nd – 10 points

3rd – 6 points

4th – 4 points

5th – 2 points

1st Cat:-

1st – 10 points

2nd – 6 points

3rd – 4 points

4th – 2 points

5th – 1 point

2nd Cat:-

1st – 5 points

2nd – 3 points

3rd – 1 point

3rd Cat:-

1st – 3 points

2nd – 2 points

3rd – 1 point

Overall, the race has 1 Cima Alberto Fernandez climb, 3 Especial climbs, 14 Cat 1s, 10 Cat 2s and 20 Cat 3s.

Unlike the Tour we don’t have double points for a mountaintop finish, the climbs are all viewed the same by the organisers. This means a rider cannot accumulate a huge amount of points on any one stage, this prize is for the most consistent climber in the race.

No double points makes it almost impossible for a GC rider to take the jersey. We do have a number of mountaintop finishes, but the Vuelta usually has a number of breakaway winners. Looking at previous winners backs up this theory, Dennis Menchov was the last GC man to win the KOM jersey and that was in 2007. Since then, David Moncoutie has won the jersey on four consecutive occasions, then it was Simon Clarke, Nicolas Edet and Luis Leon Sanchez.

Omar Fraile has been the proud winner of the jersey for the last two seasons, in 2016 he only beat Kenny Ellissonde by 1 point. It remains to be seen if he will try and win the jersey again, he might focus his attention on stage wins and see if he manages to collect points along the way.

Important Stages

Stage 3 – 25 points. This is a really good opportunity for a rider to stake an early claim for the title. Take maximum points in this stage and you’ll be on the podium for a while.

Stage 14 – 33 points. It’s a mountaintop finish, so the GC men might be fighting out the final climb, but if a breakaway survives, it’s a big day in the KOM fight.

Stage 15 – 40 points. Another mountaintop finish and it’s the Cima Alberto Fernandez. The breakaway will take the opening 20 points, with 20 on offer for the final climb.

Stage 20 – 38 points. The final mountain stage, with the break likely to take the opening 23 points. Hopefully it is similar to 2016 and the fight for the KOM is still alive by this point.

Contenders

It is too early to look at particular riders, but the pro-continental teams will want a piece of the action. As many points can be taken on stage 3, it guarantees a daily visit to the podium for the wearer of the jersey, that is huge exposure for the team. Caja Rural, Aqua Blue, Manzana Postobon and Cofidis will all want to be part of the move on the third day.

Conclusion

A breakaway expert will once again win the KOM jersey, that rider will have to be a brilliant climber, but also pack a fast sprint, as the battle for points will be fierce. Maybe it will be number three for Omar Fraile.

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