The third-to-last stage of the Vuelta will sort out the GC and see a rider rise to defend his golden top or a new champion snatch the threads with the hope of running clear to Madrid. The stage is only 133 kilometres but it is packed with five classified climbs before the final mountain top arrival on the Alto de Abantos.
Nervous eyes will be forced to watch every move that goes in the early portion of the day. Valdelavía and Hoyo de la Guija will be faced before the cyclists reach the two closing circuits that include climbs Alto de Robledondo and Alto de Abantos. The second round ends at the summit of Alto de Abantos; the climb averages 5.7% gradient and with section of 19%.
TOPICS
-
Tirreno-Adriatico stage 4 LIVE - One rider solo ahead of rapidly closing bunch
The peloton races 213km from Tagliacozzo to Martinsicuro via two major passes of Ovindoli and the Valico della Capannelle -
Paris-Nice stage 5 LIVE - Three chasers join the original five leaders in eventful first half of hilly day
A day of sharp, steep hills to Colombier-le-Vieux features over 3,000 metres of elevation -
'I hope that Decathlon CMA CGM have patience' - Sean Kelly dismisses the idea of a Paul Seixas Tour de France debut this summer
The 1988 Vuelta a España winner sees the French Grand Tour as a step up too soon for French cycling's new golden boy -
'In this role, I have told myself to say yes whenever possible' – Alex Dowsett takes us inside the mind of a WorldTour coach
The former UCI Hour Record holder explains how he gets back into the rider mindset, deals with cycling's tactical evolution, and why data doesn't tell the full story
