Saturday is going to be tough. The Vuelta’s general classification contenders get another chance to make some big moves on Stage 14. The route from Jaén to the Sierra de la Pandera is not flat at all, with around 3,000 m of climbing packed into the 154.5-kilometre stage. And the finish. Oh boy, the finish. We will get to that.

Stage 14 of La Vuelta

The first real test comes at the Puerto de los Villares, a 10.4-kilometre climb averaging 5.5 per cent. Riders then face the Puerto de Locubín, which stretches for 8.8 kilometres at five per cent, before the race reaches the final sequence.

The approach to Valdepeñas de Jaén doesn’t give the boys in Spain much time to recover. The infamous climb through the town includes ramps of up to (ouch) 23 per cent before a short descent leads towards the foot of the Sierra de la Pandera.

The finish

The final climb is where the stage is likely to be decided. It is 8.4 kilometres long at an average of 7.8 per cent, but those numbers don’t tell the whole story. Several sections are considerably steeper, including a kilometre that averages 12 per cent.

The Pandera has featured as a Vuelta summit finish six times previously, with all the big names winning it at one point. Guys like Roberto Heras, Alejandro Valverde and Richard Carapaz are among those who scored a dub there. You can tune into the stage today on FloBikes.com at 8:40 a.m EDT.

Mas still in red

Enric Mas starts the day in red and will face his biggest test yet as Vuelta leader. With the GC battle tightening and one of Spain’s toughest climbs waiting at the finish, this could be the stage where the race takes another significant turn.

We also got news about the previous red jersey, Tadej Pogačar, from whom Mas inherited the lead (and has done a good job defending it thus far).

On Saturday, Team UAE Emirates announced that due to the injuries he suffered in Stage 8 of the Spanish Grand Tour, Pogačar’s season is over. No road worlds, no European champs, no Lombardy. Instead, he will focus on recovery and prepare for next year. A bummer, but with some of the terrible crashes we’ve seen these past few years, it’s always key to remember it could have been much worse.

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