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One of the steepest climbs ever seen in professional bike racing will headline Stage 3 of the Vuelta a Espana, with a shake-up of the general classification anticipated on the 176.4 kilometre journey from Marin to Dumbria, Mirador de Ezaro. Join The Roar for live coverage from 10:45pm (AEST).
The final climb to the finish of today’s stage might only be rated Category 3, but that is almost an insult.
At its worst, the gradient reaches a ridiculous 30 per cent, and is quite possibly the steepest section of road seen in the history of any grand tour.
Interestingly, the road to the Mirador de Ezaro summit has been used before, with the last of those coming in 2012 when Joaquin Rodriguez took the stage, with Alberto Contador the only other rider able to stay remotely close.
While Contador is back again, Rodriguez is nowhere to be seen so we will have a new winner. Who that will be is going to depend on individual form, because the most a team will be able to do is drop their leader off in the right position today.
Despite only being 1.8 kilometres in total length, the average gradient is almost 14 per cent and in short it is absolutely brutal.
Not only the final climb, but the final 60 kilometres of the stage features plenty of climbing. After a mostly flat first 120 kilometres, the action will heat up, and form will be truly tested for the first time at the final grand tour of the year.
The two climbs that come before it are both Category 2 and will test the riders, with steep sections and enough length, at 8.3 and 9.3 kilometres respectively to cause some problems.
Prediction
Tough so say – it really comes down to where teams are able to drop their riders off. Ordinarily, you would rate Alejandro Valverde as favourite, but his form has to be questioned given how much riding he has done this year and he has probably got Nairo Quintana to worry about.
Alberto Contador has proven himself on this particular climb before, so he is my pick but watch out for Orica GreenEdge youngster Esteban Chavez, and the ever-dangerous Chris Froome, known for making statements the first time the road goes uphill, although this isn’t a massive mountain stage.
Given the steepness of that last climb though, any rider slightly off form will lose big time.
Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of Stage 3 at the Vuelta from 10:45pm (AEST) and don’t forget to add your own comments in the section below.
Follow Scott on Twitter @sk_pryde