Hi you guys and girls.
We’ve decided to let this blog go because we both have less time to update this blog as we’re starting/have started college and Uni again and it’s not very easy to combinate the two. So we’re very thankful for you following through this year and we hope you stay watching cycling! There are a lot more great cyclingblogs out there :)
Thanks for the support! Enjoy the Worlds this week in Copenhagen, Denmark and the end of the season!
E & C
We had the last stage of the Vuelta today, with Peter Sagan (LIQ) getting the victory. Juan José Cobo (GEO) is the overall winner.
This stage was rather short, with only 95,6 kms. At some point, we had 3 riders in the lead: Damiano Caruso (LIQ), José Benítez (ACG) and Joan Horrach (KAT). With about 10 kms to go, Caruso and Benítez would get caught by the peloton. Horrach stayed ahead for a bit more, but he was soon brought back as well.
In the final sprint, Sagan would get the victory, ahead of Daniele Bennati (LEO) and Alessandro Petacchi (LAM). This is Sagan’s 3rd victory in this year’s Vuelta.
In the end, Cobo was able to keep his Red Jersey, being declared the winner of the 2011 Vuelta a España. Christopher Froome (SKY) and Bradley Wiggins (SKY) completed the podium in Madrid. Cobo is also the winner of the Combination Classification, while David Moncoutié (COF) takes home the Polka-dots Jersey and Geox-TMC wins the Teams Classification, ahead of Leopard-Trek and Euskaltel-Euskadi. On the other hand, Bauke Mollema (RAB) managed to finish the stage in the TOP 10, getting the points he needed to take the Green Jersey from Joaquim Rodríguez (KAT).
Stage 21 Top 10
GC Top 10
Green Jersey Top 5
Polka-dots Jersey Top 3
White Jersey Top 3
You can find a full report and the results of today’s stage on Cyclingnews.
We hope you’ve enjoyed the last Grand Tour of the season. Keep checking this blog for the last races of the year, including the Worlds in Copenhagen!
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(Source: yhoo.it)
This year’s Vuelta is coming to an end. Before the last stage though, we had a sprint today. Daniele Bennati (LEO) got the victory and Juan José Cobo (GEO) is still the leader of the race.
Today’s breakaway had riders like Carlos Barredo (RAB), Nicolas Roche (ALM), Greg Van Avermaet (BMC), Bennati, Pablo Lastras (MOV), Jan Bakelandts (OLO) and Nick Nuyens (SBS).
On the last climb of the day, el Puerto de Urkiola, Barredo decided to attack from the breakaway, with the leading group breaking into pieces. Eventually, all the guys who were chasing Barredo were caught by the peloton, while Carlos Sastre (GEO) joined the Rabobank rider in the lead.
The peloton was doing a great job though and the gap kept coming down. They would first catch Barredo, then Sastre. In the sprint, Bennati would get the victory, ahead of Enrico Gasparotto (AST) and Damiano Caruso (LIQ).
In the classifications, Cobo is the owner of the Red and White Jerseys. David Moncoutié (COF) leads the Mountains Classification and Joaquim Rodríguez (KAT) has the Green Jersey on his shoulders.
Stage 20 Top 10
GC Top 10
Green Jersey Top 5
Polka-dots Jersey Top 3
White Jersey Top 3
Tomorrow we have the last stage of the Vuelta, which goes from Circuito del Jarama-RACE to Madrid. The riders will cover 95,6 kms and the sprinters will have a final opportunity to show themselves. You can find a full report and the results of today’s stage on Cyclingnews.
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(Source: bit.ly)
The Vuelta returned to the Basque Country, with Igor Antón (EUS) being the winner of the stage. Juan José Cobo (GEO) keeps his Red Jersey.
Antón, Gorka Verdugo (EUS), Marzio Bruseghin (MOV) and Alexsandr Dyachenko (AST) were the riders of today’s breakaway, which was formed right before the start of the first categorized climb of the day. Their biggest gap was a bit more than 6’.
On the last climb of the day, the attacks started to come. Antón left his breakaway companions behind, while many riders in the peloton were attacking as well. Christopher Froome (SKY) would try once again to gain some time for the overall classification, but Cobo quickly followed him. The two of them were later joined by Mikel Nieve (EUS).
