Madrid (AFP)
The Tour of Spain, which launches on Saturday in Torrevieja (South-East) with a team time trial, has a rich course of tricky stages and finishes at the top (eight in total). Here are the main highlights:
- 1st stage: collective -
Saturday, August 24: Salinas de Torrevieja - Torrevieja, 13.4 km (against the team time trial)
As often in recent years the Vuelta opens with a collective exercise, always tricky for the favorites who can initially find themselves penalized in the race for the podium. The panorama is spectacular in the middle of the salt flats of Torrevieja, a natural park in the province of Alicante (south-east), and the risk of wind could complicate the lives of runners.
- 5th stage: unpublished -
Wednesday, August 28: Eliana - Observatory of Javalambre, 170,7 km
The first big date for the favorites comes very early in the race, from the fifth day, with an unprecedented arrival at nearly 2,000 meters altitude: 11.1 km climb to 7.8% average and passages to 16%. What already reduce to nothing certain ambitions!
- 7th stage: monstrous -
Friday, August 30: Onda - Mas of the Costa, 183,2 km
Back to the top of the dreaded Alto Mas de la Costa, where Switzerland's Mathias Frank won in 2016. The climb, although short (4 km only) is incredibly steep: the last three kilometers have percentages never lower than 10% and sometimes flirting with the 25%! A monster.
- 9th stage: queen -
Sunday 1 September: Andorra la Vella - Cortals d'Encamp, 94.4 km
Perhaps the queen stage of this Vuelta with a short and nervous day marked by five climbs listed. Just before the last one, which leads to Alto Els Cortas d'Encamp (1st category), the organizers innovated by placing four kilometers of dirt road ...
- 10th stage: chrono -
Tuesday, September 3: Jurançon (France) - Pau (France), 36.2 km (individual time trial)
A month and a half after the time trial of the 13th stage of the Tour de France, won by Julian Alaphilippe, the city of Pau welcomes a new "chrono" hilly that favors the riders while maintaining the hope of climbers eager to to limit the breakage. But the day after the first day of rest, beware of sore legs!
- 13th, 15th and 16th stages: triptych -
Friday, September 6: Bilbao - Los Machucos, 166.4 km
Sunday, September 8th: Tineo - Santuario del Acebo, 154,4 km
Monday, September 9th: Pravia - Alto de la Cubilla, 144,4 km
Three decisive mountain stages in four days in the mountains of Cantabria and Asturias. And the menu is plentiful: the scary Alto de Los Machucos and its ramps reaching 28% (13th stage), the climb to the Santuario del Acebo (15th stage) or the endless Cubilla pass, 20km long (16th stage ).
- 20th stage: denouement -
Saturday, September 14: Arenas of San Pedro - Plataforma of Gredos, 190,4 km
The outcome of the Vuelta could be played in this penultimate stage which provides for five passes, including two first category, and an unprecedented final climb towards the Plataforma de Gredos. What make him the justice of the peace on the eve of the arrival in Madrid and the traditional parade completed by a sprint in the streets of the capital.
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