The first leg in a mountain triptych begins in the Basque capital of Vitoria and finishes at the Fuente del Chivo, a handful of kilometres above the ski station of Alto Campoo, which has hosted three stage finishes, the last of them in 1993.
The peloton’s pace should increase on the first-cat Puerto del Escudo, which averages nine per cent over 7km. Riders will rejoin the main group as the road flattens out on a plateau for 40km but the GC contenders will soon emerge on the 17km ascent to the finish.
The climb is straightforward up to Brañavieja, where stages used to finish, but the road gets steeper beyond that, although perhaps not steep enough to split the favourites decisively.
David López (Team Sky rider):
"I know these roads really well as they pass through my home region. The final climb isn’t too hard but it climbs all the way up to a ski station so it is quite long."
The text in this preview originally appeared in the September edition of Procycling magazine.
-
USCX retains $15,000 prize purse across three events in 2026 and adjusts opener for later start at Rochester Cyclocross to avoid 'heated sufferfest' of early September
North American cyclocross calendar reduced to five UCI C1 events this fall, with previous fixtures Trek CX Cup and Really Rad Festival of 'Cross gone -
O Gran Camiño: Julius Johansen takes first pro victory in opening time trial for UAE Team Emirates-XRG
Danish rider tops Rafael Reis, Nelson Oliveira -
Tadej Pogačar's torn Milan-San Remo jersey sells for record amount in charity auction
Jersey was worn by the World Champion as he raced to victory at La Classicissima last month -
'Now it feels like we had leftover crowds' – Taking the temperature of the new Paris-Roubaix Femmes format
More TV viewers, but for fewer kilometres, and in-person support appears to have shifted too
