Vuelta a Espana organizers Unipublic have made a definitive decision: their race is not one for sprinters, time triallists or classics riders, it's one for the climbers. Having been praised for their 2012 route with its 10 uphill finishes, the course designers took it a further notch in 2013 by putting together a race containing no less than 11 of those difficult finales. With 9 summit finishes in 2014 and 8 in last year’s editions, they scaled down the mountainous terrain a bit but this year they have created one of the most mountainous courses ever. Several excessively steep walls and 10 summit finishes will again turn it into a race for climbers but for the second year in a row, things have been balanced with the addition of a flat time trial. Nonetheless, the climbers lick their lips in anticipation of a race that suits them well while the big sprinters have all given the Vuelta and its many mountains a wide berth. Having attracted a host of the world's best climbers, the Spanish grand tour is set to offer a spectacular end to this year's grand tour season.

  

During the final part of Angelo Zomegnan's reign as race director, the Giro d'Italia became famously known for its extremely tough courses, excessively steep climbs and many mountain stages. Since Michele Acquarone took over the reins prior to the 2012 edition, the race has made a public campaign to attract more stars by making the race more rider-friendly and less tough.

 

While the Italians are in a process of defining more balanced courses with an appeal to a broader spectrum of riders, Vuelta a Espana organizers Unipublic have taken a completely different path. Gone are the days with long, flat stages along the Spanish motorways. The new rule is that every stage should offer some kind of spectacle and more often than not contain a difficult climb in the end. Automatically, that leads to a harder course with more mountainous terrain than any of their fellow grand tours have offered during the recent seasons.

 

Few believed it to be possible to design a route with 10 uphill finishes but that was what Unipublic did for the 2012 season. They faced plenty of criticism from riders, most notably the sprinters who mostly decided to avoid the Spanish grand tour, and many observers believed that the extreme number of uphill finishes would make it impossible to keep the race exciting all the way to the end.

 

Those pundits were proved wrong as the race developed into a close three-man battle between Alberto Contador, Alejandro Valverde and Joaquim Rodriguez, with those three riders finishing inside 1.37 of each other. Constant attacks, a late change in race leadership and surprises dominated the three weeks of racing in what was described as one of the best Vueltas for years.

 

In 2013 the organizers took it a further notch when they included an extra summit finish and again the GC came down to the wire. Going into the penultimate stage which finished atop the mighty Angliru, Chris Horner led Vincenzo Nibali by just 3 seconds and despite the many previous summit finishes, the overall victory came down to the very final kilometres of the final climb. The last two editions may have had slightly fewer uphill finishes but they have still provided great spectacles. In 2014, the race went down to the wire with an exciting showdown between Chris Froome and Alberto Contador and last year everything changed at the very last moment when  Fabio Aru made Tom Dumoulin crack in the Madrid mountains.

 

With big spectacles in the last four years, it is no wonder that Unipublic has tried to repeat the success and they have done nothing to hide that their race is for climbers and not for sprinters. While the race has had lots of mountaintop finishes, it has usually only had a single time trial of around 40km at the midpoint of the race and it has often been held on a very hilly course that suited the climbers just as much as the specialists. In addition to the opening team time trial, that has been the only element for the time triallists who like the sprinters have found little ground to excel in the Spanish grand tour.

 

However, Unipublic have changed their approach slightly for the two latest editions of the race. The number of uphill finishes were reduced to 9 and 8 respectively and for the first time since 2011 last year’s time trial didn’t include a single climb and was tailor-made for the big specialists. At the same time, they removed many of the brutally steep walls that have characterized the Spanish grand tour. That made the course more balanced than it had been for a while and opened the door for a rider like Dumoulin to go for the win.

 

This year Unipublic have designed a course that goes in both directions. On one hand, they have increased the number of summit finishes to 10 and four of them ends at the top of brutally steep walls with gradients of more than 20%. That turns it into the most mountainous edition in recent years but at the same time, things will be balanced by the addition of a flat time trial and a longer team time trial. For the second year in a row, the TT specialists will find the TT tailor-made to their characteristics and the longer distance for the opening TTT will create bigger time gaps than the short routes that have been used for most of the recent editions. This should please Chris Froome who famously asked for a long, flat TT to be included in last year’s race.

 

The Spanish geography is a lot more diverse than the French and so the Vuelta is a lot more innovative than the Tour de France and – to a certain extent – the Giro. Those two grand tours have lots of legendary climbs than feature on the course regularly but the Vuelta doesn’t have the same number of mythical climbs. This means that they often find new climbs to use as summit finishes and last year all uphill finishes were new. This year they have decided to return to some of the classic climbs and many will be pleased to see the return of the walls of Mirador del Ezaro, La Camerona and Pena Cabarga, classic mountains like Lagos de Covadonga and Alto de Aitana and even a brief trip to France for a mountaintop finish on the legendary Col d’Aubisque in the queen stage.

 

Another special feature of the Vuelta is the fact that it has often had a hard mountain stage very early in the race and there have been hard climbs throughout the entire race. This year the GC riders will again have to be on their toes right from the start as there will be two summit finishes already on the third and fourth day. They may not be the hardest but will serve as a warm-up for the most crucial part of the race Starting with stage 8, the riders will face four consecutive summit finishes in Asturias and Cantabria, with well-known finales on the steep La Camperona, the famous Alto de Naranco, the legendary Lagos de Covadonga and the new classic Pena Cabarga. The penultimate weekend may not be as tough as usual but the riders will still face two tough mountain stages in the Pyrenees, most notably the queen stage to Aubisque. Finally, the third week will be much harder than the relatively gentle end to last year’s race as there will be two uphill finishes and the time trial in the final five days of the race. With an uphill finish on the famous Alto de Aitana on the penultimate day, everything can be turned out right until the end and the winner will have to be on top of his game throughout the entire three weeks.

 

Another key aspect of the race is the fact that almost the entire race is held in the northern part of the country. In recent years, the race has spent a lot of time in the very hot Andalusia region but this year only the final six stages won’t be held in the far north. The southern and hot part of the country will be skipped completely and so the heat will be much less of a factor than it has so often been.

 

As usual, Asturias plays a key role as the host of some of the hardest stages and the Pyrenees will play a bigger role than they have done in most of the recent editions. The race will also return to the Basque Country for first time since 2012 and the third time since the 70s as the fear of political protests is still declining and we can again expect a real cycling party in the most cycling-mad region when the peloton passes through the area in the middle of the second week.

  

While the climbers will excel, the sprinters have mostly decided to skip the Spanish grand tour. Only a few stages seem to suit the pure sprinters and with a completely flat course for the Worlds, almost all the sprinters have opted for a different preparation for their big goal. This means that the level of the sprinting field is maybe lower than ever. Riders like Mark Cavendish, André Greipel and Marcel Kittel haven’t done the race in several years but this year stronger sprinters like Peter Sagan, John Degenkolb and Nacer Bouhanni will all skip the race too. This could open the door for youngsters and sprinters from the lower ranks to add a big win to their palmares. They will have a few opportunities in the first week but then will have to bide their time throughout a brutal second week until they get to the final week where three sprint stages will offer an incentive to stay in the race. At the same time, there will be lots of room to shine for the attackers and classics riders as there are several moderately hilly stages that are tailor-made for breakaways.

 

Below we give an analysis of each of the race's 21 stages to find out where the race will be decided, where the sprinters will come into action and where the potential pitfalls are hidden.

Stage 1, Saturday August 20: Ourense province termal – Parque Nautico de Castrelo de Miño, 27.8km TTT

While the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France have had a mix of opening stages, with the Tour varying between prologues and road stages and the Giro using team time trials, prologues and road stages, the Vuelta a Espana seems to stick the format of kicking their race off with a team time trial. For the seventh year in a row, the Spanish grand tour will start with the collective discipline that is a perfect way to present the teams and their line-ups for the audience. The race last started with a prologue in 2009 when Fabian Cancellara won the opening time trial and the race hasn’t started with a road stage since 2007 when Daniele Bennati won a bunch sprint.

