Starting very very soon, so get your fantasy entries in ASAP.

http://www.velogames.com
League Code: 20175100

A few useful links

Live Cycling News Text Updates
Steephill
Vuelta Website
Fantasy League Standings

Photos from last years Vuelta

I’m unable to do daily threads (sorry), but will be trying to follow it as best as I can. It’s looking very open, and likely to be very exciting.

Possible spoilers in this thread if you decide to use it for the entire tour..

Done!

Given that I’ve got Henao, Uran, Betancur, Rodriguez, Dan Martin and EBH I’ve had to make some serious savings elsewhere…

Serious lack of decent sprinters makes it quite interesting.

Any RealMan threads at all will be the awesomez! Looking forward to this, shame we’re not seeing a battle between Froome and Nibali though.

Uran, Martin, Sanchez..

This and the Giro are my faves.

*dofts cap to RealMan for taking this on again

RealMan – the bar can not be raised any higher! You really do a terrific job. 😀

Now … the billion dollar question … what TV channel? Certainly last year I watched it on terrestrial.

Eurosport for me again… I will try to fit some work in over the coming days 😆

I expect Euskatel to do a few breaks off the front since they’re disbanding 😥 one of my all time favourite teams, Eva.

Recording on ITV for me, now doubt I’ll want to send a massive bag of my own excrement to the commentators for there hideous bullshit but I just can’t trust Eurosport to record it properly 🙁

Are we having a shithouse league as well ? – for some reason I’m better at low-scoring than high

why, yes we are:

League Name: stw lowscore losers
League Code: 20212526

Nice one scaredypants 🙂

In for Velogames

But I think this is a very hard race to call for GC and for each day’s stage win.

The whole thing could go to three or four riders and as for stages have you seen the profile for the the first three… crazy 😯

Three summit finishes … but they are flat unitl the last couple of kms then a sprinters stage that is up and down all day ???

Has to be Eurosport… ITV only watchable with the sound off!

Will be interesting as suspect a lot of the top riders will be using it to pick up some form for the Worlds. Great chance for some of the top domestiques to do some proper team leading. Can’t look far past Purito though if he’s going for it. Gilbert for some stage wins again?

Not studied the course yet. Plenty of the usual stupid steep climbs?

Looking forward to this, as above hope the hombres in orange go out in style.

Double post

I’m in 😀
I’m not sure the OH is happy about another 3 weeks of highlights though 😉
Should be a fascinating race.

Ultra slow motion style “sprint” finishes on 20% climbs are where it’s at.

I did really badly at the TdF fantasy leagues so not sure whether to try harder for the Vuelta or just jack it in.
In any case I’m looking forward to the Vuelta. It has to be Nibali or Rodiriguez doesn’t it. I’m thinking Purito is edging it at the moment based on form, but has Nibali been holding himself back for this? Exciting.

I love the super-steep rough climbs of the Vuelta, and the helicopter shots are the best of all the Grand Tours.

Nibali has an eye on the worlds as well so may not do as well as expected. I’m expecting Henao to get at last a podium but I’m hoping he gets the win.

I’m in, perhaps home territory advantage will help me? Certainly can’t do much worse than the Tour 🙂

I’m in. Might have a better balanced team compared to the TdF!

The Jinkers are in.

It’s started!

And that start ramp is begging for some sort of incident. Please.

Edit – Arse, just seen the safety glass.

how do points work with TTTs? does everyone in the team get points for a win?

EDIT: ok, it’s like this.

TEAM TIME TRIAL SCORES

The opening stage of the 2013 Vuelta is a Team Time Trial. The only points awarded for the Team Time Trial stage are for each team’s finishing position. Individual classificiation points are not included.

Points are awarded to all team members in the Top 6 teams, based on the following table. Riders do not have to finish alongside their leading team members to receive points. However, they do have to finish the stage as a classified finisher. Stage assists.

Position Points
1st 30
2nd 20
3rd 16
4th 12
5th 8
6th 4

58 tooth chainring…. FFS!

Okay, dropping Nibali so I could afford both Henao and Betancur might have been a mistake. Can’t believe they’re both effectively out after the first proper stage.

Movistar look very, very impressive so far.

Okay, dropping Nibali so I could afford both Henao and Betancur might have been a mistake. Can’t believe they’re both effectively out after the first proper stage.

Watching Samu get dropped off the back of the lead group yesterday didn’t do much for my league standings either 😀

Yeah same here.

Hoping they were paying for the TTT and after a bit of a rest day today they’re back on form.

I really don’t want Nibali to win but I’m starting to think I’ll be disappointed.

I’d like to think that it’s early doors and that a lot can still happen, but there were some surprises yesterday. Sanchez, Henao, EBH all dropping back was disappointing.
What was amazing was that according to Cycling News, Gilbert managed to come both 77th and 87th in the stage…

Movistar using the bollard debacle to repay Belkin’s Tour attack…

Is it just me or did Horners bars look way to wide for him, like he’d borrowed a bike?

So proud to be top of the league. Viva la Team CC

Anyone else struggling with itv’s coverage? Am finding it quite disjointed and not easy to follow.

Last year I didn’t have this problem and was completely hooked. Not sure of the tv company involved though.

Live on eurosport every day, android/iPad app is only £3 a month.

Need to watch on a big screen, may check Eurosport’s prices.

I run a HDMI lead from whichever mobile device to the tv so I can watch henao go backwards on the big screen.

I have Eurosport on my Samsung TV as well so I can get HD over the net (as I can’t via cable).

Interested to see whether Sky do what they usually do and insist the more in-form rider supports the nominated team leader. Unless Uran falls off the pace today and tomorrow, they need to have Henao support him

What a stage!!!!!! incredible

anyone see this?

No, I’ll be watching the highlights though.

yep, shouting at the screen for the last 100m…

Good effort!

I reckon Wiggo might have just gone out for an extra training session after watching that…

On a separate note, EBH needs to sort out his positioning – in every stage with a potential win he’s been about 30 riders back as the sprint kicks off and gets nowhere. (Yes he’s in my team)

poor bugger