Vuelta a España - Stage 11: September 9 - Murcia - Caravaca de la Cruz, 191km
Vuelta heads inland before southern transfer
Proycling's Analysis: With the second rest day just ahead, this should be an interesting stage, with riders keen to score psychological points for the key days to come. In all likelihood, a break will happen early on the first-cat Bermejo and stay clear over the third-cat Zarzadilla and second-cat Moratalla.
Culture Vulture: The town is celebrated for its healing powers. As the fifth most important site in the Roman Catholic world, it has dispensation from the pope to hold an annus sanctus jubilee festival every seven years.
Local hero: Italian climber Marco Pantani’s career is commemorated whenever the Collado Bermejo features on the itinerary of the Tour of Murcia with a special prize given to the first rider to the top.
Vuelta Retro: This is only the Vuelta’s second visit. The first was memorable for a 160km solo break by then-unknown Dave Zabriskie.
Neil Stephens says: It's a day that doesn't hold that much for us; you'd reckon it's going to be a day for a long break. We're not going there to win a heap of stages, we're racing for the general classification and there will obviously be guys there with different priorities. Who knows? It might even be another day for someone like Allan Davis. He's pretty fast but he can get over these climbs that a lot of these other sprinters can't.
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
Keep track of your bike and belongings with this Amazon Prime Apple AirTag bundle
Whether you want to track your bike's location if it goes missing or you're notorious for losing things on a ride, this Apple AirTag bundle deal will help you keep track of your belongings -
Amazon Prime Day bike deals 2025: Save on bikes, helmets, lights and more
Amazon Prime Day is here, and we've unearthed 60 deals that our readers will love -
'I'm sure the big boys will come out to play' – GC contenders expected to clash on punchy Tour de France stage 4 finish in Rouen
Ineos DS Zak Dempster says rollercoaster final could be 'right on the cusp of what Mathieu van der Poel is capable of' -
Giro d'Italia Women abandons: All of the riders who have left the 2025 race so far
Two riders abandoned after the second stage in Aprica leaving 151 riders remaining in the eight-day race