 

While they prefer to kick off their race with a team time trial, the Vuelta organizers usually try to make the opening stage rather short and it rarely has a big impact on the final general classification. It seems that the intention has been to have a mostly ceremonial opening that is not intended to play a major role in the outcome of the race. However, like they did in 2013, they have deviated from that pattern for the 2016 edition. While the two most recent openers were just 12.6km and 7.4km respectively, this year’s first stage is a much harder test over 27.8km and the stage will play a bigger role in the overall outcome. At the same time, they have designed a less controversial course than last year’s hugely criticized route that was held partly on a bike path. Due to the dangerous conditions, a late decision was made to neutralize the time gaps and so many teams just rolled safely through the stage. This year the race is likely to get off to a less controversial start.

 

During the last few years, the race has mostly visited the same regions, with Andalucia and Galicia being especially keen on welcoming the race. The former region hosted the start of the race in both 2010 and 2014 and last year they have had managed to attract the big start of their national tour. This year the race returns to Galicia where it also started in 2013, with the city of Ourense being the host of the first stage.

 

The opening Vuelta team time trials have often been pretty technical or hilly but this year the opening stage seems to be a bit more straightforward. It will bring the riders over 27.8km from Ourense pronvincia termal to Parque Nautico de Castrelo de Miño and will be held in the evening. It’s a mostly flat affair with just 232m of climbing and so the main challenges will be technical. The first part consists of a mainly straight run along the Miño River and then the route becomes a bit more technical when the riders turn right. Having turned around, the riders will head back towards the river along a mainly straight road and finally, the route gets a bit more technical in the end. The final 4km are far from straight as the road is very winding but there won’t be any sharp turns. Furthermore, it is largely flat.

 

Time differences between the best teams in short team time trials are usually very small but with a slightly longer distance, we should see some bigger gaps. The stage is mostly flat and even though there are some technical sections, it’s a course suited to the big engines. Hence, we should see the big specialist teams battle it out for a very prestigious stage win and the first leader’s jersey in the race. The stage is very similar to the one that was used at the start of the 2013 edition, both when it comes to the profile and the distance. Back then, Astana beat Radioshack by 10 seconds, Omega Pharm-QuickStep by 16 seconds, Sky by 22 seconds and Movistar by 29 seconds while Cofidis lost 1.55 in last place. The time gaps are unlikely to be decisive at the end of the race but the stage is important from a psychological point of view as it is preferable to kick off the race on the right footing.

 

In 2010, HTC-Highroad won the opening team time trial to put Mark Cavendish in the red leader’s jersey. In 2011, Leopard-Trek emerged as the strongest while Movistar was the fastest team in 2012. In Astana won the technical opening stage and Janez Brajkovic benefited from the win to become the first leader of the race. In 2014, it was again Movistar who came out on top on a short, technical course in Andalusia and like in 2012 it was Jonathan Castroviejo who was given the honour of crossing the line first. Last year, the time gaps were neutralized in the controversial stage that was won by BMC and it was Peter Velits who got a short stint in the red jersey.

 

Ourense has not hosted the finish of a major bike race for more than a decade.

 

 

 

 

Stage 2, Sunday August 21: Ourense Capital Termal – Baiona, 160.8km

In the last few years, the Vuelta organizers have significantly reduced the number of sprint finishes and nowadays the fast finishers don’t have many opportunities in the last grand tour of the season. This has prompted many of the sprinters to skip the Spanish grand tour which has given more room for young sprinters who are brave enough to spend three weeks on the Iberian Peninsula and there is no doubt that the sprint field in Spain is less stacked than the one we saw in both the Tour and the Giro.

 

The Vuelta is now loaded with summit finishes and the stages with flat finales are often pretty hilly with a climb located near the finish. Furthermore, the first week is often pretty tough and it is definitely not the sprint festival that we usually see in the Tour de France. Even the first road stage has often been a summit finish and the sprinters have been in survival mode almost straight from the gun.

 

This year the sprinters will be pleased to know that they should get an early opportunity already on the second day and in general the organizers have given them a few more chances in this year’s race. With the first sprint stage coming this early, the fast finishers in the strongest teams may even eye a stint in red provided that they have not lost too much time in the team time trial. However, the stage is still not a flat affair as the roads in Galicia are always undulating with several short, steep climbs. In total, there will be 2270m of climbing in the opening road stage and this will take its toll before we get to the expected bunch kick.

 

At just 160.8km, stage 2 continues the Vuelta tradition of having very short stages and it will bring the rider from Ourense capital termal to the coastal city of Baiona. All day, the riders will be travelling in a westerly direction but the terrain changes a bit during the day. The first 60km are completely flat but then the riders will head into a range of hills. A gradual uphill section will lead to the bottom of the category 3 Alto de Fontefria (8.2km, 3.2%) which is a typical Spanish climb that never gets steep. The top comes at the 79.7km mark and then the riders will descend back to flatter terrain.

 

The final 60km will be held on typical Galician roads as they are mainly flat but has two small, uncategorized climbs. The first one comes with around 40km to go and then a descent will lead to the big city of Vigo. Here the riders will contest the only intermediate sprint with 19.1km to go before they will get to the bottom of the final small climb. Between the 147.5km and 151.7km marks, the riders will climb 130m of altitude for an average gradient of 3.1% over 4.2km The top comes with 9.1km to go and then a descent leads to the final 6km which are mainly flat. The road is winding in the finale and there are numerous roundabouts but the final 1200m are straight and flat.

 

The sprinters will be eager to grab their first opportunity in the race and even though there aren’t many fat finishers in the race, they should control this stage firmly. However, the late climb could be tougher than many expect and some of them could very well be off the pace before we get to the finish. At the same time, Galicia can be pretty windy so the peloton will get nervous in the finale and the GC riders have to be attentive. In the end, we should get a sprint from a group but it may not be the entire peloton that reaches the finish together. The fast finishers that have survived can prepare themselves for a big battle in a finale that is suited to the big power sprinters.

 

Baiona also hosted the finish of the second stage in 2013 but back then, the race finished at the top of the nearby Alto do Monta da Groba. Nicolas Roche won the stage and Vincenzo Nibali took the leader’s jersey after Astana had won the opening team time trial.

 

 

 

 

Stage 3, Monday August 22: Marin – Dumbria. Mirado de Ezaro, 176.4km

It has become a bit of a tradition that the first road stage of the Giro and the Tour is for the sprinters. Sometimes the puncheurs have been given their chance but the first road stage is never one for the GC riders.

 

The Vuelta has always been different. The Spanish geography means that it is possible to find tough climbs in almost every part of the country and very often the organizers have preferred to have a first uphill finish very early in the race to create an initial selection and create less stress in the bunch. In 2013, the riders already tackled a summit finish on the Alto Do Monte Groba on the second day of the race and one year earlier it was the famous Arrate climb in the Basque Country that made the first selection already on the third day. Last year the riders already faced the first summit finish on the second day where Esteban Chaves emerged as a serious contender by claiming the stage win.

 

This year the GC riders can look forward to a first battle already on the third day when they return to the brutal wall of Mirador de Ezaro which created a huge spectacle in 2012, and the steep slopes will make it one of the typical puncheur finishes that have become a bit of a trademark for the Spanish grand tour. The 176.4km will bring the riders from Marin to the top of the Mirador de Ezaro in the city of Dumbria on the Galician coast and it is a typical stage in the region. For most of the day, the riders will follow the lumpy coastal road as they head to the north while also making a few digressions to head into slightly hillier terrain.

 

The first 109.7km are mainly flat but there are a few small hills that are typical for the Galician coastal road. After just 17km of racing, the riders will pass through Sanxenxo that hosted the opening stage in 2013. The riders will then leave the coast to go up the category 3 climb of Alto de Lestaio (8.3km, 5.3%) before turning around to descend back to the coast. Then they will again head inland to tackle the category 2 Alto da Paxareiras (9.3km, 5.4%) whose top comes with 21km to go. A descent then leads back to the coastal road which is mainly flat and leads to the city of Dumbria. Along the way, they will contest the intermediate sprint 10.4km from the finish.

 

Instead of having a flat finish in the city centre, the riders will head to the category 3 Mirador de Ezaro climb on the outskirts. At just 1.8km, it is a very short climb but the average gradient of 13.8% makes it a very tough affair. It follows a winding road with several turns on the lower slopes before it straightens out for the final 500m. Inside the final kilometre, there will be sections of 20%.

