
Male Team 31 May - 04 Jun Vuelta a Andalucía
Vuelta a Andalucía
518 Kilometers 5 Stages
Bonus seconds might be a crucial factor in this race. While 10-6-4″ will be awarded at stage finishes, the intermediate ones will vary: 6-4-2″ when there’s only one at a given stage, then 3-2-1″ when a stage contains more than one ‘hot point’. Also, bonuses will be available at either intermediate sprints or QOM banners.
We include some extra detail on the ‘hot points’ for our readers not to miss anything:
(Updated May 30th, after a change to the bonus scheme was notified at the DS meeting)
The Movistar Team dominated the first edition of the race, held in 2022, winning the GC with Arlenis Sierra and taking all three stages, two with the Cuban and one with Jelena Erić.
The Movistar Team covers its final Spanish women’s event of 2023 -except for the National Championships, held in Madrid in late June- at the Vuelta a Andalucia, featuring in 2023 a series of short stages with demanding roads and a somewhat unusual fight for bonus seconds, which could play a very significant factor on how the race shapes up.
Even if the opener to La Zubia (Wednesday 31st) will already be quite lumpy, the two stages with biggest mountains are days two (Thursday 1st June), with the finishing ascent in Cómpeta, and the 2,400m-elevation stage three to Álora, on Friday 2nd, again including a hill-top finish.
The 4.5% slope on the final 500m at Las Lagunas de Mijas (Saturday 3rd) and the tough Hacho de Gaucín (Cat-1) early into stage five to Castellar de la Frontera (Sunday 4th) complete the week’s program.