Favorites stage 15 Vuelta a España 2024 | Killer final climb to ski resort, which is music to Roglic's ears
Cycling
The day after a disguised transition stage, it's time for a monstrous mountain stage in the Vuelta a España on Sunday! The GC could already be in a definitive state here, which is why IDLProCycling.com is happy to tell you more about it!
Route stage 15 Vuelta a España 2024
The fifteenth stage of the Tour of Spain is an intense climbing feast of no less than 142.9 kilometers, ending on the grueling climb of the Cuitu Negru. But before we get there, plenty of other climbing awaits!
After a relatively straightforward approach of about 35 kilometers, we start with the Alto de la Colladiella, a first-category climb of 6.4 kilometers at an average of 8.2 percent. It's a nice climb to get into the rhythm!
Not too long after that comes the Alto de Santo Emiliano, which is much easier. This third-category climb is 5.6 kilometers long, and the road climbs an average of 4.9 percent. After that, it is time for the Alto de la Colladiella, which will be passed twice.
And then the icing on the cake is yet to come! The Ciutu Negru col is a tough one, it has to be said. On top of the Cuitu Negru is the Pajares ski area; you take a ski elevator or bike to get there. The riders do the latter, so they ride uphill for 18.9 kilometers at an average gradient of 7.4 percent.
That percentage is tough in itself, but then we haven't even mentioned the immensely tricky final kilometers, where there are sometimes peaks of 24 percent! At 7.5 kilometers from the finish, a section points upwards at 11 percent, while the last 2.5 kilometers are absolutely monstrous. That section rises nearly 13 percent on average and has the aforementioned extremes just before the summit.
Climbs
37.6 km: Alto de la Colladiella (6.4 km a 8.2%)
64.9 km: Alto de Santo Emiliano (5.6 km a 4.9%)
87.6 km: Colladiella (6.4 km a 8.2%)
142.9 km: Ciutu Negru (18.9 km a 7.4%)
Timetable
Start: 1:51 pm
Finish: 5:20 pm
Weather stage 15 Vuelta a España 2024
Sunday's weather is also somewhat inconsistent, although it seems to improve as the day progresses. It will most likely rain in the morning, but by the time the late Spanish start time arrives, it should be much better. Indeed, between 2 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., the chances of precipitation are low —we're obviously keeping our fingers crossed—while the temperature will rise to around 21 degrees Celcius.
Favorites stage 15 Vuelta a España 2024
If we had omitted the previous uphill finish, we probably would have identified Enric Mas as the top favorite for stage fifteen. The Movistar Spanish leader was the only one who had shown no signs of weakness or doubts in the first week and a half, until stage thirteen, and he could no longer follow Primoz Roglic's wheel: Mas collapsed badly, although the damage was still limited.
This is why we are putting the Slovenian from Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe - who, as an ex-ski jumper, will like the fact that we are heading to a ski resort - as the absolute top favorite in this stage, in which we don't necessarily expect the breakaway riders to prevail. Roglic was slightly off on one stage but quickly returned to his old self and looked to be THE man to beat on the flanks of the Cuitu Negru col. With Daniel Felipe Martinez, Aleksandr Vlasov, and Florian Lipowitz as mainstays, he should also be able to come a long way.
Behind Mas and Roglic, Mikel Landa was almost always the third-best man in the race. On Friday, Landismo also showed his vigorous climber's legs, so we named the home rider of T-REX Quick-Step as a serious candidate. Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) also seems to be getting better and better in the race. The Dane also still has a shot at the white jersey, but he will have to deal with the also improving Carlos Rodriguez (INEOS Grenadiers). And speaking of improving riders, so does ''man in the shade'' David Gaudu, the Frenchman from Groupama-FDJ.
We would also like to note the names of Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), who is still a serious contender for the podium, and Sepp Kuss, who one secretly hopes and believes can improve a bit. On Friday, he seemed to have fired his power too early. Adam Yates (UAE-Team Emirates) appears to be lacking this round - except for one phenomenal day. And what about red jersey Ben O'Connor, who got two minutes on Friday from Roglic? Will he keep his jersey, or is it the end of the story for the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale rider?
