Vuelta a España - Stage 18

Double ascent of steep Puerto de La Cruz de Linares makes for a challenging uphill finish

The 2023 Vuelta a España promises a great battle for the red jersey

Share

Jump to:

Updated: September 14, 2023

The day after the Altu de l’Angliru, stage 18 of the Vuelta a España offers little respite with another big day of climbing - 4,147 vertical metres of it, to be exact. Starting in Pola de Allande, a small town in Asturias, the stage heads out into the Cantabrian hills for no fewer than five categorised climbs, finishing with a double ascent of the steep Puerto de La Cruz de Linares - the second uphill finish in a row.

The first 40km of the stage are relatively flat, until the peloton hits the category 2 Alto de las Estacas, taking in 5.1km at a manageable 7.5% gradient. Though not an insignificant climb, it’s minor in comparison to the climbs that preceded it on stage 17, and indeed those to come on stage 18. It won’t be a decisive part of this stage, but could help launch a breakaway if one hasn’t formed yet.

Straight of the descent of the Estacas climb, the road starts to rise almost immediately for the biggest climb of the day, the Puerto de San Lorenzo. This officially starts with 80km to go, and continues for just shy of 10km at a testing 8.6% gradient, which if raced hard could start to break things up early on. The very steep and long descent from the top is almost as challenging as the climb, and riders will have to be on high alert to get through the downhill in a safe position.

Heading into the final 50km, it’s back-to-back climbing towards the finish, which should make for a very exciting finale. The category 3 Alto de Tenebredo is short but very steep, with ramps of over 10% and some stretches that reach an eye-watering 18% gradient. This may look small in the grand scheme of things, but could be a sneakily risky part of the stage.

From there, there is some brief respite before the peloton hits the first of two ascents of the Puerto de La Cruz de Linares. At 8.3km in length with an average gradient of 8.6%, this is a challenging climb in its own right, but made harder by the fact that the riders will do it twice in a row, the second time having the finish line at the top.

Whether it’s the breakaway riders or the GC favourites at the front, it’s likely that those who are feeling strong will try to set a difficult pace on the first ascent, before hitting it hard when they loop back around for the final uphill push. This is a stage that will test the riders’ endurance, and reward those who are able to save a little bit of energy for the final battle - a hard ask after several days of climbing.

Climbs:

km 48.7 - Alto de las Estacas, 5.1km at 7.5% (cat 2)
km 88.5 - Puerto de San Lorenzo, 9.9km at 8.6% (cat 1)
km 121 - Alto de Tenebredo, 3.4km at 9.5% (cat 3)
km 153.6 - Puerto de La Cruz de Linares, 8.3km at 8.6% (cat 1)
km 178.7 - Puerto de La Cruz de Linares, 8.3km at 8.6% (cat 1)

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.