 

The main characteristic of the Vuelta is its many finishes on short, excessively steep ramps and so it is no wonder that Joaquim Rodriguez has won numerous stages during his career. This is one of those typical finales and the scene is set for a huge battle between the riders that excel in Fleche Wallonne. To get there, however, the riders have to survive what can be a very stressful day along the coast and if it’s a windy day, the peloton may even be split before we get to the final climb. The first two ascents will be used to tire out the legs and then the GC riders will battle it out in the explosive finish. Among the main favourites, Chris Froome has more punch than Alberto Contador and Nairo Quintana and he has always been strong in these explosive finales – just remember how he nearly won the Mur de Huy stage at last year’s Tour de France. A punchy climber like Esteban Chaves will also fancy his chances in a stage that suits him well while diesel climbers like Steven Kruijswijk will hope to limit their losses. The time gaps won’t be huge but the stage will give a first indication of who’s on form for the final grand tour of the year.

 

When the climb made its debut in 2012, Joaquim Rodriguez confirmed his status as the best rider for such finales and as the strongest rider in that year’s race. After a desperate late chase, Katusha managed to bring it back together and then the leader used his trademark kick to put 8 seconds into Alberto Contador, 13 seconds into Alejandro Valverde and 20 seconds into Robert Gesink while Chris Froome started to show the signs of fatigue that marred him in the final week of the race, with the Brit crossing the line in fifth, 23 seconds behind race leader Rodriguez.

 

 

 

 

Stage 4, Tuesday August 23: Betanzos – San Andrés de Teixido, 163.5km

There will be very little chance to recover for the GC riders in this year’s race as they face the second uphill finish already on the fourth day. As usual, the Vuelta organizers have spread the summit finishes throughout all three weeks of the race and so it will be important to be ready right from the gun. The Galician adventure continues with a tough finish at the Mirado Vixia de Herbeira climb but it is a completely different finale compared to the explosive affair in the previous stage. A rather gentle final climb means that it will be a less selective battle and the main goal for the key contenders could be to avoid time losses.

 

At 163.5k, it is another very short stage that will bring the riders from Betanzos to the top of Mirador Vixia de Herbeira in San Andres de Teixedo. The riders will follow the flat coastal road for the first 21.5km befoe they will turn inland to go up the category 3 Alto da Serra Capela (6.5km, 4.6%). As they continue their way through the lumpy interior of the Galicia region, they will climb to the top of the category 3 Alto Monte Caxado (7.3km, 4.5%) before they will take a long descent back to the coast.

 

Back at the sea, the riders will turn around to head back inlands but this time the terrain is less hilly, with just a few small climbs along the way before they are back at the coast. Then they will follow the mainly flat coastal road for 17km until they will get to the intermediate sprint in Cedeira with 14.5km to go. Thatøs the signal to leave the coast again to go up the final category 2 climb. It averages 4.8% over 11.2km and even includes a small descent at the midpoint. The final 4km are again uphill and they are pretty hard as the average gradient is 7.3%. The road is winding but the final 2km are completely straight, with the final 1000m averaging 7%.

 

This is the second consecutive summit finish and the first on a longer climb. The final climb is not very hard as it doesn’t have any very steep sections but the final 4km are definitely tough enough to create some time differences. At this early point in the race, we won’t see any big attacks from the distance but the biggest contenders will definitely test each other in the tough final part where small time gaps will be opened. However, the stage is more likely to reveal who’s not going to win the race than to prove who’s the strongest rider in the race. At the same time, it could be a great day for a breakaway as it’s a day without an obvious favourite and as the biggest contenders may be pleased to get rid of the leader’s jersey, this could be a big chance for an aggressive rider to ride himself into red for a few days.

 

San Andrés de Teixido has not hosted the finish of a major bike race for more than a decade.

 

 

 

 

Stage 5, Wednesday August 24: Viveiro – Lugo, 171.3km

The first part of the stage definitely hasn’t been friendly to the sprinters who have only had one sprint stage in the first four days so they will be pleased to know that there will be a second opportunity on day 5.  They will be even more pleased to learn that stage 5 doesn’t have the same tough finale as stage 5 has a much flatter run-in to the finish. However, the final 5km are a long, gradual uphill drag which could take thr sting out of the legs of some of the fast guys before they can showcase their speed in a very technical finale.

 

The 171.3km stage will bring the riders from Viviero to Lugo and with a total amount of climbing of 2599m, it is not a completely flat affair. However, in the first part, the challenge will be the wind and not the climbs as the first 57.4km follow the flat coastal road in an easterly direction. Then the riders will turn inland to head in a southwesterly direction for the rest of the day but at first the terrain won’t change much. There’s a small uncategorized climb with 100km to go but then the riders will again follow flat roads until they get to the intermediate sprint at the 98.2km mark.

 

From here, the riders will take on the main challenge of the day, the category 3 climb of Puerto de Marco de Alvara (11.8km, 3.6%) which is more of a long gradual uphill section than a real climb. It will lead the peloton onto a plateau where they will spend the rest of the stage so there won’t be any descent. Instead, the riders will follow largely flat roads for the final 52.5km as they head towards Lugo. Here they will do a small loop around the city to approach the finale from the south. However, the road will be slightly uphill between the 5km to go and 2km to go marks, culminating with 1600m at an average gradient of 3.4%. However, it is largely flat for the final 2000m. The finale gets pretty technical with 3km to go where there are numerous turns in quick succession until the riders get to a sharp turn with 1.1km to go. From there, the sprinters only have to get safely through a final right-hand turn with 500m to go. The sprint is slightly uphill.

 

The sprinters haven’t had many chances in the first part of the race so they won’t miss out on this one. It should be a pretty straightforward sprint stage but the finale could be a bit tougher than many expect. The strong sprinters will find the long uphill drag to their liking but the pure sprinters may fade away with empty legs before we get to the sprint. The technical nature means that lead-outs will be hugely important and it may not necessarily be won by the fastest riders. Unless it’s a windy day, the GC riders will hope for an easier stage but the tricky finale will definitely create some stress as there could be small splits in the many turns.

 

Lugo last hosted a stage finish in 2006 when Alexandre Vinokourov started a remarkable comeback from a slow start. The Kazakh made a late attack after a tough day and managed to hold off a reduced bunch by a single second. The reinvigorated Vinokourov made it two in a row one day later and would ultimately go on to take the only grand tour win of his career.

 

 

 

 

Stage 6, Thursday August 25: Monforte de Lemos – Luintra. Ribeira Sacra, 163.2km

In recent years, the sprinters haven’t had many opportunities in the Vuelta a Espana and when there has been a flat finale, it has very often been preceded by a solid amount of climbing. This has made the race a perfect event for strong sprinters and those riders should also find the sixth stage to their liking. However, a lumpy finale with barely any flat roads means that the classics riders will also have red-circled the sixth day as an opportunity.

 

The 163.2km stage wil bring the riders from Monforte de Lemos to Lunitra. The first part consists of an 86.6km circuit on the southeastern outskirts of the starting city. Even though there are a few small hills, this opening section is largely flat.

 

Having returned to the staring city, the riders will travel south, going op an uncategorized climb before descending to the bottom of the main challenge. The category 2 climb of Alto Alenz averages 5.1% over 10.9 and the top comes with 47.3km to go. Just 1.9km from the summit, the riders will have the chance to go for bonus seconds in the intermediate sprint.

 

Having crested the summit the riders will descend to the bottom of a long uphill drag that averages 3.4% over 13.3km. The top comes with around 20km to go and then the riders will descend slightly until they get to the bottom of a small 21.8km climb with 5km to go. The climb averages around 5-6% and the top comes just before the 3km to go mark. One kilometre of flat roads then leads to a descent that ends at the flamme rouge. The last 300m are uphill at around 3.5%. The final 5km follow a winding road that ends with a sharp turn 900m from the finish. From there, the road is almost completely straight.

