2nd & 3rd Weeks Vueltaa: Heatwave, Monster Duo and the Ultimate Time Trial | Vuelta

In short: Runners have their best time in the Vuelta, strikers can enjoy themselves almost continuously, climbing goats spoil in the last week, and rating guys have to wipe their toes until the last day.

A particularly entertaining and open-ended second week – on paper we’re not ready for crucial days – kicks off with a tour along the coast.

It’s scorching hot, which is a common thread this week, but winds can damage the peloton, too. Climbing 15 kilometers from the finish will set back many runners.

A sprint race, he is disqualified in the eleventh stage on Wednesday anyway. Valdepeñas de Jaen is a classic in Vuelta: we finished the Spanish version of the Wall of Huy with pentes over 20 percent.

Also on Thursday, some slopes in the second half of the track in Andalusia will put a stop to runners’ chances, but on Friday they won’t let a Manchego piece take its place after a long and hard day in the saddle.

The real (leading) challenging mountain stages are missing on the penultimate weekend of the Vuelta, but the mountainous terrain on Saturday and Sunday certainly wouldn’t be a day off for periods. On Saturday in particular, they will have to be on the lookout for the grueling finish during Stage 14.

On Monday, the peloton will explode in the last of the northern battles. In the final week, the northern high plateaus and passes through Cantabria, Galicia and Asturias sparkle.

Tuesday’s 16th stage is a warm-up and farewell party for runners. They are left with only one mission: to survive and arrive on time every day. That will be a challenge, especially on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Lagos de Covadonga, it’s a name that looks like a clock in the history of the Vuelta. Cycling enthusiasts can warm up on Stage 17 with enchanting views of Covadonga’s icy lakes, and riders will stumble.

Anyone who thinks that the next day there will be time to catch your breath will be disappointed. Thursday we get the Queen stage in the eighteenth stage.

The Alto de Gamoniteiro (15 kilometers 9.6 percent) is a newcomer and is the peak of Buffalo Day with 4,500 meters of elevation.

Also on Fridays and Saturdays, we almost exclusively choose the rolling roads, which are good for laps of rides that, with a bit of imagination, tend toward classic hills.

Next Sunday we will not end with a standard in Madrid, but we will conclude the pilgrimage with an undulating time trial in Santiago de Compostela.