Vuelta a España 2020: Stage 11 preview
October 31: Villaviciosa to Alto de La Farrapona. Lagos de Somiedo, 170km
Stage 11: Villaviciosa to Alto de La Farrapona. Lagos de Somiedo
Date: October 31, 2020
Distance: 170km
Stage start: 12:24 pm CEST
Stage finish: 5-5:35 pm
Stage type: Mountain
The first of back-to-back stages with summit finishes includes five categorised climbs, each a little higher than the previous one, as it heads for the Alto de la Farrapona, which is featuring for the third time. In 2011, Rein Taaramae won the stage here and Bradley Wiggins kept his hold on the leader’s red jersey. Three years later, Alberto Contador cemented his grip on the lead with victory here.
Starting in Villaviciosa, the 170km stage, which features 4,700 metres of vertical gain, climbs from the off to the third-category Alto de la Campa. Weaving southwards into the heart of the Asturian mountains, the next obstacle is the first of four consecutive first-category ascents, the Alto de la Colladona, 7km long and averaging 6.5 per cent.
Coming away from this climb, the course turns westwards to the very challenging Alto de la Cobertoria, which saw a stage finish in 2017 when Tomasz Marczynski was the victor. Rising for almost 10km, it averages 9 per cent, but there are long ramps in its mid-section that are considerably steeper, with two separate kilometres at 12 per cent.
A descent that’s almost as steep follows as the route continues its westward course, soon reaching the foot of the penultimate climb, the Puerto de San Lorenzo. Like the Cobertoria, its average gradient, in this case 8.6 per cent, masks its difficulty. Extending 10 kilometres in length, there are four consecutive kilometres at 10 per cent to reach the penultimate ramp, which jags up even more abruptly and runs at 13 per cent, the wearing-down process now fully engaged.
There’s another steep and sometimes tricky descent into La Riera, where the riders will begin to climb one last time. The Farrapona is quite different to the previous hurdles. For a start, at 16.5km, it’s much longer. It’s also a climb of two halves, the first not too arduous and with several flat sections and even a short descent. Beyond this, it continues in the same vein for three more kilometres, when the complexion changes completely. The next four kilometres are each a little steeper than the last, culminating in two at 12 per cent that steeple almost all way up to the finish line.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Cyclingnews is the world's leader in English-language coverage of professional cycling. Started in 1995 by University of Newcastle professor Bill Mitchell, the site was one of the first to provide breaking news and results over the internet in English. The site was purchased by Knapp Communications in 1999, and owner Gerard Knapp built it into the definitive voice of pro cycling. Since then, major publishing house Future PLC has owned the site and expanded it to include top features, news, results, photos and tech reporting. The site continues to be the most comprehensive and authoritative English voice in professional cycling.
Most Popular
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
Rapha Cyber Monday: Discounts of up to 70% in the sitewide sale
The hottest picks from the Rapha Black Friday sale as tested by the Cyclingnews team -
Black Friday Amazon deal sends Apple AirPods to best-ever price - with headphones deals under $16 / £14
A staggering 38% off AirPods Pro 2, plus today's top deals on AirPods Max and more as Cyber Monday approaches -
The fastest bike in the world* just had its price SLASHED by over £3,000 for Black Friday
*According to our test, and only at 0º yaw -
Cyber Monday turbo trainer deals: Up to 70% off smart trainers from Wahoo, Elite, Tacx and more
There are loads of Cyber Monday turbo trainer deals out there, so here are our picks and a bit of guidance on how to choose