A look at how each team has gone so far, and how they will approach the remaining 11 stages. A grade at the end to quickly sum up their performance, because you can simplify the efforts of 9 riders slogging their guts out in the blazing heat of Spain into a single letter.
AG2R
Best Stage Finishes: Domenico Pozzovivo 7th and 9th (Stages 5, 8)
GC Riders: Domenico Pozzovivo 10th (+1’52)
Overall Peformance: Montaguti and Gougeard showed themselves in some early breaks for the squad, but since Pozzovivo has confirmed his good form, the squad looks to be fully behind the Italian. Pozzovivo crashed out nastily of the Giro D’Italia and was only coming off an indifferent 10th at the recent Tour L’Ain, but he has been good if unspectacular so far, and managed a surprising 7th in the sprint on Stage 5.
Prospects: Done their job so far, without any results to show for it. It will continue to be all about Pozzovivo for AG2R, so hopefully he stays upright and in contention. He will be happier on the more mountainous days than the steep hills that have dominated the race so far, and should also be one of the stronger GC candidates in the TT, which is shaping as a decisive stage. Cherel, Kadri and Nocentini should be the main support in the mountains, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them try their luck from a break if the opportunity arises.
Grade: C
Astana
Best Stage Finishes: Fabio Aru 10th, 3rd, 4th (Stages 2, 7, 9)
GC Riders: Fabio Aru 8th (+1’13), Mikel Landa 36th (+26’26 ), Vincenzo Nibali (Disqualified)
Overall Performance: Astana started the Vuelta off very poorly with the Nibali car tow debacle, after which they apologised publicly and been left looking decidedly deceptive. They have recovered well with Aru looking very strong when he jumped away from the peleton on Stage 7, and he is right there in contention on GC. Mikel Landa was also supposed to be a GC threat, but has been way off the pace the past two GC stages, and isn’t in contention anymore, so they have gone from 3 contenders to 1 in the space of 10 days, which isn’t how they would have planned the race. Luis Leon Sanchez also went on the attack to no avail in Stages 4 and 8, but at least showed the colours.
Prospects: Aru should continue to do well on the climbs, and he will appreciate the longer ascents that the peleton will go up in the remainder of the race. The TT looms large as an obstacle for him, as he isn’t strong against the clock, and will want to have a bit of time to play beforehand. Landa will probably take on domestique duties, but will probably also get a shot to go for a stage win or two if he can recover from whatever problems he has been having the last few stages.
Grade: B-
BMC Racing
Best Stage Finishes: 1st Team Time Trial (Stage 1), Jean-Pierre Drucker 4th (Stages 3 and 5)
GC Riders: Samuel Sanchez 17th (+4’04), Tejay van Garderen (crashed out, 16th +2’05 at that stage)
Overall Performance: A great start for BMC with hard-fought, narrow victory in the TTT, and Peter Velits pulled on the first leader’s jersey of the race. Jean-Pierre Drucker has backed up his good form from earlier in the year, with a pair of solid 4ths behind some very good sprinters. On the other hand their red jersey ambitions have been thrown into disarray. It looked as though BMC would line up with a two-pronged assault on the GC, but it has been clear from the start that Van Garderen and Sanchez have been off the pace of the better climbers here, and had lost significant time even before the unlucky crash from the American took him out of the race.
Prospects: Sammy Sanchez isn’t without hope in the GC, but he and his team will expecting more from him in the coming stages, and it may be that they will shift their ambitions to stage-hunting. Darwin Atapuma, Alessandro De Marchi and Peter Velits are all good candidates for a win from the breakaway on mountainous days, and if Sanchez sees his GC ambitions slipping away, he may also go looking for a stage win to console himself. Jean-Pierre Drucker will have a few more chances to sprint, and may have his eyes set on Madrid, on the flat where he will be better suited, and given the current rate of sprinter attrition, he may be the fastest man left.
Grade: B
Caja-Rural
Best Stage Finishes: Jose Goncalves 5th, 5th (Stages 4, 10) Pello Bilbao 2nd (Stage 8)
GC Riders: David Arroyo 23rd (+10’27)
Overall Performance: They don’t have the resources of other teams, but what they do have has been largely focused on their home Grand Tour, so they are hoping for a top showing. Caja-Rural started out with a good 7th in the TTT, only 18 seconds off the win in a discipline that they haven’t often excelled in. They have been very active in the breakaways, and are giving it their best shot at winning a stage, attacking with Jose Goncalves and Pello Bilbao a number of times at the end of hilly stages, and also trying their hand in the sprints. The biggest disappointment for them was David Arroyo dropping down the GC so early on in the race, but Amets Txurruka also had a good chance of winning in the break on Stage 7, but wasn’t able to follow the eventual winner.
Prospects: They’ll continue to be active in the breaks, and they should have some more chances to win from those opportunities. As the race gets further in, there will be more quality riders down on GC who are allowed to go in the breaks, which will make it hard for the ProConti team to compete, but Goncalves and Bilbao in particular look like very handy riders, and will be in the mix. Omar Fraille looks like the only one really contesting the mountain points jersey for the moment, and if he can continue to garner points without oppostition then he stands a good chance the jersey on the final podium.
Grade: B+
Cofidis
Best Stage Finishes: Nacer Bouhanni 2nd (Stage 3), Julien Simon 7th, 7th (Stages 4, 8)
GC Riders: Daniel Navarro 19th (+5’07)
Overall Performance: Cofidis would have been hoping that Nacer Bouhanni would have won a few stages by now, but unfortunately he only really go a chance at one sprint finish, where he was gaining on Sagan at the finish to take 2nd. He crashed on stages 5 and 8, and abandoned the race there. With that, Cofidis’ heads could have gone down, but they are plugging away with Julien Simon, who is both a decent sprinter and climber. Navarro came 10th last season here on GC, and he is still within reach of achieving that again, but he hasn’t looked overly strong so far.
Prospects: It would be surprising if Cofidis managed to salvage something from this Vuelta as their squad was built to support Bouhanni, but this will give opportunities for secondary riders like Simon and Soupe to have a go.
