Vuelta a España: Stage 11 preview

Cambados – Pontevedra

Distance: 40km
Highest point: 490m
Category: Time trial

Even the TT has a climb…
Given that Spain’s holiday season is in full swing in August, Vuelta route directors Abraham Olano and Paco Giner had to look for a time trial route that would not only provide a good test but would also steer clear of the main traffic routes.
They plumped for a course that sticks mainly to minor roads and which features the cat 3 climb of Alto Monte Castrove. This climb isn’t steep enough to particularly unsettle the time trial specialists but does offer climbers the chance to limit their losses. The descent is reported to be technical. Another small rise follows it, before a flat and flat-out section into the finish.

Bingen Fernández: "Galicia has the same terrain as the Basque Country so isn’t very flat. Although it’s near the coast, I don’t think the wind will be a factor and the inclusion of the climb makes it a severe test. I can see many riders losing out to the TT specialists."