Male Team 06 - 10 Feb
V. Comunitat Valenciana
646 Kilometers 5 Stages
Always an attractive race, the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana will again have Alejandro Valverde as the main headline prior to its 70th edition, the ‘Bala’ set to defend his 2018 overall victory – and really close to home. Orihuela, in southern Alicante, will hold the opening ITT (10.2km, Wednesday 6th), with Alejandro having already inspected the ascent before his Mallorca debut.
The race will offer no respite for the next three days. The finish in Alicante (Thursday 7th) will be preceeded by a demanding course through the interior of its province; the arrival to Chera (st. 3, Friday 8th) will be a beautiful, hilly race, with six rated climbs plus lots of small ascents. Last, but not least, the Ermita de Santa Llúcia climb at Alcossebre (Saturday 9th) will tear the bunch apart and decide the GC outcome. The final stage to Valencia, a really short one at only 88km, will share its route with the first-ever women’s Vuelta CV, with the Blue ladies also present.