Vuelta a España: Stage 15 preview
By Cycling News
Stage details and expert guide
La Robla – Lagos de Covadonga
Distance: 186.7km
Highest point: 1,380m
Category: High mountains
The Vuelta’s favourite summit
It may not be as tough as the Angliru or several of the other epic ascents that the Vuelta organisers have located recently but Lagos de Covadonga is arguably the race’s classic climb. Appearing for the 18th time on the route, it has regularly provided the launchpad for a move towards overall victory. The parcours gets severe 50km from the finish, where the riders start up the short cat 1 Puerto del Fito. Covadonga starts off gently but ramps up viciously just before the 10km banner. The 6km up to the infamous La Huesera – "the boneyard" – are brutal. The whole race could very well be won or lost here.
Bingen Fernández: "Lagos! Over the years, this has always been an important climb when it comes to the GC. This stage will trim down those in contention even further. It’s the middle of three brutal stages and they seem to run three in a row quite regularly."
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
USADA busts masters racer for 10 banned drugs
Vahe Aivazian accepts four-year suspension after caught with anabolic agents, growth hormones and other prohibited substances -
Vincenzo Nibali undergoes surgery with hopes of still racing the Giro d'Italia
Three days of rest before Italian can start to work towards his race goals -
6 riders to watch at Amstel Gold Race Ladies Edition
Ardennes Classics opening round sees Spratt, Vollering and Deignan stepping into the spotlight -
How to watch Amstel Gold Race 2021 – live TV and streaming
Niewiadoma defends title against Van der Breggen, Van Vleuten while Alaphilippe, Van Aert, Roglic headline men's race
Sign up to the Cyclingnews Newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information about how to do this, and how we hold your data, please see our privacy policy
Thank you for signing up to Cycling News. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.