September 9, Stage 16: San Martín del Rey Aurelio - La Farrapona. Lago de Somiedo 160.5km
Stage preview
The Angliru may be the obvious absentee from the itinerary in Asturias but this stage highlights the fact that there are many more great tests that can be set in this, Spain's main dairy-producing region. This is billed as the race's queen stage although the penultimate day to Ancares is perhaps even tougher. There are five cat 1 climbs, the Cordal, Cobertoria and San Lorenzo being regulars on the Vuelta route.
The Farrapona has only featured once before, back in 2011, when Sky duo Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome appeared to be closing in on a 1 2 GC finish when they kept their rivals in check as Rein Taaramäe won the stage atop the 17km Farrapona. With neither Wiggins nor Froome riding the Tour, will both reappear here?
Javier Guillén says: "The Farrapona starts off easy enough but gets serious in its final 5km. This section averages between eight and 10 per cent. With four passes before this, there's going to be a real battle and it should be spectacular both from the sporting and scenic perspective."
Copyright: lavuelta.com
Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*
Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets
After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59
Join now for unlimited access
Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Most Popular
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
POC Aspire cycling glasses review: A sturdy and stylish modern classic
Wide lens but modest height make these ideal for smaller heads -
Tour de Romandie: Thibau Nys wins stage 2 as Plapp attacks for GC
Lidl-Trek rider snags overall lead as Godon distanced -
Tour of Turkey: Tobias Lund Andresen wins stage 5 to retain overall lead
Fabio Jakobsen takes second behind DSM-Firmenich-PostNL teammate -
Mike's Bikes launches 'mega sale' with discounts on everything sitewide
Everything is reduced until Sunday, so it's a perfect time to stock up for the summer