Time for the second queen stage in the Basque country, on the penultimate day of the race.
Note: there are lots of profiles and photos linked in this post. It would get messy otherwise.
Stage 10: Markina-Xemein - Santuário de Urkiola, 173km
Probably the hardest stage of the whole race, this strangely laid-out loop in eastern Bizkaia features some brutal climbing, and some very new, unused climbing too.
The stage will start in Markina-Xemein, outside the Frontón de Markina, the birthplace and spiritual home of zesta punta (Jai Alai). The climbing begins early, with the riders turning eastwards almost immediately into the first of nine categorised ascents on the day, the Puerto de Larruskain. This relatively benign port takes us to the Rio Deba, and we have a short detour into Gipuzkoa as we take the coastal road via Deba and Ondarroa. The second climb of the day comes after 20km of relative flat and precedes 20km of relative flat, but the steep gradients of
Asterrika really serve as a bit of a warning shot to the riders for what is about to come.
When the riders hit Lekeitio, they will turn back to the south and into the Urdaibai estruary once more, where the gradual uphill takes us to the outskirts of Munitibar (or Munitibar-Arbatzegi Gerrikaitz to give it its full name). Though this town functions as the base of one of our big climbs of the day, just before it we take a brief but very unwelcome detour for the riders.
Parriolaburu is not long, but with a kilometre at over 11% and a maximum gradient over 20%, you can immediately see the type of rider that is going to profit the most today.
The road is in reasonable condition and the riders will be glad to hit the short descent back into Munitibar.
What welcomes them then, however, is not so pleasant looking. The north side of
Monte Oiz is one of Basque cycling's hidden gems.
This El Correo article from 2006 offers details on this relatively recently-discovered ascent. The first 3,5km or so are the same as the start of the Balcón de Bizkaia ascent that the riders tackled yesterday, so they'll be relatively comfortable with this part of the climb. But when the riders hit Ganbe, they turn off towards Monte Oiz, and the touchpaper is lit. The tarmac ends, and concrete roads, the same kind that adorn San Miguel de Áralar and Bola del Mundo, take over from here. The gradients go from "tolerable" to "punishing", with kilometres averaging more than 12 and 13%, confirmed gradients of extended sections at 21%; the unofficial peak is 24%. The riders will be truly thankful that they don't have to go over the top, peaking at the Ermita de San Kristobal, and then taking the more gradual, less infernal descent down into Iurreta and Durango.
From here, the riders will turn back towards where they started, with the climb of
Trabakua en route probably feeling more or less like false flat after Parriolaburu and Oiz. There is even a touch of downhill false flat after the descent here, the first flat in 50km, and the last flat the riders will see today. This false flat culminates in our first intermediate sprint, outside the Frontón de Markina, right where we began. But this is not a circuit race, oh no. Where we initially turned right and took on a relatively benign climb before some flat near the coast, this time, there is to be no respite. The riders are immediately deposited into the climb of
Goierri, and yes that is a full kilometre at 13,5% you see there. The descent into Aulesti puts the riders back into familiar territory, and you can bet their hearts will just sink when they see the start of the next climb - yes, it's back to Parriolaburu!
If the attacks haven't begun by this point, it could well be surprising - good climbers with reasonable deficits could well see plenty of value in attacking from afar, especially if they are good descenders as well; the likes of Nibali and Sánchez could feasibly attack three climbs out here. If they don't, well, there's always the second trip up the concreted slopes of Monte Oiz -
these photos showcase the challenge for the riders.
Once more, the riders will descend into Iurreta and cross into Durango; this time there is a reward for the early attacker, in the form of an intermediate sprint and thereby, bonus seconds. Their next reward is 4km of vague uphill in exposed land from Durango to Mañaria, before facing the final obstacle of the day!
The
Urkiola is the great cathedral of Basque cycling; a climb par excellence that has graced many a fine race in its time; it is the steepest and toughest of those passes taking the rider from the low-lying, jagged countryside of Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa up to the high plains, sitting between mythical, significant mountains such as Urkiolamendi and Anboto; it was formerly, of course, the host of one of the most celebrated Spanish one-day races, and it was thought representative enough of Basque cycling to be placed as the final climb of the 2011 Vuelta a España. And even despite being placed a ridiculous 50km from the finish, the atmosphere on the climb was fantastic, fans lining up several deep. It seemed only fitting, therefore, that the final decisive piece of climbing in my Grand Basque Tour should be on these fabled slopes, in this most Basque of national parks.
The scenery is
spectacular, the
views are
often spectacular. And in all of this it's easy to forget that there is still a race going on, and
the Urkiola is pretty damn steep too, averaging over 9% before we finish at the great Santuário at the top, the climbers having hopefully made their gains, ahead of tomorrow's race-ending chrono. There will be tears in this one.
So yes - a veritable orgy of super-steep climbs, and the riders can finally wave the big mountains - or even the medium-sized but very tough ones - goodbye.
Climbs:
Puerto de Larruskain (cat.2) 5,6km @ 6,4%
Asterrika (cat.3) 2,3km @ 9,6%
Parriolaburu (cat.2) 2,7km @ 10,5%
Monte Oiz (Ermita de San Kristobal)(cat.1) 6,4km @ 9,6%
Alto Trabakua (cat.2) 6,4km @ 4,8%
Goierri (cat.2) 3,8km @ 8,3%
Parriolaburu (cat.2) 2,7km @ 10,5%
Monte Oiz (Ermita de San Kristobal)(cat.1) 6,4km @ 9,6%
Santuário de Urkiola (cat.1) 6,1km @ 9,2%
Esprinteanak:
Markina-Xemein (119km)
Durango (163km)
Markina-Xemein:
Santuário de Urkiola:
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