Stage 17 of this year's Vuelta a España is not only the flattest stage but also features long straight stretches of road designed to give the sprinters another chance at victory.
Still, while there may not be terrain-based obstacles to stand in the way, the combination of Matthew Brennan with a Wout van Aert lead out is looking like a near insurmountable challenge for the rest of the field. The Visma-Lease a Bike duo have already swept up six stage wins between them, four with Brennan, and the assured way they swept up stage 16 will do little to give their rivals hope.
Starting in Dos Hermanas, the 185km route heads across the relatively flat terrain of the Sevilla province, and passes through towns such as Utrera, Morón de la Frontera, Alcalá de Guadaíra and Carmona, before reaching the intermediate sprint in San José de la Rinconada after 165 kilometres.
The sprinters’ teams will then mass at the front, trying to control the pace to deliver their fastman to victory in Sevilla. Although given their win record, all eyes will turn to Visma-Lease a Bike to take responsibility.
In 2024, the last time Sevilla hosted a finish, Pavel Bittner took the win ahead of green jersey holder Van Aert in a photo-finish bunch sprint. The Visma-Lease a Bike rider is once again in green, and if he isn't charging toward the win himself he'll be hoping his teammate is.
Climbs
None
Sprints
San José de la Rinconada, km. 165
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Lyne has been involved in professional cycling for more than 15 years in both news reporting and sports marketing. She founded Podium Insight in 2008, quickly becoming a trusted source for news of the North American professional cycling world. She was the first to successfully use social media to consistently provide timely and live race updates for all fans. She is proud to have covered men's and women's news equally during her tenure at the helm of the site. Her writing has appeared on Cyclingnews and other news sites.
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