Thursday's crunch high mountain stage of the Vuelta a España takes place deep in the deserts of south-eastern Spain, very close to where Clint Eastwood filmed his Spaghetti Westerns back in the 1960s.
But if the fake wigwams and woodlined frontier towns from Eastwood's films are still visible (and visitable) at the foot of Thursday's key back-to-back category 1 ascents of Velefique and Calar Alto, when it comes to predicting stage 12's plotline, Netcompany Ineos racer Jack Haig believes that the chances of one rider blazing away in a death-or-glory breakaway like Tadej Pogačar are slim.
Rather, the Australian, fourth on Calar Alto back the last time the Vuelta passed this way in 2021, is expecting a much more strategic kind of two-wheeled shootout to develop, similar to the one already witnessed in this year's race on stage 9.
Latest Videos FromCyclingnews
"I think you'll see a similar play out to Aitana in the end and you'll see more tactics coming into it than there would have been if Tadej was here," Haig told Cyclingnews.
"There'll be riders trying to look for opportunities and take advantage of other riders depending on the situation."
In terms of Netcompany Ineos leader Oscar Onley, Haig and his teammates can only feel encouraged by the way the young Briton, currently running fourth overall, was the only rider to keep in touch with race leader Enric Mas (Movistar) by the summit of Aitana.
Nine years Onley's senior, from what he's seen so far, the 32-year-old Australian feels that there's room for his race leader to do even better than his own third place in the Vuelta back in 2021.
"I hope he can get even better than what I was able to achieve, and I think in the end he's actually quite an experienced rider despite being very young," Haig said.
"You don't finish fourth in the Tour de France" - as Onley did in 2025 - "not having some knowledge and experience.
"So I guess it's all about just trying to keep him calm and make sure that he has everything that he needs throughout the race so far and to try and eliminate the opportunities for bad luck.
"In the end he has good legs, and it's all about making sure that he has the opportunity to use them."
The bleak, empty lunar landscape that features on much of the semi-desert in south-east Spain, particularly as you get towards the summit of Calar Alto, makes for a very odd kind of background. But even the 2006 winner Igor Anton says the altitude is noticeable, given Calar Alto peaks out at 2,140 metres above sea level. Haig says that these days, most riders know how to handle those kinds of heights.
"We've done plenty of altitude camps now, teams are doing a lot more than when Igor was here, and I think there's a lot more knowledge around the hydration and the preparation," Haig argues.
"In the end, those kind of factors, of course we need to be aware of them, but they have less of an impact on the race than they did back then."
What has not changed, Haig says, is the impact of such featureless high-mountain terrain, which psychologically can be a challenge to handle.
"When you start heading to these higher altitudes, you end up with quite barren landscapes that sort of keep dragging on and on. You don't have so much scenery around you to have the stimulation to try and pass the time."
On the plus side for Netcompany Ineos in general and Haig in particular, not only is his own form good, but what can keep them on their toes is having a rider like Onley so well placed on GC.
"I'm feeling quite good, and I'm enjoying the Vuelta so far," Haig concludes, "and having Oscar here is really giving a nice purpose to the race for us."
For unbeatable coverage across road, gravel and tech, subscribe to Cyclingnews. You'll get comprehensive race coverage of La Vuelta a España, subscriber-exclusive analysis from our expert columnists, in-depth features and industry-leading tech insight. Plus, the Cyclingnews app lets you follow the action wherever you go! Join today.
