• The Cycling News forum is looking to add some volunteer moderators with Red Rick's recent retirement. If you're interested in helping keep our discussions on track, send a direct message to @SHaines here on the forum, or use the Contact Us form to message the Community Team.

    In the meanwhile, please use the Report option if you see a post that doesn't fit within the forum rules.

    Thanks!

Vuelta a España 2023 Vuelta a España route rumours

Page 3 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
This looks pretty good.

The biggest plus has to be that Catalunya is back in the Vuelta. Hopefully that means that we can have mountain stages/MTFs there in the coming years.
An early mountain stage to Andorra with a Beixallis descent finish is good. Too bad that the distance from Barcelona too big for having more than a couple of climbs.
Miserat is a okay murito finish. Hopefully there will also be a GC relevant stage between Andorra and stage 9.
The Pyrenees stage looks really good in Vuelta perspective. Tourmalet is after all a tough climb. And the Hourcere/Larrau stage could
Angliru and Covadonga is a bit boring, but both a are classics and Angliru will create big gaps.

A much better route than this year. A couple of fairly good descent finishes, which we rarely have in the Vuelta, two big MTFs and a stage where long range attacks could be an option.
Currently it looks like 3 Especial MTFs. Usually the Vuelta scrambles to find 3 Especial climbs in the entire route.
 
  • Wow
Reactions: Sandisfan
There are some calendar details in El Periodico. Central and Western Pyrenees will be in the second week. First, Tourmalet on Friday, followed by Larrau-Belagua on Saturday and Aralar-Lekunberri on Sunday.

This is in line with the tentative route posted by @Devil's Elbow here.

 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
Stage 13: ?? - Tourmalet (could also be stage 10 with a long transfer from Alicante, or stage 14 with the rest day after stage 16)
Stage 14: Somewhere in France - Larra-Belagua (via Hourcère and Larrau)
Stage 15: Pamplona - Lekunberri (via San Miguel de Aralar)
Rest day 2
Stage 16: Valladolid (ITT)
Stage 17: La Bañeza - Angliru? (again, could also be one or, more probably, two stages later)
Stage 18: Somewhere in Asturias - Lagos de Covadonga?
Stage 19: ??
Stage 20: ??
Stage 21: should be in Madrid
This looks really good, especially if there is a medium mountain stage a la stage 20 2021 on stage 19 or 20…

Angliru the day after a TT and the day before Covadonga seems to be the ultimate placement.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
Update on La Bañeza: it will be the start of stage 19, so looks like we will have Angliru that day and then presumably Lagos de Covadonga the day after, as the final mountain stage. There are also rumours of Cantabria being visited in the third week, that seems hard to fit in with the other, more detailed information we have though .
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
There are some calendar details in El Periodico. Central and Western Pyrenees will be in the second week. First, Tourmalet on Friday, followed by Larrau-Belagua on Saturday and Aralar-Lekunberri on Sunday.

This is in line with the tentative route posted by @Devil's Elbow here.


well at least some good pacing here. First hard MTF, than 'queen' stage with possibilities for long range attacks. And thirdly a difficult 'medium' mountain stage.

As the consequence we missed Tourmalet this year, we get it 2 times next year :neutral:

any idea how they will aproach Tourmalet? Pourtalet - Aubisque - Tourmalet? Would be quite a hard trilogy for Vuelta standard (but a bad design because of the very long valley between Aubisque and Tourmalet). Or will they approach it differently?
 
Last edited:
  • Wow
Reactions: Sandisfan
Update on La Bañeza: it will be the start of stage 19, so looks like we will have Angliru that day and then presumably Lagos de Covadonga the day after, as the final mountain stage. There are also rumours of Cantabria being visited in the third week, that seems hard to fit in with the other, more detailed information we have though .

that's a bit of a pity. 2 really difficult MTF'es at the end of the Vuelta, and both Angliru and Covandonga are finishes not known for well designed stages unfortunately. Will come down both cases on the MTF. It would have been better if the pyrenees were at the end of week 3. Those stages seems more interesting.
 
well at least some good pacing here. First hard MTF, than 'queen' stage with possibilities for long range attacks. And thirdly a difficult 'medium' mountain stage.

As the consequence we missed Tourmalet this year, we get it 2 times next year :neutral:

any idea how they will aproach Tourmalet? Pourtalet - Aubisque - Tourmalet? Would be quite a hard trilogy for Vuelta standard (but a bad design for because of the very long valley between Aubisque and Tourmalet. Or will they approach it differently?
That's the most likely option, yes. Maybe Somport and Marie Blanque instead of Pourtalet if they want a proper queen stage there but it would surprise me given that the overall route already looks harder than usual.
that's a bit of a pity. 2 really difficult MTF'es at the end of the Vuelta, and both Angliru and Covandonga are finishes not known for well designed stages unfortunately. Will come down both cases on the MTF. It would have been better if the pyrenees were at the end of week 3. Those stages seems more interesting.
Angliru is pretty horrible that late in the race, but if they do double Llomena ahead of Covadonga again that would be more than decent as a final mountain stage imo.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
That's the most likely option, yes. Maybe Somport and Marie Blanque instead of Pourtalet if they want a proper queen stage there but it would surprise me given that the overall route already looks harder than usual.

Angliru is pretty horrible that late in the race, but if they do double Llomena ahead of Covadonga again that would be more than decent as a final mountain stage imo.

at least it's good Angliru is before Covadonga. Any change Covadonga will be a MTT? Hopefully they add some descent sequence of smaller climbs before Llomena.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
That's the most likely option, yes. Maybe Somport and Marie Blanque instead of Pourtalet if they want a proper queen stage there but it would surprise me given that the overall route already looks harder than usual.

Angliru is pretty horrible that late in the race, but if they do double Llomena ahead of Covadonga again that would be more than decent as a final mountain stage imo.

Somport-Marie Blanque-Aubisque-Tourmalet would be quite a hard stage. Add the north eastern side of the luz ardiden climb just before the Tourmalet and you have super hard stage. But, considering the stage the next day with the Larrau it's probably to much to ask. Maybe it depend a bit were the stage will start as well, Jaca, Sabinanigo or Huesca.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
at least it's good Angliru is before Covadonga. Any change Covadonga will be a MTT? Hopefully they add some descent sequence of smaller climbs before Llomena.
We don't know anything about the route of either Asturian MTF yet, except that one of the two is supposed to start from La Bañeza and geographic distance means that that basically has to be the Angliru stage. MTT is highly unlikely, especially considering that there's already a TT in week 3.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
We don't know anything about the route of either Asturian MTF yet, except that one of the two is supposed to start from La Bañeza and geographic distance means that that basically has to be the Angliru stage. MTT is highly unlikely, especially considering that there's already a TT in week 3.

yes, I'm aware. But always nice to speculate a bit. Interesting to see that it looks there will be some harder mountains than usual.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan

TRENDING THREADS