If you're still interested in pro cycling, the 2007 Vuelta a Espana kicks off Saturday for a three-week tour of Spain (Sept. 1-23).
The online bicycle racing network Cycling.tv is webcasting the race and offering a low-resolution webcast for free to those who don't know if they want to shell out 21 Euros for a better view.
Only four Americans are competing in the event, as it conflicts with the US Cycling Pro championships that run Saturday and Sunday in Greenville, South Carolina, and the Tour of Missouri (Sept. 11-16).
US cyclists
The four US cyclists are Tom Danielson and Jason McCartney of Discovery Channel, Chris Horner of Predictor-Lotto, and Christian Vande Velde of Team CSC. (Update: Danieldson crashed out with a broken collarbone on the first stage on Saturday.)
Interestingly, both Danielson and Vande Velde will be teammates on Team Slipstream/Chipotle next year.
Favorites
Twenty-one teams are sending nine-man squads to the race. From the looks of the rosters, I'd pick Cadel Evans (Predictor-Lotto) to have a very good Vuelta, although from what I've read Spain's Oscar Pereiro (Caisse d'Epargne) is the favorite.
Other local favs would include Carlos Sastre (Team CSC) and Manuel Beltran (Liquigas). Naturally last year's winner, Alexandre Vinokourov, won't be racing due to lab tests that he doped during the Tour de France. See the Vuelta roster at CyclingNews.
The stages
This year's Vuelta, the 62th, offers up a mountaintop finish on Stage 4, and more serious climbing on stages 9, 10, 14, 15, and 19. The Vuelta website lists all the climbs in the race, by stage.
The stages and host town for the 2007 Vuelta a Espana:
1 Sept: Vigo-Vigo – 145 km
2 Sept: Allariz-Saniago de Compostela – 150 km
3 Sept: Viveiro-Luarca – 155 km
4 Sept: Langreo-Lagos de Covadonga – 182 km (mountain finish)
5 Sept: Cangas de Onis-Reinosa – 155 km
6 Sept: Reinosa-Logrono – 195 km
7 Sept: Calahorra-Zaragoza – 140 km
8 Sept: Denominacion de Origen Carinena-Zaragoza (individual time trial) – 49 km
9 Sept: Huesca-Cerler – 174 km (mountain finish)
10 Sept: Benasque-Ordino-Arcalis (Andorra) – 220 km (mountain finish)
11 Sept: Rest day
12 Sept: Oropesa-Algemesi – 190 km
13 Sept: Algemesi-Hellin – 167 km
14 Sept: Hellin-Torre-Pacheco – 150 km
15 Sept: Puerto Lumbreras-Villacarrillo – 205 km
16 Sept: Villacarrillo-Granada – 205 km
17 Sept: Rest day
18 Sept: Jaen-Puertollano – 165 km
19 Sept: Ciudad Real-Talavera de la Reina – 180 km
20 Sept: Talavera de la Reina-Avila – 154 km
21 Sept: Avila-Alto de Abantos – 138 km (mountain finish)
22 Sept: Villalba-Villalba (individual time trial) – 25 km
23 Sept: Rivas Vaciamadrid-Madrid – 100 km.
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