The final mountain stage of the Vuelta a España, the Queen stage, ends with the maiden ascent of Collado del Aguacil, an 8.3km climb with an average gradient of 9.8%. Stage 20 will test the riders with close to 5,000 metres of elevation gain over 186.8 kilometres.
Heading west toward the Granada mountains from La Calahorra, the route gradually becomes more demanding, with the first climb, Puerto de Los Blancares, coming before the riders reach Granada after 78 kilometres. From there, the challenges intensify with the difficult Alto de El Purche which the riders will tackle twice. The route then heads toward Puerto del Duque, another first-time Vuelta climb, reaching the Sierra Nevada ski station at its summit, 1,670 metres above sea level, with 31 kilometres to go.
After the descent and another passage through the Güejar Sierra area, the riders begin the final HC climb to Collado del Alguacil.
Puerto de Los Blancares (cat. 3, 7.7km at 3.7%), km. 50.7
Puerto de El Purche (cat. 1, 8,2km at 8.1%), km. 94.3
Puerto de El Purche (cat. 1, 8,2km at 8.1%), km. 125.5
Puerto de El Duque (cat. 1, 7.4km at 8.3%), km. 155.4
Collado del Alguacil (cat. HC, 8.3km at 9.8%), km. 186.8
Sprints
Güejar Sierra, km. 144
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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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