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Stage 16 – Tuesday September 9
Poio to Mos. Castro de Herville
Distance: 167.9km (104.3 miles)
Profile: Medium mountain stage
Stage 16: No high climbs, but there’s danger regardless
The race resumes after the second rest day, and this could well be another key battleground for the GC. Like stage 11 of the Vuelta, it is another Ardennes-type day in the saddle, with a number of sharp climbs, but there are longer ascents too.
A category three ramp midway through is followed by the more grueling Aldo de Groba, a category one 11km ascent.
This is followed by a pairing of cat 2 climbs in the finale, with the Aldo de Prado and the summit finish both rearing up inside the final 28km. Any stiff legs after the rest day will be put under real pressure, particularly if Vuelta leader Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) or João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) are not at 100 percent.
Race director Fernado Escartín:
“In La Vuelta 21, we lived a thrilling stage headed to Mos on terrain that will, once again, receive the peloton in La Vuelta 25. The stage features four point-incurring mountain passes and a very rugged terrain in the second-half of the stage, which will make it very difficult to bring down the day’s escape, should there be one.”