Vuelta a España: Stage 4

Distance: 186.4km
Category: Rolling
Highest point: 590m

This is a stage the Spanish would describe as rompepiernas, also known as 'a leg-breaker'. There is no really serious climbing but there is hardly a metre of flat road either. The route is up and down constantly as it weaves it way from Lalín in the heartland of Galicia to Fisterra land's end in the Galician language. The final destination for many of the pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago route provides a final test for the riders in the form of a short, sharp climb up to the finish. The peloton is likely to have been shredded by the time it reaches this final ramp, particularly on the day's only categorised climb up to the Mirador de Ézaro, which made such an impact when first visited by the race last year.

Matt White: "This is a very hard stage with barely a metre of flat road all day, although the climbs aren't that big. The Mirador de Ézaro is tough enough to split the peloton and the GC guys will be right up towards the front at the end. It could be quite a decisive stage."