Niki Terpstra posts Vuelta a Espana bus transfer on Strava, just for fun

Etixx-QuickStep pro Niki Terpstra posts Monday evening's bus transfer data on Strava, and takes a load of KOMs along the way

Niki Terpstra attacks on stage eight of the 2015 Tour of Spain

(Image credit: Watson)

Dutch pro Niki Terpstra has posted up his Etixx-QuickStep team's Vuelta a España bus transfer on Strava, which took place on Monday evening ahead of the race's first rest day on Tuesday.

The 434-kilometre (269.6-mile) journey from Castellón de la Plana took over five hours to complete, starting after the finish of stage 10. The team bus climbed a total of 3780 metres (12,402 feet) on its way to Andorra as the race heads into the high mountains.

Along the way, Terpstra and his bus 'took' 13 Strava King of the Mountains titles - leading to the 'ride' being flagged by another user. Terpstra said that he'd delete the data and he'd only posted up to give fans an insight into the transfer.

"It's just to show you guys how our Vuelta is. Don't worry for the people who have KOMs on the highway, I will delete this ride later," the 2014 Paris-Roubaix winner and current Dutch national champion said on Strava. He won't miss the KOMs from his account, as he has claimed over 1000 since December 2011.

>>> The nine best tweets from the first Vuelta a España rest day

German former pro rider Marcel Wüst commented: "Not a real rest day ;-( Have a good recovery anyway, guys!"

The bus averaged 86.3kmh (53.6mph) on its journey, with a maximum of 116.7kmh (72.5mph). Terpstra's Garmin Edge 500 recorded the temperature as 29°C - we're hoping that wasn't the internal temperature of the team bus.

Terpstra has also posted up all of his genuine rides from the Vuelta.

Niki Terpstra's Strava file for the Vuelta a Espana bus transfer

Niki Terpstra's Strava file for the Vuelta a Espana bus transfer

Terpstra currently sits in 102nd place in the Vuelta's general classification, one hour and 12 minutes behind leader Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin).

After the rest day in Andorra, the riders face a tough day of climbing and descending on stage 11's 138km course on Wednesday that features six categorised climbs, including up to the mountain-top finish at Els Cortals de Encamp. The race concludes on September 13.

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Nigel Wynn
Former Associate Editor

Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.