Vuelta a España: Stage 5
Parcours preview
Distance: 168.4km
Category: Rolling
Highest point: 1,340m
A glance at the profile of this stage wouldn't suggest this is a day for the sprinters but that's how the organisers describe it. More than anything, that description underlines how incredibly mountainous this year's Vuelta route is as the stage into the Lake Sanabria national park features more than 2,000 metres of vertical ascent. The sprinters' teams will have some task keeping breakaway riders in check in this rugged terrain, crossing two pretty sizeable third category climbs. It would be no surprise to see the day's escapees stay clear to the finish, where one might be rewarded with the race leader's red jersey if the GC contenders decide to sit back a bit after the testing opening stages.
José Azevedo: "It's not a mountain stage but this parcours is very hard with hills of 3-5km, one after another. It will be very tough for the leader's team to control things. A lot of teams will want to get into the break and, if a lot of strong riders manage to do so, it could be a dangerous day for the leader."
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!
Peter Cossins has written about professional cycling since 1993 and is a contributing editor to Procycling. He is the author of The Monuments: The Grit and the Glory of Cycling's Greatest One-Day Races (Bloomsbury, March 2014) and has translated Christophe Bassons' autobiography, A Clean Break (Bloomsbury, July 2014).
Most Popular
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
As it happened: Sprinters miss out on Giro d'Italia stage 5 after failed chase
Benjamin Thomas claims Cofidis' first win of the 2024 season in thrilling breakaway win -
Giro d'Italia: Benjamin Thomas wins dramatic stage 5 as breakaway holds off charging field in Lucca
Michael Valgren second, Andrea Pietrobon third and Enzo Paleni fourth as Tadej Pogačar finishes in the field to maintain overall race lead -
Leaked Shimano patent hints at 13-speed fully wireless groupset
Front derailleur indicates 2x is still the way to go -
Tour de Hongrie: Sam Welsford wins opening stage ahead of heavy crash
Cavendish finishes sixth in front pack behind second-placed Quaranta and third-placed Mareczko