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The 77th edition of La Vuelta remains faithful to one of its classic philosophies in recent times: discover new peaks and put them on the world cycling map. Either because it gives them the alternative in an international showcase or because it is directly the first professional career that promotes them. A formula that the organization knows works, raises the expectation of the fans and gives a return to the institutions that in many cases know that the round can turn climbs in many cases known by the cyclists of the area into a place of pilgrimage for the more and more cyclists who plan trips to ascend those new peaks that professionals climb.
These are the cases of Pico Jano in Cantabria, Collado Fancuaya in Asturias, Peñas Blancas in Estepona and the Extremaduran Monastery of Tentudía (Badajoz) and Piornal (Cáceres). Names that in the coming weeks will become key points in which the new champion of the Spanish round will be decided. In the previous months, AS went to recognize them with professional runners and ex-cyclists familiar with those ascents that will be some of the great attractions. They gave us their keys and impressions of the surprises of La Vuelta 2022.
The first great novelty of La Vuelta 2022 will not wait. It will be on August 25, in the sixth stage, in one of the most anticipated unpublished ports in this edition: the Cantabrian Janus Peak. A pass of almost 13 kilometers that will start after the descent, by a technical and narrow road, of the Collada de Brenes. It will be important to be well positioned for the final climb,
It aims to be the first sieve facing the general classification in this Vuelta, once the Dutch journey has been overcome and after two stages with a winding route through the Basque Country. An area of great beauty, with green as the predominant color, and an ascent that has its hardest part once you have passed the Alsa Reservoir. At that point, the race hardens into a climb designed and recovered for the race. The Cantabrian Ángel Madrazo, from Burgos BH and one of the most illustrious faces of the peloton, recognized the ascent with AS.
Asturias always has a special role in La Vuelta, especially on mountainous days, with historic giants of the race such as Angliru and Lakes of Covadonga. In recent years, the Spanish round, in its efforts to seek new scenarios, discover hitherto unseen peaks, even little known to the inhabitants of the area, such as Collado Fancuaya. Some green areas, with a large presence of cattle and houses in the middle of nowhere are also part of the ascent, at the top of which you can see, more clearly, the horseshoe-shaped curves that abound in the final section.
The stage (8th), scheduled for August 27, will be part of a weekend in which the Asturian roads will be full, since the next day the day will end in Les Praeres, which was already the goal in 2018 with the victory of Simon Yachts. In this case, a good part of the peloton will have references from that time… but not so from Collado Fancuaya, with ramps of up to 19% and 10.1 km of ascent. Alicia González, an Asturian from the Movistar Team, made the climb with AS and gave her impressions.
Of those present in this edition, one is half unpublished, since part of the ascent was made in 2013. It is the Peñas Blancas pass, in the Malaga town of Estepona, although in that edition it was not climbed to the current peak . The final 4.5 kilometers were missing, which will be climbed on September 1, in the twelfth stage. AS went to recognize the route with Mikel Zabala, U-23 road coach and in the technical direction of MTB in Spanish cycling. Based in Granada, where he is a professor at the University after his studies in Sports Sciences and subsequent Doctorate in England, he knows the ascent perfectly.
In total, 21 kilometers of ascent with an average gradient of 6%, with its greatest hardness in the length rather than in the slope. “They will come from crossing the entire province and, just at the turn of Estepona for the start of the port, they will find some of the hardest ramps of the climb. At that time there may be people who find it difficult to pick up the pace and accuse the change so abrupt. The feeling I have is that it will go up very quickly, as a block, and that it will be a team that takes the initiative”, says the Basque.
The Tentudía monastery is one of them. It will appear in the last week, on September 7, on the eve of Extremadura Day. In this way, La Vuelta returns for the second consecutive edition to a Community that dazzled last year, especially by the public and by the great reception that the race had, and for this 2022 the organization of the Spanish round chose to explore new territories mountains of Extremadura, such as Tentudía.
My opinion is that, due to the profile, the stage victory could be in a breakaway”, says former runner Julián Sánchez Pimienta (42 years old), retired in 2012 in the ranks of Caja Rural and who recognized the climb with AS. In total there are 10.3 kilometers of ascent, with an average gradient of around 5% and a maximum of 12%. At 1,104 meters above sea level, the goal of this stage will be at the highest point in the province of Badajoz.
There will be two Extremaduran stages in this edition and both will have an unprecedented high finish in the race: one of them, ending at the Tentudía monastery (stage 17, on September 7) and the next, day 18 on day 8, with another arrival in an ascent never seen in the race will be the Alto de Piornal. In addition, it will be special as it takes place on Extremadura Day, being a holiday in the area, so crowded roads are expected in a territory that, despite not currently having elite runners, has a large number of fans and cyclists. The ascent to Piornal will be repeated on the day, the last being via Valdastillas.
In total, 13.4 kilometers, with maximum slopes of 11% and an average of 5.6%. Piornal is also the highest town in Extremadura, at 1,175 meters above sea level. Cradle of the Jarramplas festival, located in the Jerte Valley, it remains covered in snow for part of the winter. The runner Benjamín Prades (38 years old), champion of La Vuelta a Extremdura 2021, recognized the final climb with AS.