Proycling's Analysis: For many riders, this will be as bad as stage eight. There’s one less climb than on the previous stage and the run into the finish features a fast descent but this is a very lumpy profile. Some sections are 20 per cent or worse.
Culture Vulture: Just to the south of today’s finish is the beautiful city of Elche, home to a spectacular palm grove comprising more than 200,000 trees. UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 2000.
Local hero: Rubén Plaza, comes from Ibi, which the stage goes through. Twice the Spanish road champion, he won’t be riding here because his team – Liberty Seguros – wasn’t selected.
Vuelta Retro: This is the fourth visit to the Xorret de Catí since the mountain’s 1998 Vuelta debut.
Neil Stephens says: By this stage, it might be that two races within one have emerged; there will be guys going up the road for the stage and then the guys going for the general classification. It's a really solid finish and a solid stage all the way throughout. It's a taxing stage and the finish is spectacular. It's not an uphill finish, but that last little pinch is spectacular - a good stage to watch. There's a steep climb near the finish - 39x25 kind of stuff - then two or kilometres of fast descent. It's about 80 or 90km/h descending a windy road to the finish.
-
Adoring Italian fans, turning off social media, and playing FIFA on Mount Teide – Getting to know Giulio Pellizzari, the Giro d'Italia's home star ready to challenge Jonas Vingegaard
Cyclingnews sits down with Italy's champion-in-waiting ahead of his much anticipated Giro campaign, where he'll start as a serious challenger after a rapid rise to the top of cycling -
All the reasons to subscribe to Cyclingnews in 2026: More industry-leading lab tests, exclusive investigations and insider interviews
All the member-exclusive features you can expect to read on Cyclingnews in the coming weeks and months -
No racing for Remco Evenepoel for a full 69 days before Tour de France to start 'completely fresh'
Belgian axes Tour Auvergne – Rhône-Alpes from his schedule, replacing it with 'specific training' -
'We are gravely concerned' - The Cyclists' Alliance respond to the UCI's request for consultation on the future of the sport
The rider association suggests radical changes to the sport's structure to ensure progress and safety in the women's sport
