Vuelta a España - Stage 5

Updated: August 22, 2023

Like stage 4, stage 5 of the Vuelta a España offers another opportunity for the sprinters but isn’t so kind as to lay on a proper flat stage for them.

Starting out at 1000 metres of altitude in Morella, the stage is net downhill as it returns once more to Spain’s east coast, this time in Burriana, just north of Valencia. However, there’s some climbing to be done in the first 50km and then, after a flatter section, the day’s main - and only categorised - climb in for the form of the cat-2 Collado de la Ibola.

It’s an irregular 11.4km climb, with a couple of dips smoothing out the average gradient to a modest 3.9%. The climb tops out more than 50km from the line, but there is another small climb topping out with 25km to go, ahead of a downhill and a pan-flat final 15km. The riders only turn onto the coast road inside the final kilometre, with that 90-degree bend a key point in the lead-out.

Like the previous day, this looks like a sprint of some description, and most likely a bunch sprint, but control will be a question mark once more, especially with a lumpy start that’s likely to inspire a strong breakaway.

Climbs:

• km 132 - Collado de la Ibola, 11.4km at 3.9% (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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