 

This is the kind of lumpy stage that has several possible outcomes. There aren’t any big-name sprinters in this year’s race so it is not immediately clear who’s going to control the stage. Much will depend on the outcome of the first few sprint stages. On the other hand, most of the fast riders climb pretty well and they should find this kind of finish to their liking. However, with the sprinters uncertain about the toughness of the finale, it could be a very good day for a breakaway, especially as bigger time gaps are likely to have opened up in the first summit finish. If things come back together, it could be a reduced bunch sprint but the final climbs is also a perfect launch pad for an attack from the likes of Philippe Gilbert and Zdenek Stybar.

 

Luintra has not hosted the finish of a major bike race for more than a decade.

 

 

 

 

Stage 7, Friday August 26: Maceda – Puebla de Sanabria, 158.5km

Last year there were numerous uphill finishes in the first week but this year the GC riders will spend most of the first third of the race in survival mode. Instead, the sprinters will have a few more opportunities than usual but the organizers haven’t turned the opening week into a sprint festival. In fact, there aren’t many flat roads in the interior of the Galicia region and this makes the first part of the race a very unpredictable and open affair that suits classics riders, strong sprinters and escapees. After the lumpy stage 6, the seventh stage is another prime example of such a course that offers several possible outcomes.

 

At just 158.5km, stage 7 is another very short one that will bring the riders from Maceda to Puebla de Sanabria. Almost all day, the riders will travel in an easterly direction as they start their journey towards the mountains in Asturias. After a flat start, the riders will tackle the category 3 Puerto de Allariz (6.8km, 4.4%) whose top comes at the 25.3km mark. Then it’s back into relatively flat terrain until a descent leads to the bottom of the hardest climb of the day, the category 3  Alto de Fumaces (11.2km, 4.3%).

 

Having crested the summit with 78km to go, the riders won’t get to a descent. Instead, the next 60km are almost all slightly uphill, with just a few descents along the way. The riders will contest the intermediate sprint at the 104km before the climbing comes to an end at the top of the category 3 Alto de Padornelo (7km, 3.2%). The top comes with 18.5km to go and is followed by a descent until the roads flattens out for the final 10km. In the final 5km, the riders will follow a mostly straight and flat road until they get to the flamme rouge. From here the road bends to the right before the riders will take a sharp turn to cross the river. Three sweeping turns in quick succession then leads to the final turn with 325m to go. The final 550m are uphill at 5.5% after a tough day with a total amount of climbing of 2595m.

 

This stage is a typical Vuelta a Espana stage. There are barely any flat roads but the climbs aren’t very hard either. Instead, it’s a day full of gradual ups and downs and this opens the door for several possible outcomes. The sprinters in this race are mostly able to handle the climbs and as the next few days are all about the GC, they will be keen to grab their last opportunity in the first week. However, the stage won’t be easy to control and it could be another day for a breakaway. If it comes down to a sprint finish, the relatively tough uphill finish means that the puncheurs should be able to mix it up with the fast guys.

 

Puebla de Sanabria has not hosted the finish of a major bike race for more than a decade.

 

 

 

 

Stage 8, Saturday August 27: Villalpando – La Camperona. Valle de Sabero, 181.5km

One of the regular features in recent editions of the Vuelta a Espana, is the triptych of consecutive summit finishes in the Cantabria and Asturias regions. Very often the three key stages have come in succession on the penultimate weekend but this year the organizers have changed he layout a bit. In an unprecedented move, Unipublic have added an extra uphill finish to make it four big GC days in a row and this year the start in Galicia means that this key block comes earlier than usual. It all kicks off after just one week of racing when the riders return to the brutally steep climb of La Camperona which made its debut in 2014 and is one of those walls that characterize the Spanish grand tour.

 

At 181.5km, stage 8 is a bit longer than most of the Vuelta stages and it will bring the riders from Villalpando to the summit finish on La Camperona in Valle de Sabero. Most of the day, there will be nothing to suggest that this is a day for the GC riders. The starting city is located in a completely flat part of the country and the riders will be travelling along flat road almost all day. Having travelled in a westerly direction for the first 30km to, the riders will head north for the rest of day, following long, straight, flat and potentially exposed roads.

 

The terrain and nature of the stage won’t change until the riders get to the very end. In the city of Sabero with 8.5km to go, they will contest the intermediate sprint and this is the signal for things to change complete. The final 8.5km of the stage go up the Alto de la Camperona, a category 1 climb that averages 7.4%. However, the average gradient is deceptive. In the first 5km, there is just a very short, steep 25% section. Otherwise the gradient stays at 1-3%. However, then the nature of the climb changes completely. In the final 3.5km, it stays between 8% and 22% and almost all the time, the riders face double-digit gradients. The winding road doesn’t have many sharp turns and the final kilometre follows an almost completely straight road. Here the gradient is between 9% and 20%, with the steepest part coming just after the flamme rouge.

 

The first two summit finishes in the race were either short or relatively easy so this is the first big test for the GC riders. In reality, the final climb may only be 3.5km long but it is so excessively steep that it will be every man for himself. This kind of steep climb can create relatively big time differences and it will be the first true indication of who’s going to win the race. At the same time, it will be important to be attentive in the first part of the stage where the wind can create chaos even before we get to the climb. With another three summit finishes coming up, the riders may be keen to save some energy so it could be a day for a breakaway. On the other hand, the stage is relatively easy to control so the most likely scenario is that the GC riders will battle it out for the stage win.

 

The climb made its debut in 2014 when Ryders Hesjedal emerged as the strongest from a big breakaway, passing Oliver Zaugg with a great comeback inside the final kilometre. Further down the climb, the GC riders battled it out and it was Chris Froome who made a bit of a comeback after a bad start to the race. The Brit was the best of the overall contenders, putting one second into Joaquim Rodriguez and seven seconds into overall leader Alberto Contador. The GC group split to pieces, with just five riders finishing within a minute of Froome.

 

 

 

 

 

Stage 9, Sunday August 28: Cistierna – Oviedo. Alto del Naranco, 164.5km

After the first tough GC battle, there will be no room to recover as the series of four consecutive summit finishes continues with another very hard day. On stage 9, the riders will return to the famous Alto del Naranco in the Asturias region, a climb which has been the finish of its own classic in the past and is an iconic mountain in Spain. It may not be the hardest climb of the race but history shows that it shouldn’t be underestimated and that it’s a day where important time can be gained.

 

The 164.5km stage will bring the riders from Cistierna to the top of Alto del Naranco on the outskirts of Oviedo and it can be split into two parts. The Cistierna is located on the flat plateau in the interior of the country where the riders spent the previous stage. Hence, the first third of the stage is mainly flat but the riders will have a tough start as the first 5km are all uphill. All day, the riders will travel in a northwesterly direction, approaching the Asturian mountains just south of the coast.

 

The flat roads will come to an end at the 49km mark where the riders will hit the bottom of the category 2 Puerto de San Isidro (11km, 3%). From there, the riders will tackle the long descent that leads them down from the plateau and into the mountainous Asturian terrain near the coast. The descent ends when the riders hit the bottom of the category 3 Alto de Santo Emiliano (6.2km, 4.7%) at the 111km mark and from there, it is up or down almost all day. After the intermediate sprint at the 124.6km mark, it is time for the category 3 Alto de San Tirso (5.1km, 3.9%), an uncategorized climb and the category 3 Alto de la Manzaneda (3.5km, 6.9%9 which come in quick succession.

 

The top of the latter challenge comes with 12.5km to go and then a short descent leads to the bottom of the final category 2 climb. Alto del Naranco averages 6.1% over 5.7km and is a fairly regular climb. The gradient stays between 5% and 7% almost all the time, with the final kilometre averaging 6%. It’s a winding road with a few hairpin turns. Inside, the final kilometre, there are four sharp turns, the final one coming just 290m from the line.

 

Alto del Naranco is an iconic climb in Spain and it’s another chance for the GC riders to test each other. However, it is the easiest of the four consecutive summit finishes and this means that the GC riders may be keen to hold something back, especially with another two days coming up. This makes it very likely that a breakaway will ride away with the win while the GC riders will test each other slightly. The climb has been used once in recent years and it has bigger gaps than expected. This time it comes at a different point in the race so it may be a bit less selective but we could still get a few more indications about who’s going to win the race. If the GC riders end up deciding the stage, it is a climb more for fast riders like Alejandro Valverde than the great climbers like Chris Froome, Nairo Quintana and Alejandro Valverde.

