Superstitious riders will leave Urdax with trembling knees. The village in the Pyrenees is known from centuries of witchcraft and dark magic rituals. Vuelta contenders who were hunted by bad legs in the previous mountain stages will want to banish the curse and transfer their legs to their opponents.
Trembling knees could very well have another origin in stage 14 of the Vualta a Espana. Just looking at the profile will do the trick. No less than four harsh passes are on the menu: Col Inharpu (1st category), Col de La Pierre Saint Martin (1st), Col de Marie Blanque (1st) and to top it all off the Col d’Aubisque (category especial).
Col d’Aubisque was featured in the Tour de France on 72 occasions; twice as a finish to a stage. In the Vuelta the climb starts in Laruns, which means a 16.6 kilometres toil at 7.2%. Toughest sections are in between Cascade de Valentin and the ski station of Gourette, with slopes as steep as 10% to 13%.
Last year’s Tour de France saw a summit finish at the second top of the day, Col de La Pierre Saint Martin. The climb was from the other side, yet Froome outpowered each and everyone and with a solo victory he laid the groundwork for his overall win.
When the route of stage 14 was unveiled, Froome shared his joy over the course on Twitter. One may wonder if the other riders in the pack will be just as merry.
At the finish wait 10, 6 and 4 seconds for the first three riders, and 3, 2 and 1 seconds can be gained at the intermediate sprint after 177,8 kilometres.
Results/race report 14th stage 2016 Vuelta.
Vuelta a España 2016 Stage 14: Route maps, height profiles, etc
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Climb details Col Inharpu
Climb details Col du Soudet
Climb details Col du Soudet
Climb details Col d’Aubsique