Grade: C-
Team Colombia
Best Stage Finishes: No Top 10s
GC Riders: None
Overall Performance: Team Colombia have been active in the breaks, but that’s the best that can be said for the wildcard team that was looking to impress in their only Grand Tour for the season. Of course their preferred terrain is the high mountains, so they’ll be more at home in the second and third weeks.
Prospects: As above, they’ll be targeting stages in the high mountains, and they’ll be sending their best riders Cano, Torres and Duarte into breaks on days where the escapees stand a good chance. They don’t have a sprinter and their climbers can’t match the best here, so they’ll need to be on the attack early. They only need a stage win to count this as a successful race, so if they keep rolling the dice in the break, they’ll eventually get a chance or two.
Grade: D-
Best Stage Finishes: Domenico Pozzovivo 7th and 9th (Stages 5, 8)
GC Riders: Domenico Pozzovivo 10th (+1’52)
Overall Peformance: Montaguti and Gougeard showed themselves in some early breaks for the squad, but since Pozzovivo has confirmed his good form, the squad looks to be fully behind the Italian. Pozzovivo crashed out nastily of the Giro D’Italia and was only coming off an indifferent 10th at the recent Tour L’Ain, but he has been good if unspectacular so far, and managed a surprising 7th in the sprint on Stage 5.
Prospects: Done their job so far, without any results to show for it. It will continue to be all about Pozzovivo for AG2R, so hopefully he stays upright and in contention. He will be happier on the more mountainous days than the steep hills that have dominated the race so far, and should also be one of the stronger GC candidates in the TT, which is shaping as a decisive stage. Cherel, Kadri and Nocentini should be the main support in the mountains, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them try their luck from a break if the opportunity arises.
Grade: C
Astana
Best Stage Finishes: Fabio Aru 10th, 3rd, 4th (Stages 2, 7, 9)
GC Riders: Fabio Aru 8th (+1’13), Mikel Landa 36th (+26’26 ), Vincenzo Nibali (Disqualified)
Overall Performance: Astana started the Vuelta off very poorly with the Nibali car tow debacle, after which they apologised publicly and been left looking decidedly deceptive. They have recovered well with Aru looking very strong when he jumped away from the peleton on Stage 7, and he is right there in contention on GC. Mikel Landa was also supposed to be a GC threat, but has been way off the pace the past two GC stages, and isn’t in contention anymore, so they have gone from 3 contenders to 1 in the space of 10 days, which isn’t how they would have planned the race. Luis Leon Sanchez also went on the attack to no avail in Stages 4 and 8, but at least showed the colours.
Prospects: Aru should continue to do well on the climbs, and he will appreciate the longer ascents that the peleton will go up in the remainder of the race. The TT looms large as an obstacle for him, as he isn’t strong against the clock, and will want to have a bit of time to play beforehand. Landa will probably take on domestique duties, but will probably also get a shot to go for a stage win or two if he can recover from whatever problems he has been having the last few stages.
Grade: B-
BMC Racing
Best Stage Finishes: 1st Team Time Trial (Stage 1), Jean-Pierre Drucker 4th (Stages 3 and 5)
GC Riders: Samuel Sanchez 17th (+4’04), Tejay van Garderen (crashed out, 16th +2’05 at that stage)
Overall Performance: A great start for BMC with hard-fought, narrow victory in the TTT, and Peter Velits pulled on the first leader’s jersey of the race. Jean-Pierre Drucker has backed up his good form from earlier in the year, with a pair of solid 4ths behind some very good sprinters. On the other hand their red jersey ambitions have been thrown into disarray. It looked as though BMC would line up with a two-pronged assault on the GC, but it has been clear from the start that Van Garderen and Sanchez have been off the pace of the better climbers here, and had lost significant time even before the unlucky crash from the American took him out of the race.
Prospects: Sammy Sanchez isn’t without hope in the GC, but he and his team will expecting more from him in the coming stages, and it may be that they will shift their ambitions to stage-hunting. Darwin Atapuma, Alessandro De Marchi and Peter Velits are all good candidates for a win from the breakaway on mountainous days, and if Sanchez sees his GC ambitions slipping away, he may also go looking for a stage win to console himself. Jean-Pierre Drucker will have a few more chances to sprint, and may have his eyes set on Madrid, on the flat where he will be better suited, and given the current rate of sprinter attrition, he may be the fastest man left.
Grade: B
Caja-Rural
Best Stage Finishes: Jose Goncalves 5th, 5th (Stages 4, 10) Pello Bilbao 2nd (Stage 8)
GC Riders: David Arroyo 23rd (+10’27)
Overall Performance: They don’t have the resources of other teams, but what they do have has been largely focused on their home Grand Tour, so they are hoping for a top showing. Caja-Rural started out with a good 7th in the TTT, only 18 seconds off the win in a discipline that they haven’t often excelled in. They have been very active in the breakaways, and are giving it their best shot at winning a stage, attacking with Jose Goncalves and Pello Bilbao a number of times at the end of hilly stages, and also trying their hand in the sprints. The biggest disappointment for them was David Arroyo dropping down the GC so early on in the race, but Amets Txurruka also had a good chance of winning in the break on Stage 7, but wasn’t able to follow the eventual winner.
Prospects: They’ll continue to be active in the breaks, and they should have some more chances to win from those opportunities. As the race gets further in, there will be more quality riders down on GC who are allowed to go in the breaks, which will make it hard for the ProConti team to compete, but Goncalves and Bilbao in particular look like very handy riders, and will be in the mix. Omar Fraille looks like the only one really contesting the mountain points jersey for the moment, and if he can continue to garner points without oppostition then he stands a good chance the jersey on the final podium.
Grade: B+
Cofidis
Best Stage Finishes: Nacer Bouhanni 2nd (Stage 3), Julien Simon 7th, 7th (Stages 4, 8)
GC Riders: Daniel Navarro 19th (+5’07)
Overall Performance: Cofidis would have been hoping that Nacer Bouhanni would have won a few stages by now, but unfortunately he only really go a chance at one sprint finish, where he was gaining on Sagan at the finish to take 2nd. He crashed on stages 5 and 8, and abandoned the race there. With that, Cofidis’ heads could have gone down, but they are plugging away with Julien Simon, who is both a decent sprinter and climber. Navarro came 10th last season here on GC, and he is still within reach of achieving that again, but he hasn’t looked overly strong so far.
