Unveiling the Beast: The History and Challenges of Angliru

Welcome to Hell. The Alto de l’Angliru is a mountain located in the Cantabrian mountain range, 30 kilometers from Oviedo, the capital of Asturias. It was historically and mainly used for transhumance in this remote corner which overlooks the town of Riosa. Later, hikers and other mountain enthusiasts set foot there.

You should know that Asturias is livestock farming land and the area also has a mining past. The legend that says that the Asturians are hard workers and the Angliru sums up their state of mind well. Just 30-40 years ago, the place had the uniqueness of having escaped local land use planning policy. Of course, everything has changed since then.

So what does Angliru mean? It is in fact a contraction of Anguiliru, the Asturian translation of anguilero, or eel. Given the steep slopes offered by the monster, especially in its finale, the name was well chosen. A small lake located in the area bears this name.

Here is the CV of the beast which will be the last “especial” (non-category) pass of this Vuelta 2023: 12.4 kilometers of ascent with an average slope of 9.8%. If the first five kilometers are “human”, the second part of the climb looks like a nightmare. The slope rises radically between the 5th and 6th kilometer with first passages at 22%. At the 9th kilometer, the most difficult sector, the “Cueña les Cabres”, offers an average slope of 18% with passages of 24%. A horror.

Looking for a striking and very difficult climb, so as not to lose the race for spectacle against the Giro and the Tour de France and its sacred monsters (the Mortirolo, the Monte Zoncolan, the Tourmalet, the Alpe d’Huez) , the Tour of Spain set out to find the rare pearl in the early 1990s. The region of Asturias already offered the Lakes of Covadonga, but the experience was not considered radical enough.

The rest is better known. Miguel Prieto, former communications director of the ONCE cycling team – the social organization of blind and visually impaired people in Spain – discovered the climb during a ride in the area, he who is Asturian. He warns the former company responsible for organizing the Tour of Spain. The rare pearl so sought after has finally been found. A few months later, between 1997 and 1998, the whole thing was asphalted again to allow the Vuelta to begin its adventure from the 1999 edition.

The sporting history between the Vuelta and the Angliru is not as beautiful as expected. After three passes between 1999 and 2002, the peloton at the time complained of the difficult conditions encountered during the ascent, where the following vehicles stalled. Another problem: the horrible weather. In 1999, 2000, 2002, 2011 and 2013 a thick fog invaded the place, offering runners an almost blind climb. The late José María Jiménez, “El Chava”, became the first winner up there after blowing victory away from Pavel Tonkov, without much being seen.

In 2002, that of the most difficult climb, David Millar left the Vuelta after a filthy stage, where he fell during the ascent on a soggy road. Hit by his car during his accident, his bike saved him from a serious injury. Just before crossing the finish line, the Scot takes off his bib and leaves the Vuelta. “We are not animals and this is inhumane“, he slips at the moment. He will regret his decision later.

“I felt like we weren’t doing it right. They wanted to stand out from the Giro and the Tour de France“, says Millar in the GCN+ documentary “Angliru”.They wanted a spectacle, for us to talk about it in increasingly extreme stages and I had the impression of being a circus animal. They were testing things and we felt like we were guinea pigs.“The 2002 episode will remain: the Vuelta avoids returning to it until 2008.

The controversies therefore distanced the Vuelta from its new toy in the heart of the 2000s. Then Alberto Contador won there twice in 2008 and 2017, where he signed the 68th and last success of his great career. The gunslinger had made it a personal matter, it’s almost the only one to date.

The Angliru has not been the most decisive place in the event over the years, despite eight passages. In 2000, Roberto Heras forged his future final victory there by taking advantage of the cuteness of Angel Casero. In 2013, Chris Horner won his coronation there on the eve of the finish, resisting the attacks of Vincenzo Nibali, before letting go in the last kilometer. In both cases, nothing is set in stone. A great sporting moment is missing up there.

Can we create big gaps there? Not really, because of the extreme difficulty. Contador took almost a minute from the Caisse d’Epargne duo Alejandro Valverde (42″) – Joaquim Rodriguez (58″) in 2008. But in 2017, he won with only 17 seconds ahead of the Sky duo Wout Poels – Chris Froome. In 2013, Kenny Elissonde, the only French winner, resisted the return of Chris Horner for 26 seconds. In 2020, Hugh Carty beat his chasing trio by 16 seconds. The one who widened the biggest gaps was Gilberto Simoni in 2000. The Italian pushed back his runner-up to almost three minutes.

Due to its extreme difficulty, the Angliru is therefore more of a test of resistance than a place where the legend of the Vuelta was written. For David Millar, going there was a turning point for professional cycling. “I think cycling has developed. But I think adding Angliru, when we weren’t ready, forced change. This forced a change in the organization of the races. This climb alone is the pivot of modern cycling.”