Vuelta a España stage 9 preview - Sierra Nevada mountains and heat signal 'the first real crunch moment'

VILLINGENSCHWENNINGEN GERMANY AUGUST 24 LR Primoz Roglic of Slovenia and Daniel Martinez of Colombia and Team Red Bull Bora hansgrohe compete during the La Vuelta 79th Tour of Spain 2024 Stage 8 a159km stage from Ubeda to Cazorla 1056m UCIWT on August 24 2024 in Cazorla Spain Photo by Christian KasparBartkeGetty Images
Ben O'Connor in the red jersey follows Primož Roglič on stage 8 of the Vuelta a España (Image credit: Christian Kaspar Bartke/Getty Images)

And so it begins. After stages to Pico Villuercas and through the sierras of Cadiz and Jaén to whet the appetite, stage 9 of the Vuelta a España will see Ben O’Connor defending his red leader’s jersey against a host of potential contenders in a fearsomely difficult mountain stage in Sierra Nevada.

The challenges on Sunday will not just be the rivals or the three major climbs tackled en route to a downhill finish in Granada; the Vuelta will also face yet another day of intense heat, with temperatures soaring to the mid 30s or perhaps higher. 

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Alasdair Fotheringham

Alasdair Fotheringham has been reporting on cycling since 1991. He has covered every Tour de France since 1992 bar one, as well as numerous other bike races of all shapes and sizes, ranging from the Olympic Games in 2008 to the now sadly defunct Subida a Urkiola hill climb in Spain. As well as working for Cyclingnews, he has also written for The IndependentThe GuardianProCycling, The Express and Reuters.

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