With 10 kms to go and already on the descent, Antón was still at the front. After a while, Froome, Cobo and Nieve were caught by the peloton. Antón would win the stage alone, while Bruseghin - the other rider from the break who wasn’t caught - was 2nd. Dominik Nerz (LIQ) was 3rd.
There are no changes in the classifications. Cobo wears the Red and White Jerseys, while David Moncoutié (COF) leads the Mountains Classification. Joaquim Rodríguez (KAT) has the Green Jersey.
Stage 19 Top 10
GC Top 10
Green Jersey Top 5
Polka-dots Jersey Top 3
White Jersey Top 3
Tomorrow’s stage goes from Bilbao to Vitoria. The riders will cover 185 kms and there’s a 1st cat. climb with about 50 kms to go. It will be interesting to see if some of the sprinters will still be in the peloton after this climb. You can find a full report and the results of today’s stage on Cyclingnews.
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(Source: bit.ly)
The breakaway fought for the victory today and Francesco Gavazzi (LAM) was the winner of the stage. Juan José Cobo (GEO) is still the leader of the race.
Right after the start, the breakaway was formed. Once again, the group was rather big, with riders like Joaquim Rodríguez (KAT), Robert Kiserlovski (AST), Luis León Sánchez (RAB), Kristof Vandewalle (QST), Heinrich Haussler (GRM) and Gavazzi. They quickly gained a gap of almost 11’.
On the third categorized climb of the day, the leading group lost some elements. Many riders tried to attack and gain some time on the others, but they would soon be all together again.
On the final part of the stage, Gavazzi and Vandewalle managed to get away. The two of them would fight for the stage victory, with the Italian rider being the lucky one today. It’s Lampre-ISD’s first victory in this Vuelta.
The peloton arrived almost 8’ after the break. In the classifications, Cobo is the owner of the Red and White Jerseys, while David Moncoutié (COF) leads the Mountains Classification. Rodríguez got the Green Jersey back.
Stage 18 Top 10
GC Top 10
Green Jersey Top 5
Polka-dots Jersey Top 3
White Jersey Top 3
Tomorrow’s stage goes from Noja to Bilbao. The riders will cover 158,5 kms and we might see another breakaway arriving at the finish. You can find a full report and the results of today’s stage on Cyclingnews.
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Really exciting final today in the Vuelta, with Christopher Froome (SKY) getting the stage victory. Juan José Cobo (GEO) is still the leader of the race.
Once again, we had a big breakaway at the front today. Some of the riders in this group were Pablo Lastras (MOV), Davide Viganò (LEO), Robert Kiserlovski (AST), Sylvain Chavanel (QST) and Carlos Barredo (RAB).
On the first categorized climb of the day, the group started to lose some elements and they never managed to have a gap of more than 2’. They would eventually get caught after the climb and a new breakaway was formed: Greg Van Avermaet (BMC), Oliver Kaisen (OLO), Guillaume Bonnafond (ALM), Johannes Fröhlinger (SKS) and Evgeny Petrov (KAT).
On the second categorized climb of the day, Marzio Bruseghin (MOV), Mathias Frank (BMC) and David Moncoutié (COF) attacked from the peloton, quickly reaching the leading group. On the descent though, everyone would get caught and the peloton would start the last climb of the day all together.
With about 5 kms to go, Daniel Martin (GRM) was the first rider to attack from the main group, with Bruseghin and Chris Sorensen (SBS) catching him later. Jürgen Van den Broeck (OLO) tried to escape as well, but none of them could stay away. We were in the last km when Cobo increased the pace, with only Froome following him. On the steepest part of the climb, Froome would drop Cobo, trying to gain some time on the Spanish rider. However, Cobo would get back and the two of them would finish together. Froome won the stage and gained 9” on Cobo, making this final part of the Vuelta even more interesting.
In the classifications, Cobo wears the Red and White Jerseys, David Moncoutié (COF) leads the Mountains Classification and Bauke Mollema (RAB) is the new leader of the Green Jersey.
