The announcement of a grand tour route is still awaited, and this year especially, the dates having been postponed several times for the Vuelta and the Giro, for which the roadbook remains empty for the moment. For this edition 2021 which will start on 14 August in Burgos and which will return to its usual format of 21 steps, it is a rather classic route that the organizers have prepared, with however some novelties which could bring a little spice to the Spanish test, usually not lacking in suspense.
A stopwatch for the big start in Burgos
For this edition, as has been the custom in Spain for some years, no question of waiting for the second week to start hostilities. The favorites to victory will be able to test themselves from day one on the streets of Burgos, with a fairly hilly 8km individual time trial. The peloton will then continue with a very rolling plain stage promised to the sprinters. But you don't have to fall asleep, because on the third day, the riders will face the first arrival at the top of the event, with a final that promises to be explosive on the slopes of Picon Blanco, with its ramps over 15% by location. The next day, it's a flat stage that awaits the riders, with this time a rather difficult final in the very last kilometers which could favor the most resistant sprinters, even the punchers. The 5th stage will be a new opportunity for the sprinters, with a very fast arrival in the streets of Albacete. The next step should offer a final for punchers, after a passage through Valence and a long passage by the sea where the wind could play a role. A fairly steep 1.5 kilometer climb will provide a great opportunity for explosive runners. The first week of racing will end with the first real mountain stage, with 6 passes on the program and a finish at the top of the Balcon de Alicante, referenced in first category.
A bumpy second week
There will be little respite over these three weeks of racing. This second week should start in a rather quiet way, with a flat stage where the sequence of stages should nevertheless be felt as the first day of rest approaches. The 9th day will focus all eyes, with its 4 passes to cross in 187km and in particular the Alto Colla Luisa, culminating at almost 2000m, before ending with the ascent of the Alto de Velefique where Ryder Hesjedal had won in 2009 after a similar sequence. After a well-deserved day of rest, the riders will have to resume with an explosive stage, with the Puerto de Almanchar to cross just 15 kilometers from the finish, conducive to running movements. The 11th stage could also be suitable for punchers, with an arrival in Valdepeñas de Jaen on a ramp over 20%, after 131km of a steep course. The next day's stage will offer a difficult profile in the final, which could lead to a good battle between adventurers, punchers and sprinters. The next day, on the other hand, the terrain will be much more favorable to a massive arrival, probably one of the last of this edition, with temperatures often very high in the Extremadura region which will play an important role for this 200km stage. Finally, the 14th stage will end the second week of racing in spectacular fashion, with the sequence of a very steep ascent, then the long climb of Pico Villuercas which could create gaps between favorites.
A final in apotheosis
For this last stage before the second rest day, adventurers will have an ideal playground at their disposal, with a series of difficulties spread over some 193km of the course, and a finish located after a 3rd category ascent. Two days later, a final rolling stage will be offered to sprinters in Santa Cruz de Bezana, before attacking a dantesque stage where three passes will be crossed before the mythical ascent of the Lakes of Covadonga. The 18th stage will undoubtedly be the queen stage of this edition 2020, with a series of difficult passes that will precede the unprecedented climb of a real monster, the Alto de Gamoniteiru, offering slopes over 10% over almost all of the 15km which will take the runners to an altitude of nearly 1800m. What to expect a grandiose spectacle, especially since fatigue will already be well established in the organisms. Fatigue which could also be the key to the scenario the next day, with a tiring 188km stage which will clearly be the perfect opportunity for the breakaways to fight for victory in Monforte de Lemos. The 20th and penultimate stage of the Vuelta 2021 will look like a classic, with a rolling first part which will be followed by an extremely intense second part, or 5 difficulties will be to climb in less than 100km. A day that promises a great show, because it will be for the favorites the last opportunity to widen the gaps before the final time trial. Because it is of course on an individual time of 33km linking Padron to Santiago de Compostela that the decision will be made, on a fairly hilly course once again. A rich program for this 76th edition, which will reward complete and offensive runners, and which will spare runners who are uncomfortable at high altitude. The solitary effort will also be one of the keys to the fight for the succession of Primoz Roglic, double title holder.
