The lack of connecting climbs seems to be the bane of the life of everybody trying to put together 'new world' stage races. I certainly had it with Argentina, and it has been the same with some American and pretty much all Australian races we've seen in the thread.
Back in Spain, it's a stage with a few climbs, but very much a one-climb stage as we go into the penultimate weekend.
Stage 14: Málaga - El Peñón de Gibraltar, 184km
Climbs:
Alto de Mijas (cat.2) 5,0km @ 7,1%
Alto de la Mailena (cat.3) 7,2km @ 4,4%
Los Altos de los Monteros (cat.3) 3,6km @ 7,0%
Alto de Casares (cat.3) 5,7km @ 4,8%
Gibraltar (Top Station Complex)(MTF) 3,2km @ 10,3%
I hesitated over this but eventually decided that I would have to give this MTF points. It's worth it. Yes, after three stages which don't even touch the Iberian peninsula, my Vuelta leaves Spain for the first - and only - time, to go into the long-disputed and storied British territory that is the Rock of Gibraltar. There has been a cooling off of Anglo-Spanish arguments over the possession of the Rock in recent times, though co-authored plans for joint sovereignty have been rejected overwhelmingly by the Llanito population.
There was some excitement in 2010 as the Vuelta a Andalucía-Ruta del Sol announced a short time trial in Gibraltar, however this plan never came to fruition as some of the Gibraltarian companies whose money was being relied upon changed their minds and a somewhat longer time trial in Málaga. Nevertheless, that this was even a possibility is significant, and following on from that I've decided to bring La Vuelta to the people of the Rock. Chachi.
The stage starts in Málaga and winds its way down the Costa Del Sol, probably interrupting a lot of holidaymakers on its way. While much of the route is on flat coastal roads, and resultantly the biggest threat will be the wind and the heat, there are a number of small to medium climbs in the stage. The first of these is the toughest, as the riders
wind their way up to the Alto de Mijas. Though its gradient and short-to-mid length may make you wonder what it's doing with the same categorisation as Conjuros, Santa Inés or some of the long gradual climbs in stage 11, a look at the first 5km of
this profile shows you the climb and explains it - consecutive kilometres at 8,3, 8,7 and 9,3% respectively. After that it's two smaller climbs, the second of which leads us descending into Marbella.
After this, we have 40km of pan-flat, wind-vulnerable roads along the coast, with only the first intermediate sprint in Estepona to break things up. The next obstacle is the pretty gradual climb up to the mountain town of
Casares. This shouldn't disrupt any but the worst of climbers, and then it's a mostly flat run in towards our dramatic finish. The second intermediate sprint takes place in
La Linea de la Concepción, which as you can see from the photo means that the riders will have an ominous view of Our Rock giving them a chaque of just what they have in store, especially as they get close to the border and the promontory's vertical scale becomes
ever more clear.
Of course, crossing into Gibraltar means using one of the most unusual roads in the world,
the highway crossing the runway at
Gibraltar International Airport. Once on sovereign British soil, the riders will complete a brief loop of Gibraltar Town, so they can have a quick visua at some of the
urban scenery and
cobbled streets before the roads head to the sky for a dramatic finish at the Top Station Complex.
And then, se armó un zapatiesto. This stage is all about the final 3km. Why? Because they are brutal. Brutal, brutal, brutal. I found
this account of a British amateur cyclist taking on El Peñón de Gibraltar, and I will reproduce a few of the key parts for your pleasure:
If I thought the first bit was steep, then this bit was twice as hard, and twice as steep! This road looked like a typical mountain road, but steeper. From the turnoff to the hairpin, it rises 105m!
Round the bend was a long straight which is about 14%. This was a relief, as the next 400m stretch was 20% up to another hairpin. Turning into the bend, panting, I looked up the next 300m of road, which was also 20%. The right hander was the beginning of the last and worst section. 600m, all at 25%.
Now, the route used there does not match
exactly to mine; he has gone direct from sea level whereas my loop around Gibraltar Town has cut some of the start off. However, all of the key sections of destruction are there. After leaving the
city gates and heading for the Upper Rock, the higher you go the more the roads become
steep,
narrow and
dramatic, plus there's a perhaps entirely unique challenge - Barbary Macaques. The team cars and most equipment will stay in Gibraltar Town; this one will be motorbikes only, like only the worst of climbs. When they reach the finishing line, at the
Top Station Complex of the Cable Car line to the top of the Rock, riders can return safely to sea level by using said Cable Car for safety reasons. After admiring
the spectacular view, of course. Igor Antón, Joaquím Rodríguez and co are liking this one.
Málaga:
El Peñón de Gibraltar (Top Station Complex):
(The time limit could be a problem for some 
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