Stage 17 Top 10
GC Top 10
Green Jersey Top 5
Polka-dots Jersey Top 3
White Jersey Top 3
Tomorrow’s stage goes from Solares to Noja. The riders will cover 174,6 kms and the breakaway might have a chance to stay away. You can find a full report and the results of today’s stage on Cyclingnews.
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(Source: bit.ly)
Juan José Haedo (SBS) got the stage victory today in the Vuelta. Juan José Cobo (GEO) is still the leader of the race.
Right after the start, the breakaway of the day was formed. Julien Fouchard (COF), Jesús Rosendo (ACG) and Antonio Cabello (ACG) were the 3 riders in this group and, at some point, they had a gap of almost 9’.
The trio would stay ahead for most of the stage. Cabello and Fouchard were the first to get caught, with Rosendo still trying for some more kms, but he couldn’t avoid the final sprint either. There was some confusion on the last roundabout, with some riders going to the wrong side. In the end, Haedo would get the stage victory, ahead of Alessandro Petacchi (LAM) and Daniele Bennati (LEO).
In the final part of the stage, there was a crash in the peloton, with Joaquim Rodríguez (KAT) being one of the riders involved. Although he finished really late today, he keeps his Green Jersey. There are no changes in the other classifications either. Cobo is the owner of the Red and White Jerseys. David Moncoutié (COF) leads the Mountains Classification.
Stage 16 Top 10
GC Top 10
Green Jersey Top 5
Polka-dots Jersey Top 3
White Jersey Top 3
Tomorrow’s stage goes from Faustino V to Peña Cabarga. The riders will cover 211 kms and they’ll finish on top of the Peña Cabarga, a climb with ramps of 19%. You can find a full report and the results of today’s stage on Cyclingnews.
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A day of changes in the Vuelta. Juan José Cobo (GEO) got the stage victory and he is the new leader of the race.
Andrew Talansky (GRM), Dimitri Champion (ALM) and Simon Geschke (SKS) were the 3 riders of today’s breakaway and their biggest lead was 6’. They would get caught right before the second categorized climb of the day though. There, the peloton started to break into pieces, when Marzio Bruseghin (MOV), Carlos Sastre (GEO), Daniel Martin (GRM) and David Moncoutié (COF) gained some time on the main group. Moncoutié would be the first to pass on top of that climb, getting some important points for his Polka-dots Jersey.
By the time the last climb of the day started, the peloton was all together. With 11 kms to go, Sastre attacked once again. Other riders tried to get away as well, but they never had a big gap. After this, the climb got steeper and Igor Antón (EUS) was able to reach Sastre and inclusive leave him behind. Cobo wouldn’t wait much time and he would attack as well, passing Antón and trying to go for the stage victory. Back there, the main group was now formed by Martin, who had already attacked before, Bradley Wiggins (SKY), Christopher Froome (SKY), Denis Menchov (GEO), Wouter Poels (VCD), Joaquim Rodríguez (KAT) and Antón. While Cobo kept increasing the gap to this group, some riders started to drop. Martin, Antón and Purito couldn’t follow the other guys, who had reached the hardest part of the climb.
Despite the effort of the main group, Cobo would arrive on top of L’Angliru alone and he would get a great victory. Wiggins would drop on the final part of the stage as well and Poels would get the 2nd place, ahead of Menchov and Froome.
With the bonifications and the time gained on the road, Cobo gets the Red Jersey. He is also the new leader of the Combination Classification. There are no more changes in the other classifications. Purito keeps the Green Jersey and Moncoutié has the Polka-dots Jersey on his shoulders.
Stage 15 Top 10
GC Top 10
Green Jersey Top 5
Polka-dots Jersey Top 3
White Jersey Top 3
Tomorrow we have the second rest day. After that, stage 16 will go from Villa Romana La Olmeda (Palencia) to Haro. The riders will cover 203,6 kms and we’ll probably have a sprint. You can find a full report and the results of today’s stage on Cyclingnews.
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Rein Taaramae (COF) was the winner of today’s stage, after being in the breakaway all day. Bradley Wiggins (SKY) keeps the Red Jersey.