Prospects: It would be surprising if Cofidis managed to salvage something from this Vuelta as their squad was built to support Bouhanni, but this will give opportunities for secondary riders like Simon and Soupe to have a go.
Grade: C-
Team Colombia
Best Stage Finishes: No Top 10s
GC Riders: None
Overall Performance: Team Colombia have been active in the breaks, but that’s the best that can be said for the wildcard team that was looking to impress in their only Grand Tour for the season. Of course their preferred terrain is the high mountains, so they’ll be more at home in the second and third weeks.
Prospects: As above, they’ll be targeting stages in the high mountains, and they’ll be sending their best riders Cano, Torres and Duarte into breaks on days where the escapees stand a good chance. They don’t have a sprinter and their climbers can’t match the best here, so they’ll need to be on the attack early. They only need a stage win to count this as a successful race, so if they keep rolling the dice in the break, they’ll eventually get a chance or two.
Grade: D-
Etixx-Quickstep
Best Stage Finishes: 5th Team Time Trial Stage 1, Pieter Serry 8th, 9th (Stages 8, 10), Nicholas Maes 10th (Stage 5)
GC Riders: Gianluca Brambilla 14th (+3’46)
Overall Performance: Etixx-Quickstep have brought a team of opportunists to the Vuelta, and they’ve been trying hard to make a breakaway stick and give them a chance to contest the win. On stage 9, they had three men in the break driving the pace, and Terpstra and Bouet have tried ambitious attacks towards the end of stages, but have been unable to keep the peleton napping yet. It is good to see them try and enliven the race, which is also their best chance of taking a stage win. They managed a good performance in the TTT, only finishing 10 seconds off the win, and Brambilla is hanging in on the GC for the moment so it’s by no means a bad race for the squad.
Prospects: With their weakened squad, they’ll be happy if they can get a stage win and they have some decent riders here who are glad to have the chance to race for themselves rather than be working all the time to support a team leader. Brambilla isn’t going to be closely marked, and may be allowed to gain time on GC in breakaways, so he’ll be on the lookout for opportunities to improve on his best GC performance (13th in the 2012 Giro)
Grade: D+
FDJ
Best Stage Finishes: Kevin Reza 3rd (Stage 8)
GC Riders: Kenny Ellissonde 22nd (+6’45)
Overall Performance: FDJ came in with Ellissonde as the leader, but it was always more likely that he would be going for stage wins rather than the GC. He has attacked on a few occasions late on in stages, and even built a decent advantage on Stage 10, where he attacked on the final climb, and even rode away from his fellow escapees. His best result of his career came in the Vuelta, when he won atop the Angliru from a break on the day that Horner and Nibali battled it out for the GC win, so he has the ability. Kevin Reza took a good third in a messy sprint after a chaotic day of racing, it is probably the best result of his career and he and his team should be happy that he was able to do well in a tricky situation.
Prospects: They’ll continue to try and put Ellissonde in good positions to attack, and he looks like he is strong enough to take a win this Vuelta, and he’ll be more suited to the high mountains. The others will be mainly working for Ellissonde, but they should get a go in the breaks on flat stages, and may even stand a chance of winning with few teams with sprinters remaining in the race.
Grade: D+
IAM
Best Stage Finishes: Vicente Reynes 9th (Stage 3)
GC Riders: None
Overall Performance: It has been a horrible Vuelta for IAM, in-form riders Matteo Pelucchi and David Tanner crashed on Stage 2 and abandoned the race. Thomas Degand also left on Stage 9, and IAM are in disarray at this point of the race. Jerome Coppel went on the attack on Stage 10, and Warbasse was in the early break on the same day, so they’re trying to improvise a strategy without their key riders.
Prospects: Chavanel has been quiet so far, and he’ll need to show prospective employers why they should hire him, so he’ll be looking for likely stages where he can take a win. Jerome Coppel looks in good form, and he could realistically target a win in the mountains. Reynes has built his career as a leadout man, and he isn’t a great climber, which will rule him out of a lot of finishes here, but he will be keen to have a go on the flatter days.
Grade: F
Lampre-Merida
Best Stage Finishes: Ilia Koshevoy 2nd (Stage 7), Ruben Plaza 4th (Stage 6), Maximiliano Richeze 5th (Stage 3), Valerio Conti 10th (Stage 10)
GC Riders: None
Overall Performance: A good set of results from the Lampre-Merida team, without being quite able to crack it for a win. Koshevoy looked a winner at one point on Stage 7, and he made a favourable impression in his first chance to shine on the World Tour, shortly after taking his first professional win in Qinghai Lake. Plaza and Richeze weren’t really in contention for the win, but they are both looking good to try on other stages that suit them. Grmay and Durasek have been active in the breaks, so it’s been an active race for the Italian team.
Prospects: Lampre-Merida are likely to continue their opportunistic approach to the mountainous stages, whilst Richeze will be their man in the flat sprints. Durasek and Plaza seem to be their designated men for the hills, whilst Grmay and Koshevoy might be the men to watch for in the mountains.
Grade: B-
Lotto-Soudal
Best Stage Finishes: Tosh Van der Sande 9th, 6th, 4th (Stages 5,8, 10)
GC Riders: Bart de Clercq 16th (+4’28)
Overall Performance: Kris Boeckmans came in as Lotto-Soudal’s protected rider, but didn’t handle the climbing before the sprints too well, and he was taken to hospital after a nasty crash on Stage 8 where he is hopefully recovering quickly. Tosh Van der Sande stepped up in his place and did a few good sprints and came closest on Stage 10 when he was the first to hit out for the line, just getting swamped 50 metres out from the line. Bart de Clercq has been consistent on the difficult stages so far, and isn’t a mile off on the GC. Adam Hansen has tried to jump away in the finale in two stages now, and was unlucky to get chased down just short of the line in Stage 8, and then got neutralised by Tom Dumoulin to Hansen’s bemusement on Stage 10.
Prospects: Bart de Clercq is hanging on in the GC for the moment, but he is relatively low profile for a GC man, and he’ll be allowed to go in breaks to improve his position on the standings. Tosh Van der Sande looks a likely sort for the hilly sprint days, especially with a number of other sprinters out of the race. Jurgen Van Den Broeck, Jelle Vanendert and Maxime Monfort will be the men to go on the attack in the mountains from the breakaways, all three are strong in that terrain, and though they haven’t shown much form yet, they can take a win.
