Vuelta a España - Stage 21
Sunday, September 19 - San Sebastián de los Reyes - Madrid, 100 km
Distance: 85km
Highest point: 720m
Terrain: Flat
Category: Road stage
Sprint finish
Three weeks of gruelling racing end here. The Vuelta's equivalent of the Tour de France's Champs-Elysées finish sees the riders take on eight laps of 6km on the Paseo de la Castellana in the centre of Madrid. Tens of thousands of fans should turn out to watch the final spectacle unfold, with a bunch sprint the almost certain outcome.
Inside knowledge:
Spain's hopes of a presence in the bunch lie with three-time world champion Óscar Freire. With Alejandro Valverde out of the picture, Freire will also carry his nation's hopes into the Worlds, where he's aiming to become the first rider to win four rainbow jerseys. As he showed when he outpaced the pack at Milan-San Remo, the Rabobank sprinter still has a formidable kick. Indeed, the 34-year-old Spaniard reckons his health is as good now as it ever has been, since he's put long-term injury concerns behind him. Although he's never finished the Vuelta in seven appearances, Freire is likely to do so this year, because there are two weeks rather than the usual one between the last stage here and the World Championship Road Race in Melbourne.
Matt White says:
"It seems a bit weird to have so many sprints in the final week of a race this tough. I'd better have a closer look at these profiles before I pick the team, because I was going to give some of the younger guys a ride."
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Most Popular
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
'There will be nothing left to give' - Lizzie Deignan to race new Milan-San Remo and Tour de France in final pro season
Veteran Brit talks plans for 2025, her new domestique role and the return of the women's La Primavera with Cyclingnews -
'Teams will pay to race' - Teams face extra costs after UCI WorldTour participation rule change
UCI moves to push teams to compete in more rounds of men's and women's WorldTour -
Van Rysel Racer 2 Long Sleeve base layer review: Budget brand takes it to the more established players
The Racer 2 base layer is another strong and sensibly priced piece of kit from Decathlon's in-house brand Van Rysel -
How to watch Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana 2025 – Live streams, TV channels
All the broadcast info for the five-day Spanish stage race