The Vuelta is starting and also passes through our region;
Stages 7 and 8 are worth seeing with an arrival at Balcon de Alicante on Friday 20/8 and a ride in line through our home between Santa Pola and La Maga del Mar Menor on Saturday 21/8. Come and get your cap from Casa Las Dunas and enjoy top sport in La Marina with us!
5 Vuelta stages to look forward to: steep hills and breathtaking panoramas
The Vuelta route is once again one to savour. Uphill finishes, steep climbs and a new monster. These 5 stages are marked with an orange fluorescent pen.
Stage 3: Puffing and sweating on Picon Blanco
The Vuelta is not shy of serving up heavy fare to the riders early on.
On day 3 the finish will be at the top of the steep Picon Blanco. A climb we know from the Tour of Burgos. Last year Remco Evenepoel performed a trick on this climb.
The Picon Blanco (7,8 km and 9,3% average) is the first of no less than 7 arrivals uphill in the Vuelta. Lovers of climbing spectacle will thus be able to indulge themselves the next 3 weeks.
Stage 11: horribly steep wall up to 23%
The course designer of the Vuelta traditionally works with staggering gradients.
On the wall to Valdepeñas de Jaen we will see many riders stumbling in the 11th stage.
With peaks of up to 23%, comparisons with the Wall of Huy are easily made. No wonder that wall lizards such as Joaquim Rodriguez, Dani Moreno and Igor Anton have triumphed here in the past Vuelta.
Stage 17: Climbing in dazzling scenery to Lagos de Covadonga
Enchanting images are guaranteed when the riders clamber up to the glacial lakes of Covadonga.
The difficult climb in the Picos de Europa natural park is already on the Vuelta route for the 22nd time, so it's a classic.
The last time, in 2018, Thibaut Pinot was the leader. Nairo Quintana, Pavel Tonkov and Pedro Delgado have also already stood on the podium as primus in the breathtaking setting.
Stage 18: Queen's stage with a savage final climb
No Angliru this year. But the Vuelta would not be the Vuelta if it did not come up with a new monster in Asturias.
The terrifying Alto de Gamoniteiro serves the riders 15 climbing kilometres with an average gradient of 9,6 percent. A very hard undertaking, especially since Lagos de Covadonga from the day before will still be on many people's minds.
You can call this stage the queen stage, because before the final climb there are three more treats for mountain bulls. The 4,500 altitude metres do not lie.
Stage 21: Long final time trial to world-famous place of pilgrimage
The sprinters' ball in Madrid makes way for a long time trial to Santiago de Compostela this year.
On the way to the place of pilgrimage, the riders will have to fight the clock for 33.8 kilometres. Who will bring his three-week pilgrimage there to a spectacular conclusion?
The last time the Vuelta featured a final time trial of more than 30 kilometres, the number 2 Aitor Gonzalez knocked out the number 1 Roberto Heras in the leader's jersey. The Vuelta organisation would immediately sign up for a similar revolution.
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