Grade: C
Movistar
Best Stage Finishes: Alejandro Valverde 8th, 1st, 5th, 7th, 7th (Stages 2, 3, 6, 7, 9), Nairo Quintana 6th, 9th, 9th, 8th, 6th (Stage 2, 3, 6, 7, 9), Jose Joaquin Rojas 5th, 9th, 3rd (Stage 5, 8, 10) Giovanni Visconti 4th (Stage 8)
GC Riders: Alejandro Valverde 6th (+1’17), Nairo Quintana 7th (1’17)
Overall Performance: Movistar have a very strong line-up built around their GC leaders, who have been riding well so far, if not blowing the competition out of the water. Valverde took a stage win on the hilly finish of Stage 3, and he and Quintana have been consistently in the top 10 on all the GC days so far. Arguably Valverde would be doing better on these sorts of stages if he was in top form, but he, like many others is coming off a big Tour de France, and is understandably not in top condition. Quintana was surprisingly allowed to ride out of the front group on Stage 2 and even more surprisingly was then dropped by Chaves, Dumoulin and Roche. JJ Rojas has been sprinting well, and Visconti stepped up in the stage where Rojas crashed to take 4th.
Prospects: Things have been going well so far for Movistar, but they won’t be happy unless one of Quintana and Valverde end up on the top step of the podium. They are going to be a formidable duo on the mountains stages, neither are poor time-triallists and won’t be daunted by that stage. Most of Movistar’s energies are going to be dedicated to their GC captains, but others will get their chances when their principals are safe.
Grade: A-
Best Stage Finishes: 5th Team Time Trial Stage 1, Pieter Serry 8th, 9th (Stages 8, 10), Nicholas Maes 10th (Stage 5)
GC Riders: Gianluca Brambilla 14th (+3’46)
Overall Performance: Etixx-Quickstep have brought a team of opportunists to the Vuelta, and they’ve been trying hard to make a breakaway stick and give them a chance to contest the win. On stage 9, they had three men in the break driving the pace, and Terpstra and Bouet have tried ambitious attacks towards the end of stages, but have been unable to keep the peleton napping yet. It is good to see them try and enliven the race, which is also their best chance of taking a stage win. They managed a good performance in the TTT, only finishing 10 seconds off the win, and Brambilla is hanging in on the GC for the moment so it’s by no means a bad race for the squad.
Prospects: With their weakened squad, they’ll be happy if they can get a stage win and they have some decent riders here who are glad to have the chance to race for themselves rather than be working all the time to support a team leader. Brambilla isn’t going to be closely marked, and may be allowed to gain time on GC in breakaways, so he’ll be on the lookout for opportunities to improve on his best GC performance (13th in the 2012 Giro)
Grade: D+
FDJ
Best Stage Finishes: Kevin Reza 3rd (Stage 8)
GC Riders: Kenny Ellissonde 22nd (+6’45)
Overall Performance: FDJ came in with Ellissonde as the leader, but it was always more likely that he would be going for stage wins rather than the GC. He has attacked on a few occasions late on in stages, and even built a decent advantage on Stage 10, where he attacked on the final climb, and even rode away from his fellow escapees. His best result of his career came in the Vuelta, when he won atop the Angliru from a break on the day that Horner and Nibali battled it out for the GC win, so he has the ability. Kevin Reza took a good third in a messy sprint after a chaotic day of racing, it is probably the best result of his career and he and his team should be happy that he was able to do well in a tricky situation.
Prospects: They’ll continue to try and put Ellissonde in good positions to attack, and he looks like he is strong enough to take a win this Vuelta, and he’ll be more suited to the high mountains. The others will be mainly working for Ellissonde, but they should get a go in the breaks on flat stages, and may even stand a chance of winning with few teams with sprinters remaining in the race.
Grade: D+
IAM
Best Stage Finishes: Vicente Reynes 9th (Stage 3)
GC Riders: None
Overall Performance: It has been a horrible Vuelta for IAM, in-form riders Matteo Pelucchi and David Tanner crashed on Stage 2 and abandoned the race. Thomas Degand also left on Stage 9, and IAM are in disarray at this point of the race. Jerome Coppel went on the attack on Stage 10, and Warbasse was in the early break on the same day, so they’re trying to improvise a strategy without their key riders.
Prospects: Chavanel has been quiet so far, and he’ll need to show prospective employers why they should hire him, so he’ll be looking for likely stages where he can take a win. Jerome Coppel looks in good form, and he could realistically target a win in the mountains. Reynes has built his career as a leadout man, and he isn’t a great climber, which will rule him out of a lot of finishes here, but he will be keen to have a go on the flatter days.
Grade: F
Lampre-Merida
Best Stage Finishes: Ilia Koshevoy 2nd (Stage 7), Ruben Plaza 4th (Stage 6), Maximiliano Richeze 5th (Stage 3), Valerio Conti 10th (Stage 10)
GC Riders: None
Overall Performance: A good set of results from the Lampre-Merida team, without being quite able to crack it for a win. Koshevoy looked a winner at one point on Stage 7, and he made a favourable impression in his first chance to shine on the World Tour, shortly after taking his first professional win in Qinghai Lake. Plaza and Richeze weren’t really in contention for the win, but they are both looking good to try on other stages that suit them. Grmay and Durasek have been active in the breaks, so it’s been an active race for the Italian team.
Prospects: Lampre-Merida are likely to continue their opportunistic approach to the mountainous stages, whilst Richeze will be their man in the flat sprints. Durasek and Plaza seem to be their designated men for the hills, whilst Grmay and Koshevoy might be the men to watch for in the mountains.
Grade: B-
Lotto-Soudal
Best Stage Finishes: Tosh Van der Sande 9th, 6th, 4th (Stages 5,8, 10)
GC Riders: Bart de Clercq 16th (+4’28)
Overall Performance: Kris Boeckmans came in as Lotto-Soudal’s protected rider, but didn’t handle the climbing before the sprints too well, and he was taken to hospital after a nasty crash on Stage 8 where he is hopefully recovering quickly. Tosh Van der Sande stepped up in his place and did a few good sprints and came closest on Stage 10 when he was the first to hit out for the line, just getting swamped 50 metres out from the line. Bart de Clercq has been consistent on the difficult stages so far, and isn’t a mile off on the GC. Adam Hansen has tried to jump away in the finale in two stages now, and was unlucky to get chased down just short of the line in Stage 8, and then got neutralised by Tom Dumoulin to Hansen’s bemusement on Stage 10.
