Volta a Catalunya [23rd to 29th March] **Spoilers**

[Berk on a Bike]

This starts today with a star-studded line-up: Froome, Contador, Valverde and van Garderen to name but four and they've got their best lieutenants in tow too.

A lumpy if not vertiginous parcours - there are climbs on every stage - makes for an interesting race. Coverage every day on British Eurosport. Wa-hey!

 

[mjr]

Also on German Eurosport for free http://tv.eurosport.de/home.shtml

 

[rich p]

Yep, a good start list.
http://www.procyclingstats.com/race/Volta_Ciclista_a_Catalunya_2015-startlist
The Sky team looks like most of the TdF line-up.
I didn't realise that Sammy Sanchez had got another year at BMC either.

 

[The Couch]

Will Kennaugh actually do some racing this year?
I believe he wasn't in Tireno or PN either and I had definitely expected him on this startlist

 

[rich p]

Will Kennaugh actually do some racing this year?
I believe he wasn't in Tireno or PN either and I had definitely expected him on this startlist

Someone said he was injured IIRC

 

[Berk on a Bike]

Will Kennaugh actually do some racing this year?
I believe he wasn't in Tireno or PN either and I had definitely expected him on this startlist

He tweeted yesterday he was recovering from a hip injury.

 

[Roscoe]

Will be good to see Froome and Contandor, get an idea of where their at form wise.

 

[Berk on a Bike]

Will be good to see Froome and Contandor, get an idea of where their at form wise.

After Ruta del Sol it's 1-0 to Froome. Seconds out, round 2!

 

[The Couch]

Dan Martin went for the bonus seconds in the intermediate sprint and got 1s (place 1 and 2 were taken away by Sky), shows he is interested in having a go at the GC

With about 20K to go, it seems that the escape will stay away (Rolland, De Clercq and Paterski)

 

[Apollonius]

Judging by Froome's tweet - he said it would have been nice to have accurate timings - there were some admin cock-ups today. Didn't do a lot for the race if you ask me. Not that there was a lot to see as coverage was very patchy. A good field and a decent course, so a bit disappointing today.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Now that is an unusual sight in a major race: a breakaway succeeds and upsets the apple-cart. The stage was won by Paterski of CCC , but of the two others in the breakaway, I would suggest that this now looks very good for Pierre Rolland of Europcar as far as a tilt at the overall goes...

 

[Berk on a Bike]

Rolland is 11/8 favourite now. De Clerq 4/1, Valverde 8/1, Froomedawg 9/1.

 

[400bhp]

Rolland is 11/8 favourite now. De Clerq 4/1, Valverde 8/1, Froomedawg 9/1.

Strange.
His lead isn't big enough to be that much of a favourite.
I'm hoping this unexpected turn frees the race up somewhat.

 

[The Couch]

Rolland is 11/8 favourite now. De Clerq 4/1, Valverde 8/1, Froomedawg 9/1.

Rolland normally isn't in any form at this moment of the year (last year might have been even the first he was in form at around the Giro timing in the season).
Although he's a weird a guy, so now that he sees a shot, he might find better legs

Still... wouldn't exclude that if the Valverdes, Froomes and Martins of this world don't make it too hard in the coming days, that De Clercq might be the hardest to drop far enough (and with Vandenbroeck, De Gendt and Vervaeke he has some men to assist him when he would have to make up some time after a climb)

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Valverde today, Rojas and Elmiger also on the podium. Overall unchanged. Nice effort at breaking away from the breakaway by Grmay, but the peloton weren't going to let things slide for a second day in succession.