Posted on 26/07/2016 14:58
Starts on Saturday 20 August, with a 29km time trial, followed by about 5 days of relatively flat stages, then into the mountains. And in typical Vuelta style, there aren't an awful lot of flat roads after that!
It's too early for teams to be announced, but a number if riders have already thrown their hats into the ring.
Anyone care to chose a rider now, before all the good ones go? 
Posted on 29/08/2016 22:52
Sounds to have been a great stage today.
I am away in the van and the crappy Avtex failed to record today again, tried to find on catch up but to no avail.
That time trial is going to be hellish exiting. Quinana will no doubt do the TT of his life. Great stuff.
Posted on 30/08/2016 09:08
Here are the results after Monday's stage:
1st Nairo Quintana (IanH)
2nd Alejandra Valverde (Pliers) at +57 seconds
3rd Chris Froome (Kennine) - by just one second!
4th Esteban Chaves (TtDA 2) +2:09
5th Alberto Contador (TtDA) +2:54
8th Simon Yates
10th Samuel Sanchez
13th Daniel Moreno (Nellie) +4:20
131st Tejay Van Garderen (Goldie) +1:33:08 (think he might struggle to make that up Goldie! 
)
Rtd Miquel Angel Lopez (Runrig)
Posted on 30/08/2016 09:25
Well, today is a rest day but Wednesday kicks off again with a 168km stage and guess what? It's a mountain top finish!
Lets hope no-one allows their legs to stiffen up on the 'rest' day.
Just looking ahead a bit, the Time Trial stage is on the Friday before the finish. It's 37km long and relatively flat (not pan-flat, but reasonably so).
Stage 13 in the Tour was the same distance (but a bit more hilly) and Quintana lost 2:05 to Froome in that stage. Valverde lost 1:45 to Froome.
So I reckon that they both need over 2 minutes lead over Froome to beat him, before that get to stage 19.
Posted on 30/08/2016 11:22
I wonder if Quitana was joking when he said that he needed three minutes on Froome before the TT?
A bit of a shake up today, results to follow......
I saw the interview with Quintana after his stage win. For once, he seemed so relaxed. Seems to be a really nice guy.
3 mins before the time trial? Maybe 2!
Posted on 30/08/2016 20:25
Goldie, these are his comments after the stage,as reported in Cycling News.
“I just rode the climb at the best pace I felt was the efficient way to get up there and according to how I thought the legs were feeling,” Froome, third overall at 58 seconds on Quintana, told a small group of reporters later.
“Nairo is in great form and we’ve seen that over the last few days. I’ve got to be happy with where I’m at, just keep doing my thing and hope that over the next few days I find either an opportunity to go for it or defend my position that we’re in and wait for the time trial.”
Froome said that he had tackled the climb in a way that was “regardless of what was going on around me. I was just riding at the pace that I felt was most appropriate for a climb, for a 35 minute effort and I could see guys I was going past being blown from the front and they maybe started off a bit fast, so I used my team-mates the best I could and they did a great job today.
“It was good for the morale [to pass riders], but I knew that Quintana was a good 45 seconds up the road and that was pretty tough too, not having to chase after that and respond straightaway. But for this point in the season, after the Tour or the Olympics , I'm just hanging on to what I have left and I'm trying to get through the best I can.”
Hope this helps.
IanH