Prospects: Bart de Clercq is hanging on in the GC for the moment, but he is relatively low profile for a GC man, and he’ll be allowed to go in breaks to improve his position on the standings. Tosh Van der Sande looks a likely sort for the hilly sprint days, especially with a number of other sprinters out of the race. Jurgen Van Den Broeck, Jelle Vanendert and Maxime Monfort will be the men to go on the attack in the mountains from the breakaways, all three are strong in that terrain, and though they haven’t shown much form yet, they can take a win.
Grade: C
Movistar
Best Stage Finishes: Alejandro Valverde 8th, 1st, 5th, 7th, 7th (Stages 2, 3, 6, 7, 9), Nairo Quintana 6th, 9th, 9th, 8th, 6th (Stage 2, 3, 6, 7, 9), Jose Joaquin Rojas 5th, 9th, 3rd (Stage 5, 8, 10) Giovanni Visconti 4th (Stage 8)
GC Riders: Alejandro Valverde 6th (+1’17), Nairo Quintana 7th (1’17)
Overall Performance: Movistar have a very strong line-up built around their GC leaders, who have been riding well so far, if not blowing the competition out of the water. Valverde took a stage win on the hilly finish of Stage 3, and he and Quintana have been consistently in the top 10 on all the GC days so far. Arguably Valverde would be doing better on these sorts of stages if he was in top form, but he, like many others is coming off a big Tour de France, and is understandably not in top condition. Quintana was surprisingly allowed to ride out of the front group on Stage 2 and even more surprisingly was then dropped by Chaves, Dumoulin and Roche. JJ Rojas has been sprinting well, and Visconti stepped up in the stage where Rojas crashed to take 4th.
Prospects: Things have been going well so far for Movistar, but they won’t be happy unless one of Quintana and Valverde end up on the top step of the podium. They are going to be a formidable duo on the mountains stages, neither are poor time-triallists and won’t be daunted by that stage. Most of Movistar’s energies are going to be dedicated to their GC captains, but others will get their chances when their principals are safe.
Grade: A-
MTN-Qhubeka
Best Stage Finishes: Kristan Sbaragli 6th, 6th, 5th, 1st (Stages 3, 5, 8, 10), Louis Meintjes 9th, 10th (Stages 7, 9)
GC Riders: Louis Meintjes 12th (+2’25)
Overall Performance: The South African team will be happy with their first 10 days of the Vuelta on their limited budget, taking a stage win with Sbaragli, who has been very consistent in the sprints. They also have youngster Meintjes up there in the overall classification, a bit of a surprise as he is backing up from the Tour de France, and younger riders generally don’t recover as well as experienced athletes. Meintjes has shown that he can match it with the best here, and he’ll be happy that he has shown that he can fulfil his potential on the biggest stage.
Prospects: Sbaragli looks to be one of the better chances on the hilly sprint stages and Meintjes will continue to try to keep up on the GC. He has proven in the past, not just this race, that he can race in the high mountains, but his ability to backup after every stage and recover is unknown and is the next step he’ll have to take on. It will be interesting to see how he goes here, as he is an exciting talent.
Grade: A
Orica-Greenedge
Best Stage Finishes: 3rd Team Time Trial Esteban Chaves 1st, 10th, 1st, 6th (Stages 2, 4, 6, 7), Caleb Ewan 1st (Stage 5), Mitchell Docker 7th (Stage 3), Jens Keukeliere 7th (Stage 10), Daryl Impey 8th (Stage 10)
GC Riders: Esteban Chaves 3rd (+59 seconds)
Overall Performance: Terrific first 10 days for Orica-Greenedge, taking three stage wins and 6 days in the red jersey. Chaves was very strong in the early stages, attacking and distancing some of the best riders in the peleton. He did perhaps a bit too much of the chasing himself on Stage 9, and ended up paying for his efforts in the final kilometre where he blew up. Ewan took his maiden win in the World Tour, again beating some of the strongest riders in the world in an uphill sprint. When Ewan hasn’t been present, other Orica riders have done the sprinting job for Orica, with decent results. They also were a mere second off winning the TTT, probably would have been a bit greedy if they won there as well.
Prospects: Chaves is untested at maintaining a GC push in a three week race, and how his body reacts to the rest day will be very important with the big GC test coming up on Stage 11. He is also a poor time triallist and will give up minutes there. He could maintain a threat on the podium for awhile, but a more realistic goal at this stage of his career will be top 10. Ewan has abandoned after suffering some injuries, so sprinting duties will be shared around the squad, Gerrans and Impey are probably the fastest.
Grade: A+
Team Cannondale-Garmin
Best Stage Results: Daniel Martin 4th, 2nd (Stages 2, 6)
GC Riders: Daniel Martin (abandoned- was 3rd +33 seconds), Andre Cardoso 17th (+4’43), Andrew Talansky 91st (+1’07’13)
Overall Performance: They will rueing the fact that Martin has again suffered a race ending injury in a crash when he was looking in top form. The first week was always going to suit the Irishman, but he was strong enough to distance his rivals late on, and he looked impressive in doing so. Talansky came into the race as the joint leader of the team, but he has been absent so far, not surprising considering his gruelling effort in the TDF. Andre Cardoso is now the protected man, and he has been consistent on the hilly stages, if not up with the top guys.
Prospects: Cardoso has done decent results on the GC in grand tours in the past his best being 16th in the 2013 Vuelta, but Cannondale-Garmin will go into a more opportunistic mode of stage hunting without Martin in the race. Joe Dombrowski will be particularly interesting to watch in the high mountains after his good results in the US, and he will be a candidate to win from the break.
