Vuelta a España: Stage 9 preview
Stage details and expert guide
Andorra –Barcelona
Distance: 194km
Highest point: 885m
Category: Rolling
Olympian finish
It’s 13 years since the Vuelta finished in Spain’s second city and it reappears with an intriguing run-in not unlike the one that featured in the 2009 Tour de France, when Thor Hushovd stormed his way up the final drag to victory. It’s a surprisingly long stage considering the race will transfer across the country after it. Starting in Andorra, it drops into Catalonia, crossing a cat 3 climb on the way. The route then drops steadily all the way into Barcelona. The riders then have to negotiate the steep ramps of the famous Montjuich climb, before the run-up to the finish outside Barcelona’s Olympic stadium.
Markel Irizar: "By this point the GC should be sorted so a breakaway could stay clear to the ~inish, which is uphill and quite tough so the sprinters’ teams might not want to pull on the front. I think this could be too hard for the likes of Cavendish, for example."
Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*
Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets
After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59
Join now for unlimited access
Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Most Popular
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
POC Aspire cycling glasses review: A sturdy and stylish modern classic
Wide lens but modest height make these ideal for smaller heads -
Tour de Romandie: Thibau Nys wins stage 2 as Plapp attacks for GC
Lidl-Trek rider snags overall lead as Godon distanced -
Tour of Turkey: Tobias Lund Andresen wins stage 5 to retain overall lead
Fabio Jakobsen takes second behind DSM-Firmenich-PostNL teammate -
Mike's Bikes launches 'mega sale' with discounts on everything sitewide
Everything is reduced until Sunday, so it's a perfect time to stock up for the summer