Once again, the leading group was rather big. Besides Taaramae, riders like Karsten Kroon (BMC), Leigh Howard (THR), Luis León Sánchez (RAB), Sep Vanmarcke (GRM) and David de la Fuente (GEO) were part of this group. At some point, they had a gap of 8’, but they started to lose time on the first categorized climb of the day.
On the second climb, a 1st cat. one, Taaramae and de la Fuente gained a gap on the other breakaway riders. Back there, in the peloton, Beñat Intxausti (MOV) and Marzio Bruseghin (MOV) decided to attack, while Daniel Moreno (KAT) would do the same a bit later. On the descent, Moreno caught the Movistar-duo and some other riders that had been in the breakaway before.
Soon, the last climb of the day started. The peloton would catch the group of Moreno, with only Taaramae and de la Fuente staying ahead. Later, Juan José Cobo (GEO) attacked from the main group and tried to reach that duo. Up there and with 2 kms to go, de la Fuente had dropped and Taaramae kept going, arriving alone on top of La Farrapona and winning the stage after a great effort. Cobo would get the 2nd place, after de la Fuente helped him on the final part of the climb.
In the peloton, Christopher Froome (SKY) was setting a high tempo at the front and we saw some of the GC contenders losing ground on that group. Riders like Fredrik Kessiakoff (AST), Vincenzo Nibali (LIQ) and Joaquim Rodríguez (KAT) lost some time today, but there’s still a long way to go.
In the classifications, Wiggins keeps the Red Jersey, ahead of Froome and Bauke Mollema (RAB). Purito still wears the Green Jersey, while Mollema got the White Jersey back. David Moncoutié (COF) still leads the Mountains Classification.
Stage 14 Top 10
GC Top 10
Green Jersey Top 5
Polka-dots Jersey Top 3
White Jersey Top 3
Tomorrow’s Queen Stage goes from Avilés to the Alto de L’Angliru. The riders will cover 142,2 kms and they will have to deal with L’Angliru, a climb with ramps of 23,5%. You can find a full report and the results of today’s stage on Cyclingnews.
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Another day for the breakaway riders to shine. Michael Albasini (THR) got the stage victory and Bradley Wiggins (SKY) kept his Red Jersey.
After a really fast start, with some of the GC contenders trying to get in a breakaway, the leading group was finally formed. Besides Albasini, riders like Igor Antón (EUS), Nicolas Roche (ALM), David Moncoutié (COF), Oliver Zaugg (LEO), Eros Capecchi (LIQ), Carlos Sastre (GEO), Daniel Moreno (KAT) and Kevin Seeldraeyers (QST) were in this group, which was rather big.
On the 4th categorized climb of the day, a 1st cat. one, the break started to lose some elements. On the descent, Vincenzo Nibali (LIQ), who got some bonification seconds earlier in the stage and is now 2nd overall, Fredrik Kessiakoff (AST), Jakob Fuglsang (LEO) and Bauke Mollema (RAB) gained a gap on the peloton and reached some of the riders who had been in the breakaway before.Despite the effort, they were brought back.
The peloton kept working hard to catch the leading group, but that wouldn’t happen. It felt like we were watching a bunch sprint, with such a big group up there. Albasini would get the stage victory, ahead of Capecchi and Moreno.
In the classifications, Wiggins still wears the Red Jersey, while Joaquim Rodríguez (KAT) keeps the Green Jersey. Moreno is the new leader of the Combination Classification and Moncoutié takes the Polka-dots Jersey from Matteo Montaguti (ALM).
Stage 13 Top 10
GC Top 10
Green Jersey Top 5
Polka-dots Jersey Top 3
White Jersey Top 3
Tomorrow’s stage goes from Astorga to La Farrapona. Lagos de Somiedo. The riders will cover 175,8 kms and they’ll finish on top of La Farrapona, a climb with ramps of 13%. You can find a full report and the results of today’s stage on Cyclingnews.
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(Source: bit.ly)
We’re back to the sprint stages, with Peter Sagan (LIQ) getting his 2nd victory in this year’s Vuelta. Bradley Wiggins (SKY) keeps the Red Jersey.
