It may seem odd to describe a stage that descends most of the way to a shark-toothed finishing circuit as being hard for the sprinters, but Spain rarely offers anything that’s completely straightforward for the bunch finishers.
Many riders will know the finale from the Vuelta a Murcia, where the Cresta del Gallo’s appearance is almost de rigueur. Extending to 5.5km at an average of 6.8 per cent, it could be a launchpad for attacking climbers. But the 12 flat kilometres to the finish provide hope to those in pursuit. Norway’s Thor Hushovd won in Murcia in 2010 but that stage only crossed the Cresta del Gallo once. An intriguing contest is in store for us.
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As it happened: major GC shake-up at Critérium du Dauphiné as race heads into the mountains
Tadej Pogačar blasts away on final climb to clinch impressive solo victory and lead -
Best triathlon watches: One-stop recording of your race
The best triathlon watches will give you easy transitions between legs as well as multisport tracking -
Tour de Suisse Women: Long solo attack lands Amber Kraak victory on stage 2
Marta Lach second, Elise Chabbey third while Marlen Reusser sixth and retains GC lead -
Critérium du Dauphiné: Tadej Pogačar decimates field on stage 6 to take overall race lead
Jonas Vingegaard distances Remco Evenepoel on summit finish
