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After having a nice day off yesterday, the riders will start the final week of racing with a perilously steep finale to today’s stage which is sure to put the general classification riders into difficulty. Join The Roar’s live coverage of Stage 17 of La Vuelta a Espana from 11pm (AEST).
The final push to the finish of the race in Madrid starts with a 177.5 kilometre trip from Castellon along the coast, to the inland town of Lucena.
The first obstacle of the day is not a climb, but a coastal road which heads towards the first climb of the day.
Speeds will be high as there will be an attempt by many of the riders to get into the opening break of the day.
If there is any wind around, we could see something similar to what occurred on Stage 15, where key riders missed an early split and never saw the leaders until the finish.
The first climb starts with just over 13 kilometres completed, with the second category climb of the Alto del Desierto de las Palmas.
The climb is seven kilometres long at 5.1 percent, which should offer enough for the strong climbers looking for the break to get a nice lead over the peloton.
Just under 50 kilometres separate the riders between the summit of the first climb, and the start of the longest climb of the day, the category two climb of the Alto de la Serratella.
While the gradient is only 3.6 per cent for the entirety of the climb is not steep, the climb itself is over 14 kilometres. This is of more importance after the rest day yesterday.
A short descent follows the summit of the climb, before the riders set up for the penultimate test of the Alto de Benasal.
The category three climb is similar to the previous climb, with it being at 11 kilometres at only three per cent.
The first three climbs act as a warm-up for the final test on the days route, the brutal first category climb of the Mas de la Costa. A finish like this ultimately sets the Vuelta apart from the other grand tours.
The Vuelta has many hilltop finishes, with short climbs of extreme descents, whereas the Tour and Giro feature longer, alpine climbs.
The Mas de la Costa is just under four kilometres at over 12 per cent, however, has sections above 20 percent. It is relentless, with the lowest gradient of the climb being towards the bottom at 7 percent.
This is a stage that has a major sting in its tail, and could see general classification chances blown to pieces.
Join The Roar’s live coverage of Stage 17 of La Vuelta a Espana from 11pm (AEST).
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