“Certainly yes, it's all about the situation.”
Sean's Tour of Spain summariser for fast men who can't be hanging about
Well, umm, when to tune in, and when not to bother. As we say in cycling, it's all about the situation. Outcomes hidden.
Tour of Spain · The Tour · The Women's Tour · the test bench · show spoilers · plain english
| Stage | Date | Route | Profile | Tune in | Sean reckons |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 Aug | Monaco to Monaco | the race of truth | don't bother | No one likes these glorified training rides anyway. Race of truth my arse. |
| 2 | 23 Aug | Monaco to Manosque | a lumpy one | 31 km* | medium |
| 3 | 24 Aug | Gruissan - Aude to Font Romeu | a hilly old day | no racing | No racing, no winner, nothing. In my day the commissaire would have had to catch us first, and he'd a Peugeot with no fifth gear. |
| 4 | 25 Aug | Andorra la Vella to Andorra la Vella | a proper mountain day | waiting on it | As we say in cycling, it's a GC day, full gas, and it should go to a climber. No doubt about it. |
| 5 | 26 Aug | Falset . Costa Daurada to Roquetes. Terres de l'Ebre | a lumpy one | waiting on it | Making the calculations, it's a reduced bunch sprint, or a break if it gets away, and it should go to a fast man who can climb a bit, or an escapee. But I wouldn't put the house on it. |
| 6 | 27 Aug | Alcossebre to Castelló | a hilly old day | waiting on it | Looking at it, it's a breakaway day, and it should go to a rider from the break. Though it's a difficult one to call. |
| 7 | 28 Aug | vall d'Alba to Aramón Valdelinares | a proper mountain day | waiting on it | Making the calculations, it's a GC day, and it should go to a climber. And I'd be surprised if it went any other way. |
| 8 | 29 Aug | Puçol to Xeraco | one for the fast men | waiting on it | Certainly yes, it's a bunch sprint, and it should go to one of the fast men. That's the way it'll go. |
| 9 | 30 Aug | La Vila Joiosa/ Villajoyosa to Alto de Aitana.Costa Blanca | a proper mountain day | waiting on it | As we say in cycling, it's a GC day, and it should go to a climber. No doubt about it. |
| 10 | 1 Sep | Alcaraz to Elche de la Sierra | a lumpy one | waiting on it | Certainly yes, it's a reduced bunch sprint, or a break if it gets away, and it should go to a fast man who can climb a bit, or an escapee. But I wouldn't put the house on it. |
| 11 | 2 Sep | Cartagena to Lorca | one for the fast men | waiting on it | As we say in cycling, it's a bunch sprint, and it should go to one of the fast men. No doubt about it. |
| 12 | 3 Sep | Vera to Calar Alto | a proper mountain day | waiting on it | On paper, it's a GC day, and it should go to a climber. No doubt about it. |
| 13 | 4 Sep | Almuñécar to Loja | a hilly old day | waiting on it | On paper, it's a breakaway day, and it should go to a rider from the break. Though it's a difficult one to call. |
| 14 | 5 Sep | Jaén to Sierra de La Pandera | a proper mountain day | waiting on it | As we say in cycling, it's a GC day, and it should go to a climber. No doubt about it. |
| 15 | 6 Sep | Palma del Río to Córdoba | a hilly old day | waiting on it | On paper, it's a breakaway day, and it should go to a rider from the break. But they'll be making the calculations themselves. |
| 16 | 8 Sep | Cortegana to La Rábida. Palos de la Frontera | a lumpy one | waiting on it | On paper, it's a breakaway day, and it should go to a rider from the break. Though it's a difficult one to call. |
| 17 | 9 Sep | Dos Hermanas to Sevilla | one for the fast men | waiting on it | On paper, it's a bunch sprint, and it should go to one of the fast men. Though it's a difficult one to call. |
| 18 | 10 Sep | El Puerto de Santa María to Jerez de la Frontera | the race of truth | don't bother | Skinsuits and a man shouting split times. You'd get more out of a stage with a bit of wind in it. |
| 19 | 11 Sep | Vélez-Málaga to Peñas Blancas. Estepona | lumpy, uphill finish | waiting on it | As we say in cycling, it's a punchy uphill finish, and it should go to a puncheur, or a GC man with a fast finish. But they'll be making the calculations themselves. |
| 20 | 12 Sep | La Calahorra to Collado del Alguacil | a proper mountain day | waiting on it | On paper, it's a GC day, though the break may be given room, and it should go to a climber, from the break or the favourites. Though it's a difficult one to call. |
| 21 | 13 Sep | Carrefour Granada to Granada | one for the fast men | waiting on it | Certainly yes, it's a bunch sprint, and it should go to one of the fast men. Though it's a difficult one to call. |
* Reconstructed from published race reports, not captured from the live feed. The gap figures and the breakaway catch are reported; group sizes are estimates, and the backwards-from-the-finish pass cannot run at all without rider numbers. Treat the kilometre as indicative, and do not use these stages to judge whether the analysis is any good — it is partly reading its own homework.