Few riders will be sad that this is the final mountain stage of the 2008 Vuelta a España. The race has one of the most difficult starts this year. From the coastal town of Cudillero the road goes up for the first 83 (!) kilometres, until the bunch is on top of the Puerto de Somiedo. The category one levels out at 1,490 metre.
The road then goes down for 60 kilometres, albeit not as steep as on the way up and not all the vertical metres gained on the other side will be lost. The Alto de la Mina (cat 2) starts at 740 metres of altitude. 5.4 kilometres later the riders are at 1,187 metres. From there a lot of downhill is left, with one rise allowing a break to form.
Ponferrada serves as the finish for the first time since 2029, although it has been used as a star town in 1997 and 2006. The finish town will see the riders complete two laps of 10 kilometres. Ponferrada is in the province of Castilla y León. Its location on the Camino de Santiago and the UNESCO World Heritage Las Médulas (ancient Roman gold mines) have had a positive effect on tourism in the region.
-
'I was emotional to see that it's possible' - Canada's Nadia Gontova steps up to the WorldTour inspired by compatriot and new World Champion Magdeleine Vallieres
'You don't need to be one of the big favourites to go and win a big race ... yeah, that's cool' says newest Liv-Jayco-AlUla rider -
UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup Zonhoven: Undefeated Mathieu van der Poel claims another victory in flawless performance as Thibau Nys is ruled out after crash
1-2 for Alpecin-Premier Tech as Tibor Del Grosso takes second place, Emiel Verstrynge takes third on icy, technical circuit -
Thibau Nys crashes out of contention, breaks handlebars in mid-race crash during icy Zonhoven World Cup
Belgian was running second behind Mathieu van der Poel before bad luck struck once again -
UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup Zonhoven: Ceylin Del Carmen Alvarado triumphs in the ice and snow
Dutch racer scores her first World Cup win of the season ahead of Lucinda Brand and Puck Pieterse
