After starting in Oviedo, the home city of 2008 Olympic champion Samuel Sánchez and Spanish climbing legend José Manuel Fuente, the course bumps along the rugged and beautiful Asturian coast before turning south towards one of the most famous climbs in Spanish cycling. First tackled in 1983, Covadonga last featured in 2012 when Caja Rural's Antonio Piedra completely justified his small team's wild card invite by winning the stage. None of this edition's star names has ever won there, so it will be interesting to see how they tackle it bearing in mind a much tougher mountain stage lies just ahead.
The gaps between the big guns weren't very significant back in 2012. We'd expect that to be the case again today.
Sean Kelly says: "Covadonga is a difficult climb, especially on such a short stage when everyone will be going flat out from the start. That will make it very nervous. The road used to be shocking and although it's better now, this stage could still prove decisive."
Copyright: lavuelta.com
-
How to protect your bike on an indoor trainer this winter
Avoiding the dirt and rain outdoors doesn't mean your bike is immune to needing some TLC -
Tour de France Femmes 2026 contenders – Ranking the early favourites for the yellow jersey after the route reveal
Demi Vollering and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot poised to go head-to-head once again next summer -
What are the hidden costs of an indoor training setup?
Some are essential for safety, while others are more comfort or performance based -
'In principle, the Tour and the Worlds' - UAE Team Emirates-XRG not foreseeing any changes in Tadej Pogačar's key goals in 2026
Team manager Matxin celebrates record number of wins in 2025 but warns 'We have to keep on evolving.'
