La Vuelta

The 2018 Vuelta a España has all characteristic features from previous editions of the race, yet will be less extreme and more open to different types of riders. Without leaving its unmistakable style behind, the 73th chapter of the Spanish Grand Tour will offer many chances to the sprinters on its first week, saving most of its toughest routes for the last ten days. There, the Movistar Team will seek to repeat the great results already obtained under Telefónica’s sponsorship since 2011.

An 8km individual time trial in the main avenues of Málaga (Saturday 25th August), with just one minor slope in Ferrándiz street, will open a race where the punchy climbers and sprinters will fight between them for a chance to win at the Caminito del Rey’s hilltop finish (st. 2, Sunday 26th), quite easier than the previous version of the climb as riders take on the Alto de Guadalhorce (Cat-3) before the end. Following a first real ‘sprint royale’ scenario in Alhaurín (Monday 27th), preceeded by the Alto del Madroño (Cat-1), the maiden mountain-top finish will loom: Alfacar (Tuesday 28th), a Cat-1 ascent (12km at 5%) with some irregular, tougher sections in between the easier ones.

A ‘difficult’ sprint -the one at Roquetas de Mar (Wednesday 29th), riders taking on the El Marchal (Cat-2) just 26km from the end- and a more suitable finish in San Javier (Thursday 30th) will be followed by two uphill sprints: an easier one in Pozo Alcón (Friday 31st) and a more challenging ascent in Almadén (Saturday 1st September). That will have nothing to do, nevertheless, with a classic, tough mountain-top finish closing out the first week as well as the long transfer from Andalusia to Castilla y León. La Covatilla (HC; 10km at 7%) will hold the end of a very long stage nine (200km, Sunday 2nd), three other climbs in Ávila -Pico (Cat-1), Gredos (Cat-3) and Peña Negra (Cat-2)- prior to the run-in towards Béjar and the closing ascent.

Following the first rest day and a flat stage -with some risk of echelons- to Fermoselle (Tuesday 4th), the peloton will face the always demanding mid mountains in Galicia, with plenty of lumpy terrain in Ourense’s Ribeira Sacra area (Wednesday 5th) open for lots of different race scenarios on stage 11. The race will continue to go northbound and finish at Estaca de Bares, the northernmost cape in the Iberian Peninsula, at a sprinters’ finish on Thursday 6th, prior to entering Asturias and starting the toughest combination of stages in this year’s Vuelta, also including a brief spell through León.

La Camperona (Cat-1; 8.3km at 7.5%, maximum near 20%) will open the decisive half of the race on Friday 7th September. One day later (Saturday 8th), the inedit, brutal finish up Les Praeres (Cat-1; 4km at 12.5%) will be preceeded by the more traditional San Isidro (Cat-2), Colladona (Cat-1), Mozqueta (Cat-1) and Falla de los Lobos (Cat-3). To round things off on week two (Sunday 9th), the Vuelta will pay a visit to the legendary Lagos de Covadonga (HC; 11.7km at 7.2%), with two previous passages through the different roads up El Fito (Cat-1).

The final week of the race will start (Tuesday 11th) with the only long(ish) ITT in the parcours, 32km between Santillana del Mar and Torrelavega with barely a short climb to Quijas into the second half of the course. From the Cantabria region, the race will go to Euskadi on Wednesday 12th, visiting the beautiful coastline -including the iconic San Juan de Gaztelugatxe (Cat-3)- prior to the classic Basque-race succession of short climbs in the finale: Santa Eufemia (Cat-3), Gontzegaragaine (Cat-3) and two ascents, including the finish, to the Balcón de Bizkaia (Cat-1; 7.3km at 10%).

After a long ‘transfer stage’ (186km, Thursday 13th) between Ejea de los Caballeros and Lleida, the Vuelta will be decided in Andorra. Friday 14th will see riders face only one climb, yet a very demanding finish, at La Rabassa (Cat-1; 17km at 6.6%). Finally, on Saturday 15th, and somewhat rememering the short Col du Portet stage in the Tour de France -won by Nairo Quintana-, the Queen stage of this final week will cover in excess of 3,000 meters of elevation gain in just 97km, up La Comella (Cat-2), Beixalis (Cat-1), Ordino (Cat-1), a second side of both Beixalis (Cat-1) and la Comella (Cat-3) and a grueling finish in La Gallina (HC), just over 24 hours before Madrid.