Male Team 20 - 22 Apr
Vuelta a Castilla y León
540 Kilometers 3 Stages
The 33rd Vuelta a Castilla y León marks the first of five consecutive weekends of Spanish professional stageraces, continued by Asturias, Madrid, the revived Vuelta a Aragón and even a WorldTour event: the Emakumeen Bira.
At Castilla y León, the usual, three-stage scheme from previous editions is respective, yet with a very different focus: there won’t be neither mountain-top finishes nor monstruous climbs. Bonus seconds, crosswinds, breakaways and small ascents are very likely to decide the final outcome.
The province of Salamanca will be the venue for stage one (190km, Friday 20th), containing three climbs midway through the route -Valero (Cat-2), Santos (Cat-2) and Frades (Cat-3)- yet no big difficulties in the final stretch alongside the Ruta de la Plata, near the Tormes river. Even flatter, though with crosswinds as main danger, will be stage two (187km, Saturday 21st), with three Cat-3 climbs on the way from Valladolid to Palencia.
Quite more demanding and probably decisive, stage three on Sunday 22nd will cover 174km between Segovia and Ávila’s uphill finish, through the climbs of Cruz de Hierro (Cat-2), Aguilones (Cat-3) and twice up Navalmoral (Cat-3 / Cat-2), the final summit just 20km from the end.
** The profiles and mileages quoted in this Guide are all approximate and indicative, since it’s been confirmed that the official measurements contain a slight variation (around 8-9km less per stage) against the real length of the stages. The schedules included here are the official ones distributed by the organiser, which means that there will be differences between the profiles and the timetables.