The Vuelta arrives on Spanish soil for its first date with the mountains, a 170 km stage through Extremadura with four mountain passes, two of them 1st category: Alto del Piornal and the final climb to Pico Villuercas (14.6 km at 6.2%).
August 20, 2024 (10:00 CET)
Profile of the 4th stage
After three stages on Portuguese roads, La Vuelta 2024 leaves Portugal and enters Spain to face its First mountain date with a high finish. A stage (Plasencia-Pico Villuercas, 170.5 km) that will be the first test of quality for those aspiring to win the red jersey in Madrid on September 8. The climb to the Extremadura Villuercas Peak It will serve to assess the condition of all those who, before the start of the race in Lisbon, were labelled as contenders for victory.
In the three previous stages there have been no surprises for the group led by the Slovenian. Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora) followed by all the others with the differences that were marked in the initial time trial with departure at the Jerónimos Monastery in Belém in Lisbon. After Roglic and within a margin of less than half a minute The vast majority of candidates were placed: John Almeida y Adam Yates (UAE Emirates), at 2 and 17 seconds; Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek), a 5; Anthony Tiberius (Bahrain), a 10; Enrique Mas (Movistar), a 12; Richard Carapaz (EF Education), a 13; Daniel Felipe Martinez (Red Bull-Bora), at 26; and Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos), at 29. A little more than half a minute is Sepp Kiss (Visma-Lease a Bike), a 36; y Mikel Landa (T Rex-Quick Step), a 48.
The technical director of the Vuelta, Fernando Escartin, He explained that this is a stage “Complicated from the start, including a second-class and a first-class port in the first 50 kilometres, including Piornal” before facing the final ascent to Pico Villuercas (14.6 km to 6.2%)“with 3 kilometers on cement and ramps of 15-16%“.
The stage, 170.4 km long, includes four ports punctuable: Hairy head (2nd category), 10.1 km at 4.9%; Piornal Heights (1st), from 13.9 km at 5.6%; Miravete Port (3rd and with Bonus), 8.4 km at 4.5%; and the aforementioned final climb to Villuercas Peak (1st), 14.6 km at 6.2%, with maximum gradients of 20%, where the favourites will take centre stage and the first differences should be marked. It will be the first serious test to see the fitness of all of them. The Vuelta is heating up today with the first mountain stage.
Departure time (Plasencia): 13:27
Estimated time of arrival (Villuercas Peak): around 5:30 p.m.
