Mountain finishes aplenty as Vuelta goes coast-to-coast

A series of demanding mountain finishes once again dominate as the route for the 2016 Vuelta a Espana was unveiled by organisers in Santiago de Compostela on Saturday.

However, there is also more encouragement for time trialists with the three-week race starting with a team time trial in Ourense and a 39km individual time trial just two stages from the traditional finish through the centre of Madrid.

In all there are 10 mountain finishes, the majority in the first two weeks of the race which crosses the north of the country, starting by the Atlantic Ocean in Galicia before moving through the Basque country and finally into the Pyrenees.

Just as in last year's dramatic edition, where Fabio Aru snatched the lead from Tom Dumoulin on the penultimate day, the queen stage comes in the Pyrenees, but this time on French soil on stage 14 from Urdatx-Dantxarinea to Aubisque.

Yet, the leaders' red jersey should still be on the line in the final week when the Vuelta heads south to the region of Valencia by the Mediterranean Sea.

A long, mostly flat, time trial should allow the more skilled time trialists to make up ground before a final mountain finish on the penultimate stage from Benidorm to Alto de Aitana.

"It will be difficult to beat the 2015 edition, but that is what we aspire to," said race director Javier Guillen.

"I think the race will be decided in the time trial on the third last stage."

However, Guillen might not be able to call upon an all-star cast as in recent years due to the Rio Olympics (August 5-21), which falls between the Tour de France and the start of the Vuelta.

Colombian Nairo Quintana is the only one of the big four that started the Vuelta in 2015, including Tour de France winner Chris Froome, Vincenzo Nibali and Alejandro Valverde, to have committed to this year's race.

Aru has set his sights on the Tour de France, whilst three-time winner Alberto Contador is also targeting the yellow jersey and Olympic gold.
Source: AFP