Sunshine and sparkling blue waters of the Mediterranean will most likely be ignored by the peloton on stage 19 at the Vuelta a España as riders focus on significant climbing from Vélez-Málaga to Estepona and a summit finish at Peñas Blancas. The journey measures 210.8 kilometres, one of the longest stages of the Grand Tour.
In between two sections of the peaceful Costa del Sol scenery, the inland terrain brings hunting grounds suited to breakaways and GC skirmishes.
The last rider to conquer the mountain was Richard Carapaz (now EF Education-EasyPost), who won his first of three stages there in 2022 and sealed the mountains classification at the Vuelta a España.
This year he's not looking at the KOM, but the GC, as he is fourth overall with 5:17 to race leader Enric Mas (Movistar), but just 2:16 away from a podium spot.
Stage details
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Another GC day as we close in on the end of the race
(Image credit: Unipublic)
Leaving Vélez-Málaga, the riders might actually take note of the serene setting of palm trees and sandy beaches as the first 10 kilometres follow the coastline. Once through Málaga, the route turns north with rolling climbs that elevate 66km later for back-to-back second-category climbs. The two climbs are separated by 35 kilometres - Puerto de Las Abejas (14.5km at 4.3% average gradient) and Puerto del Viento (13.1km at 3.7% average gradient - and bring the peloton to the north side of the Sierra de Las Nieves, a vast natural park.
There is more climbing from a descent into Ronda, an uncategorised climb of 15km with an early section posing 11% gradients. A 23-kilometre descent brings the riders back to the coast at San Pedro de Alcántara, where they will follow the Mediterranean for 18km before tackling the decisive final climb to Peñas Blancas.
Turning inland a second time from beaches of Estepona, the first-category ascent of Penas Blancas begins immediately, rising for 18.7km with an average gradient of 6.5%. And it hits with several double-digit sections including a 20% pitch near the top.
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Climbs
Puerto de Las Abejas (cat. 2, 14.5km at 4.3%), km. 91
Puerto del Viento (cat. 3, 13.1km at 3.7%), km. 111.3
Peñas Blancas. Estepona (cat. 1, 18.7km at 6.5%), km. 210.8
Sprints
Estepona, km. 186.1
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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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