Course leaked by AS confirmed; race to avoid Madrid with Santiago de Compostela finish
The organiser of the Vuelta a España, Unipublic, has presented a balanced and varied route for the race’s 69th edition, to be run between August 23rd and September 14th. The course of the three-week race is set to be that, which was leaked by Spanish newspaper AS this week, and features eight summit finishes - four down on the 12 of 2013 - and will finish outside the Spanish capital, Madrid, for the first time since 1993.
Rather than the final sprinters’ stage, the race will climax with a ten kilometre time trial in the pilgrimage city of Santiago de Compostela, which was the site of the last non-Madrid race finish, which the organiser hopes will keep the general classification open right to the end.
The race will begin on the south coast, with a 12.6km team time trial in Jerez de la Frontera, before an almost entirely flat road stage between Algeciras and San Fernando. The Vuelta will then head into the hills, with two Medium Mountain stages, between the port of Cádiz and Arcos de la Frontera, and Mairena del Alcor and Córdoba, then a slighly lumpy flat stage between Priego del Córdoba and Ronda.
The first mountain stage, and the first of the eight summit finishes comes on stage six, between Benalmádena and La Zubia, with two largely flat stages between Alhendin and Alcaudete, and sandwiched between it and Baeza and Albacete between it and a second mountaintop finish stage between Carbonera de Guadazón and Aramón Valdelinares.
Having spent much of the opening week in the south of the country, the Vuelta’s first rest day will be spent in the north east as the peloton prepares for the stage ten time trial, between the Monasterio de Veruela and Borja.
The race then hits the mountains again, with another summit stage between Pamplona and San Miguel de Aratar, which will be followed by what should be the flattest stage of the race on a circuit in Logroño. A Medium Mountain stage then follows, between Belorado and Obregōn, before three straight High Mountain stages, all of which finish at altitude.
The three stages, between Santander and La Camperona, Oviedo and Lagos de Covadonga, and San Martin del Rey Aurelio and La Farraponá, which will arguably be the toughest phase of the race, will usher in the second rest day.
A rolling stage between Ortigueria and A Coruña, will be followed by another summit finish from A Estrada to Monte Castrove en Meis, in what looks like the least challenging of the Mountain stages. A Medium Mountain stage between Salvaterra de Miño and Cangas de Morrazo then leads the race into probably its toughest stage, as climbers are given one final chance to make a difference between Santo Estevio de Riba de Sil and the unsurfaced summit finish at the Puerto de Ancares.
Should the general classification be close going into the final day, which it has often been in recent Vueltas, the final time trial could be conclusive, as the race ends in a stage against the clock for the first time since 2004.
Vuelta a España (WT) August 23rd - September 14th
Stages
Stage 1, Saturday August 23: Jerez de la Frontera (team time trial), 12.6km
Stage 2, Sunday August 24: Algeciras – San Fernando (Cádiz), 174.4km
Stage 3, Monday August 25: Cádiz – Arcos de la Frontera, 188.0km
Stage 4, Tuesday August 26: Mairena del Alcor (Sev) – Córdoba, 172.6km
Stage 5, Wednesday August 27: Priego del Córdoba-Ronda (Mál), 182.3km
Stage 6, Thursday August 28: Benalmádena (Mál) – La Zubia (Gra) (summit finish), 157.7km
Stage 7, Friday August 29: Alhendin (Gra) – Alcaudete (Jaén)165.4km
Stage 8, Saturday August 30: Baeza (Jaén) - Albacete, 207.4km
Stage 9, Sunday August 31: Carbonera de Guadazón (Cu) – Aramón Valdelinares (Ter) (summit finish), 181.0km
Monday September 1: Rest day
Stage 10, Tuesday September 2: Monasterio de Veruela-Borja (Zaragoza) (individual time trial), 34.5km
Stage 11, Wednesday September 3: Pamplona-San Miguel de Aratar (Nav) (summit finish), 151.0km
Stage 12, Thursday September 4: Logroño – Logroño, 168.0km
Stage 13, Friday September 5: Belorado (Bur) – Obregōn (Cant), 182.0km
Stage 14, Saturday September 6: Santander – La Camperona (Leôn) (summit finish), 199.0km
Stage 15, Sunday September 7: Oviedo – Lagos de Covadonga (summit finish), 149km
Stage 16, Monday September 8: San Martin del Rey Aurelio – La Farraponá (Ast) (summit finish), 158.8km
Tuesday September 9: Rest day
Stage 17, Wednesday September 10: Ortigueria (Cor) – A Coruña, 174.0km
Stage 18, Thursday September 11: A Estrada (Pont) – Monte Castrove en Meis (Pont) (summit finish), 173.5km
Stage 19, Friday September 12: Salvaterra de Miño – Cangas de Morrazo (Pont), 176.5km
Stage 20, Saturday September 13: Santo Estevio de Riba de Sil (Our) – Ancares (Lug) (summit finish), 163.8km
Stage 21, Sunday September 14: Santiago de Compostela (individual time trial), 10.0km