Ruslan Pydgornyy (VCD), Luis Ángel Maté (COF), José Luis Roldán (ACG) and Adam Hansen (OLO) were the riders of today’s breakaway and they had 9’ as their biggest gap. After this, their lead started to decrease and the peloton would first catch Hansen, with about 20 kms to go. The other 3 riders were still at the front for some more kms, but eventually they got caught too.
In the final part of the stage, some riders tried to attack from the peloton, but it would be impossible to avoid the bunch sprint. Sagan would get the stage victory, ahead of John Degenkolb (THR) and Daniele Bennati (LEO).
In the classifications, there are no big changes. Wiggins still wears the Red Jersey, while Bauke Mollema (RAB) leads the Combination Classification. The Green Jersey is on the shoulders of Joaquim Rodríguez (KAT) and Matteo Montaguti (ALM) has the Polka-dots Jersey.
Stage 12 Top 10
GC Top 10
Green Jersey Top 5
Polka-dots Jersey Top 3
White Jersey Top 3
Tomorrow’s stage goes from Sarria to Ponferrada. The riders will cover 158,2 kms and we’ll have 5 categorized climbs - 3 of 3rd cat. and 2 of 1st cat. -, which shows how hard this day will be. It’s possible that a breakaway might arrive alone at the finish. You can find a full report and the results of today’s stage on Cyclingnews.
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(Source: bit.ly)
Today was a stage for the breakaway riders to show themselves. David Moncoutié (COF) got the stage victory and Bradley Wiggins (SKY) is the new leader of the race.
We had a really big breakaway at the front today. Besides Moncoutié, riders likeBeñat Intxausti (MOV), Luis León Sánchez (RAB), Stuart O’Grady (LEO) and Manuel Quinziato (BMC) were part of this group. Later, they were joined by Amets Txurruka (EUS), Mathias Frank (BMC) and Fabio Duarte (GEO), with the leading group having now 19 riders. At some point, they had a gap of 8’.
On the final climb of the day, the group started to break into pieces. After several attacks from different riders, Moncoutié seemed to be the strongest, arriving alone at the top of La Manzaneda and being declared as the winner of today’s stage.
Back there, in the peloton, there were many attacks as well. Joaquim Rodríguez (KAT) decided to try something, but he only gained a few seconds on the main group, which arrived at the finish 3’08” after Moncoutié.
Christopher Froome (SKY) and Jakob Fuglsang (LEO), both 1st and 2nd places overall, respectively, lost some seconds in the last kms. With this, Wiggins takes the Red Jersey from his teammate Froome. Purito keeps his Green Jersey, while Bauke Mollema (RAB) still leads the Combination Classification. The Polka-dots Jersey is now on the shoulders of Matteo Montaguti (ALM), who was in today’s breakaway and collected some important points.
Stage 11 Top 10
GC Top 10
Green Jersey Top 5
Polka-dots Jersey Top 3
White Jersey Top 3
Tomorrow’s stage goes from Ponteareas to Pontevedra. The riders will cover 167,3 kms and we’ll probably have a sprint, although it can also be a good day for the breakaway riders. You can find a full report and the results of today’s stage on Cyclingnews.
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Another interesting day in the Vuelta, with Tony Martin (THR)getting the stage victory. Christopher Froome (SKY) is the new leader of the race.
Martin won the ITT around Salamanca, ahead of Froome and Bradley Wiggins (SKY). With this, HTC-Highroad gets its first victory in this year’s Vuelta.
In the battle for the Overall Classification, Froome takes the Red Jersey from Bauke Mollema (RAB), after a great time-trial. Jakob Fuglsang (LEO), who also did a great ITT, is now 2nd overall. Froome’s teammate Wiggins lies in 3rd place.
There are no changes in the other classifications. Joaquim Rodríguez (KAT) keeps the Green Jersey, Daniel Martin (GRM) is the leader of the Mountains Classification and Mollema keeps the White Jersey.
Stage 10 Top 10
GC Top 10
Green Jersey Top 5
Polka-dots Jersey Top 3
White Jersey Top 3
Tomorrow we have the first rest day. After that, stage 11 will go from Verín to the Estación de Montaña Manzaneda. The riders will cover 167 kms and they’ll finish on top of La Manzaneda, a climb with ramps of 11%. You can find a full report and the results of today’s stage on Cyclingnews.
