Vuelta a Espana Stage 9 - Preview

The final stage before the first rest day takes place entirely in Andorra and will take the race above 2,000 metres for the first time at the summit finish of Cortals d'Encamp. Less than 100 kilometres in length, it has a similar look to the penultimate day of last year's race, won by Enric Mas as Simon Yates wrapped up the overall title. Although neither of those riders is in the field this year, this explosive test, featuring almost 3,400 metres of vertical gain, is sure to highlight the serious contenders to succeed the Briton as the Vuelta champion.

From the start in the capital, Andorra La Vella, the riders will immediately tackle the first-category Coll d'Ordino, although from the opposite flank to last year. Averaging just five per cent for its 9km, this is the easier side, a chance to fully heat up legs that will undoubtedly have already been well warmed on turbo trainers just prior to the start.

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Peter Cossins has written about professional cycling since 1993 and is a contributing editor to Procycling. He is the author of The Monuments: The Grit and the Glory of Cycling's Greatest One-Day Races (Bloomsbury, March 2014) and has translated Christophe Bassons' autobiography, A Clean Break (Bloomsbury, July 2014). 

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