La Vuelta a Espana 2000Shorter but more climbing The stages of the 55th Vuelta a España were revealed on Monday in Madrid. The race will start earlier than usual due to the Olympics in Sydney, on the 26th of August. More important is though that the race will be shorter at 2933 kms, but with more climbing than usual. The highlight, with its 23.6 per cent rise, will once again be the very tough Anglirú on the 12th of September. There are no less than five mountain finishes: : Xorret de Cati on stage 5, Super-Molina on 10, Arcalis-Andorra on the 11th, Lagos de Covadonga on the 14th stage, Anglirú on the 16th stage and finally the Alto de Abantos on the 20th stage. The first stage (prologue) will be a 12 km ITT in Malaga and the last stage will also be an ITT, 36 km around Madrid on the 17th of September. There will also be a 38 km ITT in Barcelona at about the halfway point. Comments: The legendary Federico Martín Bahamontes puts his hopes not on Olano or even Escartin, but to Roberto Heras. "He is a complete rider, rides well in all sorts of terrain and is also a good time triallist. In the climbs, Jose Maria Jiménez will probably show his strength but he lacks character. I have adviced him but he does not want to accept my advice. I hope he changes with time because he is a great rider and could give many days of glory to Spanish cycling, " said the "Eagle of Toledo". Abraham Olano says that the organizers of the Vuelta of the 2000 have looked for the " television spectacle " when shortening the distance of the stages. "Shorter stages normally gives more aggressive riding which some riders might be paying for dearly," Olano comments. He was sorry that the profiles of all the ITT's - in Malaga, Barcelona and Madrid, have "nails" that will reduce the difference between the specialists against the clock and the climbers. He is also uncertain about the rest days: " I don't know if they will be of much use. The short stages increase the "voltage" in the peloton which causes more fatigue than days with many kilometers." World Champion, Oscar Freire, was happy with the route because it runs through his native country of Cantabria. He will not be aiming for an overall win, but will focus on winning a stage as part of his preparation for the Sydney Olympics. "I like the fact that they have reduced the kilometres, there is a stage in Cantabria, and because the rest days fall near there. I will try to obtain a stage win, and this will help my preparation for the Olympic Games and the World Championships," said Freire.
Igor González de Galdeano, who was second in this year's Vuelta, said today that the 56th edition is "innovative, because of the reduction in kilometers, more rest days, and more mountains. I hope that I will be riding it. I have very good memories of Arcalís when I gained my first Amarillo jersey. I hope to be at my peak because La Vuelta is my number one objective," he commented. González de Galdeano said about the rest days that "the body becomes quickly accustomed to the rest. On those days you relax a lot and when you return to compete you must be very alert so that the body will be at peak level." In his opinion, the last week will be "spectacular". " Mainly in the ascents like the Xorret of the Catí that was promoted two years ago and, although shorter, it is as hard as the Angliru," he added. Banesto team director, Eusebio Unzúe, told reporters that La Vuelta 2000 looks to be "exciting", "spectacular", "interesting", indicating that if the winner is decided in the Madrid time trial, the organizers would have prevailed. However, Unzúe was "afraid that very selective points exist, so that the time trials are not decisive. The great new development is the two rest days. The excessive relaxation can be dangerous on the eve of the two stages in Asturias, although it is still a positive step because it will serve for the recovery of the riders before they face the efforts of the decisive stages," he added. For him, the layout is suitable for two of his leaders, Jose Maria Jiménez and the Swiss Alex Zulle, who are both aiming to peak for La Vuelta.
The stages: Stage 1 - August 26: Malaga - ITT 12 kms Stage 2 - August 27: Malaga - Cordoba 169 kms Stage 3 - August 28: Montoro - Valdepenas 187 kms Stage 4 - August 29: Valdepenas - Albacete 174 kms Stage 5 - August 30: Albacete - Xorret d. Cati 170 kms Stage 6 - August 31: Benidorm - Valencia 164 kms Stage 7 - September 1: Valencia - Morella 175 kms Stage 8 - September 2: Vinarez - Port Aventura 170 kms Stage 9 - September 3: Barcelona - ITT 38 kms Stage 10 - September 4: Sabadell - Super Molina 175 kms Stage 11 - September 5: Alp- Andorra 134 kms September 6 - Rest day Stage 12 - September 7: Zaragoza - Zaragoza 132 kms September 8 - Rest day Stage 13 - September 9: Santander - Santander 146 kms Stage 14 - September 10: Santander-L.d.Covadonga 148 kms Stage 15 - September 11: Cangas de Onis - Gijon 166 kms Stage 16 - September 12: Gijon - Angliru 166 kms Stage 17 - September 13: Bonaventura - Salamanca 156 kms Stage 18 - September 14: Bejar - Ciudad Rodrigo 160 kms Stage 19 - September 15: Salamanca - Avila 130 kms Stage 20 - September 16: Avila - Alto de Abantos 125 kms Stage 21 - September 17: Madrid - Madrid - ITT 36km |