The Vuelta hits Utrecht hard

The The Vuelta a España will leave its borders for the fourth time. Utrechtin the middle of the Netherlands, will go down in history for hosting three major events on its streets, the Tour (2015), Giro (2010) and now the Hispanic round is being received with enthusiasm, proving with reason. why talk about the “country of bicycles”, where 99 percent of the population pedals, and 63 daily as the main means of transportation.

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For the second time the Vuelta will gain momentum in that country, having already launched the race from Assen in 2009. Now, in the 77th edition, these lands known for their canals, tulips, windmills and bicycles, offers three stages, a team time trial and two flats suitable for the sprint before jumping to Spain through Euskadi.

The Vuelta was more open than ever, with good participation despite the absences of the protagonists of the Tour podium: Vingegaard, Pogacar and Thomas. True to its unique characteristics, it will have a marked mountainous character, although there will be options for all types of runners, including sprinters.

A profile of competitive interest “in crescendo” as the race progresses. In general summary, there are 6 flat stages and 2 flat with a high finish, 7 mountain stages, 1 team time trial (23.3 km), one individual (30.9 km) and 3 rest days.

THE MOUNTAIN SPREAD OVER THE THREE WEEKS OF THE RACE

Unprecedented high finishes are Pico Jano (Cantabria, 6th stage), Collau Foncuaya (Asturias, 8th), Pico de los Reales (Málaga, 12th), Tentudía Monastery (Extremadura, 8th 17) and Alto del Piornal (Extremadura, 18th). ). The final will be explosive in the traditional and often decisive stage of the ports in the Sierra de Guadarrama in Madrid.

The team time trial will tell who wears the leader’s red jersey and who will defend it in the next two stages in the Netherlands, favorable for the sprint with the finish line in Utrecht again and in Breda. Cultural and historical ties to the Dutch lands.

A rest day will bring the peloton to Spain, in the Basque Country, for the fourth stage between Vitoria and Laguardia, mid-mountain to whet your appetite for the next day between Irún and Bilbao, where 5 ports with double climbs Vivero Awaits.

The route between Bilbao and Pico Jano, in Cantabria (12.6 km at 6 percent) discovers the first new high finish, a difficulty that could start to hurt the men in the general classification. This first week ends in Leon, in Cistierna, a chapter that includes the ascent to San Glorio.

FANCUAYA IN ASTURIAS AND THE CHRONO WILL SET FOR THE SECOND WEEK

Asturian protagonism will not be lacking. This year there will be no Lakes of Covadonga or Angliru, but there will be the unprecedented Collau Fancuaya, in the council of Yernes and Tameza, a pass of 5.7 km at 7.8 percent and ramps of 16. Day with 4 other -climb accumulating a 3,300 meter drop, with passes through La Colladona, La Mozqueta, Santo Emiliano and Tenebredo.

The first Asturian mountain attack will be completed on the stage between Villaviciosa and Les Praeres, an elevated finale with a 4-kilometer climb at more than 12 percent on average. Tough test that day with 5 difficulties, including the Mirador del Fito.

The Vuelta jumps from Asturias to Alicante, where the clock appointment awaits. A timed stage of 30.9 kilometers flat, of pure force between Elche and Alicante, a candy for the riders and a headache for the climbers.

The organization of the round will pay tribute to Alejandro Valverde in his last Vuelta at the start from Murcia after the time trial. “Bala” will pass through his homeland for the last time on his 16th lap. The finish line of the journey is Cabo de Gata, in Almería, where a dreamlike landscape awaits the sprinters’ event.

The event in Almeria will be the starting point for a historic event, because for the first time in history the Vuelta will pass through 8 Andalusian provinces. The twelfth stage between Salobreña and Peñas Blancas calls for climbers. The port will climb another 4 kilometers, towards Pico de los Reales, to complete the effort of 21.

A truce after the theoretical sprint in Montilla leads to La Pandera (8 km to 8), in Jaén, a climb that already belongs to the standard in the Spanish round, whose summit is at 1,840 meters.

EL PIORNAL IN EXTREMADURA AND THE SCARY STAGE OF MADRID

Excitement will be high in the general classification, with the favorites awaiting key appointments in the third and final week of racing. To start a stage in style between Martos, the “Cradle of the olive grove” and Sierra Nevada, the only special port of the category in the 2022 round.

This will be a real litmus test before the second day of rest. with 20 kilometers of climbing, and the finish line is over 2,000 meters, which will mean more difficulty. With more than 4,000 meters of unevenness, the stage includes Alto del Purche and Hazallanas.

Continuing in Andalusia, the caravan will enter Sanúcar de Barrameda (Cádiz) to finish with a sprint in Tomares (Seville), and in the seventeenth stage it will leave Aracena (Huelva) to enter Extremadura, in Tentudia, a stage of breaking the leg with a high finish that is not published that is not very demanding, but in which no one should be trusted.

The second day in Extremadura between Trujillo and Alto del Piornal promises a show. Another peak that opens is located in the Jerte Valley to be climbed by three different slopes, from La Desesperá, Monasterio de Yuste and Hervás. There are 17 kilometers of slopes with ramps of up to 14 percent.

Before the final fireworks, notice the antepenultimate stage with a start and finish in Talavera de la Reina with a double climb to the Alto del Piélago (2a), a climb that at the end of the Vuelta may reveal some last- minute weakness.

Already in Madrid, the icing on the cake passes with the legendary Sierra de Guadarrama stage. Departure from Moralzarzal and arrival at Puerto de Navacerrada. The legend is clear. This is where laps are lost in the last minute. In 2015, the Italian Fabio Aru stole the red from the Dutch Tom Dumoulin in these ports. There will be a double climb in Navacerrada and climbs La Morcuera and Canencia.

The journey of more than 3,000 kilometers will end again in Madrid, after a bracket in 2021 that ends in Santiago de Compostela. It will be a ride over 96.7 that will end the 2022 edition of the Vuelta a España.