Vuelta a España 2023 – Stage 21 preview

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Stage 21: Hipódromo de la Zarzuela to Madrid. Paisaje de la Luz

Date: September 17

Distance: 101.5km

Stage type: Flat

For the finale it's an urban circuit in central Madrid, to provide a day of celebration for the GC leaders and a final chance for the sprinters who have managed to make it right through to the 21st day of racing. There is one intermediate sprint at the 54.7km mark but overall it should be a straightforward, if short, day on the bike.

The final 5km is relatively flat, with the slighest of uphill turns in the final kilometres, but it's the turns that are more likely to be on the mind of the sprinters teams as they battle for position and that final opportunity for a podium or even that all aspired to top step. 

A right hand bend at less than 5km then works its way toward a hairpin just over 3km to go, a sharp right just over 2km and yet another hairpin just before riders hit the 1km mark. Then it is a relatively straight run to the line, with just a veer rather than a corner, for the final kilometre of the 3,157 which make up the 2023 edition of the Vuelta a España.