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Darwin Atapuma will look to continue his stranglehold on the red jersey on Stage 8 of the Vuelta a Espana, but that will require him to climb with the best of them on the 181.5 kilometre journey to the brutal Alto de la Camperona. Join The Roar for live coverage from 10:45pm (AEST).
The stage is fairly easy for all of about 170 kilometres although a lot of that is on a fractional false flat.
Setting out in Villalpando, there are a couple of lumps and bumps but nothing overly difficult with an overall altitutde gain of about 200 metres.
From there though, the riders take on the only major obstacle of the day, being the Category 1 summit finish of the Alto de la Camperona, finishing at La Camperona. Valle de Sabero.
The climb is absolutely brutal, and even more so than what the numbers suggest. In the official race programme, it’s 8.5 kilometres at 7.4 per cent. However, that doesn’t take into account that the first three kilometres are two, three and five per cent respectively, making for a brutal last five kilometres.
The maximum gradient is a huge 25 per cent, and there are other less full-on sections throughout the climb meaning it will suit an attacking climber.
The final two kilometres average out at 20 per cent as well, so going early won’t neccessarily reap the rewards.
Prediction
Chris Froome hasn’t made his mark yet as he normally does early in Grand Tour’s, so it would be no surprise to see him go on the attack up the final climb, looking to put time into his rivals.
In saying that, it’s tough to judge exactly what his form is. Both Nairo Quintana and Esteban Chavez are right up there as well, and those three look to be the ones who will come to the finish line together.
The problem for the Tour de France winner is that this is man vs man. You can’t use teammates with the gradient, so it’s down to how Froome hangs onto attacks.
With it being a long, flat stage, it’s also possible that a breakaway will run away to take stage honours again if a small group can get away early without too many passengers.
I also fully expect Atapuma to lose his stranglehold on the race lead – this is ridiculously steep, and while he can go with attacks in the mountains, he isn’t a GC contender and this climb is probably going to be a bridge too far.
Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of Stage 8 from 10:45pm (AEST) and don’t forget to add a comment in the section below.
Follow Scott on Twitter @sk_pryde