30 | August 22, 2019 | Cycling Weekly

VUELTA A ESPANA

Climbs in Asturias may not match the altitude of those in the

Pyrenees or Sierra Nevada, but year after year they help shape

the Vuelta and yet still offer up unchartered roads for the race.

The A lto de la Cubilla, sat in Las Ubiñas nature park at the

terminus of a long-dead end, is a wild corner of the region that

has never featured on the Vuelta route before.

“It ’s a big day of total ascent, but it ’s short as well — 144km,”

says Ineos’s Oli Cookson. “The climbs aren’t as crazy, but

there’s a heav y day the day before.”

For some riders in the race, the rest day that follows won’t

be able to come soon enough. But for others, the chance of

some recovery time permits a little more leeway to invest in a

hit out.

The mid-race climbs, that loosen legs and burn out useful

team-mates are of similar dimensions to the previous day ’s.

But the finish is considerably higher at 1,670m, with 20km of

continuous climbing.

“On all of these stages with climbs near the start,

you’ll see teams sending guys up in the breaks ahead,”

says Cookson.

“The last one’s so long and steady — that ’s where you’ve

really got to be able to pace.”

With potential for sizeable gains and losses here, it could be

a big day in shaping the Vuelta’s final outcome.

16

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 9

PRAVIA>ALTO DE LA CUBILLA. LENA |

144 .4KM | MOUNTAIN

With the east then northern fringes of the Iberian peninsula

playing host to the first two distinct parts, the final act of the

Vuelta moves to the dusty interior for a series of five stages

loosely scattered around Madrid.

At almost 220k m, this dog-legged jaunt from the bodegas

of Burgos to three-time finish city Guadalajara, is the longest

of the race and features no classified climbs along the way.

Did someone say sprint? Well, yes, probably. But it ’s not the

flattest finish. A nd it all depends on how everyone is feeling at

this point.

17

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 11

ARANDA DE

DUERO>GUADALAJARA |

2 19.6KM | FLAT

The Vuelta continues to find new

roads in Asturias

The spirinters will be pushing high

gears into Guadalajara