Gijón – Valgrande-Pajares. Cuitu Negru
Distance: 185km
Highest point: 1,850m
Category: High mountains
Third consecutive summit finish
After one of the Vuelta’s classic climbs comes the race’s latest epic ascent, the Cuitu Negru. It’s been dubbed ‘the Asturian Bola del Mundo’ as, in common with that climb north of Madrid, it’s a short but very steep extension to a road accessing a ski station, in this case Valgrande Pajares. With the tough San Lorenzo and Cobertoria passes to soften up the riders beforehand, this is rightly seen as the race’s queen stage. The final ascent gets harder from Brañillin, 3km from the top. The road, which is being resurfaced, then rises at an average of 13.5 per cent with pitches of 25 per cent. It’s a gruelling test suited to pure climbers.
Igor Anton: "The queen stage. This is the third consecutive mountain stage with a summit finish. It’s the hardest of the race and the last 3km on the Cuitu Negru average 14 per cent, after climbing three cat 1 passes that are as tough as any in Asturias."
-
'All my fractures are healing pretty well' - Alexis Magner signs with EF Education-Oatly after devastating crash in July
31-year-old gets extra motivation to recover from collapsed lung, multiple fractures -
Best cycling shorts 2025: Our favorite shorts in every category, for every budget
The best cycling shorts for summer, winter and adventure riding, tested and reviewed -
Juan Ayuso, Julian Alaphilippe and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot lead Spain and France teams for Rwanda World Championships
Monument and Grand Tour stage winners added to start lists for elite races -
'The UCI sets the rules' - Vuelta a España organiser describe protests as 'unacceptable' but insists they could not expel the Israel-Premier Tech team
UCI condemns Spanish government for "exploitation of sport for political purposes"