Grade: B-
Team Europcar
Best Stage Results: Jerome Cousin 4th (Stage 7)
GC Riders: Romain Sicard 18th (+4’47)
Overall Performance: Europcar came into this race with an air of uncertainty about their future, and that persists for most of their riders. They have been present in the breaks, and Cousin struggled manfully to keep up when in the winning breakaway against better climbers. Cyril Gautier has been on the attack in a number of situations, and he looks dangerous, but the peleton has been attentive to his moves so far. Sicard is hanging in there on GC, and he will be happier on the mountains than these steep hills. A pretty barren result sheet for the French team thus far however.
Prospects: Gautier could well take a stage, he looks to be in good form and he has the ability and the attacking mindset to win a hilly stage. Sicard finished 13th at last year’s Vuelta, and is looking at doing a similar performance here. Pierre Rolland will be another option in the mountains, he has stated that his first job is to help Sicard, but he will no doubt get his own opportunity to win at some point.
Grade: D+
Team Giant-Alpecin
Best Stage Results: Tom Dumoulin 2nd, 3rd, 1st (Stages 2, 6, 9), John Degenkolb 3rd, 2nd, 2nd (Stages 3, 5, 10)
GC Riders: Tom Dumoulin 1st
Overall Performance: ‘Wow’ seems to be the general opinion of the cycling community with Tom Dumoulin’s performance so far in this Vuelta. He has ridden up climbs that few would have thought possible that a man of his stature could surmount, and he has beaten some of the top riders in the world to do so. The crowning achievement was his rally to overhaul Chris Froome on the top of the steepest climb to date in this Vuelta, to win the stage and take the leader’s jersey. John Degenkolb will be rueing missed chances during the rest day, the first sprint he led out a bit early, the second he was beaten by a better rider on the day, and for the third he was poorly positioned coming into the finale.
Prospects: Dumoulin surely can’t continue his impressive performances in the high mountains, but he has surpassed expectations already this Vuelta so it wouldn’t surprise if can battle on for a time at the top of the GC. He was the favourite for the TT already, so he can look to take the jersey back there if he has lost it in the interim. Degenkolb is the fastest man remaining in the race with the withdrawals of his main rivals, but he and his team will need to work things out better than they did in Stage 10 if he is going to add to his impressive record in the Vuelta.
Grade: A
Team Katusha
Best Stage Results: Joaquim Rodriguez 5th, 6th, 6th, 3rd (Stages 2, 4, 6, 9), Daniel Moreno 9th, 3rd, 8th (Stages 2, 4, 5)
GC Riders: Joaquim Rodriguez 2nd (+57 seconds), Daniel Moreno 13th (+2’26)
Overall Performance: Katusha are pursuing a first Grand Tour win for Joaquim Rodriguez, and whilst he appears to be on track at the moment, he would have preferred to establish a bigger lead in these early stages, which included a lot of punchy finishes which suited the light-framed Spaniard. He has looked strong, but he hasn’t quite managed a victory, partially because he is very tightly marked at the crucial stages, as all the other contenders know that his is a wheel to follow. Moreno is there in support, but is riding his own race for the moment, and appears to be in some of his best form in years.
Prospects: Rodriguez and Moreno will know that the TT looms its ugly head on the horizon, so they will be very keen to put as much time as possible into the other GC riders on the mountainous stages, and they will immediately be given a great opportunity with the absurdly hard stage in Andorra on Stage 11. The rest of the team is in full support mode, but they will likely get a chance when they are put into the breakaway for tactical reasons on mountains days.
Grade: B+
Best Stage Finishes: Kristan Sbaragli 6th, 6th, 5th, 1st (Stages 3, 5, 8, 10), Louis Meintjes 9th, 10th (Stages 7, 9)
GC Riders: Louis Meintjes 12th (+2’25)
Overall Performance: The South African team will be happy with their first 10 days of the Vuelta on their limited budget, taking a stage win with Sbaragli, who has been very consistent in the sprints. They also have youngster Meintjes up there in the overall classification, a bit of a surprise as he is backing up from the Tour de France, and younger riders generally don’t recover as well as experienced athletes. Meintjes has shown that he can match it with the best here, and he’ll be happy that he has shown that he can fulfil his potential on the biggest stage.
Prospects: Sbaragli looks to be one of the better chances on the hilly sprint stages and Meintjes will continue to try to keep up on the GC. He has proven in the past, not just this race, that he can race in the high mountains, but his ability to backup after every stage and recover is unknown and is the next step he’ll have to take on. It will be interesting to see how he goes here, as he is an exciting talent.
Grade: A
Orica-Greenedge
Best Stage Finishes: 3rd Team Time Trial Esteban Chaves 1st, 10th, 1st, 6th (Stages 2, 4, 6, 7), Caleb Ewan 1st (Stage 5), Mitchell Docker 7th (Stage 3), Jens Keukeliere 7th (Stage 10), Daryl Impey 8th (Stage 10)
GC Riders: Esteban Chaves 3rd (+59 seconds)
Overall Performance: Terrific first 10 days for Orica-Greenedge, taking three stage wins and 6 days in the red jersey. Chaves was very strong in the early stages, attacking and distancing some of the best riders in the peleton. He did perhaps a bit too much of the chasing himself on Stage 9, and ended up paying for his efforts in the final kilometre where he blew up. Ewan took his maiden win in the World Tour, again beating some of the strongest riders in the world in an uphill sprint. When Ewan hasn’t been present, other Orica riders have done the sprinting job for Orica, with decent results. They also were a mere second off winning the TTT, probably would have been a bit greedy if they won there as well.
Prospects: Chaves is untested at maintaining a GC push in a three week race, and how his body reacts to the rest day will be very important with the big GC test coming up on Stage 11. He is also a poor time triallist and will give up minutes there. He could maintain a threat on the podium for awhile, but a more realistic goal at this stage of his career will be top 10. Ewan has abandoned after suffering some injuries, so sprinting duties will be shared around the squad, Gerrans and Impey are probably the fastest.
Grade: A+
Team Cannondale-Garmin
Best Stage Results: Daniel Martin 4th, 2nd (Stages 2, 6)
GC Riders: Daniel Martin (abandoned- was 3rd +33 seconds), Andre Cardoso 17th (+4’43), Andrew Talansky 91st (+1’07’13)
Overall Performance: They will rueing the fact that Martin has again suffered a race ending injury in a crash when he was looking in top form. The first week was always going to suit the Irishman, but he was strong enough to distance his rivals late on, and he looked impressive in doing so. Talansky came into the race as the joint leader of the team, but he has been absent so far, not surprising considering his gruelling effort in the TDF. Andre Cardoso is now the protected man, and he has been consistent on the hilly stages, if not up with the top guys.
