Vuelta a Andalucía Ruta Ciclista del Sol 2020 – Stage 1 preview

By David Hunter

Alhaurin de la Torre – Grazalema 172.5km

The race starts with a cracking looking stage.

The whole day will be spent waiting for the final 20km, which includes a cat 1 climb and a brilliant little finish.

The Big Climb

Puerto de las Palomas is a long one, 12.4km at 6.5%, but it’s the final 6.3km that will do the damage, as you can see below.

Averaging 7.1%, the final half of the climb is very difficult. The crest comes with just over 6km remaining, which means that a solo attack can stick. As Astana and Bahrain have very strong teams, any winning move must include riders from those squads. I’m hoping a late escape doesn’t stay away, as the finale deserves better than that.

Finale

700m at 9.1%, but you really need to take a look at street view. This is a classic little Spanish street, which is incredibly narrow, brutally steep, and has cobbles! Without doubt, this is a great finish and one that will seriously test the legs of the riders.

Weather

Sunny, not very warm, not very windy. Conditions are quite good for the bunch.

Tactics

The cat 1 climb will be carnage. As we have two teams that look super powerful, they will try to flex their muscles and launch a few attacks. Expect to see Mitchelton-Scott, Movistar come under pressure, with Astana and Bahrain looking to do some damage. If it does all come back together, the descent into the final lump is very fast.. Once on this little muro, tactics will go out the window and it will be man versus man.

Contenders

Bahrain – way too hard for Colbrelli, and just too hard for Mohorič. The finale is perfect for Dylan Teuns, he loves a steep slope and his seated power is off the chart, perfect for this cobbled climb. They also have Mikel Landa and Pello Bilbao as proper options, but Teuns has a little more power for this type of finish compared to those two. It will be interesting to see how the team approach the cat 1 climb, as I would instruct Landa to attack and see if he can escape and take some time on his rivals. With a TT waiting on Sunday, he needs time if he’s to win the GC.

Astana – you wouldn’t say Fuglsang, Izagirre and Vlasov are perfect for this finish, but I think Fuglsang is their best option. The Dane was 2nd in the opening stage of last year’s race, but that climb was slightly looker and harder. Astana will attack on the final climb, there is no point simply dragging the Bahrain boys to the line. After taking their first win in Provence, the team will be looking to kick on and pick up a few more wins in this race.

Jack Haig – the Aussie started the season off well in Valencia, finishing 2nd on GC and was also 4th on the uphill sprint stage. Haig isn’t known for doing well in this type of finish, but I think it’s something he’s improved over the last couple of years and he should be confident of challenging for the podium. His 4th place in the uphill sprint in Valencia is a sign that he’ll do well in this stage.

Antwan Tolhoek – 2019 was a huge year for the Dutch climber, taking his first pro win in the Tour de Suisse. He doesn’t get many opportunities to be team leader for Jumbo-Visma, which means he’ll be keen on taking this one. He has the power required to do well in this type of finish.

Prediction Time

The cat 1 climb is a tough one, and I’m sure we’ll see teams test each other out. As it’s the opening stage of the race, and we only have one big climb, there should be enough domestiques to ensure it all comes back together for a grandstand finish. Given the gradient of the final 500m, and the cobbles, I need to go for the rider with the best seated power, step for Dylan Teuns.

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