MADRID, 11 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The 2023 edition of the Vuelta Ciclista a España will face its last week of racing starting this Tuesday, marked by the presence of the always attractive stages on Asturian soil, with the arrival of the ‘colossus’ L’Angliru.
With the American Sepp Kuss leading the ‘dictatorship’ of Jumbo-Visma, the Dutch team will have to defend this dominance in the decisive days that will define the winner and the final podium of the ‘big’ Spanish team, which faced this Monday its second day of rest.
The peloton will get underway again this Tuesday with a sixteenth stage in Cantabria, with a short mileage (120.5 km), starting in Liencres and a very explosive finish at the top of the Bejes ‘wall’, 4.8 kilometers with a slope average of 8.8 percent and very hard at the beginning and at the end.
And the next day will arrive one of the most anticipated days in the Vuelta. In stage 17, again short (125 km), arrives the great ‘colossus’ of the Spanish mountains, the Alto del Angliru, a special category (12.4 km at 9.8%) and which will test everyone the applicants with their ramps greater than 20 percent towards the finish line and possible adverse weather conditions that make it more difficult. Furthermore, before this final climb, the runners will have to deal with two first-class passes, the Alto de la Colladiella (7.8 km at 7.1%), and the Alto del Cordal (5.4 km at 9, 2%).
The last high finish of the Vuelta will come on day 18, with the second Asturian summit that hosts a finish in this edition, the unprecedented high of La Cruz de Linares, first category (8.3 km at 8.6%) and also very tough for a day of 178.9 km since the caravan leaves Pola de Allande and with the difficulties of Alto de las Estacas (2nd category), the tough Puerto de San Lorenzo (1st category) and the explosive Alto from Tenebredo (3.4 km at 9.5%).
The penultimate stage of the Vuelta will be between La Bañeza and Íscar, exactly 177.1 completely flat kilometers, in which the sprinter teams will have to face the accumulated wear and tear and leaks to force a mass arrival, in one of the most options clearer for this, along with the final day.
If the race is open on the penultimate day, the general runners will have 208 kilometers, the longest stage of this edition, between Manzanares El Real and the Sierra de Guadarrama, with more than 4,000 meters of elevation gain, without ascents steep, but with up to 10 third category climbs, on a route more typical of a classic than a grand tour and which will be the final asset for the ambushes of the favorites.
The final touch to the 78th edition of the Vuelta España will be 66 kilometers between the Zarzuela Hippodrome and the city of Madrid, which will be a party to crown the winner of the race and a dispute between the sprinters to achieve the last partial victory .