 

Alto del Naranco was last used by the Vuelta a Espana in 2013 when Joaquim Rodriguez made his classic acceleration in the finale to take a solo win, arriving with an 11-second advantage over Diego ulissi, Daniel Moreno and Samuel Sanchez. Surprisingly, race leader Vincenzo Nibali suffered and he lost six seconds to rival Chris Horner who took over the race lead before going on to defend his position on the Angliru one day later. The ascent has hosted the finish of the one-day race Subida al Naranco which has come into financial difficulties and hasn't been run since 2010, with Santiago Perez being the most recent winner. Instead, the climb was a regular in the Vuelta a Asturias from 2011 to 2013 and Constantino Zaballa, Remy Di Gregorio and Javier Moreno all triumphed there.

 

 

 

 

 

Stage 10, Monday August 29: Lugones – Lagos de Covadonga, 188.7km

After two tough summit finishes, the four-stage series of key stages will continue with another legendary stage. In recent years, the climb to Lagos de Covadonga has developed a reputation as maybe the most iconic mountain of the race as it is one of the few summit finishes that regularly features in the race. After a one-year absence, it will make a welcome return in the 2016 edition where it will be the scene of another big battle between the overall contenders. Coming at the end of a 10-stage block without any rest days and as the consecutive uphill finish, the mountain will definitely take its toll and give a much clearer picture about who’s going to win the race.

 

At 188.7km, the stage between Lugonas and Lagos de Covadonga is one of the longest of the race and it follows the classic formula of a stage that finishes at the top of the legendary mountain. During the first 31.1km, the riders will finalize their journey to the northern coast of the Iberian Peninsual as they follow mainly descending roads to the city of Gijon. From here, they will follow the coastal road in a westerly direction for most of the day. It is definitely not flat as there are several small climbs along the way.

 

After 142km of racing, the rides will head inland to tackle the category 1 climb of Alto del Mirador del Fit which averages 7.8% over 6.2km. The average gradient is deception as the first kilometre is very easy. From there, the gradient stays around 11% for most of the time until it level out for the final kilometre.

 

The top comes with 40.5km to go and from here, the riders will descend back to the coast before they again turn inland along flat roads. The intermediate sprint comes with 21.7km to go and moments later, the riders will hit the final HC climb. Lagos de Covadonga averages 7.2% over 12.2km but as it was the case for the previous climb, the numbers are deception. During the first 7km, the gradient is between 9% and 13% for most of the time. However, the climb then gets a bit easier and the final 5km consist of a maxi of two descents and some steep ramps. The final ramp ends with around 2km to go and then it’s slightly uphill until the riders get to a descent just before the flamme rouge. It ends with 300m to go where the riders will hit the final steep ramp that leads to the finish. It’s a winding road for the final 500m, with a final sharp turn coming 200m from the line.

 

Lagos de Covadonga is an iconic climb in Spain and everybody would love to win here. However, history shows that it has often been a day for a breakaway and due to its position in the middle of a tough block of mountaintop finishes, it could very well be the case again this time. In any case, we should have a battle between the GC riders in the finale but in recent years, the gaps have been relatively small. The final 5km are easy so the difference has to be made a bit earlier and this has often made it less selective. On the other hand, it’s a climb tailor-made for Chris Froome as he can get a gap in the steep section and then use his bigger power on the flatter sections near the top to increase his advantage. With a rest day coming up, the riders may be a little less conservative so we could see bigger time gaps than we have done in recent editons.

 

Lagos De Covadonga was last visited in 2014 when Przemyslaw Niemiec emerged as the strongest from a breakaway. The Pole just held off the GC riders as he arrived with a 5-second advantage over Alejandro Valverde and Joaquim Rodriguez. Race leader Alberto Contador lost another five seconds while Chris Froome recovered from a bad start to limit his losses to Contador to just 7 seconds. In 2012 Antonio Piedra emerged won from a breakaway while Alberto Contador made repeated attempts to distance Joaquim Rodriguez but failed to do so. In 2010 Carlos Barredo won from a breakaway while Vincenzo Nibali lost a bit of ground to key rival Ezequiel Mosquera in the finale. In 2007, the stage was the first big mountain stage of the race and it was Vladimir Efimkin who was a surprise survivor from a long breakaway and took both the stage win and the leader’s jersey. The other three winners in this millennium are Eladio Jimenez, Juan Miguel Mercado and Andrei Zintchenko who won in 2005, 2001 and 2000 respectively.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday August 30: Rest day, Cangas de Onis

 

Stage 11, Wednesday August 31: Colunga. Museo Jurasico – Peña Cabarga, 168.6km

The series of four summit finishes in Asturias and Cantabria will be brought to an end with one of the new climbs that has already turned into a classic. The wall of Peña Cabarga was first used in 2010 and since then it has already been used another two times. As the scene of Chris Froome’s first grand tour stage win, the climb is dear to the Brit’s heart and he would love to take a second win here before the GC riders head into survival mode for a few days.

 

The 168.6km stage starts in the coastal city of Colunga where the rides will take off from Museo Jurasico. From here, they will follow the coastal road almost all day, travelling in a westerly direction. This means that it’s a pretty flat stage and apart from the small climbs that always characterize such a stretch, there aren’t any many challenges.

 

After 121.7km of racing, the riders will contest the intermediate sprint and then they will briefly head inland before they return to the coast for the final time. It won’t change the flat terrain though and as the riders again leave the coast, the roads will still be flat.

 

It all comes to a very abrupt end in the finale when the riders hit the bottom of the category 1 climb of Pena Cabarga. It averages 9.8% over 5.6km but in reality it is much steeper. The gradient doesn’t really drop below the 10% mark furing 3km and the climb even kicks off at 18%. Then there is a flat section of 500m before the riders get to the final ramp. In the final 2km, the riders will constantly face double-digit gradients, with the final kilometre staying at around 10% for most of the time. The first part of the climb follows a relatively straight road but in the final 2km, there are some hairpin bends and some sharp turns. The final sharp turn comes with 800m to go and then the road gradually bends to the left in the final 300m.

 

Peña Cabarga is a relatively short climb but it is very steep. It’s one of those walls that really characterize the Vuelta and it has produced some great and memorable racing in the past. As it comes one day after a rest day, it can create some surprises compared to what we have seen in the first three summit finishes and as it comes at the end of the block of mountaintop finishes, the riders may be riding a bit more aggressively than they did in the beginning. We are still early in the race so it could be a day for a breakaway but it’s also a stage that means a lot to Chris Froome. If he is feeling good, the Brit will probably go for the stage win, especially due to the relatively flat nature of the course which shouldn’t be that hard to control.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stage 12, Thursday September 1: Los Corrales de Buelna – Bilbao, 193.2km

The Basque Country is the most cycling-mad region in Spain but unfortunately the political chaos surrounding the region’s status means that it has had a tainted relationship with Vuelta a Espana. The strong independency movement doesn’t want to be associated with a Spanish national tour and due to the fear of political protests, the race didn’t visit the region for 33 years until it finally returned in 2011. After a very popular home win in Bilbao for local hero Igor Anton, the race again visited the region in 2012 and this year it is time to return after a three-year absence when the race again reaches Bilbao for a lumpy stage on the 12th day of racing.

 

The 193.2km stage is one of the longest of the race and will bring the riders from Los Corrales de Buelna to Bilbao. Almost all day, the riders will be travelling in an easterly direction close to the coast but they will stay sufficiently far from the coast to pass through the hard terrain that has made the Basque Country famous in most of the cycling world. The first 4km are all uphill and then the riders will descend to a flat a section before they get to the hardest climb of the stage. The category 1 Puerto de Las Alisas averages 6% over 10km and is a regular climb that has a maximum of 8.5%. Then the riders will descend to another flat stretch that leads to the category 3 Alto La Escrita (6.4km, 4.5%). From there, the peloton will descend and follow flat roads to the coast and then head to the finish in Bilbao.

