IESN presents - the 2024 Vuelta a España Route reveal
Disclaimer: Some of the climb lengths and percentages may not be accurate in-game
Welcome to IESN for the reveal of the route for the 2024 edition of Vuelta a España - one of the three Grand Tour races, which is scheduled to be held in the month of May right after the Giro d'Italia and before Tour de France. While it the least celebrated GT compared to its other siblings, the Vuelta has never disappointed to deliver entertainment and over the years has offered some of the toughest stage putting riders to the test. And even though it doesn't have the majestic stages in the Alps, the Pyrenees as well as the Spanish interior mountains aren't that far behind to offer the challenge any rider wants with a variety of hilly, medium mountain and tough mountain stages on offer. But what do the 21 stages selected for this year provide to the riders and managers when it comes to planning and strategies.
Week one - no TT as start this time
While it is typical for the Vuelta to start with an ITT, a proologue or even TTT, this time it is not the case as the MGUCI has opted for a different approach when the route was finalized. There is not a single TT stage throughout the first week of the Vuelta. The first three stages are relatively easy and offer opportunities for sprinters to go for the points classification. Stage 4 features two Category 2 climbs - Alto de Valdepeñas (at the 78 km mark, 8.7 km @ 5 %) and less than 10 km from the finish line the same climb will be passed again with a climbing finish at Valdepeñas de Jaen. This could offer the chance for the GC riders to gain a bit of advantage after the first few stages.
Stage 5 fetures another Cat. 2 climb - the Alto de San Jeronimo (5.8 m @ 6.5 % with tough final 2 km), but otherwise the stage itself is pretty flat with a downhill finish at Córdoba, so any major attacks will be made on the climb itself. The first week will end with two more stages for sprinters
Week two - the first TT test and the first real tests for the GC favorites
The first ITT stage has been moved up to the start of the second week and will see the riders ride 42 km against the clock in Salamanca in the first true test for the GC favorites. Stage 9 to Jaca features a small Cat. 3 climb less than 15 km from the finishing line - Puerto de Oroel, and a small 3.4 km @ 6.6 % climb Fuerte del Rapitán which may be an opportunity for riders who lost time prior to this stage to catch up. While Stage 10 is yet another stage for the sprinters, the following stage is where the true mountain stages will begin to test the riders. The stage, which is 174.5 km long, may seem pretty tame on face value with Cat. 3 Alto del Mirador, the 15 km long @ 6.8 % Alto Peñas Blancas (translated into the Mountain of the White Rocks) will be the first true climbing test. The stage after that - Stage 12, will also provide a serious challenge with two climbs in the second half with the Cat. 1 Alto de Monachil being a really difficult 8 km @ 7.5& climb while the final climb - the 7.5 km Alto Hazallanas, being even tougher @ 9.5 % and final elevation of 1600 m!
The next two stages will allow the climbers to breathe a bit after 3 tough climbs as the next 300+ km over two stages will once again be a hunting ground for the sprinters as the race heads up north...towards the Pyrenees.
Week three - only the strongest will survive in the Pyrenees
The final third of the Vuelta a España will be mostly climbers show. Stage 15 will start from Oviedo and for the most part will be relatively straightforward affair with a Cat. 2 8.4 km @ 5.6 % Puerto del Torno climb. That is until the final 15 km or so as the riders will reach the start of the Lagos de Covadonga - a 13.2 km @ 6.8 % climb which is nothing to sneeze at and any mistakes will be punished. Stage 16 - the 158 km ride from San Martín del Rey Aurelio to Lagos de Somiedo (La Farrapona), however, will be climbs gallore. It starts early on with Alto de Colladona (6.8 km @ 6.5 %) and some 40 km later the climb Alto del Cordal (8.5 km @ 5.6 %) will start. These two will look tame in compairsion with the next climb - Alto de la Cobertoria, a gruelling 9.4 km @ 9.1 % climb that will test both the physical and mental strength of the riders. But wait, there's more - there's also the 9.5 km at 8.8 % with really challenging final 5 km (where the percentage reaches above 10 %) Puerto de San Lorenzo. But we're not done just yet - there's also the final climb to Lagos de Somiedo, which compared to the previous two climbs is relatively easier. It's 13.8 km long @ 6.4 % though the final portion will provide some challenge for those who made it.
The route is merciful enough to the climbers to not expose them to more tourture as stage 17 is for sprinters. Stage 18 - the 161 km trip from Santa Estevo de Ribas do Sil to Puerto de Ancares, is back to business for the climbers. While the first few climbs aren't anything special - Alto Cima da Villa (7.6 km @ 6.5 %), Alto de Vilaesteva (13.7 km @ 3.8 %) and Alto de O Lago (8.7 m @ 4.1 %), the penultimate one is a bit more challenging. That's the 9.8 km @ 6.7 % Alto de Folgueiras ae Aigas. But this is nothing in compairsion to what the final climb has in store - Puerto de Ancares. This is a climb 14.4 km long @ 8 % with the percentage at several points going even beyond 10 %. The riders will remain in Puerto de Ancares as Stage 19 is a 15.7 km mountain TT stage. The penultimate stage is where the race can be won or lost - the 169 km trip from Segovia to the mythical Bola del Mundo. The first few climbs are pretty short or easy compared to what it lies at the final kilometers - Bola del Mundo. This is 13 km @ 8 % climb, but the final 2.5 km will be the ultimate test for man and a bike with percentages of over 10 % and the finish line will be on over 2200 m of elevation.
The final stage will be one for the sprinters who had made it this far and survived the difficult mountain tests. For the GC winner it will be a time to celebrate.
We're in Spain and it shows, some tough ass mountain stages here where I expect the hot shots of MG to battle it out between themselves. Obviously the 42 km flat TT will have an impact, but just one of the many mountain stages will cancel any of the differences made in the TT anyway. Hope we can send a decent climber here.
Thank you to IESN for the great write-up and Ulrich (?) for the stage-assembling work.
Sprinters' paradise here? That's 10 flat stages, and especially the sprinters who can handle some bumps should really enjoy this race!
Otherwise, the GC riders will mostly wait for the 3rd week to step into action, just like in the Giro. But what a 3rd week this is! I mean, 3rd week is flat or really hard - and it's 5 stages of the latter category... Expecting a great fight here, although the climbers with mediocre TT skills will hope for an even less TT-loaded Tour now...
Thanks again for route design and presentation, great job!
Easiest week 1 in a MG GT ever? The fight for green will be absolutely vicious. Looking forward to seeing how explosive the final week will be for the overall GC with the ITT being pretty early on in the race.
