Off the wire
• Feature: War site brings alive bitter memory of El Alamein Battle  • Kenyan deputy president urges "domestic tourism" in Africa nations  • Xinhua world news summary at 1530 GMT, Aug. 21  • UN tourism agency urges Africa to ease visa regulations to spur tourism  • Despite leading GOP pack, Trump's ratings not so great: Gallup  • Stoltenberg's visit to mark Georgia's "NATO contribution": Tbilisi  • Taiwan to relax daily cap on mainland independent travelers  • Two Nigerian soldiers killed by landmine in military operation  • Chinese mainland lambastes Lee Teng-hui over treasonous remarks  • Top Chinese political advisor stresses water resources protection  
You are here: 　 Home

Dangerous surface means first stage of Vuelta won't count to overall classification

Xinhua, August 21, 2015 Adjust font size:

The first stage of the Vuelta de Espana (Tour of Spain) which begins with a 7.4-kilometer team time trial between Puerto Banus and Marbella in the south of Spain will not count towards the individual classification, it was decided by the race organizers on Friday.

The decision was taken after many of the riders and teams, including Tour de France winner, Chris Froome, competing in the race complained about a 4-kilometer section of the course which is both narrow and which takes the riders over a surface which includes planks of wood and compacted sand.

"The technical jury, after having received the worries of the teams and riders and after looking over the route with the technical director of the race.... Has decided that the times registered will count to the team classification and not for the individual classification," explained the organizers in a communique.

The riders were worried that the section, which runs just behind the beach, is too narrow for a team time trial, in which riders continually have to passing one another, but especially the danger caused by the sand, which can cause wheels to lose traction and riders to lose control: something that could have disastrous consequences at the speeds of 55 kilometers an hour that they can reach in this kind of stage.

Friday's decision means that although the lead rider in the team which wins Saturday's stage will wear the red jersey of the overall race leader, but there will be no actually time differences between riders until Sunday's Stage 2, which takes in the spectacular Camino del Rey.

The 3-week long Vuelta is one of the most important cycle races with only the Tour de France and the Giro de Italia more important races and one has to wonder how such a dangerous opening stage ever got approval.

This year's race in especially attractive as it includes the top-3 riders in this year's Tour (Froome, Nairo Quintana and Alejandro Valverde) as well as former Tour and Vuelta winner, Vincenzo Nibali and Teejay Van Garderen, who was looking set for the podium in the Tour before being forced to withdraw through illness. Endi