 

 

The riders will reach Bilbao with 59.8km to go and then the rest of the stage is made up of two laps of a 28.5km circuit on the southeastern outskirts of the city. A flat section leads to the category 2 Alto El Vivero (4.2km, 8.5%) whose top comes with 12.9km to go. From there the rides will descend to the final 5km which are flat. The riders will follow a slightly winding road with some sweeping turns for the final 5km until they turn right in a roundabout with 650m to go. They will contest the first intermediate sprint at the finish line at the end of the first lap.

 

It’s the same circuit that was used when the race last visited Bilbao in 2011. Back then, Igor Anton and Marzio Bruseghin battled it out in a memorable battle on the Alto del Vivero, with the Basque coming out on top. The GC riders attacked each other on the climb as Chris Froome tried to unseat Juan Jose Cobo but the favourites arrived together 1.33 behind the leader. Bilbao last hosted a major bike race in 2015 when Michael Matthews won a reduced bunch sprint on the first stage of the Vuelta al Pais Vasco after a very controversial and dramatic finale. A big crash almost ended the careers of Peter Stetina and Sergio Pardilla when they rode straight into some metal poles. Before then, it was used for a stage in the 2000 Euskal Bizikleta where Marco Serpellini beat Jose Vicente Garcia Acosta in a two-rider sprint.

 

Alto el Vivero is a hard climb but it comes too far from the finish for the GC riders to give it a go. They will be keen to have an easy day after four summit finishes so it should be a day for a breakaway. Everybody knows that so it will be a brutal fight until the right group has formed and then the best climbers from the escape will probably battle it out on the tough climb.

 

 

 

 

Stage 13, Friday September 2: Bilbao – Urdax-Dantxarinea, 213.4km

One of the characteristics of recent Vuelta a Espana is that the stages generally have been relatively short. This is also the case in 2016 as only two stages have a length of more than 200km. The longest stage comes in stage 13 where the riders will cover 213.4km on a course full of ups and downs. However, there aren’t any long, tough climbs and this turns it into a classical transitional stage that is open to a lot of possible outcomes.

 

The 213.4km stage will start in the city of Bilbao and finish in Urdax-Dantxarinea close to the French-Spanish border. All day the riders will be travelling in an easterly direction as they continue their journey to the Pyrenees where the next big GC battles will be held. The first 93.7km of the stage are not completely flat but they are as flat as they can possibly be in the Basque Country. Along the way, the riders will pass the famous city of Eibar, known as the host of the queen stage of the Vuelta al Pais Vasco. However, there will be no chance to climb the Alto de Arrate and instead the riders will follow the largely flat roads until they get to the bottom of the category 3 Alto Monte Igueldo (5.3km, 6.2%).

 

After the descent, the riders will contest the intermediate sprint at the 110km mark and then they get to the hardest part of the course where three category 3 climbs come in quick succession. First up is the Alto de Aritxulegi (6.2km, 6.5%) and then it’s time for the Alto de Agiña (5km, 6.2%). The climbing ends with the Puerto de Lizaneta (7.2km, 4.7%) whose top comes with 50.2km to go.

 

As they crest the summit, the riders will head into French before they return to Spain at the bottom of the descent to reach the finish after 181.7km of racing. The stage will end with one lap of a 31.7km circuit that is partly on French soil but they will only pass close by the finish line before they embark on the lap. It’s a lumpy one but there aren’t any real climbs. The final 5km are mainly slightly descending until the riders take a sharp turn with 380m to go. Then it’s uphill at 1.5%-2% and the riders will go through a roundabout just 240m from the line.

 

This is the kind of stage that can be won both by a breakaway and in a sprint. Many riders will be keen to go on the attack and much will depend on the size of the group that ultimately goes clear. If it’s a strong group, they are likely to make it to the finish but the sprint teams may also manage to bring things back together for a reduced bunch sprint. However, the climbs in the middle section are pretty tough so it’s definitely not a day for the pure sprinters who may be left behind before we even get to the finish where the late turn will make things very tricky if a big group has to decide the stage..

 

Urdax-Dantxarinea has not hosted the finish of a major bike race for more than a decade.

 

 

 

 

Stage 14, Saturday September 3: Urdax-Dantxarinea – Aubisque.Gourette, 196km

The Vuelta a Espana organizers have introduced a tradition that sees them host three consecutive mountain stages in the penultimate weekend of the race, very often in the Asturian mountains. This year they have changed the scripted slightly as they have moved the big block of consecutive mountain finishes to the second weekend but the penultimate weekend will still a key part of the fight for the overall win. This year the riders will only have two summit finishes in a row but with two major mountaintop finales in the Pyrenees, it may still be the most important part of the race. It all kicks off with one of the most spectacular stages of the race as the riders will face a finish on the legendary Col d’Aubisque after having passed some of the most famous climbs known from the Tour de France.

 

Stage 14 will see the riders cover 196km from Urdax-Dantxarinea to the top of the Col d’Aubisque and is held exclusively on French soil. The riders will cross the border already in the neutral zone and then follow flat roads for the first 51.km as they travel in a mainly southeasterly direction during the stage. Slowly, they will approach the heart of the Pyrenean and the mountain range will welcome them with the category 1 Col Inharpu (11.5km, 7.1%). It may not be the most famous climb but it’a tough one with double-digit gradient for most of the time in the first half. Near the top, there’s a small flat section before the road ramps up for the final 2.5km.

 

After the climb, the riders will descend to the bottom of category 1 Col du Soudet which is known from the Tour de France. It averages 5.2% over 24km but the first half is easy at around 3-5% before it gets much steeper. There’s a tough section of double-digit gradients just after the midpoint and again in the finale. After the descent, there is a short valley section and then the riders will face the famous category 1 Col de Marie-Blanque (9.2km, 7.5%). It has a relatively easy start at 4-5% for the first 4km but then become very steep, with double-digit gradient for the final 3km.

 

The top comes with 38.3km to go and the final part is made up of a descent, a short valley section of around 10km and the final climb. Having contested the intermediate sprint at the 177.8km mark, the riders will hit the famous Col d’Aubisque which is of the HC category. The average gradient of the 16.5km is 7.1% but the final 9km are relatively regular at 8-9%. It’s a winding road with a few hairpin bends, most notably in the final half. The final hairpin bend comes with around 500m to go and the gradient is around 8.5% in the final kilometre.

 

This is probably the queen stage of the race as it’s the only stage with numerous big climbs throughout the entire day. The terrain is legendary and everybody will love to win on one of the mythical climbs of the sport. However, there is another very hard mountain stage coming up the next day so it is very likely that a breakaway will decide the win. In any case, we will have a big battle between the favourites on the final climb which is maybe the hardest finishing climb of the entire race. It’s a day to create big differences and in the end we will know a lot more about who’s going to win the race.

 

The Col d’Aubisque was last used as the finish of a major bike race in 2007 when Michael Rasmussen, Levi Leipheimer and Alberto Contador battled it out for glory at the Tour de France. The Dane ultimately dropped the Discovery Channel pair to all but confirm his overall victory. Just a few hours later, Rabobank withdrew him from the race. The climb was also used for a stage in the 2000 Criterium International where Leonardo Piepoli beat Alexandre Vinokourov.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stage 15, Sunday September 4: Sabiñanigo – Sallent de Gallogo. Aramon Formigal, 118.5km

The Pyrenees have not always played a big role in the Vuelta a Espana which doesn’t visit the mountain range every year. This year the mountains on the French-Spanish border will be crucial as they will be the scene of two of the most important battles. One day after the big Aubisque stage, the riders will face another tough mountain stage with a summit finish and as it’s one of those short mountain stages that have become so popular in recent years, it will be an intense affair. However, the final climb is relateively easy and won’t make the same kind of difference as the Aubisque.

 

At just 118.5km, it’s the second shortest road stage of the race and will bring the riders from Sabiñanigo to the mountaintop finish on Aramon Formigal in Sallent de Gallego. Frist they will do a lap of a flat circuit around the starting city before they travel west to go up the category 3 Alto de Petralba (6.3km, 5%). The descent will bring them north to the bottom of the category 2 Alto de Costefabio (12.5km, 4.3%).

