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Stage 9 is the first proper mountain stage of the 2014 Vuelta a Espana, and with a rest day tomorrow the peloton can afford to give their all. Join The Roar for live coverage from 12:00am (AEST).
After about a week of sweltering summer conditions, the peloton could be in for a shock to the system with temperatures below 20 degrees Celsius and potential thunderstorms forecasts for the second half of the stage.
With today’s stage guaranteed to catch out at least one general classification contender, the change in weather conditions could quickly add some unexpected casualties to that list.
Three categorised climbs could see the King of the Mountains classification change. With today’s summit finish a first category climb offering 15 points to the winner, Lluis Mas’ will have to extend his lead to retain the polka-dot jersey.
Our first categorised climb for the day, the third category Puerto de Cabigordo, begins with 79 kilometres of the stage remaining. With the 18 kilometre-long climb featuring several small descents the average gradient is only 3.8 per cent, however, without the periodic descents included the average gradient should be closer to 6 per cent.
After a lumpy descent some 35 kilometres in length comes the second category Alto de San Rafael. Beginning just 25 kilometres from our summit finish, the Alto de San Rafael’s average gradient of 4.2 per cent is also deceptively low due a long section of false flat about halfway up.
Following the summit of the Alto de San Rafael will be a 5.5 kilometre-long descent in to the foot of our third and final categorised climb of the day, to the finish. With just eight kilometre of the stage remaining, the first category Aramón Valdelinares should bare witness to the first serious tussle for the red race leader’s jersey by the GC contenders.
Unlike our two previous categorised climbs, the Aramón Valdelinares features a consistent ascent up to its summit at an average gradient of 6.6 per cent. A moderately steep wall two kilometres in length at 8.5 per cent lies in wait just three kilometres from the finishing line, with the final kilometre easing to a modest 2.5 per cent.
Should the favourites for the overall race victory remain together heading in to the final kilometre of the climb, expect Alejandro Valverde of Team Movistar to emerge victorious thanks to his consistently superior sprinting ability. However, should the race shatter, Chris Froome is most likely to emerge victorious due to his desire to claw back time on his rivals.
Today’s stage is a proper test of just how well Alberto Contador has recovered from his Tour de France injuries. Contador could be a bit of a dark horse for today’s stage if he was bluffing in the press about his form and fitness heading in to the race.
Joaquim Rodriguez and Nairo Quintana should also be in contention for the stage victory and the bonus seconds on offer for the first three finishers. However, the Spaniard could once again be closely marked by his rivals if he tries to attack, while the still-faced Colombian is building form for the decisive third week.
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