Prospects: Cardoso has done decent results on the GC in grand tours in the past his best being 16th in the 2013 Vuelta, but Cannondale-Garmin will go into a more opportunistic mode of stage hunting without Martin in the race. Joe Dombrowski will be particularly interesting to watch in the high mountains after his good results in the US, and he will be a candidate to win from the break.
Grade: B-
Team Europcar
Best Stage Results: Jerome Cousin 4th (Stage 7)
GC Riders: Romain Sicard 18th (+4’47)
Overall Performance: Europcar came into this race with an air of uncertainty about their future, and that persists for most of their riders. They have been present in the breaks, and Cousin struggled manfully to keep up when in the winning breakaway against better climbers. Cyril Gautier has been on the attack in a number of situations, and he looks dangerous, but the peleton has been attentive to his moves so far. Sicard is hanging in there on GC, and he will be happier on the mountains than these steep hills. A pretty barren result sheet for the French team thus far however.
Prospects: Gautier could well take a stage, he looks to be in good form and he has the ability and the attacking mindset to win a hilly stage. Sicard finished 13th at last year’s Vuelta, and is looking at doing a similar performance here. Pierre Rolland will be another option in the mountains, he has stated that his first job is to help Sicard, but he will no doubt get his own opportunity to win at some point.
Grade: D+
Team Giant-Alpecin
Best Stage Results: Tom Dumoulin 2nd, 3rd, 1st (Stages 2, 6, 9), John Degenkolb 3rd, 2nd, 2nd (Stages 3, 5, 10)
GC Riders: Tom Dumoulin 1st
Overall Performance: ‘Wow’ seems to be the general opinion of the cycling community with Tom Dumoulin’s performance so far in this Vuelta. He has ridden up climbs that few would have thought possible that a man of his stature could surmount, and he has beaten some of the top riders in the world to do so. The crowning achievement was his rally to overhaul Chris Froome on the top of the steepest climb to date in this Vuelta, to win the stage and take the leader’s jersey. John Degenkolb will be rueing missed chances during the rest day, the first sprint he led out a bit early, the second he was beaten by a better rider on the day, and for the third he was poorly positioned coming into the finale.
Prospects: Dumoulin surely can’t continue his impressive performances in the high mountains, but he has surpassed expectations already this Vuelta so it wouldn’t surprise if can battle on for a time at the top of the GC. He was the favourite for the TT already, so he can look to take the jersey back there if he has lost it in the interim. Degenkolb is the fastest man remaining in the race with the withdrawals of his main rivals, but he and his team will need to work things out better than they did in Stage 10 if he is going to add to his impressive record in the Vuelta.
Grade: A
Team Katusha
Best Stage Results: Joaquim Rodriguez 5th, 6th, 6th, 3rd (Stages 2, 4, 6, 9), Daniel Moreno 9th, 3rd, 8th (Stages 2, 4, 5)
GC Riders: Joaquim Rodriguez 2nd (+57 seconds), Daniel Moreno 13th (+2’26)
Overall Performance: Katusha are pursuing a first Grand Tour win for Joaquim Rodriguez, and whilst he appears to be on track at the moment, he would have preferred to establish a bigger lead in these early stages, which included a lot of punchy finishes which suited the light-framed Spaniard. He has looked strong, but he hasn’t quite managed a victory, partially because he is very tightly marked at the crucial stages, as all the other contenders know that his is a wheel to follow. Moreno is there in support, but is riding his own race for the moment, and appears to be in some of his best form in years.
Prospects: Rodriguez and Moreno will know that the TT looms its ugly head on the horizon, so they will be very keen to put as much time as possible into the other GC riders on the mountainous stages, and they will immediately be given a great opportunity with the absurdly hard stage in Andorra on Stage 11. The rest of the team is in full support mode, but they will likely get a chance when they are put into the breakaway for tactical reasons on mountains days.
Grade: B+
Team Lotto NL-Jumbo
Best Stage Results: 4th Team Time Trial, Bert-Jan Lindeman 1st (Stage 7), Tom Van Asbroeck 10th (Stage 3)
GC Riders: None
Overall Performance: A bit of an under-powered squad here for Lotto NL-Jumbo, but they did a very good TTT, finishing only 8 seconds off the winning time. Lindeman took the biggest win of his career in a ding-dong battle with the others in the breakaway, and that will be a win that the team can hang their hat on for the rest of the race. Van Asbroeck has been disappointing in the sprints, he came in with lots of good results during the season, but he hasn’t been on form here, rarely making the finish with the front group.
Prospects: They’ll continue their breakaway tactics and continue to work for Van Asbroeck in the sprint finishes, George Bennet will be one to watch in the mountains for the Dutch team.
Grade: B+
Team Sky
Best Stage Results: Chris Froome 7th, 7th, 2nd (Stages 2, 6, 9 ), Nicholas Roche 3rd, 4th, 10th, 10th, 10th, 8th (Stages 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9)
GC Riders: Nicholas Roche 4th (+1’07), Chris Froome 8th (+1’18), Mikel Nieve 11th (+2’17)
Overall Performance: Nicholas Roche has been at the top of his form so far this Vuelta, a race where he has done well on the GC in the past. He appeared to be one of the stronger riders on the shorter climbs, whilst Froome initially struggled to keep up. Froome then defied expectations on the steep slopes of Stage 9 after falling off the back of the front group early, only to pace himself back and launch a withering attack that looked like in would net him a win, only for Dumoulin to rally and come over the top to steal the win. Nieve has been racing solidly on terrain which doesn’t suit him, and will be happy to still be right in contention.
Prospects: Sky have three viable contenders for the GC, and each has quite different strengths and weaknesses. That should mean that each will be allowed to attack on the stages that suit them, whilst the others sit in the front group and force the other teams to do the work on the front. Froome will be happy in the knowledge that the TT will be a better stage for him than most of the GC candidates, but there are still plenty of mountains between here and there, and too many contenders at the moment to ride too defensively.
