Vuelta a España Vuelta 2026 route rumours

Page 12 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
Jul 8, 2017
2,417
3,099
17,180
They decided to randomly include Miserat in the stage to Aitana.
Of course it will be probably wasted.
 
Jul 1, 2015
6,134
5,412
23,180
Great.

How long will the overpaid professionals take to figure it out before they go crying to their mommy Adam Hansen?
Leaving aside that aspect, Guillén has publicly rejected including in the race some other descents because he considered them dangerous. Nobody understands why this one is the exception. Surely he wanted the finish at the top of Monte Bartolo, but being inside a protected Natural Park he just got the permission to ride through.

They decided to randomly include Miserat in the stage to Aitana.
Of course it will be probably wasted.
A descent finish in Pego after Miserat is considered too dangerous, so let's waste it as we did a couple of years ago with Estranguada.
 
Feb 18, 2015
13,826
9,818
28,180
Number of more or less flat stages a bit too high for my liking but perhaps some of them will go to the break or puncheurs since most of them are actually quite hilly. The mountain stages are a pleasant surprise though. Stage 20 is a proper queen stage inviting early attacks. Feels like we barely ever see something like this in the Vuelta.
 
Jul 8, 2017
2,417
3,099
17,180
Number of more or less flat stages a bit too high for my liking but perhaps some of them will go to the break or puncheurs since most of them are actually quite hilly. The mountain stages are a pleasant surprise though. Stage 20 is a proper queen stage inviting early attacks. Feels like we barely ever see something like this in the Vuelta.

Is it really inviting early attacks?
The final climb is very hard and the descent from Hazallanas is rather easy, not too great for early attacks.
Obviously great for the Vuelta and you're desperate in stage 20, you have the terrain, but I think it's hard for a long range attack to stick.
 
Feb 18, 2015
13,826
9,818
28,180
Is it really inviting early attacks?
The final climb is very hard and the descent from Hazallanas is rather easy, not too great for early attacks.
Obviously great for the Vuelta and you're desperate in stage 20, you have the terrain, but I think it's hard for a long range attack to stick.
Perhaps "inviting" is too strong of a word. But at Hazallanas is a proper climb where, if you need to, you can really blow up the race without the move being completely suicidal. And I dont think you can say that about many final mountain stages of recent Vueltas.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Red Rick
Sep 20, 2017
12,468
23,552
28,180
Perhaps "inviting" is too strong of a word. But at Hazallanas is a proper climb where, if you need to, you can really blow up the race without the move being completely suicidal. And I dont think you can say that about many final mountain stages of recent Vueltas.
I also can't think of a single other climb of this size that is as conducive to fracturing the peloton in the first 500 metres by virtue of good positioning, courtesy of the little descent before it. So that should help the chance of the race being blown up there.
 
Jul 8, 2017
2,417
3,099
17,180
I also can't think of a single other climb of this size that is as conducive to fracturing the peloton in the first 500 metres by virtue of good positioning, courtesy of the little descent before it. So that should help the chance of the race being blown up there.

Fair point. I honestly forgot about that little detail in the beginning of Hazallanas.
Perhaps I was a bit too critical about this stage.
 
Aug 29, 2010
3,206
250
13,880
Unironically one of the best routes of recent times.

It has many flaws, of course. But compared with last year's abomination, I was pleasantly surprised.

There are a couple of true, decently drawn mountain stages. Andorra is fine as it is for Stage 4, the descent after sterrato in Castellón tells us Guillen might not be dead inside after all, and the mountain stage to Calar Alto, though improvable, is exciting. I'd argue it's a rare case in the Vuelta where the second-to-last climb (Velefique) is harder than the last one (Calar Alto through Bacares).

That we should be happy about 41km ITT is depressing, but that's the world we live in.

Finally, Stage 20 is much better as a last mountain stage than we're used to. Yes, Alguacil is a hard final climb and the descent before it is not the hardest, but Hazallanas-Purche-Hazallanas are three hard 1st Cat/borderline HC climbs and if the need and the will are there, the terrain will also be there.