Calar Alto and the Sierra de la Pandera mark a demanding second week in La Vuelta

The Vuelta Ciclista a España will face a second week of competition where the main difficulty will be centered on the entry into Andalusia, a scene where the favorites for the red jersey will have to deal with two stages with a high finish in Calar Alto and in the Sierra de la Pandera.

Already without the great favorite in the race, the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), forced to retire after a hard fall last Saturday in the eighth stage when he apparently had the ‘big’ one under control. The leadership passed to the Spaniard Enric Mas (Movista Team) who will try to maintain it heading into the last and decisive week.

After Monday’s rest, the peloton will have a first stage between the La Mancha towns of Alcaraz and Elche de la Sierra of almost 185 kilometers and with terrain for the ‘adventurers’ to seek victory since there will be three third category climbs, the last of them almost 30 kilometers from the finish line.

The next day, entry into the Region of Murcia with a day between Cartagena and Lorca (153.8 km), with the Alto de Aledo in third, which will be crowned about 30 kilometers from the finish and could be decisive for some surprise or for some escape to come to fruition.

Already on Thursday, the first high finish of the week, with the peloton already in Andalusia, where the heat can also play a key role in terms of wear and tear. The runners will start from Almeria’s Vera and will have the finish line after 166.6 km in Calar Alto, a first-class race with hard slopes, especially at the beginning of the climb. Before, Velefique, also first class and with percentages also to take into account, could open the battle.

The group will not have much rest because the next day La Vuelta has designed a day with a mountainous profile starting in Almuñécar and finishing in Loja (193 km), very ‘leg-breaking’ and with three climbs, one of first class at the beginning (Venta de la Cebada), one of third (Alto del Legionario) and a last of second (Puerto de Granada) and after which there is a long descent towards the finish line.

The end of the week will have as its climax the arrival at a traditional climb such as the Sierra de la Pandera, the finish line after the start in Jaén and with some quite demanding final kilometers in a day of 154.5 km and with two other second category ports. To finish, on Sunday 190 kilometers between Palmar del Río and Córdoba, also with a lot of ups and downs and with three third-category stops.