Why did Primož Roglič get a 20-second penalty at the Vuelta a España, and was it justified? Dan discusses the Slovenian cyclist’s Vuelta controversy, wraps up the second week of the race, as well as dives into why Lotto–Dstny did not look like a particularly cohesive team…
From CyclingNews.com
The first road stage of the Vuelta offered up some striking tech snippets
The Vuelta a España often plays third fiddle in the Grand Tour hierarchy. When you take into account the Classics too, it may seem that there is very little new tech to be spotted here, but that doesn’t mean there is none. The route is often punishingly hilly, and when wandering the pits I found out that Ineos have a fleet of bikes that they send to a Formula 1 paint company in the UK for stripping and repainting to make them even lighter, just for use in the hilly stages.
The heat, too, is always an issue, though there were far fewer cooling hacks on show here than there were for the opening time trial where the mercury shot above 40 degrees. My stage one tech gallery is worth perusing too if you want a full immersion into tech nerdery.
From Bicycling.com
By Micah Ling
Durango, Colorado turned out for “GC Kuss” Thursday afternoon, with a speech from the 2023 Vuelta a España winner, a question and answer session, a bike parade, and an all out party for the hometown hero.
The Durango Herald estimated that at least 2,225 people were in attendance at Buckley Park ahead of the bike parade, and that fans traveled from as far as Houston, Texas just for the celebration. Durango community events administrator Ellen Babers said that there were so many cyclists participating in the bike parade, which made a small loop around town, that Babers and her colleagues were worried the front of the parade would get back to the park before the back of the parade had left.
Legendary cycling announcer Dave Towle facilitated the question/answer session, bringing lots of characters from Kuss’ past up on stage. Mayor Melissa Youssef read a letter congratulating Kuss from Governor Jared Polis. Part of the letter said, “Your humility, outstanding character and championship spirit have brought the Colorado cycling community together and brought great joy to both the city of Durango and the state of Colorado. We all share in Sepp’s victory.”
Sepp Kuss explains his journey from Durango, Colorado, to the top of the 2023 Vuelta a España podium in Madrid, sharing the podium Jonas Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic.
The Vuelta a España is one of cycling’s three grand tours: a three-week, 21-day slog through Spain on the hardest roads in the country. Conor rode the race back in 2017, and to this day considers it his hardest ever challenge. The scorching heat, combined with devilishly steep and relentless climbs makes La Vuelta one truly brutal bike race!
