Stage 15 (Alcala La Real - Sierra Nevada. Alto Hoya de la Mora)
Mountain Stage, Summit Finish (129km)
The Stage
Arguably the Queen Stage of the Vuelta, and certainly set to be one of the most exciting stages of the race. A short and sharp dash towards Southern’s Spain’s mountains that ends brilliantly.
The Route
The first 60km are relatively beginning by Vuelta standards as the Peloton heads South East from Alcala la Real through past Granada. The day’s Sprint is in Granada and then shortly after we have the Hazallanas.
The Hazallanas is 16.3 kilometres long and listed at 5.5%m but the climb can be split into two halves, the first a long section of false flat that leads into a descent before – after 10 kilometres – a brutal change in slope that sees sections of 19% and 22% before two kilometres at well over 10. The climb itself actually finishes with a kilometre at 7.7, making the last 6 kilometres a category 1 on their own.
The Finish
After a long descent of the Hazallanas, we have a fantastic double header that start pretty much then the peloton reaches Huétor Vega (the bottom of the descent). The Alto del Purche is 8.5 kilometres at 8% and with many regular percentages well above that too as the profile below shows. There’s a slight dip before the end of the climb – but it then finishes at 12%.
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There’s then basically no break before the Sierra Nevada, which is listed as an especial category climb thanks mainly to its length, with easier gradients but a distance of 19.3 kilometres. The average is 5.6%, but it does come off the back off the much harder Hazanallas, and the last kilometre stings with 7% - coming after nearly 30 kilometres of uphill climbing.
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The Rider
Another day, another climber.
The Contenders
The sheer length of the climbs and the short length of the stage set this up for a General Classification shootout, like the one we had yesterday despite a stage win for the brilliant Rafal Majka, who held off an onrushing Peloton.
Vincenzo Nibali and Alberto Contador felt strong enough to launch attack a good way out and whilst they were reeled in by the other group of favourites, Nibali managed to grab a handful of bonus seconds and the two will surely be active once again given that they will lose the best part of 3 minutes on Froome in the time trial on Tuesday.
Wilco Kelderman was there and present once again, on their heels, and appears to be getting stronger when others are folding; Fabio Aru and David de La Crux suffered towards the end of the Pandera.
Miguel Angel Lopez stayed with Froome all day before launching a sharp attack on the climb to try and take another win, and he took a handful of seconds and the bonus. He appears to have hit his peak form and is not an immediate danger to the main pair, which might allow him some more freedom.
Romain Bardet could try for the break again – although it’s perhaps not the best break day – and Darwin Atapuma kept his powder dry but he looks a likely attacker at some point tomorrow after Rui Costa went in the escape today.
Movistar didn’t get any luck with Carpaz or Soler but one would imagine they will try to be in the escape once again with those aforementioned two and Nelson Olivera too.
