Saturday is going to be tough. The Vuelta\u2019s general classification contenders get another chance to make some big moves on Stage 14. The route from Ja\u00e9n 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.<\/p>\n
Stage 14 of La Vuelta<\/p>\n
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 Locub\u00edn, which stretches for 8.8 kilometres at five per cent, before the race reaches the final sequence.<\/p>\n
The approach to Valdepe\u00f1as de Ja\u00e9n doesn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
The finish<\/p>\n
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\u2019t tell the whole story. Several sections are considerably steeper, including a kilometre that averages 12 per cent.<\/p>\n
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<\/a> at 8:40 a.m EDT.<\/p>\n Mas still in red<\/p>\n 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\u2019s toughest climbs waiting at the finish, this could be the stage where the race takes another significant turn.<\/p>\n We also got news about the previous red jersey, Tadej Poga\u010dar, from whom Mas inherited the lead (and has done a good job defending it thus far).<\/p>\n