Should we still mention a few names in the breakaway raffle, we end up with guys like Matthew Riccitello (Israel-Premier Tech), Guillaume Martin (Cofidis), Eddie Dunbar (Jayco-AlUla), Lorenzo Fortunato (Astana Qazaqstan Team), Michael Woods (Israel-Premier Tech) and Filippo Zana (Jayco-AlUla).
Favorites stage 15 Vuelta a España 2024, according to IDLProCycling.com
Top favorite:Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Outsiders:Enric Mas (Movistar), Mikel Landa (T-REX Quick-Step) and Carlos Rodriguez (INEOS Grenadiers)
Long shots: Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek), Sepp Kuss (Visma | Lease a Bike), Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), Adam Yates (UAE-Team Emirates), David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ), Ben O'Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Matthew Riccitello (Israel-Premier Tech) and Guillaume Martin (Cofidis)
Youri van den Berg (Twitter: @YourivndnBerg)
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Latest Comments
- Well explained, thanks for the clarity! Daniel DantasDanieldantas20-12-2024
- This is the kind of 'news' that belongs in a cheap tabloid. No matter how boring the offseason gets, nobody wants to read this.
santiagobenites19-12-2024 - I wish we could have seen him try. He'd absolutely get dropped before Pogi overtakes his domestiquesVeganpotter10-12-2024
- Talk is cheap! Next year barring crashes with a healthy team... all well be on track! Some need to talk to make a headline!mootman27-11-2024
- I do not see this event listed on HBO Max Sports Online? Can anyone confirm? Thanks!
MrYuck23-11-2024 - It seemed that he was focusing forward at the time of the crash, after seeing a quick video snippet. But one thing I think he should focus on more intently is breaking a bad habit he has, right now. And that is his constant looking over his shoulders. He does that so much, that I am very sure it is not good for him. Simply watch videos of the greats of CX and you will see very little of that constant looking over their shoulders. That is a behavior that betrays a bit of insecurity on his part. He shouldn't be so concerned, incessantly, about what is over his shoulder. He needn't worry they didn't all disappear. He neds to keep his focus more ahead of himself, and he needs to pay a bit more attention to himself, in a confident manner. It is very frustrating to watch, because it is apparent that he has a lot of potential, and is in much better shape thwan many of his competitors, but the mental game needs to be sharpened more, because that part of strategy plays a huge part in the final results
reemmo022-11-2024 - hahahaha love this shit! I didnt even watched the race, but reading all the gossip articles of how stupid this is!Zatoichi19-11-2024
- Van Aert is really handsome. He can influence me all day! Ditto for Philipsen. Why do you think many of us love cycling?: to see heroic attempts at climbing mountains at high altitudes or to watch speedsters sprint for the finish line or to watch a human being ride at break neck speed down a tricky descent? No, it's all about their lean physiques and muscular legs. (apologies for objectifying these dedicated and amazing athletes).BarwonHeadsUp25-10-2024
- It is unfortunate that the author can't feel the joy that Pogacar brings to the sport and his fans who are legion and I for one feel lucky to have watched such a memorable performance and historic season From the Strada until yesterday with multiple wins in stages in both tours and beyond dominance in the World's. He is proud to wear the Rainbow stripes, shows his leadership to protect his fellows and is as courteous and sportsman-like as the sport allows. He goes early to not have to respond to each attack as all the rest would make him do it. Any racer who could would do the same. Don't "grow tired" of greatness as it is always fleeting.ccrider13-10-2024
- What load of rubbish. Pog is likely a once in a generation cyclist, the like of which hasn't been seen since 'the Cannibal '. How many people were complaining that Merckx was making racing predictable? I remember this year's World RR as one of the most exciting I've watched. Mainly BECAUSE Pog was the favourite and launched what everyone thought (Pog included) was a suicidal attack with 80km to go. For the next 2 hours, I was on the edge of my seat thinking "this is too much, even for Pog". Maybe Zonnefeld prefers the snooze-fest that is a bunch sprint? Like most people I know, I can't watch two hours of the bunch riding very fast... I wait for the final 5km and watch just the sprint. In any event, most races are won from a sprint or lone break. What difference does it make who makes the lone break? Ultimately, the other contenders will have to figure out a way to beat Pog. Even if that means collaboration between teams. It's going to be an exciting few seasons, until the next Pog arrives on the scene. If this is boring, heaven knows what exciting looks like!Michael513-10-2024