 

The top comes with 42km to go and the descent leads to the intermediate sprint in the valley. It comes at the 90km mark and from there the riders will head north for the rest of the stage. A gradual uphill leads to the bottom of the final category 1 climb which averages just 4.6% over 14.5km. The first half is easy at 3-5% and then there’s a flat section. It only gets steeper in the final 3.2km where the gradient is 6-9%. It’s a road with an incredible number of hairpin turns in the final 3km until it straightens out for the final 500m. The gradient is 6% in the finale.

 

This is the kind of short, intense mountain stage that is perfectly made for aggressive racing. However, none of the climbs are very steep so it won’t be a key day for the GC riders. Hence, it is very likely that it will be a day for a breakaway and it could be a bit of a ceasefire in the battle for the overall victory. Only the final part of the climb is hard enough to make a difference so any time gaps will be relatively small and it could very well be a small group of contenders that arrives at the finish. What could destroy the day for the escapees is the fact that it’s a great stage for Alejandro Valverde so depending on the situation in the race, Movistar may want to go for the victory.

 

The final climb was last used in 2013 and back then a breakaway decided the stage. Neo-pro Warren Barguil memorably beat Rigoberto Uran in a two-rider sprint. Only small splits appeared in the GC group where Joaquim Rodriguez put 3 seconds into Alejandro Valverde and six seconds into Thibaut Pinot and Chris Horner while race leader Vincenzo Nibalo had a bad day and lost 28 seconds to the Spaniard.

 

 

 

 

 

Stage 16, Monday September 5: Alcañiz – Peñiscola, 156.4km

It is no surprise that the sprinters have generally turned their back to the Vuelta a Espana. This year there are probably more sprint finishes than usual but at this point, the riders haven’t had a really flat stage since stage 5. Luckily, they can look forward to more opportunities in the third week which has some of the flattest stages of the race and they should get their first chance one day before the final rest day.

 

Stage 16 will bring the riders over 156.4km from Alcañiz to Peñiscola and will see the riders leave the Pyrenees and head south before turning east to reach the finish on the Mediterranean coast. The riders will spend the day on the plains in the Teruel province and will head along slightly ascending roads in the first half of the stage. It all culminates with the category 3 climb of Alto Castillo de Morella (3.4km, 5.2%) whose top comes at the 75.4km mark.

 

From here the riders will turn west and climb for a few more kilometres before they will take on the long gradual descent to the coast. They will reach the sea with 17.4km to go where they will contest the intermediate sprint and then they will follow the completely flat coastal road to the finish. In the finale, they will follow a straight road until numerous roundabouts start to appear with 3km to go. After three such challenges, there’s a sharp with 2km to go and a left-hand turn in a roundabout before the riders hit the flat 1300m finishing straight on the seafront.

 

The sprinters have suffered for most of the race and they are unlikely to have had any opportunity since the first week. Hence, they will be keen to grab this chance with both hands and they should control everything firmly. The finale is tailor-made for the real power sprinters as it’s a long, flat finishing straight and this time they will arrive relatively fresh. However, one thing can change the outcome completely as this part of Spain can be very windy and if the wind blows strongly, this could be a crucial day for the GC.

 

Peniscola has not hosted the finish of a major bike race for more than a decade.

 

 

 

 

Tuesday September 6: Rest day, Castellon

 

Stage 17, Wednesday September 7: Castellon – Llucena. Camins Del Penyagolosa, 177.5km

Last year one of the characteristics of the course was the fact that there were very few GC stages in the final week. A flat time trial and a relatively gentle mountain stage with a downhill finish on the penultimate day were the only chances to change the outcome before the finish in Madrid. In a dramatic finale, it all changed in the final mountain stage but this year the organizers have provided the GC riders with more opportunities to turn things around right until the end. After the final rest day, there will be a flat time trial and two mountain stages that are set to shape the final GC and it all kicks off with a finish on one of those steep walls that are the trademark of the Spanish grand tour.

 

Stage 17 will bring the riders over 177.5km from Castellon to a summit finish at Camins del Penyagolosa in Llucena. Starting at the costa, the riders will do a small loop in the city before they head to the flat coastal road. In the city of Benisasim, they will turn inland to go up the category 2 Alto del Desierto de las Palmas (7.3km, 5.1%) and from there, they will go down the descent before they head north along mainly flat roads.

 

After 68km of racing, it is time of the next big challenge, the category 2 Alto de la Sarratella (14.5km, 3.6%) before the descent leads to a turn that will see the riders travel west for a few kilometres. Along the way, they will go up the category 3 Alto de Benasal (11.2km, 3%) and then they will turn around to head south. A long descent will bring them onto a largely flat section until they turn west to go up a gradual uphill section that leads to the intermediate sprint just 8.9km from the finish. Then flat roads will bring the riders to the brutal wall of Alto Mas de la Costa. The category 1 climb may only be 3.8km long but with an average gradient of 12.5%, it is the steepest climb of the race. The gradient only briefly drops to 7% on the lower slopes and then stay around 15-20% for most of the time. The steepest section of 21% comes inside the final kilometre where the gradient hovers around 13-17% for most of the time. There are several hairpin turns throughout the entire climb, with the final turn coming 150m from the line.

 

The Vuelta organizers have always been great at finding new climbs and this one certainly has the potential to become a real classic. It’s one of those steep climbs that the race is littered with and as it will be one of the final big chances for the climbers, we are in for a huge battle. The climb is short and steep so it is better suited to punchy climbers than the real mountain goats but at this time of a grand tour, it is mostly about freshness. Historically, Chris Froome has done very well on these climbs in the Vuelta and he stands out as the favourite but everything will depend on his level of fatigue. The stage comes one day after a rest day and this will add a further level of uncertainty to one of the key days of the race. At the same time, it is a very good day for a breakaway as the GC riders will be keen to save their teams for the final stages.

 

Llucena has not hosted the finish of a major bike race for more than a decade.

 

 

 

 

 

Stage 18, Thursday September 8: Requena – Gandia, 200.6km

The second week is likely to have been one long series of frustrations for the sprinters but the fast finishers will have had an incentive to make it to the final part of the race. Three of the final six stages should be for the fastmen and after they had their first opportunity in stage 16, they should get another chance just two days before the big finale in Madrid.

 

At 200.6km, stage 18 is the second longest of the race and it will bring the riders from Requena to Gandia. In the first part, they will travel south along lumpy roads that never become completely flat and then they will tackle the category 2 climb of Puerto de Casa del Alto (13.3km, 3.8%). After the top, they will continue south along hilly roads until a long descent leads to the 105km mark.

 

The riders will now head in a northeasterly direction for the final part of the stage and even though the roads aren’t completely flat, the terrain is easy. After a gradual uphill section, the final 65km are mainly descending. Along the way, the riders will contest the intermediate sprint at the 147km mark. He gradual downhill will continue all the way to the finish in the coastal town of Gandia until it flattens out for the final 4km. The riders will turn left in a roundabout with 1400m to go and then go straight through a roundabout at the flamme rouge. Finally, there’s a right-hand turn in a roundabout with 600m to go.

 

This is the penultimate chance for the sprinters and as they haven’t had many opportunities, they will be keen to grab it. However, it is never easy to control a stage in the third week of a grand tour and as there aren’t many sprinters in the race, it will be even harder, especially with this kind of relatively hard start. The most likely outcome is a bunch sprint but a breakaway win can’t be ruled out. At the same time, the GC riders have to be attentive as the wind could come into play.

 

 

 

 

Stage 19, Friday September 9: Xabia – Calp, 37km ITT

In 2014 a frustrated Chris Froome asked race director Javier Guillen why there was never a completely flat time trial in the Vuelta. Much to his delight, Guillen announced that he had already planned a flat TT around Burgos for the 2015 edition of the race and there was no doubt that stage 17 was one of the drawcards for Froome. This year Froome hasn’t made a similar request but Guillen has still fulfilled his wish as the one individual time trial that always features in the race is similarly flat.

 

The last two time trials have marked a bit of a change in recent Vuelta history. While the Giro has often had two time trials – of which one has often has been a mountain time trial – and the Tour has historically had more time trialling than the other two grand tours, the Spanish race has usually limited its time trialling to one stage in the second or the third week. The distance has usually been around the 40km mark and very often it has included a considerable amount of climbing without being a mountain time trial. This year the race again offers a single individual test but it comes later than usual. The distance is within the usual range but what marks the real difference is the terrain. After last year’s TT, it is only the second really flat time trial since a relatively unknown Chris Froome surprisingly rode himself into the red jersey by finishing second behind Tony Martin in Salamanca in 2011.