Grade: A-
Tinkoff-Saxo
Best Stage Results: 2nd Team Time Trial, Peter Sagan 1st, 2nd, 3rd (Stages 3, 4, 5), Rafal Majka 8th, 8th, 5th, 5th (Stages 4, 6, 7, 9)
GC Riders: Rafal Majka 9th (+1’47)
Overall Performance: A great start would have been the perfect start if they were just a second quicker on the TTT, a discipline in which they haven’t been dominant. Sagan came in with moderate expectations after riding an anonymous Vuelta last season, but he showed that he had lost nothing from his strong Tour de France, with a win at the first opportunity, followed up by two more impressive performances on consecutive stages. His exit from the race by way of motorcycle was disappointing, and hopefully he is still able to be in contention for the Worlds. Majka is the other big card for the team in the race, and despite initially losing a bit of ground, he has looked impressive since on terrain which isn’t really his strength.
Prospects: Sagan abandoning hurts their stage winning potential on the hilly stages, but Bennati will get his chance in the Slovakian’s absence. The rest of the team will be all-in for Majka, who looks like a serious threat for the podium. He will prefer the mountains to the steep hills of the first 10 days, and he can do a good TT as well and should threaten the podium.
Grade: A-
Trek Factory Racing
Best Stage Results: 6th Team Time Trial, Jasper Stuyven 8th, 1st (Stages 3, 8)
GC Riders: Frank Schleck 30th (+17’56)
Overall Performance: A solid start with 6th in the TTT, only 12 seconds off the winners. Fabian Cancellara made his comeback here, but it was curtailed by a virus, which also effected Danny Van Poppel. Stuyven stepped up in his place in style however, winning courageously with a fractured scaphoid in the reduced bunch sprint. Frank Schleck came here with GC ambitions, but he finds himself way off the pace already.
Prospects: Danny Van Poppel was in good form before the Vuelta, and if he has fully recovered from his bug, he will be a major player in the sprint finishes. The rest of the team looks a little depleted, but Riccardo Zoidl has been riding strongly as a domestique on the front of the peleton, and he may fancy his chances on the right mountain stage.
Grade: B
Best Stage Results: 4th Team Time Trial, Bert-Jan Lindeman 1st (Stage 7), Tom Van Asbroeck 10th (Stage 3)
GC Riders: None
Overall Performance: A bit of an under-powered squad here for Lotto NL-Jumbo, but they did a very good TTT, finishing only 8 seconds off the winning time. Lindeman took the biggest win of his career in a ding-dong battle with the others in the breakaway, and that will be a win that the team can hang their hat on for the rest of the race. Van Asbroeck has been disappointing in the sprints, he came in with lots of good results during the season, but he hasn’t been on form here, rarely making the finish with the front group.
Prospects: They’ll continue their breakaway tactics and continue to work for Van Asbroeck in the sprint finishes, George Bennet will be one to watch in the mountains for the Dutch team.
Grade: B+
Team Sky
Best Stage Results: Chris Froome 7th, 7th, 2nd (Stages 2, 6, 9 ), Nicholas Roche 3rd, 4th, 10th, 10th, 10th, 8th (Stages 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9)
GC Riders: Nicholas Roche 4th (+1’07), Chris Froome 8th (+1’18), Mikel Nieve 11th (+2’17)
Overall Performance: Nicholas Roche has been at the top of his form so far this Vuelta, a race where he has done well on the GC in the past. He appeared to be one of the stronger riders on the shorter climbs, whilst Froome initially struggled to keep up. Froome then defied expectations on the steep slopes of Stage 9 after falling off the back of the front group early, only to pace himself back and launch a withering attack that looked like in would net him a win, only for Dumoulin to rally and come over the top to steal the win. Nieve has been racing solidly on terrain which doesn’t suit him, and will be happy to still be right in contention.
Prospects: Sky have three viable contenders for the GC, and each has quite different strengths and weaknesses. That should mean that each will be allowed to attack on the stages that suit them, whilst the others sit in the front group and force the other teams to do the work on the front. Froome will be happy in the knowledge that the TT will be a better stage for him than most of the GC candidates, but there are still plenty of mountains between here and there, and too many contenders at the moment to ride too defensively.
Grade: A-
Tinkoff-Saxo
Best Stage Results: 2nd Team Time Trial, Peter Sagan 1st, 2nd, 3rd (Stages 3, 4, 5), Rafal Majka 8th, 8th, 5th, 5th (Stages 4, 6, 7, 9)
GC Riders: Rafal Majka 9th (+1’47)
Overall Performance: A great start would have been the perfect start if they were just a second quicker on the TTT, a discipline in which they haven’t been dominant. Sagan came in with moderate expectations after riding an anonymous Vuelta last season, but he showed that he had lost nothing from his strong Tour de France, with a win at the first opportunity, followed up by two more impressive performances on consecutive stages. His exit from the race by way of motorcycle was disappointing, and hopefully he is still able to be in contention for the Worlds. Majka is the other big card for the team in the race, and despite initially losing a bit of ground, he has looked impressive since on terrain which isn’t really his strength.
Prospects: Sagan abandoning hurts their stage winning potential on the hilly stages, but Bennati will get his chance in the Slovakian’s absence. The rest of the team will be all-in for Majka, who looks like a serious threat for the podium. He will prefer the mountains to the steep hills of the first 10 days, and he can do a good TT as well and should threaten the podium.
Grade: A-
Trek Factory Racing
Best Stage Results: 6th Team Time Trial, Jasper Stuyven 8th, 1st (Stages 3, 8)
GC Riders: Frank Schleck 30th (+17’56)
Overall Performance: A solid start with 6th in the TTT, only 12 seconds off the winners. Fabian Cancellara made his comeback here, but it was curtailed by a virus, which also effected Danny Van Poppel. Stuyven stepped up in his place in style however, winning courageously with a fractured scaphoid in the reduced bunch sprint. Frank Schleck came here with GC ambitions, but he finds himself way off the pace already.
Prospects: Danny Van Poppel was in good form before the Vuelta, and if he has fully recovered from his bug, he will be a major player in the sprint finishes. The rest of the team looks a little depleted, but Riccardo Zoidl has been riding strongly as a domestique on the front of the peleton, and he may fancy his chances on the right mountain stage.
Grade: B