Cycling Weekly – August 22, 2019

STAGES

There is a simple formula to the final stage of the Vuelta: a

short, flat, processional march into the Madrid, concluding

with a showcase circuit race up and down Madrid’s wide

boulevards. Chris Froome had a little fun threatening Matteo

Trentin’s grip on the points jersey a couple of years ago, but

that ’s as feisty as the final stage has got in recent years.

It ’s a day for the sprinters to have one last shot at victory

and, after three weeks of intense racing, for the red jersey

wearer to finally relax and enjoy the moment.

21

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 15

FUENLABRADA>MADRID |

106 .6KM | FLAT

Today the 2019 Vuelta enjoys one last GC showdown in the
same mountains of western Spain that produced such talent
as Julio Jiménez, José María Jiménez and Carlos Sastre.
Five ascents of varying difficulty dot the route, with the
first-category Puerto de Pena Negra setting up the final charge
on the A lto de Gredos. Both climbs were tackled in the opposite
direction on a stage which Ben K ing won in last year’s Vuelta.
On paper, it ’s not the toughest stage. But if the race is still close
at this point, it ’s the last opportunity to turn things around.

20

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 14

ARENAS DE SAN

PEDRO>PLATAFORMA

DE GREDOS | 19 0 .4KM |

MOUNTAIN

This is a rarity in this year’s Vuelta: a bona fide mountain stage
without a summit finish. Instead expect high-speed thrills
with a long descent off the final climb of Puerto de Cotos
into the valley town of Becerril de la Sierra. The Guadarrama
range throws up three similarly-shaped climbs ahead of the
Cotos — in actuality, all of the day ’s climbing happens on two
mountains ridden in both directions.
These were the same climbs used on the penultimate day
of the 2015 Vuelta; a dramatic enough stage for Fabio A ru to
finally overthrow the dogged Tom Dumoulin from the top of
the leaderboard.

The Vuelta falls into a bizarre pattern for these last five stages,

alternating between mountain and ‘easy ’ stages — an incentive

perhaps to keep the sprinters and rouleurs going through all

the tough climbing days they ’ve had. Despite running from

the spectacular walled city of Avila to the home of Federico

Bahamontes, one of Spanish cycling’s most celebrated climbers,

stage 19 looks likely to be a bunch charge.

That said, with the last kilometre on gentle uphill cobbles,

it ’s not necessarily a stage for the pure sprinter. The last two

winners on Vuelta road stages here were Philippe Gilbert and

Paolo Bettini.

18 19

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 12

COLMENAR

VIEJO>BECERRIL DE LA

SIERRA | 177.5KM |

MOUNTAIN

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 13

ÁVI L A>TOLEDO |

165 .2KM | FLAT

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A formulaic but lightning-fast

finale in the Spanish capital