Sabiñánigo is the start place of stage fifteen in the Vuelta. Like the last couple of days, also this stage is a mountain stage but it’s only 118.5 kilometres long. The riders will find the first obstacle after forty kilometres: a categorized climb of third category named Puerto Alto de Petralba. This climb is 6.3 kilometres long and has an average gradient of 5%. The next climb is one of second category and is located thirty kilometres further on in the race. The Puerto Alto de Cotefabio is twice as long as the previous mountain, but the gradient is only 4.3%. The finish of stage fifteen is at the top of the last climb, which is a climb of first category. The Sallent de Gállego is fourteen kilometres long and has a 4.6% gradient. However, there are passages with a gradient up to 10%.

Maxime Monfort gives his preview.

“I don’t mind that it’s a late start today. We arrived at our hotel around eight o’clock yesterday evening and then it’s nice you don’t need to rush the next morning. It was a very hard day yesterday, which is nothing new here at the Vuelta of course. I wasn’t attentive enough at the start and missed the chance of joining the big breakaway. I was riding at the back of the peloton and it was impossible to move up to the front in those small villages. It’s a pity, because it had been a fantastic opportunity.

“Normally I prefer long mountain stages, but I’m sure that at the end of today’s stage it will feel like we have ridden a long stage. This Vuelta is the sixteenth Grand Tour of my career and it’s the hardest I’ve ever raced! I will make sure I’m at the front of the peloton at the start of the stage, to try to get in the front group. I have nothing to lose and I don’t need to save energy. I just need to grab my chances. I don’t know the climb where we finish today, but we passed it yesterday on our way to the hotel. The organisation keeps finding new climbs every year, there are surprises in every edition.”