Thread by @InsidePeloton96

I’m back baby. And what a stage to make my return! A short, spicy spectacular around Andorra.

Stage 9: Andorra la Vella > Cortals d'Encamp (94.4km)

What's that? The Queen Stage already? Wow, you really are spoiling us this year Javier...

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THREAD👇🇪🇸

This is an absolute beast of a stage, with five leg-breaking climbs and almost zero flat kilometres in sight.

Make no mistake people, this is the Queen Stage of this year's race! The Vuelta won't be won here, but I bet you a handful will lose it tomorrow.

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We've got a roundabout route around Andorra tomorrow - passing several spots more than twice as we zip up and down the mountains that surround the valley town of Andorra la Vella.

The organisers have really tried to pack in as much climbing as possible...

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....with very little respite in between.

Back to back climbs over a short stage just a day before a rest day spell one thing:

CARNAGE!

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Anyway, enough waffle, let's jump right into some route analysis!

Here it is in all of its sparkling, Veloviewer glory.

As you can see, there are some steep ramps on each of the catergorised climbs tomorrow - these are going to be the big crunch points...

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...where we may just see the race explode!

First on the roll call of climbs tomorrows is the Cat 1 Coll d'Ordino.

Out of all the climbs tomorrow, this is probably the best one to kick all the action off as it's so damn long!

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The climb maintains a consistent gradient all the way to the top, hovering between 5-7% for the majority.

This is the perfect climb to promote the formation of a large break.

Will some GC outsiders try to sneak in? Yes, yes they will.

*Fabio Aru tomorrow 👇

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The Coll d'Ordino is also an absolute beauty of a climb.

Just look at it! This is definitely one for the bucket list.

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We hit the top of this clmb with around 78km to go, which seems quite far still from the finish right? Well, remember, this is La Vuelta - we've seen far crazier things happen in this race.

While the descent doesn't really favour a long range attack...

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...I'm certainly not going to rule someone out from attacking! We are just a day away from the rest day, if there was a time to dig deep it's on tomorrow's stage.

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The descent from the Coll d'Ordino is almost as beautiful as the climb itself!

The roads do twist like hell however and there are hardly any straight sections in sight. Riders will need to be attentive here. One wrong move and they could find themselves...

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...on the wrong side of a crash barrier.

The hairpins on this descent aren't particularly tight, so I can't imagine them causing any worry tomorrow. The tricky descents come later in the day. Save your do-or-die attacks for those!

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After a 28km long descent that also includes a few Ks of false flat, we arrive at the Coll de la Gallina - the centrepiece of tomorrow's stage.

This climb is an absolute horror and the first (I think?) ESP climb we've encountered so far in this race.

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The race went up the Gallina last year, when Simon Yates sealed his overall victory and Enric Mas beat MAL in a thrilling sprint finish.

As a lot of you Vuelta veterans will remember, this climb is known for being painfully irregular, with ramps...

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...dipping and diving in terms of gradient.

It may average 8.3% for 12.2km, but as we get closer to the top the 15% ramps rear their ugly heads - this is where we'll see the pain faces tomorrow.

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The climb also gets narrower around these steeper gradients nearer to the top.

With the amount of fans that are going to be on the roadside tomorrow this could prove a bit of a problem - at least it'll look epic on TV!

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The hardest part of the Gallina comes at the top, with the final km that averages around 11%. After 11km of climbing already, this is going to be hell - only the strongest will survive to the summit with the main GC group.

If it is still a group by this point...

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The descent from the Gallina is, erm, scary looking.

Just look at the amount of hairpins they'll have to negotiate!

Crazy.

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The descent is also quite narrow, and the hairpin bends a little off camber.

This is going to cause a problem for those riders who don't know these roads. You have to break much earlier into these corners, really scrubbing off the speed to avoid any lock ups.

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The descent amounts to around 11km in total and it's after this downhill period where we get our first - and only - real flat roads of the day, a 4km-long A-road that takes us to the foot of the Puerto de Comella.

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The Comella is only 4.2km long, but it's still pretty brutal - averaging around 8% to the summit.