 

At 37km, the course has the typical length of a Vuelta time trial and it is almost completely flat as the riders will stay between 10m and 175m above sea level for the entire stage. The riders will start in Xabia on the Mediterranean coast and follow the flat coastal road in the first part. Then they will head inland along similarly flat toads until they face the only small climb at the 13.1km mark. Then a descent leads back to the coast and the riders will then follow the flat coastal road for most of the final part of the stage. However, it is very winding with numerous turns and there won’t be many straight sections until the riders get to the final few kilometres. Having reaching the finishing city of Calp just outside of Calpe, they will briefly head to the centre of the major city before making a U-turn  with 2.3km to head back to the finish. There will be a few roundabouts and then the riders will five turns inside the final 600m.

 

There may be a very small climb on the course but nothing can change the fact that this is a great time trial for the specialists. The first part of the stage has plenty of straight sections where the big engines can use their huge power and as they will be riding close to the coast, strong winds could favour them even more. In the second part of the stage, the road will be winding and require certain technical skills which should make it easier for some of the climbers to limit their losses. However, they will all suffer on this kind of course where Chris Froome will have his eyes on dealing his rivals a major blow just two days before the big finish in Madrid.

 

 

 

 

Stage 20, Saturday September 10: Benidorm – Alto de Aitana. Escuadron Ejercito del Aire, 193.2km

With last year being the only exception, the Vuelta a Espana has had a tough mountaintop finish on the penultimate day every year since 2012. In 2012, it was the Bola del Mundo that provided an exciting end to the race while Alto de Angliru was the decider in 2013. In 2014, we had a huge battle between Alberto Contador and Chris Froome on the Ancares ascent and in those three years the overall win has been up for grabs right until the penultimate stage.

 

Last year the organizers returned the race to a more traditional format as the penultimate stage was a mountain stage without a big summit finish. It still turned out to be enough to turn everything around at the very end but this year the course designers have returned to their preferred format. With the final stage being held late in the evening, they have designed a big showdown on the famous Alto de Aitana as they have time to move the entire circus all the way to Madrid for the grand finale.

 

The 193.2km stage will start in the coastal city of Benidorm and end on top of the Alto de Aitana. After a flat start, the riders will climb the category 2 Coll de Rates (13km, 3%) as they travel in a northerly direction. A descent and a flat section lead to a long uphill part that includes two category 2 climb, the category 2 Alto de Vall de Ebo (8km, 5.4%) and the category 2 Alto de Tollos (4.1km, 5.9%), a the riders will not travel to the west.

 

A decent leads to a much easier part as the riders will now head south towards the final climb. Along the way, they will contest the intermediate sprint at the 121km mark. Then more flat roads will lead to the lower slopes of the Alto de Aitana but this time the peloton won’t go all the way to the top. Instead, they will contest a category 2 KOM sprint at the top of the Puerto de Tudons (7.1km, 5.3%) before they head south along descending roads. Here they will turn around to climb all the way to the top of the final 21km category HC climb. It averages 5.9% and is very regular. For most of the time, the gradient stays around 6-7% and it never really gets very steep. The final 6km are bit steeper at 7-9%. It’s a winding road with two hairpin bends inside the final two kilometres, the final one 700m from the finish. In the final kilometre, the gradient is 6-9%.

 

This is the final chance to change things and so we should see one final battle between the GC riders. However, Alto de Aitana is not the hardest climb in Spain and it may not be tough enough to do any major damage. Very often, the final mountain stage of a grand tour is all about survival and hanging on and if the time gaps are big, it may not be worth to try a big attack on a climb that is not really suited to making big differences. We don’t expect any big gaps but if it’s close in the top, we should have a big battle between the top contenders. In recent grand tours, the final mountain stage has often been won by a breakaway and this could very well be the case in this year’s Vuelta too.

 

Alto de Aitana was last used in 2009 when Damiano Cunego took a breakaway win. In the GC battle, Reobert Gesink put 8 seconds into Cadel Evams, Alejandro Valverde and Samuel Sanchez while another five riders arrived just six seconds later. In 2004, Leonardo Piepoli beat Roberto Heras by four seconds on a day when six riders finished within 30 seconds. In 2001, Claus Michael Møller took a solo win with a 15-second advantage over Gilberto Simoni, Carlos Sastre and Roberto Heras.

 

 

 

 

 

Stage 21, Sunday September 11: Las Rozas – Madrid, 104.1km

While the Giro d’Italia has changed its finishing city on several occasions and have alternated a bit between sprint stages and time trials for the final day, the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espana have been a lot more conservative. Since 1990, the French race has always finished with a flat road stage in Paris, with the Champs-Elysees being the most famous cycling avenue due to its role in the biggest race in the world. The Vuelta organizers have experimented a bit more but in recent years they have almost always had a flat sprint stage in Madrid on the final day. In 2014, their desire to celebrate the 800th anniversary visit of St Francis of Assisi’s visit to Santiago de Compostela saw them change things by having a short time trial in that city but before that the stage hadn’t had a final time trial since 2002 and not finished outside Madrid since 1993.

 

Already in 2014, the organizers promised to return to tradition for the 2015 edition and this year it is again no surprise that the race ends with a flat stage to the capital. Like in the Tour, it is always a mostly ceremonial affair and so the organizers have made the wise decision to make it relatively short. At 104.1km, it is the shortest road stage of the race and brings the riders from the western suburb of Las Rozas to Madrid.

 

Like ASO now does at the Tour de France, Unipublic have also shortened the first part of the course which is where the riders celebrate their achievements by riding at a slow pace. Hence, they will only do a very small loop around the start area before head directly towards the city centre along completely flat roads. Already after 57.7km of racing, they will cross the finish line for the first time. The final part of the stage is made up of 8 laps of a 5.8km finishing circuit that is completely flat. It is the same circuit that has been used in the past and is well-known by most of the riders. It is T-shaped and includes three U-turns and two 90-degree turns but otherwise is held on wide and straight roads. The final turn comes at the flamme rouge and then it is a straight, very slightly ascending road to the finish on Plaza Cibeles in the heart of Madrid.

 

The stage will of course pan out as it usually does, with the first part raced at a leisurely pace while the riders take the time to congratulate each other, take a sip from a champagne glass and pose for the photographers. Racing gets serious when they approach the finishing circuit, with the team of the race leader set to gradually pick up the pace before the first passage of the finish line. From then, it will be full-on racing which in all likelihood will come down to a bunch sprint that may even determine the winner of the points classification. With a shorter ceremonial part and more laps on the circuit, we should get a bit more racing than usual but the scenario is likely to be the same. A small group will get clear on the circuit but in this kind of short stage they won’t get much of an advantage. The sprint teams will keep things firmly under control and it will be very hard to deny the sprinters. As the final stage of the 2015 Giro showed, surprises are possible even in the final stage of a grand tour but with a less technical circuit it will be a lot more difficult for the attackers.

 

As said, the race skipped its usual finish in Madrid in 2014 but apart from that it has finished in the capital every year since 1993. John Degenkolb won in 2015 and Michael Matthews took victory in 2013. John Degenkolb completed a memorable race by taking the win in 2012. Peter Sagan won the final stage of his debut grand tour in 2011 while Tyler Farrar beat Mark Cavendish in 2010. André Greipel came out on top in 2009 and Matti Breschel was the surprise winner in 2008. Daniele Bennati continued a great Vuelta by winning the stage in 2007 and Erik Zabel took the win in 2006. Alessandro Petacchi and the Italians practiced their lead-out for the Worlds in 2005 to deliver the fastman to another victory while Santiago Perez was the last rider to win a TT in 2004. Petacchi was again the fastest in 2003 and Aitor Gonzalez took the overall victory by winning a TT in 2002. In 2001, Santiago Botero won a TT and it was Santos Gonzalez who came out on top in race against the clock in 2000. In 1999, Jeroen Blijlevens took a sprint win.