Five kilometers averaging 9.62% and four kilometres at 10.8% - the final time trial of the Vuelta al Pais Vasco will include the ascent to Arrate by a new side starting from Azitain and including ramps of 20%. Amets Txurruka in Orica-GreenEDGE and Aitor Gonzalez who makes the move to Euskadi-Murias, have no doubt: "It's a tough time trial."

The climb from Azitain includes two kilometers of cement and has been included in the 2016 edition of the Basque race whose course was announced last week, with starts and finishes in Etxebarria, Markina-Xemein, Araba , Lesaka, Orio and Eibar. The latter town will host the final of the last two stages. The fifth stage will be the traditional queen stage to the Sanctuary of Arrate and the final stage will be a time trial of 18 kilometers.

The latter stage will not be simple and flat. Last year the rider tackled the brutally steep wall in Aia. Next year they will climb Arrate from the Azitain side. The TT will leave the city center to hit the climb immediately. It is demanding right from the start, with the first two kiloemtres averaging 8.1% and 9.2% respectively. It is on narrow roads and goes into a wooded area and passes through villages. Before the 2km mark, the asphalt gives way to concrete and more steeper slopes with sections of 20%, 21% and up to 22% for an average of 13.5% in the third kilometer and 12.4% in the fourth. The average of the four kilometres is 10.8%. Near the top, the asphalt returns and the climb gets easier with a gradient of 4.9%. The stage then reaches the traditional descent to Eibar.

BiciCiclismo have asked two professional riders about the new climb. Aitor Gonzalez, one of the most experienced riders of the Ampo team and new riders at Murias-Euskadi, and AmetsTxurruka who is moving from Caja Rural-RGA to Orica-GreenEDGE. The former even promised to do the climb the next day and then give his assessment.

His first impression is clear. "It is very hard. I've used a 39x28 to get up. The first kilometer is very hard, especially the beginning. It is 12% -13%, then it gets easier at 7% -8%. The road then narrows for another kilometer and reaches almost 16%. The concrete can be said to begin halfway up the climb. It's becoming harder and then we get to the serious thing, with ramps above 20%. The next two kilometres have a brutal average gradient," he tells the Spanish website.

"The last ramp before the sanctuary where the finish of the previous day is located, is the toughest. Then it gets easier in the final 800m. It is very hard, I do not know how they will handle it. After doing an easier kilometres, you pick up speed but you will be unable to make a difference there."

As for the concrete section he notes that it is "not very rugged. It is is bearable. It was hard to stand in the pedas and the bike would slide out because it was wet." The organizers plan to pave the road.

Txurruka also gave his first impression. "You climb the descent that we usually use to get back to the team bus when the stage finishes in Arrate. The truth is that I have never gone up the road on a road bike, but on a mountain bike and it was already very hard. It has ramps up to 20%. It is not very long but those percentages take long time to climb," he said. "Recently they have adopted this format. This year's time trial in Aia was not a normal one but one for climbers. This is more of the same, even more I think."

The race will be special for Txurruka. In 2014 the Basque race ended in Markina-Xemein and this time the first stage starts from Etxebarria, his home town, and ends in Markina-Xemein. "The two municipalities are joined forces and have made ​​a great effort. Markina wants to repeat. Companies in the area have also been involved and the people are behind it," he says. The Basque race features on his calendar.

For Aitor González, it is a dream to do the race in 2016. Euskadi-Murias is a continental team and not allowed to do WorldTour races as per UCI Rules. However, he has not lost hope. "Hopefully we can be there. We are aware that we can not ride now. And so we would like to have the permission of the UCI. Itzulia is the home race; the first stage is in Etxebarria and the last two in Eibar, and for me and the team it would be great," he says.

One shoould not that the final road stage with finish in Arrate include the climb from another new and harder side, starting from Matsaria. The ascent averages 8.38% over 5.5km and includes kilometres with gradients of 15.4% and 14.1%. Again part of the climb is on concrete roads.