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We got to see an interesting stage today in the Vuelta. Daniel Martin (GRM) won on top of the Sierra de Bejar. La Covatilla and Bauke Mollema (RAB) is the new leader of the race.
We had 4 riders in today’s breakaway: Sebastian Lang (OLO), José Toribio (ACG), Pim Ligthart (VCD) and Martijn Keizer (VCD). Their biggest gap was pretty close to 11’. At some point, with about 40 kms to go, Lang and Ligthart increased the pace and left the other 2 riders behind.
The leading duo started to lose time on the last climb of the day. With 10 kms to go, Lang attacked and Ligthart could not follow. Despite the effort, the German rider would get caught by the peloton, with less than 7 kms to go.
After this, the big action began. The GC contenders started to test each other. Michele Scarponi (LAM) would be the first and he brought some other GC riders with him, like Jürgen Van den Broeck (OLO), but soon the main group was all together again.
Other moves followed this one and Martin would try something as well. Vincenzo Nibali (LIQ), Kevin Seeldraeyers (QST) and Sergio Pardilla (MOV) tried to reach the Irish rider. With about 3 kms to go, Nibali and Martin were together at the front, while the other guys were back in the main group. By this time, the owner of the Red Jersey Joaquim Rodríguez (KAT) started to lose time, while Bradley Wiggins (SKY) and his teammate Christopher Froome were increasing the pace at the front of the main group.
A really small group containing Van den Broeck, Mollema, Juan José Cobo (GEO), Wiggins and Froome caught Nibali and Martin. Inside the last km, Wiggins increased the pace once again, but it would be Martin getting the stage victory, ahead of Mollema and Cobo.
In the classifications, Mollema is the new leader of the race, with 1” over Rodríguez. The Dutch rider is also the new owner of the White Jersey, while Purito keeps the Green Jersey. With his stage victory, Martin gets the Polka-dots Jersey.
Stage 9 Top 10
GC Top 10
Green Jersey Top 5
Polka-dots Jersey Top 3
White Jersey Top 3
Tomorrow’s stage is an ITT around Salamanca. The riders will cover 47 kms and the GC riders have a good opportunity to show themselves, right before the first rest day. You can find a full report and the results of today’s stage on Cyclingnews.
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Exciting final in the Vuelta today. Joaquim Rodríguez (KAT) was the winner of the stage and he is also the new leader of the race.
During the first part of the day, Heinrich Haussler (GRM) and Matteo Montaguti (ALM) would attack from the peloton. The duo managed to get a gap of more than 8’ and they were later joined by Adrián Palomares (ACG) and Julien Fouchard (COF). These were the 4 riders of today’s breakaway.
On the Alto de Santa María de la Alameda, a 2nd cat. climb, the leading group started to lose time and elements. Fouchard was the first one to let the rest of the break go, while there were some attacks back in the peloton.
With less than 12 kms to go, the leading trio was caught, while they were climbing a really steep ramp. Here, Rein Taaramae (COF) decided to try something and he attacked. Other moves followed this one and Ángel Madrazo (MOV) would reach and pass the Estonian rider, trying to go for the victory. After the descent though, he would get caught by a group of 4 riders. There was no big collaboration here and the peloton was all together when starting the last climb of the day.
On those steep ramps, Rodríguez showed his skills once again and he would win the stage ahead of Michele Scarponi (LAM) and Bauke Mollema (RAB).
In the classifications, Rodríguez is the new owner of the Red Jersey. He also got the Green Jersey back. Daniel Moreno (KAT) keeps the White and Polka-dots Jerseys.
Stage 8 Top 10
GC Top 10
Green Jersey Top 5
Polka-dots Jersey Top 3
White Jersey Top 3
Tomorrow’s stage goes from Villacastín to Sierra de Bejar. La Covatilla. The riders will cover 183 kms and they’ll finish on top of the Sierra de Bejar, a climb with ramps of 14%. We’ll certainly see some action between the GC contenders. You can find a full report and the results of today’s stage on Cyclingnews.
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