Vuelta a España - Stage 16

Updated: August 21, 2023

With little to mark stage 16 for the first 116km of racing, it would be little surprise to see the breakaway take a second victory in succession, as the steep uphill finish stands as the only point of note on this peculiar route. After leaving Liencres for the first time in Vuelta a España history, the peloton will not stray far from the Cantabrian Sea for the opening 90km, before turning inland and embarking on a first stage finish in Bejes.

Travelling west along the northern coast of Spain, the GC riders will have to stay alert for any crosswinds that may blow in a southerly direction, but otherwise, their attention will remain firmly on avoiding any time losses at the finish. The climb in question is a category 2 and begins in the small village of La Hermida, 4.8km from the line.

It will be a trick start for the front of the race, with double-digit gradients lying in wait to welcome them to the approach to Bejes. After a short rest bite of shallower roads in the third kilometre, the road will pitch up once more and the final 2km average 10.4%. With ramps up to 17.1% on this cruel finish, there are sure to be gaps between the top 10 riders on GC.

With that being said, it is hard to see this stage falling to anyone but the breakaway, because there is unlikely to be any team determined to control the peloton for over 116km of flat roads. As such, an early move will most probably build up a healthy advantage to cost the stage honours, whilst those in the hunt for the red jersey behind will have their own battle to play.

Climbs:

• km 120 - Bejes, 4.8km at 8.4% (cat 2)

We’ll be showing live and on-demand coverage of all 21 stages of this year’s Vuelta a España from Saturday, August 26 to Sunday, September 17, plus daily expert analysis on The Breakaway. Head over to GCN+ now to check the start times of each broadcast so that you don’t miss out on a moment of the action! As always, territory restrictions will apply.

To watch our GCN+ original film looking at what goes into making a successful breakaway, click here!

Major Races

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Date	Event	Class
29 Jun - 21 Jul	Tour de France	2.UWT
12 Aug - 18 Aug	Tour de France Femmes	2.WWT
4 May - 26 May	Giro d'Italia	2.UWT
28 Apr - 5 May	Vuelta España Femenina	2.WWT

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