The hardest ramps come right at the start and right at the end, offering a wide choice from where to launch your killer attack from.

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After the Comella we have the Engolasters, an almost identical climb in terms of stats.

4.8km long at 8%. Again the hardest ramps come right at the base - could they tempt out any big attacks from the GC contenders? Or will they wait for the final climb?

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Following the Engolasters we hop onto a very sketch looking gravel/mud road.

This is what it looked like in February of last year - let's hope it's not as wet and slippery this time around!

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This sketchy looking road is actually quite long, around 7km.

It spits us back out onto safe, solid tarmac with around 6km left to race - so it could actually be incredibly pivotal in the outcome of the stage - even more so than the climbs!

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Here's another picture of the sketchy road, this is what it looks like as we leave it behind and rejoin the main road.

This looks like something for the cyclocrossers, not the sub-60kg mountain goats!

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After we fly off this sketchy road we start the final climb - the Cortals d'Encamp.

It's another shortish one, 5.7km, but again it averages a gruelling 8%.

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The steepest 13% ramps are found just a little after we jump off that dirt road, so this could be an ideal point to launch a big attack, especially if someone has been distanced with a mechanical on the previous section!

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This finish has been used once before at La Vuelta, back in 2015 when Mikel Landa soared to an emphatic solo victory.

I wonder if we'll see another solo winner tomorrow?

But, before we talk favourites, let's have a quick #WeatherWatch!

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Uh-oh, we've got rain guys.

There's a 75% chance of showers around mid-afternoon, and around 60% in the early evening. There is a chance the riders could dodge these, but it looks as though that dirt road is going to be hit with a shower at least once during...

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...the day. That is going to create absolute carnage, particularly with it being so close to the finish as well.

Any mechanicals or crashes here will spell an end to not only your day, but probably your race overall - you do not want to lose time here!

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So, how's the race going to go down tomorrow?

Well it's going to explode right from the gun with half of the peloton trying to get in the break of the day. Some of these riders will include domestiques of the big GC guys, some stage-hunters and also some...

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...sneaky GC outsiders.

Getting in a big break in a stage like tomorrow and then flying under the radar is a fantastic tactic, giving you an opportunity to gain quite a lot of time on the bigger names behind.

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Tomorrow is also incredibly short, so you can be the riders will be completely emptying their tanks as they head for the first rest day.

How much will they have left in the tank though? We've had a super hard first week and some might just be ready to call...

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...it quits and pick up the GC fight again after the rest day.

Go in with that attitude however and you'll lose the race.
Tomorrow is going to be aggressive from start to finish, let one move go and you could be waving goodbye to the race.

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This race looks like it's boiling down to four main players - Lopez, Valverde, Quintana and Roglic.

Lopez and the Movistar duo need to try and crack Roglic tomorrow, or at least put him into trouble. Dealing a blow like this before the TT could put a dint in...

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...Roglic's morale. Sometimes all you need is dint, once that's exposed the whole thing can come tumbling down.

Of those riders, Valverde and Lopez currently look the strongest and most suited for tomorrow's stage - expect them to work together to...

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...really put Jumbo Visma onto the defensive early on.

The quicker they isolate Roglic, the sooner they can start to wear him down.

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Right, I can feel myself starting to ramble now so let's name my favourites for tomorrow's stage!

⭐️⭐️⭐️Valverde
⭐️⭐️Lopez, Roglic
⭐️Quintana, Pogacar, Chaves

and for some wildcards...

Aru, Latour, Martinez, Capecchi

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So, which one of those boys am I backing tomorrow? I'm all in on....

Fabio Aru.

I'm picturing a scenario where he makes it into the big breakaway of the day and just survives to snatch the stage win ahead of a rapidly gaining GC group.

Bring back the pain face!

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And that folks is me done for the evening! Boy does it feel good to be back doing these longer #PreviewTimes, I really do hope you've enjoyed it!

If you have then please, throw a RT my way, it helps more than you could imagine! Also, if you're feeling generous...

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...and would like to give me a little tip for the #PreviewTime then you can do so with this Paypal link here 👇

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Rightyo, same time tomorrow?

Good. I'll see you then.

Ciao! 😘👋

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